Structural

Structural focuses on the design and analysis of structures such as buildings, bridges, towers, and other load-bearing structures.  Structural engineers use their knowledge of physics, mathematics, and materials science to ensure that structures are safe, durable, and able to withstand the loads they will experience over their lifespan.  The work of a structural engineer typically involves analyzing and designing structures to withstand gravity, wind, earthquakes, and other natural or man made forces.  They use computer aided design (CAD) software, as well as physical models, to simulate how a structure will behave under various conditions and to optimize its design.

• See Articles  -  Beam Design Formulas / Frame Design Formulas / Plate Design Formulas / Geometric Properties of Structural Shapes / Welding Stress and Strain Connections / Welding Symbols

Structural Branches

Bridge Engineering  -   Concerned with the structural design, analysis, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of bridges such as beam bridges, truss bridges, arch bridges, cable-stayed bridges, and suspension bridges.
Composite Structures  -   Involves structures made from combinations of materials, such as steel-concrete composite beams or fiber-reinforced polymer composites, to improve structural performance.
Concrete Structures  -  Focuses on reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, and precast concrete systems. It includes the design of buildings, bridges, tanks, retaining walls, and infrastructure made from concrete materials.
Earthquake Engineering  -  A branch of structural engineering focused on designing structures to resist seismic forces and ground motion generated by earthquakes. It includes seismic analysis, ductility design, vibration control, and performance-based design.
Finite Element Analysis  -  A computational branch used to model and analyze stresses, deformation, vibration, heat transfer, and complex structural behavior using numerical methods.
Fire Structural Engineering  -  Studies how structures behave under elevated temperatures and fire conditions, including fire resistance, thermal expansion, and collapse prevention.
Forensic Structural Engineering  -  Concerned with investigating structural failures, collapses, material defects, fire damage, and construction problems using engineering analysis and evidence evaluation.
Foundation Engineering  -  Closely related to Geotechnical Engineering and concerned with structural foundations such as shallow footings, piles, caissons, and mat foundations that transfer loads safely into the ground.
Historic Preservation Structural Engineering  -  Involves analysis, restoration, and strengthening of historic and heritage structures while preserving original architectural and cultural characteristics.
Hydraulic Structures  -  Concerns structures interacting with water systems, such as dams, spillways, levees, canals, locks, reservoirs, and flood-control structures.
Industrial Structures  -  Focuses on structures used in industrial facilities such as refineries, power plants, petrochemical plants, mining facilities, and heavy manufacturing plants.  These structures often resist dynamic, thermal, and equipment loads.
Masonry Structures  -  Focuses on structures constructed from brick, stone, concrete block, or similar masonry units.  It includes both reinforced and unreinforced masonry systems.
Nuclear Structures  -  Concerned with structures used in nuclear facilities, including containment buildings, reactor support systems, radiation shielding structures, and safety-critical infrastructure.
Offshore and Marine Structures  -  Focuses on structures operating in marine environments, including offshore oil platforms, floating structures, piers, docks, and coastal installations subjected to waves, currents, and corrosion.
Steel Structures  -  Specializes in the behavior and design of structures made primarily from structural steel, including industrial buildings, bridges, transmission towers, offshore platforms, and space frames.
Structural Dynamics  -  Studies the behavior of structures subjected to dynamic loading such as earthquakes, wind, machinery vibration, explosions, impact, and moving loads.
Structural Health Monitoring  -  Involves inspection, sensing, instrumentation, and data analysis used to monitor the condition and integrity of structures over time.
Structural Mechanics  -  A theoretical and analytical branch dealing with stress, strain, stability, elasticity, plasticity, fracture mechanics, and structural behavior under applied loads.
Structural Rehabilitation and Retrofit Engineering  -  Focuses on strengthening, repairing, restoring, and upgrading existing structures to improve safety, service life, or resistance to seismic and environmental loads.
Structural Reliability and Risk Analysis  -  Focuses on probability-based methods for evaluating structural safety, uncertainty, failure risk, and lifecycle performance.
Tall Building and Long-Span Structure Engineering  -  Specializes in skyscrapers, stadiums, arenas, domes, shells, space trusses, and other structures with unusual height or span requirements.
Timber Structures  -  Concerned with the design and analysis of structures made from wood and engineered wood products such as glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT).
Transportation Structures  -  Includes structural systems associated with highways, railways, airports, tunnels, retaining walls, transit stations, and transportation infrastructure.
Wind Engineering  -  Studies the effects of wind on structures and structural systems.  It includes aerodynamic loading, wind tunnel testing, dynamic response, and the design of tall buildings, towers, and long-span bridges against wind forces.