Issue 9

Set out below is the text of a background note issued by the Construction Industry Overseas Directorate, Department of the Environment to British Embassy posts in the Middle and Far East, West Africa and South America. The initiative of the Department will be applauded. The content of the note is of wider interest in that it makes clear that, for example in the EEC context, the Government regards corporate membership of Chartered Institutions as representing a standard of professional competence at least equivalent to that represented by the holding of a relevant first degree at a British University.

Mr. W. Beazley (Edmund Nuttall Ltd.) : As the Scottish Manager for Edmund Nuttall on the Cruachan contract, I want to touch upon some aspects of the construction. I should like to explain our conclusions and how some of the problems were tackled.

Whilst visiting Trinidad recently the President had the great pleasure of being entertained at a dinner party given in his honour by the President, Mr. Aldwyn Lequay and his wife, the President-Elect, Dr. Desmond Imbert, and other officers and members of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago, which encompasses engineers of all disciplines.

The behaviour of simple thin-walled structures under soil cover and surface pressure has been examined by the author and others, using statically and dynamically loaded models. The results are summarized and used as a basis for presenting fundamental equations that might be usedfor initial design calculations. Particular reference is given to strength, stability and safety, and to the ways in which flexible substructures differ fundamentally from more conventional rigid forms. P.S. Bulson

This report sets out to clear up some of the doubts remaining following the publication of a report by a sub-committee of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. It suggests the stage has been reached where structural engineers can now solve their multifarious HACC problems without further formal guidance.

It is shown how the application of stressed skin principles can lead to more realistic and economical designs in steel structures. An outline is given of the method for analysing profiled steel diaphragms and complete stressed skin structures, and the necessary conditions for the safe use of diaphragm action are set out. The present position concerning Codes of Practice is summarised and several buildings which have been designed on stressed skin principles are described. Present developments in frameless steel structures are expected to lead to even greater economies. E.R. Bryan

After a brief description of the entire multi-purpose Olympic Sports Complex constructed for the Games in Montreal 1976 the paper concentrates on the design and construction of the Velodrome (Sports Palace) and swimming Centre roof structures. P. Xercavins and K. Ostenfeld

In 1976-77, for the fourth time in the history of the Institution, a member from Yorkshire will take office as President. Wilfred Eastwood, BEng, PhD, CEng, FIStructE, FlCE succeeds Mr. Peter Mason and will give his Presidential Address 'Teaching and practice' at an Ordinary Meeting at 11 Upper Belgrave Street, London SWlX 8BH on Thursday 7 October 1976 at 6 pm.

A letter from a contributor to this column complains that he has received neither acknowledgement nor reply to an earlier letter; oontributors should understand that generally we will not do so, for the two simple reasons that it would cost money and take up time better applied in doing something else. Inclusion of comments in the column suffices when this is done, but readers will recollect that we reserved the right to edit, mutilate (in the belief of the contributor) or ignore comments as we saw fit. This particular comment had, in fact, been used in the copy some time before the complaint was received but there is necessarily a quite considerable lapse of time between preparation of the column and actual publication. Moreover, contributors are not dealt with strictly in the chronological order they are received; some effort is made to achieve a continuity and balance. This may not be well done but is at least attempted. In writing about the column itself we would also remind contributors that they should express their comments as concisely as possible. Most do but we have received several which would fill half a dozen or more pages of the journal and the task of condensing some of these can, and does, lead them to being set aside for next month-a process which tends to be repeated indefinitely! Verulam