Correspondence on Stability, Strength and Thrustlines in Masonry Structures

In May 1991 the Institution published Appraisal of sports grounds, resulting from the work of its task group set up after events at Hysel, Bradford, and Birmingham, and following publication of the Popplewell Inquiry report. Appraisal is complementary to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds, HMSO, November 1990, and incorporates, where appropriate, the recommendations of the Taylor Report which contained ‘recommendations about the needs of crowd control and safety at sports grounds.’ M.G.T. Dickson

Ask most people in the UK to name two properties of timber and they will reply ‘it rots’ and ‘it burns’. Ask the same question in almost any other developed country and they will quote properties such as versatility, workability, strength, beauty, etc. No doubt, it is partly because the industrial revolution was started this country (for which we should be justly proud) that our tradition for steel and concrete construction has become so entrenched. Yet European counterparts, in maintaining a neutral stance over material selection, have allowed themselves far greater scope economy and flexibility of form in their structures. The objective of this feature is to encourage teaching of timber engineering and a greater use of timber in primary structural applications. The feature forms part of a wider campaign by UKTEG to increase awareness, encourage debate and define specific courses of action concerning its subject-matter. UKTEG

The effectiveness of the method of resin injection in restoring the structural integrity of crack-damaged rein forced concrete beams was investigated. Fourteen beams that had been tested previously under static loading in a study into the performance of patch repair materials' were resin injected. The beams were evaluated under three load systems, one static and two cyclic. Three of the beams were submerged in water at 38 °C for 4 months before being tested. Twenty-five cores were taken from the beams to study injected cracks under a microscope. A.I. Abu-Tair, S.R. Rigden and E. Burley