Structural Engineers

Structural engineers carry out strength calculations and prepare drawings of structures to make sure they are not going to collapse when used. The most common structures they work with are buildings and bridges – but tunnels, retaining walls, large tanks and silos and mining structures are all part of a structural engineer’s domain.

Other structures can include in-ground structures, footings, frameworks and space frames, including those for motor vehicles, space vehicles, ships, aeroplanes and cranes. These can be composed of any structural material including composites and new materials. A structural engineer needs to know the properties of the material being used, from stainless steel to carbon fibre, bluestone to red gum, and understand how that material is going to respond when it’s put under pressure and stress when used in a particular structure.

Structural engineers may carry out reports on existing buildings that may be up for sale – the purchaser wants to know about the structural integrity of the buildings, in other words is it going to fall down, are there any issues with subsidence, or with parts of the support structure failing or weakening. Structural engineers are also at the cutting edge in developing innovative materials and techniques for the design, analysis and building of fire-proof structures; for example, how carbon fibre reinforced plastic plated steel, and high strength and geo-polymer concrete can be designed to withstand extreme heat.

Structural engineers are responsible for making sure buildings, walls or bridges meet the codes for structural safety, are safe for occupancy/use and are able to withstand the elements. Structural engineers are in the business of keeping the man-made objects we walk on, in, under or through upright and functional for as long as they are needed.