Amogh N P
✦ In loving memory of Amogh N P — Architect · Designer · Visionary ✦
B.Arch Curriculum · Semester 4

Design of Structures II

How to size structural steel by the Limit State Method of IS 800:2007 — and timber by the working-stress method of IS 883. Five design problems: the welded joint, the tension member, the compression member (column), the laterally-supported steel beam, and the timber beam. Each comes with its governing formula, a worked example and a live calculator. The steel counterpart to Design of Structures I (RCC) — the calculation layer beside Concept of Building Structures and Building Materials & Construction III.

5Units
5Calculators
2Credits
FreeForever
Start with Unit I All student courses
Where this course sits. It is the steel (and timber) calculation layer — the sequel to Design of Structures I (RCC design), beside Concept of Building Structures (the theory) and Building Materials & Construction III (steel construction & detailing). Here you learn to size the steel members.
Unit III · The buckling core

Compression Members

Struts, columns and stanchions carry compression — and a slender one fails by buckling long before it crushes. IS 800:2007 design turns on slenderness: the effective length KL (set by the end conditions, K from Table 11), the slenderness ratio λ = KL/r about the weak axis, and the design compressive stress fcd read off one of four buckling curves (a/b/c/d). The capacity is Pd = Ae·fcd. Learn short vs slender behaviour, effective length, the buckling formula, and built-up laced and battened columns.

Slenderness λEffective length KBuckling curvefcd & PdLive calculator
Open the lesson

The syllabus

Five members, five design problems.

Transcribed from the official B.Arch syllabus. All 5 units are live as full interactive lessons — each with original diagrams, a worked example, a live calculator and a self-assessment quiz.

1

Unit 1 — Steel Sections & Welded Joints

Live

Types of steel and the properties of structural steel; IS rolled sections (ISMB, ISMC, ISA, ISHB) and SP 6; the concept of Limit State Design — partial safety factors for loads (γf) and material (γm0 = 1.10, γm1 = 1.25); and the design of a fillet weld.

CO1CO6
2

Unit 2 — Tension Members

Live

Types of tension members and sections; the three modes of failure — gross-section yielding, net-section rupture and block shear; net area and the staggered-hole rule; the design of plate and single-angle tension members (with shear lag); and built-up tension members.

CO2CO6
3

Unit 3 — Compression Members

Live

Types of compression members and sections; short and slender (long) columns; effective length and the end-condition factor; slenderness ratio and its limits; the design compressive stress from the buckling curves; and the design of single and built-up sections.

CO3CO6
4

Unit 4 — Steel Beams

Live

Types of steel beam sections; section classification (plastic, compact, semi-compact, slender); the general specifications and checks — bending, shear, deflection, web buckling and crippling; and the design of laterally-supported beams.

CO4CO6
5

Unit 5 — Timber Beams

Live

Timber as a structural material; structural grading per IS 883 (Select, Grade I, Grade II), strength groups and the effect of defects; permissible stresses, location and duration-of-load factors; and the working-stress design of a simply-supported timber beam for bending, shear and deflection.

CO5CO6

Course outcomes

What you should be able to do after completing all five units (CO1–CO6, from the syllabus).

1
Understand

Describe the properties of structural steel, IS rolled sections, the concept of Limit State Design, and design a fillet-welded joint.

2
Apply

Design tension members — plates, angles and built-up sections — for the three modes of failure (yielding, rupture and block shear).

3
Apply

Design compression members (columns and struts) — single and built-up — using effective length, slenderness and the buckling curves.

4
Apply

Design laterally-supported steel beams for bending, shear and deflection.

5
Understand

Grade timber and design a simply-supported timber beam for bending, shear and deflection by the working-stress method.

6
Create

Design and verify basic steel and timber members through worked examples and live calculators.

Each unit carries a live calculator that implements the IS 800:2007 (steel) and IS 883 (timber) formulae, validated against the worked examples in the cited textbooks. The diagrams are original Studio Matrx work. These are teaching aids to build intuition — not a substitute for a qualified structural engineer on a real project.

Image credits

Every photograph is a verified Creative-Commons or Public-Domain work from Wikimedia Commons, used with attribution. The hand-drawn diagrams are original Studio Matrx work.

Learn to size the structure.

Welds, ties, columns and beams — in steel and timber, each with the formula, a worked example and a calculator you can drive. Read the five units, then test yourself.

Open Unit I Back to Students

Studio Matrx is a tribute to Amogh N P. The curriculum is free, forever.