Overview

This page includes example teaching materials using the Arcade program. Most of the documents include details concerning the courses and computing environments where they were used, and so are not suitable to be used "off the shelf". These materials are provided to serve as prototypes for instructors to create their own materials.

Note that some of the model files may not work with earlier versions of Arcade. Go to the download page to make sure you have the latest version.

Homework assignments

• Particle equilibrium (statement, model file): This is a simple problem where students must add a force to one particle so that its resultant equals that of another particle. Its primarily purpose is to introduce students to the operation of the program.
• Body equilibrium: (statement, model file): This problem involves a more challenging problem where forces must be added to a body to put it in equilibrium.
• Truss redesign (statement, model file): This problem involves reconfiguring a given truss in order to meet simple criteria for strength and stiffness.
• Truss bridge design (statement, model file): A challenging problem to design a bridge using inelastic truss elements. The criteria include strength, stiffness, and single member redundancy.
  • Example solution 1 (model file): This successful solution passes the criteria with low structural weight.
  • Example solution 2 (model file): This unsuccessful solution collapses when the center vertical member is removed (see notes in the model file).
• Inelastic column buckling (statement, model file): This problem is intended for an engineering course in steel design. It examines the behavior of columns with different slendernesses and compares the buckling load as predicted by the Euler formula and the AISC formula, which accounts for inelastic buckling.

Laboratory Exercises

• Structural design for a building on a cliff face: (statement) This 90-minute exercise involves a structural design for a building on a cliff face. The design criteria are highly simplified, but problem addresses fundamental issues of structural form.
• Results Summary (web page). This web page is used in lecture to summarize the limitations of the problem and the exercise's lessons about design and structural form.
• Dynamic loading and response (statement, check sheet, model file): This 90-minute exercise examines types of dynamic loading (impulse and periodic) and the influence of various dynamic properties (mass, stiffness, and damping).
• Design for blast load (statement, check sheet, model file): This 90-minute exercise involves assessing the design criteriafor a truss designed to support a 20-foot tall wall for blast loading. The model uses inelastic truss elements.

Demonstration Slide Sets

Arcade includes a function to show a series of model files in a folder as consecutive slides, similar to PowerPoint. Tutorial number 4 from the help menu gives instructions on creating an arcade slide show.

• Statics of a particle (zipped model files, notes): A series of model files concerning force systems acting on particle masses.
• Statics of a body (zipped model files, notes): A series of model files concerning force systems acting on rigid bodies.
• Seismic frames (zipped model files, notes): A series of model files concerning the cyclic inelastic behavior of moment frames, braced frames, and eccentric braced frames.

Topic Notes

• Frame buckling (zipped model files, notes): An extended series of notes on the topic of frame buckling. The discussion is based on a series of Arcade models illustrating the buckling behavior of frames, and the assumptions and limitations underlying the alignment chart method of calculating column buckling loads.

Tutorials

These tutorial files are included with the Arcade distribution, and are available from the menus via Help > Examples.

• Complex pendulum (statement): This is a "quick start" tutorial illustrating the basic operations of building a model and graphing data.
• Beam (statement): This tutorial introduces more features, including elastic beam elements, reaction display, moment diagrams, viewing element information, and load pattern control over time.
• Seismic frame (statement): This tutorial introduces inelastic truss elements,imposed acceleration patterns, and earthquake records.

Non-Structural

• Graphic patterns (statement). This is a workshop conducted for a class in drawing and painting, taught by Sanda Iliescu. It uses Arcade's graphing function to produce graphic patterns based on the movement of a complex pendulum.