CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Civil engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of public works projects, such as bridges, roads, and water supply and treatment systems. In regard to Forensic Engineering or Failure Analysis a civil engineer investigates the cause or causes of the failure, which can be anything from design deficiencies, construction defects, materials deficiencies, and/or environmental factors to name a few.

Structural engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with analyzing and designing structures, such as buildings, including residential, commercial and industrial structure, bridges, retention walls etc. to ensure they are safe and stable. In regard to Forensic Engineering or Failure Analysis a structural engineer investigates the cause or causes of the failure, which can be anything from design deficiencies, construction defects, materials deficiencies, and/or environmental factors to name a few.

There are many different types of civil engineering projects, including:

-Transportation infrastructure: roads, bridges, railways

-Water supply and treatment: dams, pipes, reservoirs

-Environmental engineering: wastewater treatment, air pollution control

-Real estate development: housing developments, commercial buildings

There are many types of structural loads, which can be classified into two categories: static and dynamic loads. Static loads are those that remain stationary or move at a relatively slow speed, while dynamic loads are those that move quickly or oscillate back and forth. Some common types of static loads include weight, pressure, and tension, while common types of dynamic loads include wind load, earthquake load, and impact load.

A civil engineer is responsible for the overall design of a civil engineering project, while a structural engineer is responsible for designing the structure within a project. Often times these two disciplines of engineering will, or can, overlap.