Structures

Types of structures, forces acting on structures

Forces on Structures

Structures must resist forces to stay standing. Compression pushes materials together (squeezing). Tension pulls materials apart (stretching). Structures also face bending, twisting (torsion) and shear forces. Engineers design structures to handle all expected forces safely.

Example

Forces in Action

• Bridge deck: compression on top, tension on bottom (bending) • Suspension bridge cables: tension (pulling) • Building pillars: compression (weight pushing down) • Wind on a building: lateral (sideways) force Strengthening techniques: • Triangulation (add diagonal bracing) • Using tubes instead of solid bars (same strength, less weight) • Wide base for stability

Note

Remember

Triangles are the strongest geometric shape for structures because they cannot deform under force (unlike squares that can collapse into parallelograms). SA examples: stadium roofs, Gautrain bridges, electricity pylons all use triangulation.

Key Vocabulary

CompressionA force that pushes or squeezes material together

TensionA force that pulls or stretches material apart

TriangulationUsing triangles to make a structure more rigid and strong

ForceA push or pull acting on an object

SASL Avatar

Loading avatar...

1 / 4

Compression

Speed: