Classifications
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    A structure may be artificial (made by man such as a house or building) or it may be natural (such as a spider web or a tree). Artificial structures are broken down into mass, frame, or shell. A mass structure relies upon its own weight to resist loads, such as a dam.

    Frames require rigid, often triangular shapes, to withstand outside forces. Each part of a frame is called a member. Each member is added to the framework of the structure to make it more rigid and sturdy. If members are arranged two-dimensionally they are called plain frames. However if the parts are three-dimensional they form space planes. When these members come together to form a triangle the process is called triangulation.

    A shell (also called a monocoque) structure can be strong and light at the same time. These structures make use of the shapes they have been molded into. Examples of shell structures are car bodies and egg boxes.

This Page was last edited on Thursday, July 27, 2000 .

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