405-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 1 - Defining Nonlinearity

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

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Course Objective

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

Course Description

405-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 1 - Defining Nonlinearity

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.

Questions about this course? Email the Author: john.klein.pe@gmail.com

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(3.9) 11 Reviews

Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

Michael Rodriguez

03/06/2022

Verified Buyer

Great introduction, love the illustrations and even slight humor is some places. Sometimes a bit to "wordy" for my taste but I understand the necessity at the same time.

1 of 1 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

Bill Train

09/06/2021

Verified Buyer

The material was a little disjointed and bounced around, questions and responses seemed ambiguous and could have had more than one answer...

2 of 2 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

John David Evans

06/27/2021

Verified Buyer

I had studied structural design in the classroom in some time. Returning to this nomenclature and these concepts was daunting, but the clarity of the course material did help.

1 of 1 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

06/09/2021

Good course. Challenging.

1 of 1 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

Bill White

06/09/2021

Verified Buyer

Presentation difficult to follow. More explanation needed in some areas. Content is refreshing but unnecessarily hard to follow. Overall, somewhat disappointed.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

Claude Henderson

06/03/2021

Verified Buyer

Hard to follow. Not really an introduction. Had to read and reread several times before taking the test.

1 of 1 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

Rudy Tisdale

05/24/2021

Verified Buyer

Course was complex and test was difficult

48 of 48 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Structural Nonlinearity

James N Michael

05/22/2021

Verified Buyer

Very good course on explanation and concrete examples of structural non-linear analysis.

47 of 47 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Introduction to Structural Nonlinearity

04/15/2021

Verified Buyer

Very well written. Author uses carefully selected terms, in the course materials, helping to convey the concepts clearly. Graphics are very beneficial.

47 of 47 customers found this helpful.

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Review of: Introduction to Structural Nonlinearity

Damon Burney

02/01/2021

Verified Buyer

Good.

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Introduction to Structural Nonlinearity

Tom Card

01/04/2021

Verified Buyer

The course was challenging. It woke up brains cells that have been asleep for a while. However, apparently some of the brain cells never did wake up. Fortunately I managed to pass the course. Enjoyed taking it. No number crunching, but thought provoking.

3 of 4 customers found this helpful.

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Course Code: 100295-01

Course PDH Hours: 3

Engineering Course Approvals

This course is accepted for engineering continuing education credit in all US states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Canadian provinces.
Ohio rules allow only 6-hours of unsupervised online courses such as this course per license renewal period
Kansas rules allow only 5-hours of self-study courses such as this course per license renewal period

About Course Approvals

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

Course Title Rating Hours Price

421-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 2 - Analysis Methods

(5) 2 Reviews

$67.50

422-Structural Nonlinearity - Part 3 - Analyzing Nonlinearity

(5) 4 Reviews

$90.00

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