Structural engineering

Structural engineering is a field of engineering that deals with the design of structural systems with the purpose of supporting and resisting various loads. Though other disciplines touch on this field, a physical object or system is truly considered a part of structural engineering, regardless of its central scientific or industrial application, if its main function is designed to resist loads and dissipate energy. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty discipline within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right.

A structural engineer is most commonly involved in the design of buildings and nonbuilding structures[2]but also plays an essential role in designing machinery where structural integrity of the design item impacts safety and reliability. Large man-made objects, from furniture to medical equipment to a variety of vehicles, require significant design input from a structural engineer. Structural engineers ensure that their designs satisfy a given "design intent", predicated on safety (e.g. structures do not collapse without due warning), or serviceability (e.g. floor vibration and building sway do not result in discomfort for the occupants). Structural engineers are responsible for making creative and efficient use of funds and materials to achieve these goals.

Structural engineers are responsible for producing engineering design or analysis. Entry-level structural engineers may design the individual structural elements of a structure, for example the beams, columns, and floors of a building. More experienced engineers would be responsible for the structural design and integrity of an entire system, such as how a building in its entirety resists vertical and lateral forces on it without collapsing or failing to function. Structural engineers often specialise in particular fields, such as bridge engineering, building engineering, pipeline engineering, industrial structures or special structures such as vehicles or aircraft. Structural engineering has existed since humans first started to construct their own structures. It became a more defined and formalised profession with the emergence of the architecture profession as distinct from the engineering profession during the industrial revolution in the late 19th Century. Until then, the architect and the structural engineer were often one and the same - the master builder. Only with the understanding of structural theories that emerged during the 19th and 20th century did the professional structural engineer as it is known now begin to exist. The role of a structural engineer today involves a significant understanding of both static and dynamic loading, and the structures that are available to resist them. The complexity of modern structures often requires great creativity in order to support and resist the loads they are subjected to. A structural engineer will typically have a three, four or five year undergraduate degree, followed by a minimum of three years of professional practice before being able to be considered fully qualified.[5] Structural engineers are licensed or accredited by different learned societies and regulatory bodies around the world (for example, the Institution of Structural Engineers in the UK)[5]. Depending on the degree course they have studied, they may be accredited (or licensed) as just structural engineers, or as civil and as structural engineers.

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