Structural Analysis Using Nature’s Golden Proportion

Throughout the centuries builders and craftsmen of ancient structures have used nature as their guide to proportion their buildings for aesthetic and structural purposes. As modern structural analysis methods evolved, the necessity to consider structural proportions based on what was observable in nature all but disappeared. Nonetheless, modern methods of structural analysis used to investigate beams and frames with loading and support conditions that have the golden proportion reveal some very interesting relationships for predicting internal forces, deflections, and reactions that are relevant for the modern-day designer. Using these unique relationships, designers can easily proportion the structural members with the golden proportion to meet required strength and serviceability conditions. Several examples are used to illustrate these relationships beginn