Structural Dynamics Principles and Applications

This course covers the fundamentals of structural dynamics, with a focus on the concept of degrees of freedom in a structural system. It provides a comprehensive understanding of mass, stiffness, and damping in the context of structural dynamics. The course uses a frame structure and a pendulum as illustrative examples to explain the derivation of the equation of motion and the use of mathematical tools like Hamilton's principle and Lagrange's equation. It also delves into the principles of Hamilton and Lagrange, the concept of kinetic and potential energy, and the calculus of variation. The course concludes with a detailed discussion on the derivation of the LaGrange equation, the Hamiltonian, and the canonical form of the Hamilton equation.