👉Types of Structures in Construction

🚧Every structure in construction whether it’s a bridge, roof, wall, or slab has one main purpose, to carry loads safely.

🎲But what many overlook is that each structure carries these loads differently, depending on the type of internal stress it’s built to resist.

💫Tension Structures

⏺These are structures that mainly carry load by being stretched.

⏺The members of tension structure are subjected to pure tension under the action of external loads.

⏺Under this category Suspension bridges, cable roofs, and tents are included.

⏺They are lightweight and need strong anchor points.

💫Compression Structures

⏺These are made to carry loads by being compressed.

▶️Think of a concrete column or an arch  the weight pushes down, and the structure holds firm.
But if they’re too slender, they can buckle or fail.

💫Trusses

⏺Trusses are composed of straight members connected at their ends by hinged connections to form a stable configuration.

⏺When the loads are applied to a truss only at joints, its members either elongate or shorten.

💫Shear Structures

⏺Shear structures (mostly reinforced concrete shear walls) are used in multistory buildings to reduce lateral movements due to wind loads and earthquake excitations.

⏺They develop mainly in-plane shear, with relatively small bending stresses under the action of external loads.

💫Bending Structures

⏺They develop mainly bending stresses under the action of external loads.

⏺In some cases the shear stresses associated with the changes in bending moments may also be significant and should be considered in their designs.
Some of the most commonly used structures include, beams, rigid frames, slabs and plates.

⏺Knowing the type of structure helps us choose the right material, right size, right connection detail and design safe buildings.


@etconp