New Futures for the Structural Engineer

Simple connections form a major part of many steel framed building structures. This paper reviews a fabrication company’s current design philosophy with regard to a number of the more commonly used connections. Elements of the design procedure outside the scope of present publications are identified and the important factors discussed. A.H. Pillinger

The circumstances surrounding the discovery of hazardous chemical on an old industrial site are described. A recently published draft DD175, highlights the increased importance of considering the possibility that certain sites may be contaminated. The paper describes discovery of the waste occurred some time after the site investigation had been completed, and how this situation arose as an unintended consequence of decisions made during the course of the project. Several lessons are drawn regarding the need to explicitly consider contamination, the open-ended nature of site investigation, the trade-off between the cost of an investigation and reduction in risk, and the need for engineers to be aware that, in all projects involving the collaboration of professionals, the efficient exchange of information is essential if problems are to be avoided. N.F. Pidgeon, D.I. Blockley and B.A. Turner

Trees are the greatest living things on earth, and as such the spreading oaks of England and the soaring conifers of Northern Europe and North America have long been the subjects of human awe, sometimes religious awe. But it was not until last century that an effort was made to consider what might limit the size, particularly the height, to which a tree could grow. Sir Alfred Pugsley