Structural Dynamics

This Structural Dynamics course equips postgraduate students with the analytical and numerical tools needed to model, simulate, and design structures subject to time-varying loads. Beginning with single-degree-of-freedom systems, we develop modal decomposition techniques, Duhamel integrals, response-spectrum and time-history analysis, and damping models. The curriculum then advances to multi-degree-of-freedom and nonlinear systems, incorporating inelastic behavior and pushover analysis. Hands-on assignments require students to implement algorithms in MATLAB or Python and to validate results using commercial FEA packages. Emphasis is placed on interpreting dynamic performance under seismic actions, and critically assessing retrofitting strategies for resilience. Upon completion, students will be able to formulate dynamic equations of motion, execute computational simulations, and make informed design decisions for structures under different loading scenarios.