"The term structural system or structural frame in structural engineering refers to the load-resisting sub-system of a building or object."
The various types of structural systems used in building and bridge design, including moment frames, trusses, arches, and cable-stayed systems.
Materials: Understanding different materials like concrete, steel, wood and their properties is essential in structural design. Each material has its own strength, durability, and cost implications.
Loads: Loads refer to the weight and forces that a structure needs to support, including gravity, wind, seismic, and snow loads. By understanding loads, a structural engineer can determine the strength and stability required for a structure.
Statics: The study of how forces affect objects at rest. It includes concepts like moments, shear forces, and bending moments.
Deflection: Deflection refers to the amount of bending or deformation that a structure experiences under load. It is crucial to consider deflection to ensure that the structure and its components do not fail under the weight placed on it.
Trusses: A truss is a triangular structure used to support roofs, bridges, and other structures. Understanding the mechanics of trusses is essential for designing structures that can withstand loads and remain stable.
Beams: Beams are horizontal structural elements that transfer loads to columns or walls. Understanding beam design, including deflection, is essential in ensuring that the structure can handle the loads it will encounter.
Columns: Typically vertical in orientation, columns transfer loads from the structure above to the foundation below. Columns can be made of wood, steel, or concrete, and their design is critical for overall structural stability.
Foundations: Foundations are the underground support system for a structure. Understanding foundation design, including soil mechanics and settlement, is essential for ensuring the long-term stability of a structure.
Shear walls: Shear walls are structural elements built into a building to provide greater resistance to lateral loads, such as wind and earthquake forces. Understanding how shear walls work is essential for creating stable and safe buildings.
Connections: Connections are the way in which different structural elements are joined together. Understanding how to design effective connections is critical for ensuring the overall strength and stability of a structure.
Codes & standards: Various codes and standards dictate how structures must be designed and built to ensure their safety and structural integrity. Understanding these regulations and requirements is essential for a structural engineer.
Computer-aided design (CAD): CAD software allows for the creation and analysis of three-dimensional models of structural systems. Learning how to use CAD software is essential for modern structural design.
Environmental considerations: Environmental factors like sustainability and energy efficiency are important considerations in modern structural design. Understanding how to design structures that minimize their environmental impact is critical for creating sustainable and resilient communities.
Seismic engineering: Seismic engineering involves designing structures to withstand earthquakes and other seismic events. Understanding seismic loads and how to design structures to withstand them is crucial in many parts of the world where earthquake risk is high.
Design optimization: Design optimization is the process of finding the most efficient and cost-effective solution for a specific set of requirements. Learning how to optimize structural designs is essential for creating safe, reliable, and affordable structures.
Load-bearing masonry system: This system is built of solid masonry blocks, with a minimum thickness of 150 mm for walls. It can withstand heavy loads and is commonly used in constructing residential or commercial buildings.
Steel frame system: This structural system consists of steel beams, columns, and trusses, providing excellent strength and stability. This system is ideal for building tall structures, such as skyscrapers.
Reinforced concrete system: Reinforced concrete is a popular choice of construction material globally due to its low cost, strength, durability, and ease of manufacture. Structural concrete systems consist of concrete slabs, columns, and beams.
Timber frame system: This structural system is primarily made of wood and is relatively lightweight compared to traditional materials. Timber frame systems are popular in residential construction and can be assembled on-site resulting in a cost-effective, quick construction timeline.
Pre-engineered steel system: This structural system is an industrialized process of manufacturing pre-engineered metal building components that are designed to fit together easily. Pre-engineered steel systems are standardised for size and function.
Post-tensioned system: This structural system comprises post-tensioned cables placed within a concrete slab, beam, or column that are pulled taut after casting of the structures.
Cable-stayed system: This structural system is used in bridges and can consist of a single or double cable support structure. The cables suspend the bridge’s deck over long distances.
Space frame system: This structural system comprises a series of interconnected steel or aluminum tubes that are assembled into a 3-dimensional structure to form a complex shapes.
Braced frame system: This structural system utilizes diagonal tension-only or compression-only bracing elements in a steel or concrete framework, which resist lateral loads.
Composite beams system: Composite beams systems are where concrete slabs, steel beams, or timber beams are combined in a single structural element.
Movable structure & deployable systems: This structural system includes roofs or bridges that operate various movable or deployable mechanical systems that can adjust its size, shape or position depending on its purpose.
Ad-hoc systems: Ad-hoc systems are where the structural system can be built from reclaimed, repurposed materials or found around sites. They are adaptable and sustainable (e.g., shanty-towns or disaster recovery).
"The structural system transfers loads through interconnected elements or members."
"Commonly used structures can be classified into five major categories."
"Members of tensile structures are subject to pure tension under the action of external loads."
"Because the tensile stress is uniformly distributed over the cross-sectional area of members."
"Compression structures develop mainly compressive stresses under the action of axial loads."
"The possibility of these failures should be considered in their design. If necessary, adequate bracing must be provided to avoid such failures."
"Trusses are composed of straight members connected at their ends by hinged connections to form a stable configuration."
"Because of their light weight and high strength, they are among the most commonly used types of structure."
"Shear structures are used in multistory buildings to reduce lateral movements due to wind loads and earthquake excitations."
"Shear structures develop mainly in-plane shear with relatively small bending stresses under the action of external loads."
"Bending structures develop mainly bending stresses under the action of external loads."
"The shear stresses associated with the changes in bending moments may also be significant, and should be considered in their design."
"The structural system transfers loads through interconnected elements or members."
"Depending on the type of primary stress that may arise in the members of the structures under major design loads."
"The possibility of buckling or instability should be considered in their design."
"Shear structures are used to reduce lateral movements due to wind loads and earthquake excitations."
"Trusses are among the most commonly used types of structure due to their light weight and high strength."
"The tensile stress is uniformly distributed over the cross-sectional area of members."
"Bending structures develop mainly bending stresses, but also shear stresses associated with the changes in bending moments may be significant."