# Structural element

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{{short description|Irreducible parts of a load-bearing structural system}}
{{see also|Structural engineering#Structural elements}}
thumb | right | alt=Iron frame of supply ship Qulaittuq set on the beach near Arviat, Nunavut, Canada | Iron frame of supply ship Qulaittuq set on the beach near Arviat, Nunavut, Canada
In [structural engineering](/source/structural_engineering), '''structural elements''' are used in [structural analysis](/source/structural_analysis) to split a complex [structure](/source/Structural_system) into simple [elements](/source/Wiktionary%3Aelement) (each bearing a [structural load](/source/structural_load)). Within a structure, an element cannot be broken down (decomposed) into parts of different kinds (e.g., beam or column).<ref name="waddell">{{cite book
 | last = Waddelln Alexander Low Waddell
 | title = Bridge Engineering - Volume 2
 | url = https://archive.org/details/bridgeengineeri01waddgoog
 | access-date = 2008-08-19
 | year = 1916
 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
 | location = New York
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bridgeengineeri01waddgoog/page/n906 1958]
}}</ref>

'''Structural building components''' are specialized structural [building products](/source/building_products) designed, engineered and manufactured under controlled conditions for a specific application. They are incorporated into the overall building structural system by a [building designer](/source/building_designer). Examples are wood or steel [roof truss](/source/roof_truss)es, floor trusses, floor panels, [I-joist](/source/I-joist)s, or engineered beams and headers. A structural building component manufacturer or truss manufacturer is an individual or company regularly engaged in the manufacturing of components.

Structural elements can be lines, surfaces or volumes.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Ryal| first1=M.J.| last2=Parke| first2=G.A.R.| last3=Harding| first3=J.E.| title=The Manual of Bridge Engineering| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8PGk81gtCywC| format=Google books (preview)| access-date=2009-04-12| year=2000| publisher=Thomas Telford| location=London| isbn=978-0-7277-2774-9| page=98}}</ref>

Line elements:

*Rod - [axial](/source/Axis_of_rotation) loads
*[Beam](/source/Beam_(structure)) - axial and [bending](/source/bending) loads
*[Pillar](/source/Pillar)
*[Post (structural)](/source/Post_(structural))
*[Strut](/source/Strut)s or [Compression member](/source/Compression_member)s- [compressive loads](/source/compressive_stress)
*[Tie](/source/Tie_(engineering))s, [Tie rod](/source/Tie_rod)s, [eyebar](/source/eyebar)s, [guy-wire](/source/guy-wire)s, suspension cables, or [wire rope](/source/wire_rope)s - [tension](/source/Tension_(physics)) loads

Surface elements:

*[membrane](/source/Membrane_theory_of_shells) - in-plane loads only
*[shell](/source/thin-shell_structure) - in plane and bending moments
**[Concrete slab](/source/Concrete_slab)
**[deck](/source/Deck_(bridge))
*[shear panel](/source/shear_wall) - [shear load](/source/shear_stress)s only

Volumes:

* Axial, shear and bending loads for all three dimensions

==See also==
* [Load-bearing wall](/source/Load-bearing_wall)
* [Post and lintel](/source/Post_and_lintel)
* [Stressed member engine](/source/Stressed_member_engine)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Structural analysis
Category:Household hardware
Category:Architectural elements

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Structural element](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_element) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_element?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.