The appraisal of existing buildings has become an increasingly important area of work for practising engineers. This is partly due to the increasing attention given to the preservation and rehabilitation of historically significant and architecturally interesting buildings. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the engineering issues related to the appraisal of an existing three-storey concrete building. A load test carried out to ascertain the structural adequacy of the building and its foundations is briefly discussed. A method for assessing the durability of the existing building is also presented. Yue Choong Kog
The derivation of strut curves for materials with stress-strain properties which diverge from linear behaviour at relatively low strains is a complex procedure. Further difficulties also exist in measuring the stress-strain relationship in compression for materials with dgfering properties in tension and compression. Experimental and theoretical procedures are described which may be used to derive strut curves for use in design of members comprising general materials of this type. Sections may be made up of any number of rectangular or circular elements or concentrated areas of the same or differing materials. The approach is illustrated by considering a hot-rolled stainless steel for which strut tests have also been conducted. Professor A.R. Kemp
The steady and continuing growth of this Institution has taken us to a membership of some 20 000 structural engneers, of which approximately 7000 are spread throughout the world. These oversea members need and deserve the encouragement of the President and an opportunity, from time to time, to discuss their problems and aspirations with him in person. The President’s tour is therefore an important obligation that is arranged so that members in different locations are visited periodically. This year’s tour was arranged to provide a visit to Ontario, Canada, the West Indies, Hong Kong, and Pakistan.
The Members’ Conference In our number of 15 August, Brian Clancy expressed dismay at what he saw as the rather supine lack of interest among members of our Institution in the failure of support for the conference arranged to discuss the role of the Institution and matters of general interest to the profession of structural engineering. He considered that the projected cost to those attending should not have been sufficient to have deterred an adequate response. Mr D. J. Pearce of Cheadle, Cheshire, offers a differing view: I cannot blame Brian Clancy for his page of bellyaching regarding the proposed Memcon. It is sad, and certainly not in the interests of the Institution or its members, that it did not take place. However, he may have missed the target in blaming the membership rather than the elected and non-elected representatives of the Institution. Verulam