I was wondering, what reasons could there be to design/build a truss with its webs changing orientation almost at the end of it, creating an asymmetric look. I've been taught that in howe-like trusses, the webs work in compression, so why the sudden change of direction?

Construction going on and I’m really invested but I know nothing about construction/engineering. Is a wrecking ball this size standard and is there any chance they will use another method to bring these buildings down? Close to homes and busy streets.

Looking for some advice. To provide some context, I am a 26 year old Structural Design Engineer with about 3 years experience working for a small company in London working mainly on High rise Residential projects and Refurb/re-use of existing buildings. I do love my job and the company I am with, I am more than satisfied with my progression. Design and build contracts have allowed me to experience fast paced working environments. Plenty of site visits and ownership of design packages.

However, I have constantly had this thing in the back of my mind about my career. It wasn’t until i started that i realised how criminally underpaid structural engineering consultants are (maybe not underpaid but under valued). Money doesnt mean everything to me but it is causing me to over think this career choice in the long run, and has been for a good year or 2 now.

I am seeking out some advice. Should I stick it out? Become chartered then decide? Should I stay in the construction industry at all?

Hello everyone! I'm a third year structural engineer undergrad student and stuck between two options: Tesla part-time internship the remainder of my collage and full-time employee when I graduate or SpaceX internship in Summer and continue recruiting later. I haven't talked with my manager yet, but I will soon and discuss my commitment to Tesla but wanting to gain additional experience at SpaceX. Any advice on how to approach this and if I had to choose between the two which to do?? Thank you!!

I’m finishing up my bachelor’s in structural engineering at a UC school and have an interview coming up with a structural consulting firm. A principal engineer of an ME firm referred me and shared my resume, and the firm reached out to arrange an interview with a few of the firm's principals.

My biggest concern is my cumulative GPA, which is around 2.6 due to one year of poor grades during my academic career. I haven’t been asked for it or a transcript yet, and I haven’t found a published GPA minimum for this firm. I’m not planning to misrepresent it or lie at all, I just want to know how I should prepare to answer that question if it comes up without over explaining the circumstances leading to that (trauma dumping) or under-explaining the situation to the point that they just view me as lazy/incompetent. I did a paid summer internship for another SE firm before and do some autocad work for a civil firm that I interned for (as projects come up).

For context, my dad had a serious car accident during college, and I took on substantial ongoing caregiving responsibilities for him and helped support my younger siblings. There were repeated emergencies that affected my coursework and extended my graduation timeline. I was also working 2 jobs while enrolled. I wish I’d sought more support and adjusted my commitments earlier, but that’s the context behind my academic record.

I do have a previous summer internship at a structural engineering firm, primarily involving submittal review, checking project documents, and preparing Bluebeam markups under engineer supervision. I also have AutoCAD drafting experience from other roles. For any engineers who interview or hire or even work with entry-level candidates:

1. Once someone has been invited to interview through a referral, how do you weigh a low GPA alongside relevant experience?

2. If asked about GPA, how much context would you want before the candidate redirects to their experience and qualifications?

3. What would you want someone in my position to demonstrate during the interview to address concerns about their technical readiness?

I know nobody can predict this particular firm’s decision but I’d really really appreciate any and all advice on handling the conversation honestly and preparing well for this because I have never been so nervous for an interview in my life.

Hello r/StructuralEngineering,

We've been working on LumberCAD since 2020-22, before then we developed a similar engine in the aluminum industry since 2010.

Today we opened our LumberCAD (free) Beta, and we're looking for insight from some engineers!

To be up front, you won't be able to play with any load calculations or other stresses. This is for those of you that receive hand drawings on torn pieces of paper, and if you'd like to see something like LumberCAD be the baseline for anything built with dimensional lumber.

What we did to be different:

• Limiting workflow to lumber construction massively simplifies learning curve
• Much easier to use than any existing CAD, but obviously limited to everything lumber
• Existing parts catalog
• Massively automated documentation system with cut list, drawings, and a big step towards permitting

It seems that links are tolerated, so: https://lumbercad.com/

Mods please feel free to message me if the link or post should be removed.

Thank you in advance!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeMQyguuOSY/?cplk=czM5MDJqYm1ya24x

A builder/concreter says he typically cuts control joints from corner to corner after a residential foundation slab has cured. I’d usually expect crack control bars at re-entrant corners. Is his approach common?

He also calls a crack “hairline”, but it’s visible on camera from about five metres away. Hard to judge without measuring, but it looks larger than that. Thoughts?

