ENEC13015 - Steel and Timber Design

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces Australian Standards used for steel and timber design. Basic material and section properties and factors affecting the properties of structural members are introduced. You will design steel and timber members subjected to axial loads, bending moments and combined actions, then check whether they comply with both ultimate and serviceability limit states as required in AS4100 and AS1720 respectively. Furthermore, you also will design steel connection and timber joints according to Australian Standards. You also develop skills in the use of computer software in structural design. You are expected to document the process of analysis and design and communicate, work and learn, both individually and in teams in a professional manner.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: ENEC12012 Stress Analysis AND MATH11218 Applied Mathematics

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Bundaberg Cairns Gladstone Mackay Online Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 25%
2. Written Assessment 25%
3. Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 66.67% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.75% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE
Feedback:
 Foster more student interaction.

Recommendation:
 Scheduled classes should be used as interactive tutorial classes/workshops to discuss the weekly contents.

Action Taken:
 Done
Source: SUTE
Feedback:
 Assessments are marked and handed back as advised.

Recommendation:
 This good practice should be continued in the next offer.

Action Taken:
 While Assignment 1 was returned on time, there was a delay in releasing the results for Assignment 2 due to the lecturer’s heavy workload.
Source: SUTE
Feedback:
 Some groups had issues with the late withdrawal of students.

Recommendation:
 Assessment tasks shouild be changed to individual tasks rather than group assessments to avoid issues.

Action Taken:
 Done
Source: Unit Evaluation
Feedback:
 Well-delivered unit.

Recommendation:
 This practice should be continued in future offerings.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Source: Unit Evaluation
Feedback:
 It is beneficial if more real-world problems are included in tutorials.

Recommendation:
 Additional real-world problems should be incorporated into the tutorials to further strengthen the connection between theory and practice.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain how the key materials and section properties of steel and timber affect the structural performance
  2. Explain the ultimate and serviceability design limit states for steel and timber members
  3. Design steel and timber members and connections subjected to various design actions according to relevant Australian Standards
  4. Design structures subjected to load combinations according to Australian Standards
  5. Demonstrate a professional level of communication.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:

Introductory
3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 5N)
Intermediate
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 3I 4N)
3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability. (LO: 3I)
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 5I)
3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour. (LO: 3I)
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 1I 3I)
Advanced
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3A)
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1A 2I 3A)
1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3A)
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3A 4I)
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 1A 3A)
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem-solving. (LO: 3A 4I)
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources. (LO: 3A 4I)
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 1N 3A 4I)

Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • • • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • •
3 - Examination • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
5 - Team Work • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10