Structural engineering Class - Essay Example

27 January, Use of cantilever principle in consumer structure (Houses Cantileverstructure is used a lot in general house construction. The overhanging shades that are provided instantly above the windows are examples of cantilever sections. In modern day construction practice, whole portions of houses are commonly being built as per the cantilever principle as shown in the figure below: Cantilever section of a modern day house (dezeen). The above picture shows a house constructed on the Mexican Pacific Coast.

The house was designed by Spanish architects Sola-Morales and Cadaval (dezeen). It can be seen in the picture that a major portion of the house is built in cantilever. It not only obviates the need to provide structural members at the base to support the overhanging portion, but also provides the inhabitants of the house with more space to live in without consuming any space at the base. Houses with cantilever portions can have large areas for gardening or verandahs. Why is the cantilever principle an important factor in structural work?

Cantilever principle is widely employed in all sorts of construction works. The biggest advantage it offers to the constructor is that it obviates the need to provide one of the two main supports at the free end of the structural member. This results not only in decreasing the amount of material needed for the construction of structure, but also makes the structure look quite elegant. The free hanging portion of the structural member lends it a beautiful dramatic look, that adds a lot to the overall beauty of the whole structure.

In the contemporary age where look of the structure is considered of prime importance, cantilever principle helps the constructor achieve the very purpose without having to compromise upon the safety of the structure. Cantilever principle is frequently used in the construction of bridges because it plays a fundamental role in reducing the cost of construction. It allows the bridge constructors to make long spans without having to provide supports in between the far off supports. Use of cantilever principle in the construction of a bridge has been explained by Baker (cited in Engineering Timelines) as evident in the figure below: Demonstration of cantilever principle in bridge (Baker cited in Engineering Timelines).

Load exerted by the man sitting in the center is borne by the piers which show up in the figure as chairs. Example: Use of cantilever principle in well known architectural structure (Howrah Bridge Kolkata): Architecture is quite well flourished in the West Bengal. Howrah Bridge is one of the most well known and appreciated architectural structures in the region. It is one of the world’s largest bridges built on the cantilever principle, as explained before, and is the largest of all bridges within India (Travel247.tv). It is the exact example of the cantilever principle in bridges demonstrated in the previous section.

It is shown in the figure below: Howrah Bridge Kolkata (Travel247.tv). The Howrah Bridge was originally constructed in order to support the military transportation in the time of world war. Works cited: “Howrah Bridge Kolkata”. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . “House on the Mexican Pacific Coast by Cadaval & Sola-Morales.” 23 April 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . “The Forth Rail Bridge”. Engineering Timelines. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .