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The Structural Engineer

Somewhat surprisingly, the artificial neural network has been studied for more than 50 years. It has recently experienced a ‘surge’ in popularity and is now one of the most rapidly expanding areas of research in computing across many disciplines. The importance given to the subject is evident in the Department of Trade & Industry’s Neural Computing Technology (NCT) Transfer Programme. Some recently announced applications include topics as diverse as machine health monitoring, pension fund management, monitoring and diagnostic techniques for water treatment plant, automatic railbed inspection, quality control and prediction in fibre manufacture (and in whisky production!), and power demand prediction. The list is almost endless since new applications are appearing continually. Professor W.M. Jenkins

The Structural Engineer

I left college over 30 years ago, and was in the last year not to have any formal lectures on computer science, and thus, by now, must be a part of the older generation. I have tried to keep myself abreast of what is happening in the computer world and use many programs in everyday office life. This Viewpoint is written to compare office procedures 25 to 30 years ago with those of today. I am concerned that there may be some disturbing trends and features. R.A. Smart

The Structural Engineer

This note provides guidance on the design of braced steel frames for buildings, utilising the significant moment resistance of unstiffened connections such as those shown in Fig 1. They do not provide full continuity but both BS 5950 and Eurocode 32 permit a ‘semi-continuous’ approach to design. These connections require only moderate fabrication effort and hence are relatively cheap. Semi-continuous framing is therefore becoming recognised as providing a more cost-effective approach than either simple or fully-continuous design. So far though, its application has been hindered by uncertainty over the extent of the benefits, by the failure of design Codes to provide methods to predict connection properties, and by lack of guidance on how to approach design of the frame as a whole. Guidance can now be provided on each of these aspects. Professor D. Anderson and A.F. Hughes

The Structural Engineer

Mr E. H. F. Taylor (F) (Ove Arup & Partners) How times change! This paper takes me back some 35 years to Trafford Park in Manchester and part of the structural steelwork industry. The most basic chore in that office was the scheduling of bolts for a job. We used to arm ourselves with full-sized sections of rolled steel joints and rolled steel channels showing the exact dimensions of bolts through the flanges, and then we would proceed: 3/4in diameter generally, 5/8in diameter for 4in flanges, 1/2in diameter for 3 1/2in flanges. It was, of course, sacrosanct that no part of the threaded portions occurred in the shear planes. Our economical length was 1/4in. On occasions we would end up by specifying a bolt, say, connecting a channel to a joist with perhaps up to two flat washers, an 8° washer, a 5°washer, and a description showing the drawing, the stanchion number, the details of the connection, and so on.

The Structural Engineer

Recently, the Construction Research & Innovation Strategy Panel (CRISP) combined with Construction Foresight to urge further research into the workings of the Private Finance Initiative. Its report, on the theme of risk and reward, said the most urgent requirement for construction was to help the top 500 constructors to scale the PFI learning curve. John D. Allen asked four consultants with close experience of PFI negotiations for their views on this idea.

The Structural Engineer

This paper discusses the philosophy of the conservation of the built environment as seen by English Heritage and other conservation bodies. It examines the role of the structural engineer in building conservation and considers whether the education of engineers allocates sufficient time to the study of existing structures. I.J. Hume