John Klein, P.E., M.L.S.E.

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Presents a SunCam continuing education series on the topic of:

Structural Nonlinearity

Contact author at:
john.klein.pe@gmail.com
Pittsboro, NC

Mr. John Klein is Model Law Structural Engineer with over 20 years of experience who is a registered professional engineer in over a dozen states. Klein earned his Bachelor and Master of Science in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has designed, analyzed, evaluated, or provided repairs for hundreds of buildings and non-building structures. Klein's wide breadth of experience has ranged from conventional building structures to the uncommon, including cable structures, shells/vessels/stacks, amusement structures, film-set structures, ramps, and testing and experimental structures.

Klein has developed and delivered in-person courses and multi-day seminars and specializes in teaching structural engineering concepts and perspectives to non-structural engineers. He has written and presented career-building speeches to middle and high school students and has acted as a judge for science competitions. He is an inventor and an antiquarian engineering book collector who resides with his spouse and identical twins in Wisconsin.

Course Title Rating Hours Price

405-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 1 - Defining Nonlinearity

(3.9) 11 Reviews

3 $67.50

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

What is structural nonlinearity? The notion of linearity has become so ingrained in the practice of structural engineering that the term nonlinearity feels shadowy and ominous, vague and unconventional. Nonlinearity means that the structural behavior will be different, but how? What constitutes nonlinearity and what are the different types?

There are multiple components, conditions, and behavior that all fit under the umbrella of structural nonlinearity. The terminology surrounding nonlinearity can be overwhelming – P-delta, inelastic behavior, softening/stiffening, large deflections, physical nonlinearity, follower forces, nonprismatic, directionality, etc.

What are all the different types of nonlinearity that are possible in structural analysis? Why are they different and when do they need to be included? This course aims to introduce the full range of structural nonlinearity, describe their behavior and effects, and provide insight into when nonlinearities should be included in analyses.

Note: The content in this series of courses is advanced and requires a solid understanding of structural behavior and considerable experience with linear structural analyses. The reader should be familiar with beam theory, determinacy and internal stability of structures, strength of materials, and should be experienced in idealizing real-world structures and have exposure to some more advanced concepts such as plastic hinging.

421-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 2 - Analysis Methods

(5) 2 Reviews

3 $67.50

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

Only a small sliver of real-world behavior is linear, so mentioning nonlinear analysis without any context is opaque if not ungraspable. The term nonlinear analysis relates as much information as suggesting a “special tool” or a “custom solution”. There are several different analysis methods that can solve structural nonlinearity and they have curious and indistinct names that have been informally adopted by the industry. What types of nonlinearities can MNO or 3rd-order analysis solve? Which of a simulation analysis or an analysis using a geometric stiffness matrix is an approximation? How does a 2nd-order analysis work?

This course surveys the current analysis methods capable of solving structural nonlinearity. This course presents the types of nonlinearity that each method can solve and introduces concepts such as recursion, kinematics, iterative analyses, benchmark problems, and discretization. The discussions are anchored by numerous illustrative diagrams and detailed examples of how iterative analyses converge.

Note: The content in this series of courses is advanced and requires considerable experience with linear structural analysis and a solid understanding of structural behavior. It is recommended that the preceding courses in this series be completed prior to taking this course.

422-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 3 - Analyzing Nonlinearity

(5) 4 Reviews

4 $90.00

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Course Objectives: This continuing education course is written specifically for professional engineers with the objective of relating to and enhancing the practice of engineering.

Course Description:

Nonlinear analyses can be formidable, unpredictable, and tricky to perform proficiently. Performing a nonlinear analysis can be likened to returning to a city you once knew many years ago that has since grown and changed beyond recognition. Landmarks and routes may feel familiar in bouts, and you may be able to tenuously find your way just to hit a dead end or arrive somewhere surprisingly foreign to you. Think of this course as a map kiosk with advice on what to expect and how to navigate nonlinear analyses.

This course describes how nonlinearities can be analyzed once they are identified in a structural system. The course content includes guidance on idealization, nuances of analyzing each nonlinearity type, and general recommendations for analysis.

The course closes with several detailed examples where the reader is walked through the analyses of several types of nonlinearity, each crafted to show analysis protocols, help illustrate confusing aspects, and highlight potential pitfalls.

Future Courses by John Klein, P.E., M.L.S.E.

Structural Nonlinearity, Part 4: Geometric Nonlinearity

A detailed breakdown of the different types, effects, and intricacies of geometric nonlinearity, with methods of analysis and detailed examples.