Structural Engineering Glossary
25 essential terms — because precise language is the foundation of clear thinking in Structural Engineering.
Showing 25 of 25 terms
A curved structural form that carries loads primarily in axial compression to its supports.
A horizontal structural member that resists loads primarily through bending and shear.
The internal moment at a cross-section of a member caused by externally applied loads.
A sudden lateral instability failure of a slender compression member. The critical load is $P_{cr} = \frac{\pi^2 EI}{(KL)^2}$.
A vertical structural member that carries loads primarily in axial compression.
The permanent weight of the structure itself and all fixed components.
The displacement of a structural member from its unloaded position.
A material's ability to undergo significant plastic deformation before fracture.
The condition where the sum of forces and moments on a body is zero.
The ratio of ultimate strength to the design or working load.
Progressive structural damage caused by repeated cyclic loading below the material's ultimate strength.
A computational method that discretizes a structure into elements to approximate its behavior.
The structural element that transfers loads from the superstructure into the underlying soil or rock.
The linear relationship $\sigma = E\epsilon$ between stress and strain within a material's elastic limit.
Variable loads from occupants, furniture, equipment, and other non-permanent sources.
A specified grouping of different load types (dead, live, wind, seismic) applied simultaneously for design.
A cross-sectional property ($I$) measuring resistance to bending, calculated as $I = \int y^2 \, dA$. Used in the bending stress formula $\sigma = \frac{My}{I}$.
The line in a bent cross-section where normal stress is zero, separating the compression zone from the tension zone.
Concrete with pre-applied compressive stresses via tensioned tendons to counteract service-load tensile stresses.
Concrete with embedded steel reinforcement to carry tensile and shear forces.
Forces imposed on a structure by earthquake ground motion.
An internal force ($V$) acting parallel to the cross-section of a member.
The ratio of deformation to original dimension of a material under load: $\epsilon = \frac{\Delta L}{L}$.
Internal force per unit area within a loaded material: $\sigma = \frac{F}{A}$.
A framework of members connected at joints, carrying loads primarily through axial tension and compression.