what is structural enigneering

huangyhg

what is structural enigneering
i am reading a book titled 鈥淭hree dimensional static and dynamic analysis of structures鈥?by edward l. wilson. the book came along with the documentation for etabs software. in the beginning of his book he has the following definition of structural engineering which he adapted from an unknown author.:
structural engineering is:
the art of using materials that have properties which can only be estimated,
to build real structures that can only be approximately analyzed,
to withstand forces that are not accurately known,
so that our responsibility with respect to public safety is satisfied.
does this sound familiar to anyone?
regards,
lutfi
sorry! i pushed the button before i spell checked "engineering"
sorry
regards,
lutfi
sounds like
we the unwilling
lead by the incompetent
to do the impossible
for the ungrateful
'nam 1968'
richard a. cornelius, p.e.
a professor i was fortunate enough to work with on several projects, but was never fortunate enough to have studied under, used to give the following definition of structural engineering.  he never claimed it was his:  he picked it up from somewhere, but i never heard from where.
"structural engineering is the art (art, mark you) of controlling people whose behaviour you cannot really predict, to fabricate materials whose properties you do not really understand, into shapes that you cannot really analyse, to resist forces that you cannot really assess, in such a way that the public does not really suspect."
vale fb.
wow, i never knew we are after such an impossible thing! time to ask for a raise .
seriously, hard to say whether the definition is praising or demeaning. looks very dramatic though.
ciao.
there are usually two signs on the entrance to my office.
"we the willing led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.  we have done so much for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
and
"structural engineering is the art of molding materials we do not wholly understand into shapes we cannot precisely analyze so as to withstand forces we cannot readily assess in such a way that the community at large has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance."
it gives people an idea of my morbid sense of humor before they deal with me.
perhaps we should add this phrase: ..."in strict accordance with an incomprehensible building code (ibc)..."
i must ditto sacrebleu!
how many times do we find ourselves fighting (not literally) with gray code issue or building official's interpretations?
regards,
lutfi
while there are some interesting thoughts expressed in this thread, the "incomprehensible building code" really hits the nail on the head in my opinion.
thanks sacrebleu.
regards,
-mike
i have an excerpt from a poem by rudyard kipling in my office:
hymn of breaking strain
the careful text-books measure
(let all who build beware)
the load, the shock, the pressure
material can bear.
so when the buckling girder
lets down the grinding span,
the blame of loss, or murder,
is laid upon the man.
not the stuff -  the man!
structural engineering is man's attempt to control the forces of nature (gravity, wind, snow, etc.) in an effort to create an object of use to society.
the quotes in this thread were published a couple of years ago in an aci magazine attributed to a mr. e. h. brown. i could not get any more information on him.