Seeing and Touching Structural Concepts

The pioneering website www.structuralconcepts.org, by Tianjian Ji and Adrian Bell, goes back to basics and explains in detail the basic principles of structural concepts and how they relate to the real world.

Following on from and expanding upon the website, comes this book. Essential for the civil engineering student, it examines the concepts in closer detail with formulae and technical terminology, while remaining grounded in the website's practical approach. With hundreds of photographs and diagrams, you are encouraged to visualize each concept in turn and to understand how it applies to every day life.

Tianjian Ji has worked on the design of structures and on structural investigations with consultants, the China Academy of Building Research and the Building Research Establishment Ltd, UK, for over ten years. He joined UMIST in 1996 and is a senior lecturer teaching structures courses ranging from first year to final year levels and has carried out research in structural engineering and structural dynamics.

Adrian Bell has worked with consultants on the design of a wide range of structures including long span roofs and tower structures. Now as a senior lecturer at UMIST, he has taught courses in structural analysis and structural design for twenty-five years and has carried out research into cable, steel and masonry structures.