In my new role I’ve been using a lot more of ETABS (rubbish for trouble shooting). For any experienced engineers in general and those who use 3D analysis software, what results/aspects in your modelling do you instinctively distrust/further inspect? What sort of sense checks are best to always do?

Hi all,

Could someone explain me the concrete breakout as per the Eurocode 2. I am confused in understanding how to interpret the figures in the code.

And what if the breakout extends the length/width of the concrete base, how does it affect and basically how to check and satisfy the breakout of the concrete.

Hey everyone
I am pursuing mtec in structural engineering learning etabs i have some questions
1) do Hyderabad have jobs for etabs i really wanted to
2) can anyone help for job in this field

Curious what others think of this ASCE Forum paper (links below). It argues that structural design is fundamentally an inverse problem: structural analysis predicts how a structure behaves, while design works backward from performance requirements. It also discusses how FEA, design codes, engineering judgment, and AI fit into this perspective.

Is this a useful way to think about structural design, or just a different way of describing what engineers already do?

ASCE: https://doi.org/10.1061/JSDCCC.SCENG-2305

Free version (ResearchGate): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399832621_Is_Structural_Design_an_Inverse_Problem

Hi all,

I'm a Senior Structural Engineer with over 10 years of international experience. I currently work for a large international engineering and consulting company in Germany, where I've been involved in structural design across several sectors, including railway infrastructure, industrial facilities, and buildings.

My experience includes steel and reinforced concrete structures, seismic design, structural analysis, and coordination with other engineering disciplines. I also work with computational design and automation using Python, Grasshopper, FEM tools, and BIM workflows.

I'm exploring an opportunity with a large multinational engineering consultancy with projects across several sectors, including infrastructure, energy, mining, and industrial engineering. The potential locations are Tampa or Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Washington, DC; Austin or Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Moving from Germany to the US would be a significant change, so I'm trying to establish a realistic salary expectation.

What base salary should I realistically expect? and how do salaries and benefits compare across these locations?

What benefits should I pay attention to, especially health insurance for a family, paid vacation, retirement contributions, and relocation assistance?

I'd appreciate insights from structural engineers working in the US, especially those familiar with large engineering consultancies.

Thanks for your advice!

Hi all, I’m a first-year MSc student in structural engineering (seismic/steel) in Canada and an E.I.T. I’ll be applying for structural design roles soon and would really appreciate a review.

hey guys,
im getting a bit irritated and bored with the job of a structural designer/project engineer on the A/E side. deadlines are crushing, compensation isnt very good, and its ultimately too repetitive to be interesting long term. im learning a lot right now and appreciate that but i know i dont want to do this forever. im 4 years in and just got my PE. my current boss sucks so i dont want to stay here long anyways, thinking i could make a lateral move now.

turner has a design specialist - structural position that im interested in. is it most of the same? i would hope that since its on the construction side its less detailing and more coordination, budgets, etc. hopefully very little to do with the architects in design!

im also interested in getting into the embodied carbon side of things- procurement, sustainability, etc. i used to do EC tracking for my old company and i found the holistic view of a project’s carbon impact to be more aligned with what i want to do (especially since evey structures firm now is obsessed with data centers..). How involved does turner get in these topics? everyone has a webpage for sustainability metrics but how serious are they really.

any advice on turner overall would be great! (culture, work life, pay, etc)

sidenote: has anyone made the switch into building decarbonization? i want to gauge if thats a realistic job for me, and if my background would be of any use.

By chance would anybody have a link for a set of creep tables for this material?

Hi, I am involved in a 200+m high rise building for the first time and am planning to conduct a CFD analysis before stepping into wind tunnel tests so that the shape can be optimized to minimize repetitions in the wind tunnel.

I see there are several CFD software available and some user comments on the internet.

May I kindly know the CFD software you have used and your opinion on them? TIA!

I am making a 3d model of a parker truss bridge that I'm going to build. It will be made entirely of 6x6mm balsa wood and steel t pins. I wondering if the vertical and diagonals should be fixed on the deck or adjacent to it (on the bottom chords).

I go to construction sites at least once a week and I’m usually there for 1-2 hours. Typically residential where hard hats aren’t as common, but sometimes I go to light commercial sites and I hate asking to borrow a hard hat. Decided to buy my own, and it’s not as simple as I thought. There are tons of types/styles out there, and they all vary in price significantly. Any recommendations for a fellow structural engineer? I have no clue what’s worth the extra cost.

I am doing Masters in Structural Engineering. I am looking for guidance on research thesis. How do I find my research area and topic? What do you suggest I should research? I am open to everything and do not have specific area. Thank you in advance. God Bless.