CIEN E3127: Structural Design Projects

Course Overview

This course focuses on the more advanced aspects of structural design in accordance with AISC Steel Construction Manual, 16th Edition, and ACI 318-19 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. Topics include the design of eccentric bolted and welded connections in steel members, the mechanics of structural stability including second order (P-Delta) effects, the calculation of proper anchorage (development) length for steel reinforcement in concrete members, and the design of reinforced concrete one-way floor slabs and continuous beams.

You will undertake two major design projects throughout this course. The first project involves the design of a steel moment frame, including second order effects. The second and final project involves the design of a concrete moment frame, including rebar selection and proper development.

This course will strengthen your understanding of building code requirements and structural behavior, equipping you with the skills to perform practical designs that are likely to be encountered in engineering practice.

Course Instructor

Tom Panayotidi

Lecturer in the Discipline of Structural Engineering and Mechanics

Tom T. Panayotidi is a registered professional engineer in the states of New York and New Jersey, with over 30 years of practical experience in the design of structures and foundations for static and dynamic (machinery/seismic) conditions. As a Principal Engineer for Burns and Roe, Inc. and for Power Engineers, Inc., he has been involved in the design of several USACE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and DOE (U.S. Department of Energy) projects and numerous power generating stations across the United States, Central America and Asia. As a Principal Structural Engineer for General Electric-Hitachi (GEH), he has been actively involved in the structural design of the new generation nuclear power plant BWRX-300 SMR (Small Modular Reactor), using advanced computational techniques that incorporate the post-elastic behavior of building materials under cyclic-seismic loads and large temperature gradients. 

Panayotidi received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering (1981), MS (1983) and Doctor of Engineering Science (1986) degrees in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. Before joining Columbia University in 2013, he has taught several mechanics based design courses as an adjunct professor at local universities, including Structural Dynamics, Design of Foundations, Advanced Steel Design, Advanced Concrete Design, Design of Prestressed Concrete, Theory of Plates and Shells, and others.