Fundamentals of mechanics

– Ability to do research, reading and interpreting content analysis.
– Ability to synthesise and write text – Computer skills from the user’s perspective, digital writing of documents and the creation of work reports and presentation and dissemination.
 Ability and motivation to research, use and apply specific software for the mechanics of structures.
– Sense of cooperation, mutual help, collaboration and a spirit of knowledge sharing, with practical interest in carrying out activities, individually and in work groups.
– Motivation, interest in acquiring elementary concepts of physics and mathematics, such as: Units systems, vectorial analysis and their characteristics, force and principles of equilibrium, and bases of trigonometry for applying concepts to the study of mechanics.

The classes will be taught in Portuguese, having as object of work and learning the syllabus presented. It is expected that the lessons will have, whenever possible, different moments in the knowledge transmission methodology:
1) accompanied study in the learning achieved by the students, clarification of doubts and practical support at work and/or solving exercises/problems,
2) discussion and presentation of weekly research papers carried out by the working groups about contents of UC.
3) expository presentation of contents by the teacher, with possible practical resolution of example exercises, followed by discussion between the teacher, students and groups of students about the themes and exercises presented.

An expository presentation will be used during the explanation of theoretical subjects to support learning with the practical resolution of exercises. Students will be encouraged to carry out a practical work of technical and scientific interpretation and on contents and a practical interpretation approach through individual and group research. The research should result in information in a documents made available to all students through the sharing of documents in the forum of the Inforestudante platform, or even on student pages. The learning will be monitored by the students, by clarifying doubts, supporting the resolution of exercises and guiding practical work, and there must be a writing of personal study works. 

As long as it is feasible, it is considered, that during class hours, a visit to works or structures may be made, either on the Institute’s own campus or outside. To occur, students will be challenged to present images and description of the verified situations. Not being feasible, students will be encouraged to do, for their own reasons, personal record of examples of works or structures of interest within the scope of the discipline’s content, being invited to present work with description and images of the observed.

These processes aim at the individual responsibility of the student, and at the same time, to increase the ation to knowledge sharing between, for and with the other colleagues. The student is individually assessed for the knowledge acquired, for their potential to interpret the intended objectives for the resolution and understanding of structural engineering exercises, as well as for their ability to organize ideas and consequent exposure of knowledge. At the same time, you will be evaluated for your collaboration with your colleagues, either for the work developed in a group or for your motivation to collaborate in the learning of your colleagues. After the academic weeks, each student will take a written test with questions about the syllabus, with space for presenting exercise proposals that demonstrate their ability to identify problems and their resolution. There will be a part of problems fundamentals for which a minimum quote will be required.

Goals:
1. Acquisition of basis of structural mechanics important for other curricular units.
2. Understand the constitution of a structure (elements, supports and internal links) and the actions that can take place in it;
3. Know the mechanical transfer of actions/loads in structures, and the effects of traction, compression, bending and shear.
4. Pratice and understand the static equilibrium equations to determine the support reactions of the lattice structures the distribution of internal forces in elements and frames of structures through bending moment, shear and axial force diagrams

Generic Skills:
– Increased skills in the areas of communication and knowledge transfer;
– Application and demonstration of skills acquired through methods of study and personal work in individual and group tasks;
– Motivation to use self-learning methods and skills development accompanied by the proposal in the teaching methods
– Application of knowledge and physical understanding of phenomena through technical, scientific and pedagogical interconnection;
– Development of competence to carry out judgment and decision making.

Specific Skills:
– Acquire knowledge to understand the mechanical behavior of building structures and structural elements;
– Increased ability to observe practical situations aiming at the need for intervention;
– Encouraging the development of analysis and calculation methodologies in response to actions and effects on structures
– Basis for decision-making of intervention and to create the proposals to improve structural behavior, through rehabilitation, reinforcement or basic design actions

This unit provides the basis of Newtonian Mechanics for students to understand the fundamentals of structural analysis and design. This unit is important to contributes to success in others Curricular Units of the curricular plan and thus, to adquire of essential bases and decision-making capacity as future professionals.

