Do we need structural consultants in industrial projects?

Structural engineering is part of civil engineering that deals with the skeleton of buildings and structures. The structural consultants are experts in designing buildings and other non-building structures. Industrial projects have buildings, machine foundations, load-bearing structures, bridges, utility road crossings etc. Structural design consultants provide design for all these components also.

  

Role of structural consultants

The structural consultants design a structure keeping in mind the safety of the occupants and the property, complaint with the codes and regulations. They have to often work with consultants of other disciplines. The structural consultants use their knowledge about stability, strength, rigidity and seismic susceptibility to create an optimized design. Structural consultants also design machinery, medical equipment, and vehicles. They are involved when structural integrity affects functioning and safety in industrial projects. 

Applicable Loads

After understanding the client's requirements, the structural consultant analyses the loads to be applied. The loads are as follows: 

1. Gravity or Vertical loads include the weight of building components like walls, flooring, mechanical system etc. 
2. Lateral or Horizontal Loads: include wind, explosions, earthquakes etc. 

The structural consultant designs the load-bearing components of artificial structures. The design is then run-on software to test for performance and optimising the structure with efficient use of structural elements and materials.

In an industrial project, for the following activities structural consultants are required: 

1. Structure analysis and design of the structure
2. Seismic assessment
3. Structural steel detailing and evaluation
4. Foundation design 
5. Stress and failure analysis
6. Concrete design and analysis
7. Design and detailing of Pre-engineering building
8. Construction detailing and drawings
9. Proof checking
10. Evaluation of soil test report
11. Bar Bending Schedule
12. Shop drawings and Part numbers
13. Steel erection layout
14. Roof truss shop drawings and erection drawings
15. BOM – Bill of Materials
16. Erection drawings for steel structures
17. Connection drawings and blown-up details
18. Quantity Estimation
19. As-Built Drawings

In conclusion, structural consultants are needed in both greenfield and brownfield projects. They use their expertise, knowledge of codes and standards to design a optimised structure.