Form & Function

Mass Structures

Examples

Facts

Can be made by piling up or forming similar materials into a particular shape or design. Mass structures also are not always solid, but are layered and have hollowed out areas for specific functions, such as as dams, walls or maybe monuments

Shell Structures

Examples

Facts

Structures, which keep their shape and support loads, even without a frame, or solid mass material inside, are called shell structures. These structures use a thin, carefully shaped, outer layer of material, to provide their strength and rigidity. The shape of a shell structure spreads forces throughout the whole structure, which means every part of the structure supports only a small part of the load, giving it its strength.

Frame Structures

Examples

Facts

A framed structure in any material is one that is made stable by a skeleton that is able to stand by itself as a rigid structure without depending on floors or walls to resist deformation.

Stability

Facts

Stability is the state of being resistant to change or, just the state of being stable.

Examples

Center of Gravity

Facts

The center of gravity is the place in a system or body where the weight is evenly dispersed and all sides are in balance.

Examples

Internal Forces

Types

Shear

Examples

Facts

Shear is a map of a coordinate space in which one coordinate is held fixed and the other coordinate or coordinates are shifted.

Tension

Examples

Facts

Tension is the pulling force exerted by each end of a string, cable, chain, or similar one-dimensional continuous object, or by each end of a rod or similar three dimensional object.

Torsion

Examples

Facts

Torsion is the twisting of an object due to an applied force

Compression

Examples

Facts

Compression is the action or state of being squished down or made smaller or more pressed together.

External Forces

Live Load

Examples

Facts

A live load is a moving, variable weight added to the already existing weight of a structure

Dead Load

Examples

Facts

A dead load is a constant load on a structure

Examples

Facts

Design features are things in the design of structures that make it stronger, more durable, or to make it look better.

Examples

Dont get mad, this is legit the only picture i could find that showed what point and plane of application of force was

Facts

Where forces are hitting a structure is called the point of application, and the imaginary line the force is passing through is called the plane of application.

Direction of Force

Examples

Facts

The direction of force is simply the way that the force is pushing, pulling, twisting or shearing

Magnitude

Examples

Facts

Magnitude is how forces are measured, seeing as a force with a high magnitude is a powerful force, and one with a low magnitude is a weak force. Magnitude is also shown by how long an arrow is in diagrams.