What is structural engineering?

Structural engineering is a specialty of civil engineering that ensures the structures are safe, stable and don’t collapse under applied loads.

• They also helps to create beautiful structures, useful structures like bridges, rollercoasters, skyscrapers, hospitals and homes. 
• They create drawings and specifications, perform calculations, review the work of other engineers, write reports and evaluations, and observe construction sites. 
• They work as part of a team along with architects, builders and other engineers.
• They design buildings so they’re strong enough to support the loads on them (like people and equipment) and stable against elements like wind.
• They study how to stop buildings from falling down during earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
• They do analysis by determining forces in each element in a structure.

Structures are subject to vertical, or "Gravity" Loads and horizontal, or "Lateral" Loads. Gravity loads include "dead", or permanent, load, which is the weight of the structure, including its walls, floors, finishes, and mechanical systems, and "live", or temporary load, which is the weight of a structure's contents and occupants, including the weight of snow. Lateral loads include those generated by the wind, earthquakes, or explosions. Structural elements must be designed so that, as a system, the structure can resist all loads that will act upon it.

So main responsibility is -

• collaboration with structural engineers, architects, owners and construction managers, architects decide on the effectiveness, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of concepts.
• Assessing the reaction of structures to pressures and stress.
• Finalizing material requirement
• Assessing budget 
• Construction management, should be completed on time.

They are brought on to a project if an owner is planning on changing the use of a building, introducing more floors to a building, or adding a significant expansion to a building.  It’s very important to understand that introducing alterations to any structural element without consulting a professional engineer may result in serious damage to the structure and in some cases partial or extensive collapse of the building.

Structural engineers are also brought on board if there is damage to a structure due to fire, corrosion, environmental deterioration, impact or wear and tear that could result in a loss of capacity and impose a threat to the public’s safety. 

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