PART 1 – Fundamental Concepts of Structural Mechanics Knowledge
01. Knowledge of type of structures, constructions and structural typology
02. Basis to evaluation, design, and dimensioning of structures;
03. Elementary principles for structural calculation
04. Technical, scientific and pedagogical learning of structural analysis and calculation
05. Research on learning tools for knowledge acquisition

PART 2 – Practical fundamentals of structural analysis and calculation
06. From action to effects (reactions, stresses, deformations, and displacements)
07. Study of structural elements and design of mechanical behavior
08. Analysis and calculation of structural elements and planar structures
09. Practical calculation of planar structures
10. Results of the response obtained in the mechanical behavior of structures

PART 3 – Applications for evaluating mechanical behavior
10. Support systems for the calculation and evaluation of structures
11. Digital applications for the design of structural elements and systems
12. Comparative study and analysis in planar elements and structures
13. Didactic-pedagogical learning for structural design
14. Practical and experimental application of knowledge in structural solutions
15. Review and conclusions, proposals and suggestions, information and dissemination

The Unit of Fundaments of Mechanics (FM) has an assessment process consisting of a Final Written Exam (PEF) and Study, Research and Presentation Work (TEIA). The classification defined by:

• 20 points in the final written exam (PEF)
• 12 points in the written exam (PEF) + 8 points in descriptive work (TEIA)
• REQUIREMENTS:
  Students must have a minimum attendance of 20% in classes to take the PEF
  Students must obtain a minimum grade of 50% in the final written exam (PEF)

- PEF: Final Written Test, mandatory and individual demonstration of knowledge

• This test, which must be taken individually. As evidence in the assessment of the test (PEF), the following will be considered: i) handwritten sheets with the answers by solving the questions presented in the exam, ii) the exam statement with the answers requested therein, iii) a sheet printed on paper with writing on topics about activities carried out during the semester referring to the student's participation, learning, and presentations made, and iv) a sheet with handwritten notes on content that the student understands to be written on it as support material for the final written test.

- TEIA: Study, Research and Presentation Works, carried out individually and/or in groups, during the academic period. They are subdivided into two components: 1) TEI: Study and Research Description Works; 2) TAI: Presentation Works, individual and/or in groups.

• TEI: Study and Research Description Work, individual and/or in groups: completion of descriptive work in an online document shared among colleagues, with presentation of the description and compilation on topics resulting from the research for the production of an ARTICLE to be counted in the evaluation. The articles must address technical, scientific and/or pedagogical content resulting from the specific research, and must be submitted for review by external entities. For this component, participation in the description of content is considered, with careful, organized and properly formatted writing, previously inducing discussion (introduction), debate (content) and the sharing of knowledge (discussion and results) on the topics, or, if applicable, with the procedures for presentation, problem solving and discussion of results. These works may integrate content studied and/or presented in mini-reports, or presented in the TAI works.
• TAI: Presentation Assignments, individual and/or in groups: completion of at least 2 PRESENTATIONS (in PowerPoint), describing tasks and activities developed through research and demonstration of knowledge that contribute to more didactic learning. Therefore, it is expected that students, individually or in groups, will respond to challenges posed by the teacher(s), or present their own challenges, such as: a) designing models, mock-ups, or structures using various materials; b) research on topics of interest in the area of ​​sustainability and fundamentals of structural mechanics; c) descriptive presentation on problems associated with the content and their respective solutions; d) presentations in ppt or pptx format on content described in TEI-type assignments; e) others to be presented by the teacher to the students, or by the students to the teacher, or among students. As supporting evidence for the evaluation of these assignments, documents completed and submitted in PowerPoint format will be considered. Presentations should include a narration of the content, and therefore have a minimum presentation time of 5 minutes, and at least 5 slides of content.

Clarification on the procedures for conducting and carrying out work will be provided by the teacher during classes, at the time defined for this purpose.

Students who submit to knowledge assessment outside the scheduled times can be evaluated by a written exam, and / or by an oral exam, and / or by presentation and defense of works to be written, and, if ffavorable, the classifications of component(s) that make up the frequent assessment that the student has carried out. Approval requires obtaining 9.5 points in the final grade.

NAO