Structural Engineering

Structural engineers design all types of structures. The more familiar ones might include buildings, bridges, towers, and dams. Some of the more unusual structures include roller coasters, aircraft, and sports stadiums. The forces these structures must withstand include their own weight, wind, earthquakes, and snow. Structural engineers design the beams, columns, trusses, frames, and foundations to carry these loads.. The materials they work with usually include concrete, steel, and wood. Structural engineers who design buildings must coordinate their designs with mechanical and electrical engineers who design the heating, ventilating, and electrical systems, and also work with an architect who designed the layout of the building. For projects such as bridges and dams they work with other civil engineers such as transportation and water resources engineers..

Some of the interesting work going on in structural engineering includes:

• research on new structural materials such as composites
• blast resistance of structures
• international design
• improved methods for preventing earthquake damage to structures

Participating Faculty: Dr. Zhibin Lin,  Dr. Ravi K. Yellavajjala, Dr. Wenjie Xia, Dr. Mijia Yang

The first picture is of a train station, while the second is an office building with an external steel frame.