Structural Engineering Overview CEE 379 Structural Engineering Overview Notes What do structural engineers do? Structural engineers have the responsibility of designing structures and structural components so that they are sufficiently strong, stiff, stable, and safe to meet client needs. For a structure to be sufficiently strong, it must be able to handle normal loads without sustaining noticeable damage. To be sufficently stiff, a structure should not deform under loading in ways that cause discomfort or distress to occupants/users or contents/equipment. Stability is related to strength, but it refers to particular kinds of failure that are not initiated by localized overstressing of material, but rather by phenomena driven by nonlinear feedback between load and deformation, such as buckling or overturning. For a structure to be safe, it should be able to handle extreme loadings in such a way that occupants have time to exit prior to collapse. Structural engineers typically work as part of a team that might include architects, contractors, fabrica- tors, building officials, and numerous other engineering disciplines. Although a great deal of the educational focus for structural engineering revolves around analysis and design code calculations, in practice one must bring to the table an ability to work creatively in a team context to solve problems. Structural engineering requires a great deal of technical depth, but structural engineers are professionals, not technicians. Note that it is possible (and not uncommon) for the structural engineer to perform his or her job well, but for the structure itself to not succeed. A building can be ugly, drafty, or toxic, it can block views, it can go out of style, and so on. Although these kinds of issues are not so much the direct concern of the structural engineer, it is generally wise to be aware of the full range of ramifications of one’s work. CEE 379 Structural Engineering Overview Notes What are the principal technical aspects of structural engineering? 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