Structural Engineering as a career is for professionals who have bachelor’s or master’s degrees in civil engineering. A career in structural engineering is very challenging and good analytical and mathematical skills are required.
Civil engineering is one of the engineering disciplines in which students learn about the creation, design, and maintenance of physical and natural structures. This enables them to ensure the power and utility of a given environment’s development. After Civil Engineering, there are a number of work prospects and one of the most important of them is ‘Structural Engineering’. Civil engineers are essential in the construction of high-value constructions such as highways, bridges, dams, skyscrapers, stadiums, sewage systems, and pipelines, among others. Civil engineers are the backbone of our cities and the builders of the past, present, and future.
Civil engineering is four years degree course during which a student studies subjects like Land surveying, Material science, and engineering, Coastal engineering, Construction engineering, Building Technology, Structural Analysis & Design, Design of Hydraulic Structures, Architecture and Town Planning, Earthquake engineering, Environmental engineering, Geotechnical engineering, Transportation engineering, Forensic engineering, Urban engineering, etc.
But wait, let us take you to the world of Shear Force and Bending Moments!
Structural engineering is the field of engineering that deals with the design of buildings and other non-building structures such as the design of machinery, medical equipment, vehicles, etc. Structural engineering is a civil engineering specialization in which a structural engineer maintains the structural stability of architectural components.
Clients, architects, building builders, and other engineers collaborate closely with structural engineers. The structural engineer’s work activities are determined by the structures being built and the teams that will be working on them.
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Responsibilities of a Structural Engineer:
A structural engineer must have a solid understanding of physics, the ability to solve problems creatively, and the ability to think in three dimensions. Aside from these, the structural engineer’s functions and responsibilities include:
- Designing Structural Structures
- Investigations of the Workplace and the Site
- Communication
- Management of the construction process
- Appropriate Training
Designing Structural Structures
Structural engineers have higher education in structural detailing and analysis. As a result, they are more interested in the structure design. Calculating the loads and stresses acting on the building, analyses of the loads, and design of sections of structures to withstand the loads are all structural designing techniques carried out by structural engineers to ensure that the structure created will safely resist the loads expected. The structural engineers are also involved in choosing the appropriate materials for the project. This will require a thorough understanding of several materials that are currently used in construction, as well as their economic, strength, and durability considerations. A structural engineer can evaluate the quality parameters of various building materials to determine their suitability in the design of beams, columns, and foundations. Structure analysis is another talent of a structural designer. Software such as ETABS, STAAD, SAP, and others are currently used to accomplish this. As the years pass, new software for the analysis of structures under various loads such as wind and earthquake is developed. Most structural engineers must learn and work with this software, which requires a thorough understanding of both technical and programming specifics. In some companies, the analysis is done by a programmer who may not have a civil engineering degree but is aided by a structural engineer. Whatever technique of analysis is used, the structural engineer must be able to comprehend and analyze the software’s results in order to determine the validity of the values presented as output. Some organizations don’t completely rely on the computer results, they conduct a separate man-made calculation for assurance.
Investigations of the Workplace and the Site
The structural engineers are involved in the site investigation by examining the state of the soil for the project’s construction. It must be determined whether the soil is suitable to handle the calculated loads based on the loads computed by the designer. The foundation systems that must be utilized for the project will also be determined by this examination. Any soil treatment that is required is also chosen based on the study. The soil is tested as part of the study, which is done by a geotechnical engineer.
Communication:
Despite the fact that structural engineers are the ones that bring and create design concepts and details, they can only see it happen on the job site if the structure is built according to plan. Their perception and thoughts must be communicated to the other project members in order to accomplish this. Other members of the team, such as site engineers, other design engineers, geotechnical engineers, landscape architects, architects, and project managers, must coordinate and consult with the structural engineer. Proper knowledge facilitates the spreading of accurate information within the group, minimizing misunderstandings and errors.
Management of the construction process:
A structural engineer’s management responsibilities range from gathering proper information for the project to carrying out various actions on the construction site. They are responsible for material and equipment delivery for a unique task of the building project in certain essential conditions. They inspect the on-site labor tasks and activities on a regular basis.
Appropriate Training
Not all structural engineers are trained to handle all of the duties. Some skills are learned through years of experience, while others are learned through various training programs. Because the building business is more prone to safety hazards, structural engineers must be taught to adhere to strict working standards. The structural engineers can be trained for special quality certifications or distinctive analysis or design software by the organization’s authorities. A thorough understanding of the area’s national codes is essential technical knowledge for any structural engineer.
Educational Requirements for Structural Engineering as a Career:
- It is necessary to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in structural or civil engineering.
- Structural engineers are people who have earned an HND in a topic like construction or civil engineering.
- Many prominent engineering firms provide graduate training programs, which are popular means to break into the field.
Skills Required To Become A Structural Engineer
The following abilities are required of every structural engineer:
- Skills in analysis
- Orientation in detail
- Excellent interpersonal abilities
- Ability to communicate
- Familiarity with CAD applications such as AutoCAD and RISA
- Outstanding computing skills
- Construction management expertise
- Familiarity with industry-specific codes and regulations
- Technical expertise that is up to date
Where does a Structural Engineer work?
Structural engineers work for a variety of companies, including:
- Consulting firms for engineers
- Local governments
- Companies that deal with oil
- Operators of railways
- Contractors in Civil Engineering
- Companies that provide public services
- Civil Services
- The Military Forces
All the best!