All the articles published in the August 2016 issue.
Publish Date – 1 August 2016
In this winning entry to the Institution’s 2016 Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award, Tim Stratford describes the changes that the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering has made to its civil engineering degree programmes in order to put creative design at the heart of the learning process.
The article discusses the motivation for these changes, the steps that have been taken to create a “design thread” for students, the results that have been achieved, future challenges relating to digital engineering, and learning points which will help other universities wishing to set out on a similar path.
The Connaught Tunnel is a 19th-century brick-lined structure that has been renovated to facilitate the route of the southeast spur of London’s Crossrail project from Canary Wharf to Abbey Wood1. Modifications include the total replacement of the original, twin, single-track tunnels (lined in brick and cast steel) with a single, twin-track, reinforced concrete box. This was partially built in situ where the alignment passes beneath existing dock walls, and partially in cofferdam where it crosses the dock passage between the two Royal Docks (Albert and Victoria). Inverts in the original tunnels were lowered in places to accommodate the design train envelope and overhead line equipment.
This paper outlines the constraints inherent in an undertaking of this nature, and describes the analytical processes that were adopted to assess the performance of the existing brick structures and the new central concrete box section.
This month’s article from Griffiths & Armour introduces readers to the principle of mediation and explains how the process works for a professional indemnity claim.
In this article, we summarise CROSS newsletter No. 43 from Structural-Safety. Reports include:
- Lack of lateral stability in steel frame - Worker trapped in excavation - Fall of material from bridge soffit - Injuries from falling scaffold tube - Alterations of calculations on loft conversion that was already built - Balustrade testing - Local wind effects
This article focuses on a particular issue with toughened glass following a nickel sulphide failure.
This first article provides an introduction to bamboo and the physical characteristics that are relevant to structural design.
Award-winning structural engineer Chris Wise has always challenged convention and has no plans to stop. In his sights currently are multiple targets, including the whole structural engineering profession, its businesses and his own future.
This thorough guide will make a useful primer for clients, and indeed engineers, who are starting out in the world of BIM, believes Steve Buckley.
This comprehensive guide to prestressed concrete design is aimed at students and recent graduates, but will also be of use to more experienced practising engineers in Australia, concludes David Morris.
Tianjian Ji finds this introduction to building structures to be aimed primarily at architectural students, although it will also make suitable supplementary reading for first-year civil and structural engineering students.
This month's letters return to the Ronan Point failure; continue the discussion on the public perception of structural engineering; consider how the profession has changed over time; and look back at the introduction of professional indemnity cover and computers.
Upcoming events at HQ and around the regional groups.
In this section we shine a spotlight on papers recently published in Structures – the Research Journal of The Institution of Structural Engineers.
Structures is a collaboration between the Institution and Elsevier, publishing internationally-leading research across the full breadth of structural engineering which will benefit from wide readership by academics and practitioners.
Access to Structures is free to Institution members (excluding Student members) as one of their membership benefits, with access provided via the “My account” section of the Institution website. The journal is available online at: www.structuresjournal.org
An initial selection of over 80 key titles forms the basis of the Institution Library’s new E-book collection, making the Library accessible for the first time to members all around the world, at any time of the day. The service is offered to Graduates, Technicians, Members and Fellows.
This month we bring you a question from Ramsay Maunder Associates on the yield-line technique for concrete slabs. The answer will be published in the September issue.