CIVILENG 7003 - Wind and Earthquake Engineering
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code CIVILENG 7003 Course Wind and Earthquake Engineering Coordinating Unit Civil Engineering Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 4 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Prerequisites CEME 7301 or CIVILENG 7301 Assumed Knowledge CEME 7303 or CIVILENG 7303, CEME 7302 or CIVILENG 7302 Assessment Assignments, Design Exercise, Exam Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Professor Alex Ching-Tai Ng
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
- Distinguish between the most common structural systems employed to resist lateral loading.
- Appreciate the natural hazard posed by wind and earthquake, and understand the associated structural design performance objectives.
- Identify and define key concepts related to structural dynamics and vibration characteristics of structures, such as natural frequencies, mode shapes, damping, response spectrum, and nonlinear systems; and understand the nexus between these concepts and the practical design process.
- Demonstrate an understanding of key ideas and assumptions underpinning seismic-resistant design, including system ductility, and understand how the engineer can accomplish them through practical detailing.
- Explain basic principles governing wind loading of structures, including wind speeds, basic pressures, and localised pressures due to air-flow around a building as governed by its shape.
- Apply conventional force-based seismic design in the form of equivalent static analysis or dynamic modal analysis, and develop appreciation for emerging techniques such as displacement-based design.
- Compute design actions on structures using the general approaches codified in Australian standards AS 1170.2 (Wind) and AS 1170.4 (Earthquake).
The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia . The course develops the following EA Elements of Competency to levels of introductory (A), intermediate (B), advanced (C):
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 A A A — — — — — C — — B — — — A University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1-3 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
4-7 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
6-7 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
4,6,7 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
4,7 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
6,7 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
4,7 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Powerpoint slides are available on MyUni.Recommended Resources
Textbooks
“Dynamics of Structures” by Ray W. Clough and Joseph Penzien, Computers & Structures, Inc., 2003.
“Dynamics of Structures – Theory and Applications to Earthquake Engineering” by Anilk. Chopra, Prentice-Hall, 2007.
“Wind Loading of Structures” by John D Holmes, Seifu Bekele, CRC Press 2022.Online Learning
All course material including lecture slides, assignments and design excerise will be made available on MyUni throughout the semester.
MyUni will be used to support the teaching. The Discussion Board in MyUni will provide additional support for students to have discussions related to this course. It is strongly recommended that students use the Discussion Board.
Course announcements will be proivded on MyUni regularly throughout the course. It is students' responsibility to check MyUni regularly. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Teaching for this class will consist primarily of lectures/ lecture recordings and workshops, where the fundamental theory will be presented, and followed by examples to illustrate how the theory can be applied to solve structural dynamics problems. Students will develop their understanding of the course content through reading of the textbook, practice problem solving through the tutorial questions and attendance at workshops where problem solving strategies are presented and discussed.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
There are 4 hours study activities (lecture recordings and workshops) each week in the semester. It is expected that students will spend another 8 hours per week outside of class studying the material and practising their problem solving with examples from the textbook.Learning Activities Summary
Topics:
1. Introduction to wind and earthquake design concept
2. Free vibration of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems
3. Forced vibration of SDOF systems
4. Earthqauke ground motion and response spectrum
5. Noninear structural response
6. Multi-degrees-of-freedom (MDOF) systsems
7. Time-history analysis and modal response-spectrum analysis of MDOF systems
8. Earthquake-resistant design, force-based design, displacement-based design and capacity design
9. Design criteria of structures subjected to wind loading
10. Dynamic effects and loads on tall buildings
Note: These are planned topics in the course. Some topics may be changed, added or deleted as appropriate. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment % Group/Individual Assessment 1 6 Individual Assessment 2 6 Individual Assessment 3 16 Group Assessment 4 6 Individual Quiz 6 Individual Final Exam 60 Individual
The overall assessment schedule is given in the table above.
Assignments:
There will be four assignments throughout the course. For Assignments 1, 2 and 4, each of them is worth 6% of your final mark. Assignment 3 is a group assignment (2-3 students) with design components. It is worth 16% of your final mark. These assignments will be submitted, marked and returned regularly throughout the semester. Marks on these assignments will make up 40% of the final subject mark.
Quiz:
There will be a quiz (summative) during the semester, worth 6% of your final grade. The quiz will be closed book, closed note and run under examination conditions. If you miss the Quiz or cannot attend it due to medical reasons, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible.
Final Examination:
The final examination (summative) will cover all the materials covered during the semester and contribute towards 60% of the final mark for the subject.Assessment Related Requirements
Consistent with the School policy, in order to pass the course, students must obtain at least 40% in the examination, in addition to obtaining 50% or more of the total marks available for the Course. If the exam hurdle is not met students will receive a course result of the lesser of their calculated grade and the nominal grade of 45 (Fail). In addition, and in accordance with modified arrangements for coursework assessment policy, students must complete all assignments and design excerise to be eligible for an Additional Assessment.
Requests for exemption from coursework components will only be considered when presented on an Exemption from Attendance Form. All exemption requests must be made by the end of Week 3 of Semester. Exemptions will not be considered for exams.Assessment Detail
There are four assignments (Assessments 1-4), a quiz and a final exam in this course. Each assignment will be available once the required contents are covered and students will be given roughly a week to complete each assignment. The quiz will happen during the semester period. The final exam will happen during the exam period. In the assignments, students are required to complete calculations and/or provide discussions.Submission
Digital submissions should be submitted by the appropriate MyUni portal for the particular assessment. Further information will be provided through the course’s MyUni website.
Late submissions will not be accepted in all but the most exceptional circumstances. There will be a loss of 10% of the marks obtained if the late submission is less than 24h late, 20% if the late submission is between 24 and 48h late and so on. Extensions will only be granted in special circumstances (e.g. illness) and must be sought for each assessment task individually. Extensions will not be granted less than 24h before the deadline for a given task, with the exception of a medical certificate. No submissions will be accepted after 7 days of the due date unless an extension has been formally granted.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
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