Structural engineering
[2] They can also be involved in the design of machinery, medical equipment, and vehicles where structural integrity affects functioning and safety.
Throughout ancient and medieval history most architectural design and construction were carried out by artisans, such as stonemasons and carpenters, rising to the role of master builder.
The physical sciences underlying structural engineering began to be understood in the Renaissance and have since developed into computer-based applications pioneered in the 1970s.
A famous case of structural knowledge and practice being advanced in this manner can be found in a series of failures involving box girders which collapsed in Australia during the 1970s.
More experienced engineers may be responsible for the structural design and integrity of an entire system, such as a building.
A structural engineer will typically have a four or five-year undergraduate degree, followed by a minimum of three years of professional practice before being considered fully qualified.
[7] The aim of that association is to exchange knowledge and to advance the practice of structural engineering worldwide in the service of the profession and society.
Structural building engineering is primarily driven by the creative manipulation of materials and forms and the underlying mathematical and scientific ideas to achieve an end that fulfills its functional requirements and is structurally safe when subjected to all the loads it could reasonably be expected to experience.
This is subtly different from architectural design, which is driven by the creative manipulation of materials and forms, mass, space, volume, texture, and light to achieve an end which is aesthetic, functional, and often artistic.
The structural design for a building must ensure that the building can stand up safely, able to function without excessive deflections or movements which may cause fatigue of structural elements, cracking or failure of fixtures, fittings or partitions, or discomfort for occupants.
It must account for movements and forces due to temperature, creep, cracking, and imposed loads.
The structural design of a modern building can be extremely complex and often requires a large team to complete.
Earthquake-proof structures are not necessarily extremely strong like the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itza shown above.
Civil engineering structures are often subjected to very extreme forces, such as large variations in temperature, dynamic loads such as waves or traffic, or high pressures from water or compressed gases.
The forces which a boat or aircraft are subjected to vary enormously and will do so thousands of times over the structure's lifetime.
These works can require mechanical structural engineering: Aerospace structure types include launch vehicles, (Atlas, Delta, Titan), missiles (ALCM, Harpoon), Hypersonic vehicles (Space Shuttle), military aircraft (F-16, F-18) and commercial aircraft (Boeing 777, MD-11).
Aerospace structures typically consist of thin plates with stiffeners for the external surfaces, bulkheads, and frames to support the shape and fasteners such as welds, rivets, screws, and bolts to hold the components together.
A nanostructure is an object of intermediate size between molecular and microscopic (micrometer-sized) structures.
Monitors may measure patient vital signs and other parameters including ECG, EEG, blood pressure, and dissolved gases in the blood; diagnostic medical equipment may also be used in the home for certain purposes, e.g. for the control of diabetes mellitus.
A biomedical equipment technician (BMET) is a vital component of the healthcare delivery system.
Employed primarily by hospitals, BMETs are the people responsible for maintaining a facility's medical equipment.
The capacity of a column to carry axial load depends on the degree of bending it is subjected to, and vice versa.
Catenaries derive their strength from their form and carry transverse forces in pure tension by deflecting (just as a tightrope will sag when someone walks on it).
It also involves a knowledge of Corrosion engineering to avoid for example galvanic coupling of dissimilar materials.
