The following is the text of the speech given by Mr Graham Day, newly appointed Chairman of British Leyland, as principal guest at the Institution’s annual dinner held at Guildhall, City of London, on 9 May 1986. I was a little taken aback by the fanfare. Perhaps you should know that, before it took place, the toastmaster was checking my latest background. When he had completed that task he smiled at me and said, ‘For your sins’. Since then I have been busy trying to make a connection between my sinning, the fanfare, and my current responsibilities.
As a result of the form in The Structural Engineer and the ICE Group Focus, some 2000 members have indicated their interest in the approved persons scheme. From soundings taken, it appears that clients will be expecting designers to be able to self-certify structural plans within the limits laid down in the Building (Approved Persons, etc.) Regulations 1985, i.e. up to four storeys and public assembly buildings with spans up to 9m. Obviously, clients see commercial advantages in self-certifying as opposed to going through local authority control.
Mr K. L. Weir (Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners): The bridge section in the SWK Basingstoke office was also engaged in the design of a bridge for SWK Hong Kong at the same time that SWK Glasgow was preparing the design for the P1/P2 Interchange.
The Institution’s next Part 3 examination, which will take place in April 1987, will include an ‘offshore engineering’ question, enabling Graduate members to qualify as chartered structural engineers in this area.
This paper presents a comprehensive review of the use of steel fibre concrete for bridge decks and building floor slabs. The data shown cover both normal weight and lightweight concrete incorporating steel fibres. Emphasis is given to the mix proportioning of these two concretes to produce workable and compactable mixes without causing fibre bundling, segregation or bleeding. Both material and engineering properties of steel fibre concrete are then discussed in relation to their use in bridge decks and building floors. The structural behaviour of conventional reinforced concrete slabs containing steel fibres is then presented, with particular reference to deformation, cracking, service loads, and failure behaviour. The significant advantages of fibre concrete in structural members are highlighted. It is shown that durability of steel fibre need no longer pose a threat to their use in concrete structures. R.N. Swamy
The new edition of the Buildings Regulations became effective on 11 November 1985, with BS 8110 receiving ‘approved document’ status. We have, of course, long awaited the publication of the revision to CP 110:1972 and following several false alarms (notably, one in 1982, two or three in 1983, and even more in 1984) we were delivered of the new issue in September 1985. R. Wayment
Will she float? A new subject for the column has been brought forward in a letter from Mr A. L. Gilbertson writing from Epsom. At a recent Institution of Civil Engineers meeting to discuss Part 3 of the draft British Standard for maritime structures, there was a lively debate on the factor of safety that should be required against flotation. There were three aspects to consider: - an unforeseen rise in the water table - underprovision of self-weight due to low density or updersized members - a minimum margin of safety (per se) Verulam