Author: Dickie, JF;Dunn, D J
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Dickie, JF;Dunn, D J
The Structural Engineer, Volume 53, Issue 3, 1975
The interest in improving fire escape facilities continues unabated and tends to centre on the helter-skelter solution. We may have treated this somewhat light-heartedly in the January issue: not because we found it risible, but because it is pleasant to think that a concept normally associated with children's pleasure may solve a horrifying hazard. Verulam
Shells constructed by lifting a flat square lattice into a doubly curved shape are a recent form of construction. Such a shell of four times greater span than any previous examples had to be completed in 18 months for an exhibition. This paper describes the engineering design. It attempts to show how the loads were defined, how the structure was modelled and tested both physically and mathematically, and how these models were used to determine the construction details. The design process had to be evolved to derive sufficient understanding so that the decisions could be made by the critical dates. E. Happold and W.I. Liddell
When specimens of wood with seemingly similar characteristics are tested, the strength results usually show high variability. This is attributed to two major sources: (a) Primary sources or the material factors. (b) Secondary sources or the human factors. Daniel N. Nwokoye