Conservation compendium. Part 9: Corrosion of steel frames behind masonry elevations – introduction

This article introduces structural insulated panels (SIPs), their usage and benefits in construction of residential and light commercial buildings.

The concluding article in this series discusses the span-to-effective-depth method for verifying deflection limits of slabs and beams. (This article was corrected on 1 October 2015. For details, see the corrigendum published on page 37 of the October 2015 issue.)

Historic buildings and structures, like any other, move to some degree, whether due to thermal effects, changes in moisture levels in the structural fabric, influences on the founding subsoil, or environmental forces. The key question for the conservation engineer is to determine whether the movement is progressive and presents a risk to the structure. This article introduces engineers to the various techniques available to monitor movement in historic structures, from simple manual techniques which are less commonly used today, to sophisticated electronic systems. The form of monitoring will depend on the nature of the assumed movement, the funds available, and the possible consequences if the movement is progressive.