ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is analysis of structures that are subjected to time varying loads. Despite the fact that the majority of civil engineering structures are built on the assumption that all applied loads are static, there are exceptions which require a distinction between static and dynamic loads to be made, as in earthquake engineering. All loads in nature are time dependent. In many cases, however, loads will be applied to a structure in slowly varying ways, which implies that static conditions can be assumed. The term slow here is quantified through comparison with an intrinsic time of the structure, which is none other than its natural period. Thus, a load varies slowly or is fast only in relation to the time required for the structure to complete a full cycle of oscillation.
