I am greatly honoured that you have chosen me to be recipient of the Institution’s Gold Medal. There have been many occasions when I have sat in the Institution’s lecture theatre and looked in awe and reverence at the board listing those who have been honoured in this way. Consequently, when David Harvey telephoned to tell me that I was to receive the Institution’s Gold Medal, it took some time for me to understand what he was actually saying. I was genuinely surprised and for once in my life, quite speechless. Having had some time to reflect on the award, I am even more surprised since previous recipients have generally come from a background of consultancy, research or academia. I seem to be almost unique in having spent most of my life in contracting and frequently in the role of specialist sub-contractor. Whatever the reason you have decided that I should be honoured in this way, I am absolutely delighted and have no adequate way of expressing my gratitude, which I shall feel for the rest of my life. Joe Locke MBE, FREng, MSc, CEng, FIStructE, FWeldI
This paper examines procedures employed in the seismic design of steel framed structures according to the provisions of Eurocode 8. General design considerations are described and capacity design verifications, for both moment and braced frames, assessed. The rationality and clarity of the underlying design principles utilised in EC 8 are highlighted. It is shown that several inherent idealisations and assumptions warrant careful treatment and consideration in the design process as these can lead to inadvertent departure from performance objectives. Possible misinterpretation of design procedures, coupled with unnecessary emphasis given to some code clauses, can also result in uneconomical or impractical solutions. Accordingly, a number of clarifications and modifications to code procedures are offered. Ahmed Elghazouli, MSc, DIC, PhD, CEng, MIStructE Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK