Issue 23/24

Higher education in Paisley began with the founding of a School of Art and Design in 1848, arising from the thriving industrial base in the town. Expansion has taken place steadily since that time, the most recent development being the grant of university status in 1992. R. Hardy, Professor W.B. Cranston, I. McKenzie. J. Tooth and I.D. Wilson

The art and science of structural engineering is not only concerned with space frames, office developments and commercial enterprises. Many structural engineers are involved in the more sensitive aspects associated with the restoration and refurbishment of historic and ancient buildings. Lori Noeth

Part 3: introduction The 1994 examination results were disappointing when compared to the success of the previous year. The number of candidates who sat the examination was down by 129, the lowest since 1985. The overall pass-rate of 37.7% was down by 7.4% compared to 1993 and was the lowest for 6 years. The number of UK candidates was 511 (a decrease of 63 compared to 1993), of whom 198 passed, giving a pass-rate of 38.7%, a decrease of 8.1 %. The number of overseas candidates was 302 (a decrease of 7l), of whom 109 passed, giving a pass-rate of 36.1%, a decrease of 6.0%. For the second year running the Hong Kong centre ran a Part 3 preparation course with the assistance of Colin Davies (North Thames Branch). The pass-rate for the last 2 years has been healthier than in previous years, and this can be attributed partly to the course provided.

Since about 1990 the law reports have been filled with cases involving professionals in the property field, especially valuers and building surveyors. This is not surprising. The fall in property values and the consequential rise in the number of repossessions has caused disappointed purchasers and funders to examine all possible avenues for recovering, or at least limiting, their losses. Although many of these cases have been concerned with valuation points, a significant number involve allegedly negligent structural surveys by surveyors or structural engineers (the legal principles as between these two sets of professionals tend to be similar). Ian R. Yule

Following consideration by the Professional Practice Committee of an allegation of professional misconduct made against a member who had been commissioned to report on part of a building occupied by a client, the Committee in conjunction with other committees of the Institution, has prepared the note below for the guidance of members who may carry our inspections of buildings in multiple occupation.

A series of large-scale tests on 46 welded box section girders was conducted to determine the jutigue strength of girders used in overhead travelling cranes. The girders were divided into four groups and were tested under dlflerent stress ranges with variable-amplitude or constant-amplitude loadings. The stress spectra for variable-amplitude loudings were based on the test results for eight cranes used in normal conditions and were modelled by program blocks with eight amplitudes. From the tests the following results were obtained: - fatigue life curves - the relationship between the fatigue life of variable-amplitude loading and the fatigue life of constant-amplitude loading - the distribution of fatigue strength of crane girders - crack lengths and crack growth rates Professor J. Zai, J. Cao and A.J. Bell

The London Underwriting Centre, which opened in October 1993, brought together many of the major insurance underwriting firms. It occupies one of the buildings within the Minster Court development, located in the City of London. YRM Anthony Hunt Associates formed part of the team involved in this extensive fit-out contract, the main structural element being the new atrium structure. R.W. Adams

A numerical technique based on the theory of plasticity is presented to predict an upper bound on the collapse load of reinforced concrete beams in shear. The materials are assumed rigid-perfectly plastic. Modified Coulomb failure criteria with tension cut-of are adopted to predict yielding of concrete. A collapse mode is assumed, with rigid moving blocks separated by narrow zones of displacement discontinuity. The shape of yield lines and displacements of concrete rigid blocks are the variables involved in the energy equation. Minimisation of the predicted collapse load produces the optimum shupe of the yield lines. Examples of comparison with other upper-bound analysis and with experiment are given to show the applicability of this numerical technique to a wide range of problems. A.F. Ashour and C.T. Morley

The management of urban pollution in the UK has a long and successful history dating back to the 1840s when Sir Edwin Chadwick pioneered the separate collection of sewage and stormwater with the slogan ‘the rain to the river and the sewage to the soil’. At no time since then, however, has the pace of change and development been so great as it is today. Increased awareness of the importance of the environment and changes in public attitudes to pollution have been mirrored in the updating and strengthening of environmental legislation, which in turn has influenced the technical solutions required to solve pollution problems. Despite having a generally good-quality aquatic and marine environment, the UK is not without its pollution problems. Particular areas of concern are sewage treatment works (STW) effluents, combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges and malfunctioning sea outfalls. David Butler

Weight of a bath The recent correspondence on baths (July and September, 1994) has evidently generated wide interest, perhaps because a sudden wet and naked descent from bathroom to basement is particularly unpleasant to contemplate. Mr A. J. H. Davison warns of the dangers of giving generalised answers to specific problems: Might I venture to suggest that James Birdwood, in his response to the query raised by Morris Hill regarding the ability of a timber floor to support a fully loaded bath, would be less flippant if he were to look under any already installed bath and take note of the notched joists, anything up to one-third of their depth, to allow for the installation of pipes to serve the taps and waste. Verulam