Overview

Structure design is the application of structural theory to ensure that buildings and other structures are built to support all loads and resist all constraining forces that may be reasonably expected to be imposed on them during their expected service life, without hazard to occupants or users and preferably without dangerous deformations, excessive sidesway (drift), or annoying vibrations. In addition, good design requires that this objective be achieved economically

Applying structural theory to mathematic models is an essential and important tool in structural engineering. Over the past 200 years, many of the most significant contributions to the understanding of the structures have been made by scientist engineers while working on mathematical models, which were used for real structures.

Application of mathematical models of any sort to any real structural system must be idealized in some fashion; that is, an analytical model must be developed. There has never been an analytical model which is a precise representation of the physical system. While the performance of the structure is the result of natural effects, the development and thus the performance of the model is entirely under the control of the analyst. The validity of the results obtained from applying mathematical theory to the study of the model therefore rests on the accuracy of the model. While this is true, it does not mean that all analytical models must be elaborate, conceptually sophisticated devices. In some cases very simple models give...