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The Structural Engineer

During February 1982 a steel arch structure belonging to the Nkana Division of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Ltd. collapsed, fortunately without injury to anyone. The building had stood for 46 years, and it was used to store crushed ore before the ore was conveyed to the copper concentrator for the next stage in processing. In his capacity as Chief Engineer Civil, of the then Technical Servi.ces Unit, the author investigated the cause of the collapse. R.G. Allaway

The Structural Engineer

Mr B. Archer (Sunderland Polytechnic): Many of the applied research papers currently published in the journals of the engineering institutions deal with highly specialised topics that are of little interest to the majority of their members. Many of these papers contain typographical errors which are detected only by careful study. I have queried authors about such errors many months after publication and found that I have been the first to do so. I believe this to be an indication of how few people study these technical research papers, which are offered to the editorial boards of institution journals at no cost, because the researcher obtains his reward from the renown that accrues from the list of papers that he has had published. I would suggest that the editorial boards drop their present passive role of making a selection from a set of papers offered for publication and instead adopt an active role, inviting researchers to prepare review papers giving information on all research work being carried out in selected areas whiah are known to be of interest to their institution members. These papers need not be written in technical language steeped in jargon unfamiliar to practising engineers, but they must give information on who is doing what in particular specialisations. This type of information has always been available to researchers working in specialised areas through the professorial network, but it has not been readily available to practising engineers. Given this information, the practising engineers can contact the appropriate researchers to arrange ways in which they can discuss, in depth, topics of mutual interest.

The Structural Engineer

Mr. R. M. Boston (Cooper & Turner Ltd.): This is an interesting paper on a subject that concerns many engineers involved in steel structures.

The Structural Engineer

By definition, a structural appraisal is concerned with establishing the strength of an existing structure and reporting on its safety and its fitness for a given purpose. Such an appraisal may become necessary for one or more of the following reasons: -The owner is contemplating a change of use for the structure. -The structure has suffered accidental damage due to fire, impact, or other forces. -The structure shows signs of distress under normal usage. -Deterioration of certain elements is suspected due to age, service conditions, or inadequate maintenance. -A report on structural adequacy and future safety and serviceability is required by a prospective purchaser, insurance company, or other interested body. Gerald McDonnell

The Structural Engineer

CP 110 and/or CP 114, CP 115, and CP 116 Professor Marsh’s letter published in part in February, has attracted a response from Mr Allan Hodgkinson: If Cedric Marsh was horrified to see the CPCP advert in The Structural Engineer, I am equally horrified to see his comment. Can anyone really believe that he knows the ‘true’ strength of a structure and the ‘true’ loads carried? Nothing short of a full-scale test would decide the former and I can think of nothing more than the dead weight of a liquid as satisfying the latter. Verulam