ABSTRACT
The purpose of structural design is to produce a physical structure capable of withstanding the environmental conditions to which it may be subjected. Many factors affect the design process, from loading to foundation to dimensions of layout to risk and cost, but basically the ultimate design is a re–ection of the properties of the structural material and the geometrical imperfection of its structural members and in particular its mechanical properties and its residual stresses induced in the structural members during the manufacture and fabrication processes, which de—ne the characteristic response of the material and the member of the force —eld of its environment.
