Priorities in Structural Engineering

'I am sure you all agree that the structural engineer needs no introduction to this audience. But actually it is a bit hard to define the term “structural engineer”. It could be one who has passed certain examinations, who is a member of this Institution-in which case he would even be a Chartered Structural Engineer-or one who holds a certain position or does a certain job. For the purpose of this talk, I would prefer to define the structural engineer simply as one who is competent to design stable and economical structures of different kinds to meet the requirements for which these structures are needed. This means of course that one can be more or less of a structural engineer, and that civil engineers, mechanical engineers and some who are not called engineers at all might be so called. Ove Arup

The paper describes tests on seven simply supported steel-concrete composite T-beams using welded studs as the means of shear connection. All the beams tested had the same cross section and each was tested to failure using a centre point load. Part l of the paper examines the effect of varying the connector spacing upon the general behaviour of the beams, whilst Part 2 examines the effect of varying the amount of transverse reinforcement in the slab. Colin Davies

As is customary at the first Ordinary Meeting ofthe New Year, the meeting at the Institution at 6 o’clock on Thursday 9 January 1969 will take the form of an open discussion.