Fundamentals of Structural Engineering - FE Civil Exam

Learn stability and determinacy of beams and frames, distinguishing externally and internally unstable cases, and apply R, Q, C counts to assess indeterminacy and frame stability with 3M+R versus 3J+C.

Learn how external and internal stability determine truss behavior, using the M+R equals 2J rule to classify stable, determinant, or unstable cases, with practical examples.

Learn to compute deflection of trusses with the unit-load method by calculating member lengths and internal forces, then use f small times l over a e and sum to delta.

Explore moving loads on a beam, determine maximum moment and shear by locating the resultant and centering loads, and apply to a three-load example on a 44-ft span.

Learners explore influence lines for beam reactions under moving loads, showing how reactions vary with load position and drawing lines by removing supports, ensuring the reactions sum to one.

Learn to draw the influence line for trusses using a unit load to compute interior member forces and identify compression in the upper chord and tension in the lower chord.

Calculate fixed end moments for fixed-fixed beams under uniform and concentrated loads using M_A = M_B = wL^2/12 and M_A = P a B^2/L^2, M_B = P a^2 B/L^2.

Identify beam stability by counting reactions at fixed, hinged, and roller supports, compute Q=3+C and R, and conclude the beam is stable and indeterminate of the second degree.

This practice exam answers part 2 walks through counting members, reactions, joints, and internal releases to assess frame stability and determinacy. The calculations show the frame is stable and determinate.

Count members, reactions, and joints to analyze stability; find m=17, r=4, j=10, note m+r=21 and 2j=20, proving the structure is stable and indeterminate of the first degree.

Calculate deflection at point C for simple truss under a 90 kip load using AC, BC, AB member tables and f l over a e with a one kip unit.

Determine the maximum moment on a 32 ft beam with loads (£5,000 and £3,000) separated by six feet by locating the resultant and aligning the beam center between them.

Practice exam answers (part 6) guides drawing influence lines for a beam with supports A and B, using unit loads to obtain deflected shapes and show lines sum to one.

Compute the inference line for the truss under a unit mid-span load, determine reactions, and solve for J from moment equilibrium about point D, yielding a tensile value around 1.125.

Compute the fixed-end moment at support B for a 10 kip/ft distributed load on an 8 ft beam using the formula w l^2 / 12, yielding 53.3 kip-ft.

Compute fixed-end moment at support B for a fixed beam with a load 4 ft from A and 8 ft from B, using M_B = P A^2 B / L^2.

Sees loads as dead, live, and occasional, tracing gravity load from slab to soil; contrasts allowable stress design with load and resistance factor design, detailing factors and phi values.

Explore reinforced concrete design fundamentals, including beam and column design under moments, shear, and normal forces using phi factors, factored capacities, and interaction diagrams.

explore the design of RC beams under flexure, balancing tension steel and compression concrete, converting parabolic stress to a rectangle, and determining phi from M_n and M_u.

Explain how to compute the shear capacity of an RC beam, compare V ultimate with phi V_c, and determine whether stirrups are required, including spacing if needed.

Design RC columns under normal forces using the phi p_n ≥ p_u criterion, with phi 0.65 for compression control and 1–8% reinforcement, to determine nominal strength from concrete and steel.

Learn to design reinforced concrete columns under combined normal force and moment using interaction diagrams, account for eccentricity and lateral loads, and determine required reinforcement.

Compute the minimum width for a reinforced concrete beam to resist the factored moment, using eight #8 bars in two rows and phi, fc' and fy values; result: 15 inches.

Walks through calculating the nominal strength M_n of a reinforced concrete beam using A_s from three #10 bars and f'c = 4000 psi, then applies phi to obtain M_u.

Determine the theoretical spacing of number three stirrups in a reinforced concrete beam by matching the required shear strength to the concrete contribution and stirrup steel, yielding about 6.7 inches.

Compute the design axial compressive strength for a 12x12 inch concrete column reinforced with four #9 bars grade 60, yielding 434 kips and a reinforcement ratio of 0.028.

Determine the maximum factor bending moment for a reinforced concrete column under axial load by applying gamma, rho, and ultimate moment calculations.

Introduce steel structural design with wide flange sections, detailing web and flange properties, buckling behavior, and the effective length l_c for beams and columns.

Learn to design steel columns using both the equations method and tables, understanding buckling governs strength, and gain exam-ready skills for using tables 4.1 and 4.14 to save time.

Master the design of steel beams by evaluating local and lateral torsional buckling, and applying compact, non-compact, and slender section checks using tables and graphs to determine plastic moment capacity.

Analyze the design of steel tension members and connections by examining yielding, rupture, and block shear failure, and compute ultimate and design strengths from net and gross areas.

Calculate the slenderness ratio kl/r for a W 1039 beam with pinned ends, using K=1 and L=16 ft. With R = 1.98 in, the result is kl/r ≈ 97.

Calculate the ultimate moment as 1.2 times moment due to service load plus 1.6 times moment due to live load, and assess lateral torsional buckling to verify beam adequacy.

Apply fracture criteria to a w shape member under a live 420 kip axial load, using a 0.9 shear factor to determine the net area.

Explain the practice problem by comparing yielding and rupture capacities for a bolted plate connection; yielding about 202.5 kips, rupture about 173.6 kips, so the governing load equals rupture capacity.

Celebrate completing the course by exploring the remaining topics in the instructor profile, refreshing your memory with examples before the exam, and joining the private Facebook group for clarifications.

Differentiate concentrated and distributed loads and compute the resultant and centroid for common shapes. Draw free-body diagrams and build shear force and bending moment diagrams using equilibrium and support reactions.

Compute the free-body diagram and reactions for a six-meter beam with fixed left end and 8 kN loads at 3 m and 6 m, then construct the SFD and BMD.

Master free-body diagrams and compute shear force diagrams and bending moment diagrams for a two-support beam, determining vertical reactions and moments with moment sums.

Reconstruct the original beam from a given SFD and BMD, computing vertical reactions, distributed loads, and parabolic moment diagrams.

Draw the beam's free body diagram, solve for vertical reactions Ya and Yb, and determine the maximum shear force using the sfd and bmd in this part four resource series.

Evaluate a simply supported beam under a triangular distributed load by computing reactions, locating the resultant, and determining the moment at seven meters, illustrating SFD and BMD concepts.