Amateurs or Professionals? Report of a Discussion on Overseas Work and the Chartered Structural Engi

Mr. Andrew Short (Building Research Station): 'This is a particularly useful and distinguished paper not only because it is based on Dr. Bate's long and important experience at the Building Research Station and outside, but also because it includes the corporate experience and knowledge of two generations of structural engineers, mostly members of the Institution, men like Glanville, Thomas and many others who, over the past 50 years, have inscribed important chapters in the history of structural engineering research.'

Zero stiffness tests to determine natural frequencies are explained. These require no complicated mathematics but only the use of arithmetic in familiar moment distribution or type solution calculations. Good approximate methods are also described. Professor A. Bolton

The paper presents a new approach to the analysis of skew structures, based on the finite element method using a rectangle-triangle configuration. An automatic computer program based on the method is described. Comparison with existing experimental and theoretical results verify the accuracy of the new method, Problems of Poisson's ratio effect and orthotropy of skew slabs are investigated in some detail. Professor F. Sawko and R.J. Cope