Literature Review Research Report

Is there a procedure for designing a structure?

There is a general procedure in designing a structure. According to Bresler and Lin,
the general procedure of designing a structure consist of: a) selection of type of structure,
b) determination of Loads, c) internal forces and moments, d) proportion of members and
connections and e) performance under service condition (p. 8, 1963.) Since civil
engineering is a practice that affects society directly there should be a procedure to follow
in order to protect the welfare of the public. In order to understand how the civil engineer
protects the public one should know what procedure the civil engineer follows and how that
procedure juxtaposes the selection of designing a structure and the safety of the public.
What are the principal characteristics that the civil engineer need to take into account in
order to create a structure?
In order to create a structure the civil engineer does not only need to have a
procedure, but it also needs to have guidelines on how to create it. The factors that
influence the designing of the structure must be known. Is it money or is it strength that
dictates the design of the structure? Perhaps it could be a combination of both or something
other than the latter.
Are there limitations that a civil engineer encounter while designing a structure?
Since Civil Engineer practice could lead into catastrophe if a civil engineer is not
conscious (or ignorant) of certain aspects of the structure, is there a guide that helps the
civil engineer to make a decision? Public welfare is a big issue that engineers need to take

into account, therefore, the need of codes and specifications is essential within the Civil
Engineer practice.
Is here any general approach to whether a civil engineer uses a structure?
According to Bresler and Line there are two philosophies: the allowable load and
the ultimate load design (p. 36, 1963). This design philosophies are used in order to test
whether a structure is good or not. In order to directly understand the function of the
structure the civil engineer should base the structure so that a load does not fracture the
structure. Also the civil engineer should know the advantage of using one or the other. In
order to design a structure one must investigate and determine the resistance of the
structure.