Introduction to Structural Engineering

What is Structural Engineering?

• A subset of civil engineering focused on the structural components of buildings.
• The term "structural" comes from the Latin word "structus," meaning "to pile, to assemble."
• The term "engineer" derives from the Old French word "engin," meaning "skill, cleverness," and "war machine."

Elements of Structural Engineering

• Columns are vertical structural elements that primarily resist compression forces.

  • Types include short columns, long columns, tied columns, and spiral columns.
  • Examples include pillars in buildings and posts in bridges.

• Beams are horizontal structural members designed to carry vertical loads.

  • Types include simply supported beams, cantilever beams, and continuous beams.
  • Examples include floor joists, roof rafters, and bridge girders.

• Slabs are flat, horizontal surfaces that distribute loads across multiple beams or supports.

  • Types include one-way slabs, two-way slabs, flat slabs, and ribbed slabs.
  • Examples include floors, roofs, and bridge decks.

• Trusses are frameworks consisting of members arranged in triangular units, used to support loads and resist bending.

  • Types include Pratt truss, Warren truss, and Howe truss.
  • Examples include roof trusses, bridge trusses, and towers.

• Plates are two-dimensional elements used to carry loads across a large surface.

  • Types include thin plates and thick plates.
  • Examples include floor slabs, steel plates in bridge decks, and ship hulls.

• Shells are curved structures designed to carry loads efficiently across their surface.

  • Examples include domes and large roofs.

• Frames are systems of beams and columns that support loads.

  • Types include rigid frames, pin-jointed frames, and moment-resisting frames.
  • Examples include building skeletons and industrial frameworks.

• Arches are curved structures that primarily carry loads through compression.

  • Types include fixed arches, two-hinge arches, and three-hinge arches.
  • Examples include bridge arches and vaults.

• Cables and Tension Members are structural elements that carry loads by tension forces.

  • Examples include suspension bridge cables and tension members in trusses

• Foundations are substructures that transfer the loads of the structure to the ground.

  • Types include shallow foundations and deep foundations.
  • Examples include building footings.

Milestones in Structural Engineering

• 2700 BC - The step pyramid for Pharaoh Djoser was built by Imhotep.

• 2560 BC - The Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

• 3rd BC - Archimedes published his work "On the Equilibrium of Planes."

• 1st BC - Vitruvius recorded in his "De Architectura" the methods, materials, and machines used by ancient Romans to build structures.

• 1826 - Claude-Louis Navier published the Elastic Theory of Beams.

• 1858 - Henry Bessemer successfully completed the conversion of cast iron into cast steel.

• 1867 - The creation of the Monier system of reinforced structures.

• 1889 - The wrought-iron Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel and Maurice Koechlin.

• 1930 - Professor Hardy Cross developed the Moment Distribution Method.

• 1955 - Innovative structural designs for skyscrapers, such as the Tube Structural Systems, Framed Tube, Trussed Tube and X-Bracing, Bundle Tube, Tube in Tube, and Shear Wall Frame Interaction System.

• 1982 - Autodesk Co. introduced AutoCAD.

• 2002 - The terms "Building Information Model" and "Building Information Modeling" were popularized, including the acronym "BIM."

What Do Structural Engineers Do?

• Structural engineers address the design, analysis, construction, and maintenance of structures.

Explore the fundamental concepts of structural engineering in this quiz. Learn about the various types of structural elements, including columns, beams, and slabs, and their significance in building design. Test your knowledge and deepen your understanding of this critical field within civil engineering.