Discussion on New Buildings from Old: Some Views on Refurbishment Projects by Mr B.P. Clancy

Where should the profession go? Several members have written with diverse views on the role of the Institution and the future of the profession. Mr T.E. Blackmore has drawn our attention to a survey carried out by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and writes: I find Verulam’s response to Graham Rollinson’s letter (19 March 1996) revealing, as it is based on what many have assumed to be the requirements of members. Other Institutions have started to canvas their members (and not just the activists) to actually meet the aspirations of their members. Verulam

An analytical procedure is presented for evaluating the punching shear strength Vu at the corner and edge column connections of post-tensioned concrete flat plates with and without spandrel beams. The effects of prestress are incorporated into the three equilibrium equations established for the bending and torsional moments and shear forces acting at the slab-column-spandrel connections. A fourth equation is derived which accounts for the interaction of bending, shear and torsion in the spandrel beam. An explicit formula for Vu is obtained by condensing these four equations. Professor Y.C. Loo and C.L. Chiang

Scottish Nuclear Ltd is a subsidiary of British Energy plc and operates two nuclear power stations with Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) at Hunterston B on the west coast, and Torness on the east coast, of Scotland. The power stations are complex, combining heavy civil structures with a variety of different types of plant, both conventional and nuclear. Comprehensive in-service inspection is carried out which is designed to ensure that nuclear safety is maintained and that the structures are in a serviceable condition and support essential plant and systems to allow continued electricity generation and commercial operation. L.M. Smith