Reengineering the Design and Construction Process

Today’s enlightened businesses are already claiming to be customer focused. But what does this mean? - at best, higher levels of customer service and, at worst, higher training costs in customer care with no lasting payback. Being customer focused means understanding your customer’s aims and objectives and developing products and services to help achieve them; but it also means understanding the factors and nuances of the sectors which your customer is targeting. J.R. Johnson

The shear capacity of headed studs in precast concrete hollow-core slab construction has been determined experimentally in 12 full-scale push-off tests. The tests were used to study the effects of the size of the gap between the ends of the precast slabs, and the amount of tie steel placed transversely across the joint, and the strength of concrete infill. Under certain situations the capacity of the stud is reduced compared with that in a solid reinforced concrete slab. Maximum resistances are compared with the predictions of BS 5950 and EC4, and a reduction formula for the precast effect is derived. D. Lam, K.S. Elliott and Professor D.A. Nethercot

The Chairman Thank you very much, Professor Beeby, for that fascinating presentation. I think you have not only told us a lot about the history of the development of the requirements that we are using these days but have also given us a considerable insight into the problems that we are involved with in trying to think in terms of ductility. The paper you have presented and the work we have heard about has implications for very many people who work in the structural engineering world. Obviously, there is an indication for Code writers. We have a few Code writers here tonight.