A ___ designs and checks structures (like buildings, bridges, towers) to make sure they are safe, stable, and efficient.
structural engineer
– A system of connected parts used to support a load (e.g., buildings, bridges, towers, ship frames, aircraft frames, tanks, pressure vessels, mechanical and electrical supporting structures).
Structure
– The process of planning and creating a structure that meets requirements of safety, esthetics, serviceability, economy, and environmental considerations, while ensuring adequate stiffness and strength.
Structural Design
– The method of determining the forces in members and their displacements by applying the laws of mechanics and material properties. It ensures that the structure can carry loads safely.
Structural Analysis
– The basic components that make up a structure (e.g., tie rods, beams, columns, slabs, etc.).
Structural Elements
– A straight, usually horizontal member designed to carry vertical loads.
Beam
– The internal force in a beam that causes it to bend when subjected to loads.
Bending Moment (M)
– The internal force in a beam that tends to cause sliding between cross sections, especially significant in short beams with large loads.
Shear Force (V)
– The top and bottom horizontal parts of a beam cross-section that resist bending moment.
Flanges (Beam Parts)
– The external forces (e.g., dead loads, live loads, wind, earthquake, etc.) determined from codes and specifications, that act on a structure.
Loadings
– The permanent, fixed weight of the structure itself (e.g., beams, columns, slabs, walls, roofing, floors). These do not change over time.
Dead Load (DL)
– The variable or moving loads that act on a structure (e.g., people, furniture, vehicles, equipment). These can change in magnitude and position.
Live Load (LL)
_____ – Loads caused by natural conditions. Examples:
* Wind Load – Pressure exerted by wind on buildings, towers, and bridges.
* Snow Load – The weight of accumulated snow on roofs.
* Earthquake Load (Seismic Load) – Inertial forces caused by ground motion during earthquakes.
* Hydrostatic Load – Pressure exerted by water or fluid against a surface (e.g., dams, tanks).
* Soil Pressure (Earth Pressure) – Force exerted by soil against retaining walls, basements, or foundations.
* Thermal Load – Stresses and deformations caused by temperature changes (expansion or contraction of materials).
Environmental Loads
– A beam with a rectangular cross-section, commonly used in construction. Since concrete is weak in tension, steel reinforcing rods (rebar) are cast into regions under tension.
Concrete Beam
– A type of concrete girder where internal stresses are introduced (by tensioning steel tendons) before external loads are applied, increasing its load capacity. Commonly used in highway bridges.
Prestressed Concrete Girder
– A beam or girder made in a shop or yard, then transported to the job site for installation.
Precast Concrete Beam/Girder
– A framework of reinforcing rods placed inside concrete beams or columns to resist tensile stresses.
Steel Reinforcement Cage
– A generally vertical structural member designed to carry axial compressive loads.
Column
– The combination of structural elements (beams, columns, trusses, etc.) and materials (steel, concrete, timber, etc.) that make up the overall structure.
Structural System
– A structure made of beams and columns connected by joints (pin or rigid).
- Frame
– A curved structure that resists loads mainly in compression.
- Arch
– A structure made of slender elements arranged in a triangular pattern.
Truss
– A flexible structure that supports loads in pure tension. Common in suspension bridges and large-span roofs.
- Cable
___ depends on how the slab spans (how the slab is supported and carries the load to beams/girders).
Tributary loading
