Learning structural behaviour of trusses through laboratory models

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology applied to teaching of subjects related to structural design and analysis, as well as strength of materials, during the second year of our University studies program. The aim of this methodology is to improve the students’ understanding of the structural behaviour from the very early stages of their college education process. Students take part in a workshop that fosters their involvement within all the stages of the process of the structure design, such as characterization of the material to be used, analysis of different theoretical models based on theoretical courses, structure numerical simulation using an ad-hoc mobile app, building the model, test their model in the laboratory and drawing up conclusions explaining the model collapse.