Plastic Design of Frames 1 Fundamentals

Lord Baker (Sir John Fleetwood Baker, 1901–85) was Professor of Mechanical Sciences and Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge from 1943 to 1968. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. Baker's pioneering research led to the development of the plastic theory of design, originally used for steel frames but now recognized as being valid for many structural materials, such as aluminium and reinforced concrete. Additionally, Baker was responsible for many curriculum innovations at the university and was the author of The Steel Skeleton, a two-volume work. Jacques Heyman is the former Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge and the author of ten books, including The Stone Skeleton, Elements of the Theory of Structures, Structural Analysis: A Historical Approach, Elements of Stress Analysis, and the two-volume set Plastic Design of Frames: Volume 1. Fundamentals with Lord Baker and Volume 2. Applications. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He acted as a consulting engineer for a number of English cathedrals and as a member of the Architectural Advisory Panel for Westminster Abbey and of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, and he has served on many British standards committees. The Stone Skeleton won the Choice Outstanding Academic Books Award in 1996.

• 1. The plastic hinge; 2. Simple beams and frames; 3. The tools of plastic design; 4. The combination of mechanism; 5. Examples of complex frames; 6. Assumptions and aims of plastic design.