Structural Engineering and College

Obrieski

I'm about to start my final year in college studying Structural Engineering. As part of the year we need to do a big thesis, you know the usual: research, carry out tests etc on an aspect of the profession. We have to choose what to do our thesis on.

This is where my problem lies. I haven't got a clue what to do it on. Is there any engineers out there who could offer advice or even give me titles they think would be worthwhile using for my thesis. As I said, it is a structural engineering course.

As I said already, any help is appreciated. Also, while here, what exactly does a thesis entail? We have received very little guidance on the matter from our lecturers as of yet. What is the best way of going about doing one?

I don't really know where to start and as a person I am quite a worrier and I can get quite stressed and stuff so even little things like this can get on top of me so I want to try nip it in the bud this year and get this title so I can have something I can work towards, once again, all help is appreciated, thanks!

bnt

I'm in a the same position as you, but we got an email from the course co-ordinator yesterday with a bunch of topics. They're not random topics - they tie in to existing work in the department. The one that appeals to me would be, in effect, assisting a couple of PhD students with their research. We do have the option of offering our own topics, but the lecturer(s) will want to approve it, so that should be your first point of inquiry.

Topics might include:
- methods for monitoring the health of existing structures e.g. bridges, old masonry etc.
- mathematical models of soil behaviour
- structural glass modelling

In general: expect there to be some degree of Finite Element Modelling involved, so if you want a head start in that area, I recommend having a play with FreeFEM++. The FreeFEM++CS package is a good place to start, along with the FreeFEM++ manual.

I Heart Internet

How about a structural engineering project around wind turbine towers or blades? Or wave/tidal energy devices? Plenty of Irish companies in the latter. Might be interesting and give you a link to a (supposedly) growth industry.

From a (non-structural) civil engineer

breadmonkey

I think it will be very difficult to choose a topic without first narrowing down your interests. I would advise you think about what aspects of structural engineering you find interesting and work from there.

e.g., bridges-->steel bridges-->fatigue--->fatigue in bolted connections

or buildings-->concrete buildings-->large span systems-->post-tensioned floor slabs-->FE modelling of the anchorage zone

or materials-->concrete-->ultra high performance concrete-->applications to X

They're pretty random things just off the top of my head but you see what I'm getting at. For me, the idea is to start with a big overview and converge to a couple of different topics through a little reading.

miss no stars

I'm sure a good few of your lecturers are carrying out their own research at the moment. In my view, your best bet would be to ask them what they're researching. This will potentially open up entire areas you didn't even know existed. Once you know what they're researching - read up on the area.

There's a tendancy for the same projects to get rehashed every year - there always seems to be people messing around with something else to use as aggregate in concrete. It's fairly easy to see how that happens, too. I mean, you're only coming out of 3rd year and really, what do you know? This is also why I suggest asking your lecturers what they're working on. Their work is unlikely to be the 90th rehash of a topic where there's really very little more that needs to be learned. The topic they're researching probably has enough latitude to get a good undergraduate project in the area.

But you also need to know what you're interested in. Do you read The Structural Engineer? Proceedings of the ICE (buildings and structures)? What are your hobbies - is there anything there that you'd like to investigate? You need to READ, READ, READ. If you're a good student you're MUCH better off with minimal formal guidance with chosing a topic - you'll find an area you really like. But you have to have done your reading if a lecturer suggests a project - people think "ah that sounds handy" and then end up hating their project and would never have done it if they understood the area.

You've probably already been told all of that before ^^^ It's true though.

So go on - what are you interested in, not interested in, any hobbies, career aspirations?? (This maaaay come across as bad advice, but don't pick a topic if it'll likely get you a supervisor you hate). What facilities does your lab have? Are you better at practical or theoretical? Is there any subject you particularly HATE or any you really enjoy? You could also ask lecturers if you thought there were any good projects in recent years that had scope for further study - then find the dissertations and skim it. Then find the conclusions and recommendations. If it's been suggested as a good project you'll be pretty much guaranteed to find recommendations for further research in it. Not a bad starting point.

I'm just finished and from experience, the people who got handed a project ended up not really enjoying the project a whole lot. Where companies were involved with providing materials - it often worked out well for the student because they had that company's engineers to offer advice and insight. I would also caution you to chose a project that is within (or not too far outside) the expertise of your lecturers - just makes life easier for you. Just some things to consider.

Feel free to PM me if you want. I was sat in your position this time last year (very little input from lecturers unless it was sought out) and I was cursing the lecturers for the lack of input and wishing I was in a college where we got a list of topics and picked from it. I was fairly sure I would hate the project but I ended up with a topic I enjoyed - but it wasn't until I had done a LOT of reading that I even figured out where my interests were. Don't pick something you hate just to have a topic - it'll just make life unbearable when you come to write it up! As for this:

Also, while here, what exactly does a thesis entail? We have received very little guidance on the matter from our lecturers as of yet. What is the best way of going about doing one?

I don't really know where to start and as a person I am quite a worrier and I can get quite stressed and stuff so even little things like this can get on top of me so I want to try nip it in the bud this year and get this title so I can have something I can work towards

Nobody knows how to go about it the first time they do one and for most people, final year is the first time they do one! (I'm guessing you're level 8??) Briefly, a FYP entails you finding an area you're interested in, where there is (or is perceived to be) a deficiency in knowledge of the area. You read up on what's known about the area and then figure out a way of testing/simulating what you want to investigate. You get results from your tests/simulations and you analyse them, do further testing as/if required and, in the light of what is currently known about the area, draw conclusions and recommendations about what you've investigated and your results. It's like one giant lab report. (<--- which you DO know how to do)

Your starting point is what you're doing right now, which is looking for ideas. Keep looking until something snags your interest. When you get back to college you'll have a project tutor and they'll guide you through the process. It's as much about learning how to research an area and analyse results by yourself as it is about producing plausible/correct/real results.

You'll be fine though. You're already being proactive - no bother to ya! But as I said, feel free to PM me if you want to know more/pick my brain about topics/whatever.

Obrieski

miss no stars,
thanks for the comprehensive reply! Given me a lot of food for thought...sound like one particular lecturer of ours with the "read, read, READ!" Heading into the college tomorrow to have a good look at different things, looking up stuff etc. Going to pick out a few theses from last few years just to have a look.
Another thing, you say you were in this place this time last year, out of interest, what kind of thing are you doing now? Have you managed to find a job or are you heading back to college? Thanks for all the advice!

miss no stars

Obrieski wrote: »

miss no stars,
thanks for the comprehensive reply! Given me a lot of food for thought...sound like one particular lecturer of ours with the "read, read, READ!" Heading into the college tomorrow to have a good look at different things, looking up stuff etc. Going to pick out a few theses from last few years just to have a look.
Another thing, you say you were in this place this time last year, out of interest, what kind of thing are you doing now? Have you managed to find a job or are you heading back to college? Thanks for all the advice!

PM sent