What Is Structural Steel Design?
Steel is the most commonly used construction material in the world today. Its strength-to-weight ratio, durability, elasticity, pliability, eco-friendliness, and plain aesthetic appeal have, in the 100-plus years since its invention, established steel as the integral structural component of virtually every sizable commercial structure in existence. From skyscrapers to bridges, automobiles to ships, pipelines to rocket gantries, the durability and versatility of steel makes these fixtures of modern civilization possible. Of course, with the advent of steel came the concept of structural steel design. To be properly erected, the geometric configurations of steel structures, the various factors involved in the building of a steel skyscraper, for instance, must be calculated and refined, often before the steel to be used is even cast. In the progression of a steel structure from idea to erection, a steel structural engineer is among the first experts to be enlisted in the building process.
