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The Structural Engineer, Volume 73, Issue 16, 1995
Timber truss design Various contributions have been received on aspects of timber design. Jack Baird, a well known Member, writing from Gainshorough in Lincolnshire is concerned about the mismatch between truss rafter design and Code span tables. He writes: Trussed rafters have been a remarkable success for the use of structural timber in the UK, though the thousands of man-days spent on discussing trussed rafters, if spent on other uses of structural timber, might have evolved other more exciting engineering uses. Verulam
The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the structural behaviour of externally bonded, steel plated reinforced concrete beams which were initially exposed to the natural elements for periods of 11 to 12 years and then subsequently tested to failure in the laboratory. Twenty-one beams were tested, of which eight were kept under sustained load and the rest left unloaded during the exposure period. No maintenance or cleansing of the beams was carried out during exposure. The main variables investigated included thickness ofthe adhesive layer, number of steel plates, and number and location of plate laps. The beams were extensively instrumented prior to load testing, and concrete strains, deflection, cracking and steel plate strains were continuously monitored during testing through to failure. The structural behaviour of the beams at the service and ultimate limit states and their failure modes are reported and analysed. Judged on the basis of stiffness and failure loads, the performance of the beams after 11-12 years' exposure was very satisfactory. Many beams retained their structural integrity and ductility, and all the beams failed at loads of 1 % to 29% higher than those of the equivalent control plated beams. Professor R.N. Swamy, Professor B. Hobbs and M. Roberts
It was purely coincidental that a major theme of my own Chairman’s address to the Scottish Branch on 13 October 1994 was mirrored in the President’s address made only a week before. The fact that we both considered that communication is of vital importance to the future of the Institution was sufficient for me to tidy up the notes made for my address and submit them as a viewpoint article in the journal. Professor H.D. Wright