Issue 19

The fire resistance of concrete members with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars is a crucial area that needs investigation prior to utilising FRP composite materials in buildings. This work analyses the structural behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with hybrid FRP and steel reinforcement at elevated temperatures. For prediction a slice approach model was used and validated against experimental data available in the literature. Good agreement with experimental results has been obtained at room temperature and at elevated temperatures. Prof. Ali Nadjai, BEng(H), MSc, PhD, MIStructE, MCIB, MISO, PGCUT Prof of Fire Structural Engineering, School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster, Belfast Didier Talamona, BEng(H), PhD Research Fellow, School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster, Belfast Faris Ali, BEng(H), MSc, PhD, PGCUT Lecturer, School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster, Belfast

Receiving the 2005 Milne Medal was a great honour and I look forward to being able to present some of my project work to the Institution later this year at the Milne Lecture. Whilst being happy and delighted to be lauded in this way I am acutely aware that designing and building structures is a team activity and there has to be a fine balance between individual and team recognition. The architecture profession probably pursues the cult of the individual with undue zeal but I do believe, however, that there is plenty of development potential for the engineering community to encourage the individual engineer to ‘own’ a portfolio of work where something of their character and values can be seen and appreciated. My old friend and former boss Anthony Hunt is a notable example and it is unfortunate that over the past 30 years the number of such engineers, recognised in their own right, is sorely limited; Bill Addis with his exhibition and subsequent books on the Art of the Structural Engineer1 has been one of the few serious authors to recognise the engineer in this respect and it is to be hoped that further initiatives in this direction are underway. David Tasker, BSc(Eng), MSc(Arch), CEng, MICE, FRSA Gifford