Classification of Structures
This is the term for any object you encounter, from buildings and cars to your own body
What is a structure?
Any push or pull
What is a force?
A force that stretches apart to expand or lengthen, like the force in a stretched elastic
What is tension?
The effect of gravity on a structure, which includes the weight of the materials the structure is made from
What is static load?
This is the specific purpose a structure serves; it dictates how strong the structure must be
What is function?
Structures such as mountains, dams, sand castles, and apples are examples of this classification, generally being solid all the way through
What is a solid structure?
Forces such as wind and gravity that act on a structure from the outside
What is an external force?
A force that squeezes or presses something together
What is compression?
Forces that move or change while acting on a structure, such as the weight of a truck crossing a bridge or wind gusts
What is dynamic load?
A method used to ensure safety where inspectors look for signs of weakness like cracks, warping, or rusting
What is visual inspection?
Most strong, hollow structures, like an igloo, an egg carton, or clothing, are categorized this way
What is a shell structure?
The natural force of attraction between two objects that constantly pulls structures toward Earth's centre
What is gravity?
A force that pushes in opposite directions, potentially causing parts of a structure to slide past each other
What is shear?
For a bridge, this type of load includes the weight of the bridge itself
What is static load?
This is any device that can detect or measure real-world conditions, used by engineers to monitor temperature, vibrations, or smoke
What is a sensor?
A human skeleton or a bicycle frame are examples of this type of structure, made of parts fastened together called structural components
What is a frame structure?
This type of force is caused by one part of a structure acting on other parts of the structure, such as the weight of a roof pressing down on walls
What is an internal force?
A force that twists, often experienced by a figure skater during a spin or rotation
What is torsion?
The total load a structure must support, calculated by summing the static and dynamic loads
What is the total load?
The process used by engineers to reduce the risk of structural failure, often addressed by ignoring, avoiding, or designing for known potential problems
What is risk management?
A house is categorized as this, because it is built using components from shell, frame, and solid structures
What is a combination structure?
When describing how a force acts on a structure, this is the exact location where the force meets the structure
What is the point of application?
If a structure is not designed and built strong enough to withstand the forces it faces, it may experience this
What is structural failure?
The size of a dynamic load can change depending on this factor, such as where books are placed on a shelf
What is the location (or point of application) of the load?
When designing a structure, if the structure is built too strong, it may fail due to lack of strength, but if it is too strong, this resource may be wasted
What are time and resources?