Structural Engineering Sydney

The most straightforward and cost-effective foundation is pad footings, also known as isolated or spread footings, and are primarily used for shallow foundations to carry and spread concentrated loads from columns or pillars. They are created by digging holes into the ground, fitting the holes with a reinforcement cage, and finally pouring a concrete mix to ground level.

A waffle slab is made of reinforced concrete and is flat on top with a grid-like system of narrow strip footings on its bottom surface. It’s name derives from these narrow strip footings or ribs, which are laid perpendicular to each other with equal depth.

One of the simplest types of foundations is a column footing. This footing is often a block of concrete on which the column sits so the weight placed on the column can be distributed through a larger area.

These footings are commonly used for high-rise buildings or bridges. Load bearing pile footings become necessary if a home is being built on weak soil or uneven terrain. They are pushed into the ground until a solid base can be found so that structures can be supported on top of it.

Bored pier footings come into play in wet and coastal areas where footings and slabs require further support. After they are filled with concrete, holes are drilled down to the level of good load bearing soil.

This is one of the most common footings used in Australia, consisting of a strip of reinforced concrete that supports an integral uniformly distributed load such as a wall.

Beams are horizontal planks or rods that carry weight perpendicular to their direction (which is longitudinal). Beams are supported at both ends of installation and transfer loads from slab to column.

These structural elements are used to support the weight of a building’s walls, ceilings and roofs. Their primary job is to spread the weight to a structure’s vertical load-bearing supports.

Structural engineers must carefully design beams. The structural engineers at Engineering Sydney are educated and trained to calculate the loads acting on the beam and will choose an optimal beam size, shape and material to accommodate the forces and loads on the structure. Beam dimensions are also allocated according to the value of the internal forces located on them.

The most common types of materials used to make beams include reinforced concrete, steel, grouted masonry and wood. Engineering Sydney’s structural engineers will select the material based on cost, geometry and fire rating, among other things.

Similar to beams, columns are used in structural support. Essentially, columns are vertical structures that transfer compressive loads. They support the floor or roof beams and the columns on the floors above; bottom floor columns must be strong enough to carry the full weight of each floor above it. They will transfer loads from the slab and beams to the foundations and soil beneath.

For the most effective support, columns should be placed consistently on all floors (where possible), increasing the stability of the lowest set of columns.

The structural engineers at Engineering Sydney must calculate the weight supported by the column before choosing an optimal design. Much like beams, column design relies on the load values extruding vertical forces. The effects of lateral forces due to wind and earthquakes must also be considered when deciding the size and dimensions of the column.

The two primary materials used in modern column construction include

1. Steel
2. Concrete

A Gabion wall is a simple design and consists of rough cut stones, or randomly collected stones of similar size encased in a wire basket or mesh cage. They are easy to assemble on site, requiring only a specific stacking order to achieve stability and desired results. Gabion walls allow perfect subsoil drainage of the soil that is being retained.

When an engineer designs concrete retaining walls that can suit a variety of project needs, the construction of a concrete wall can be done by just about any builder. In-situ concrete walls may be cheaper to build except for their formwork and are more flexible, depending on the type of soil retaining required to be achieved.

The gravity wall depends upon its weight to retain soil. Limestone retaining walls are gravity walls commonly used in the Perth Region. The interlocking blocks used to construct the limestone retaining wall can be either natural blocks or reconstituted ones. Limestone retaining walls can be used in a wide range of applications and have long durability. The type of retained soil is beneficial if required to support imposed actions such as light vehicle surcharge loading.

Also known as concrete sleeper retainer walls, they usually consist of concrete posts or steel beams cast into concrete footings. The retaining is achieved with concrete panels inserted between reinforced concrete posts or galvanised I-beam. This retaining wall is easy and quick to install on sand sites. Also, this retaining wall isn’t recommended within 1km of the ocean to ensure durability, and the steel I-beams must be galvanised.

Retaining wall using concrete masonry blocks are straightforward to construct, and since there is a wide range of colours and textures available, there is a range of options for retaining walls, planter boxes and feature walls. Concrete masonry retaining walls are typically constructed in Australia using 150 or 200 series blocks.

• Retaining walls over 1m in height.
• Where the retaining wall is supporting a heavy load.
• Complex ground conditions.
• To fulfil council regulations i.e. Development Application, Works Orders, Emergency Works.