Tuesday 14th November, Royal College of Physicians, Regents Park, London

Speakers from both SCI and our member companies will look at some of the opportunities and developments that could be of increasing relevance to the UK steel construction sector over the coming decades. It is clear that there are numerous opportunities for steel to 'shine', not only in buildings but also infrastructure – which will be one of our focuses this year to mark our new relationship with the Steel Piling Group. There are also a number of challenges that steel must face, and indeed seems well positioned to do so. SCI will present a number of new products and ideas that can help steel address these challenges. Our prototype portal for re-used steel will show that even though there are a number of significant hurdles to overcome if we want to be able to re-use steel that is currently 'out there' in our building stock, developing a data base for future use of steel that is going into current projects would actually be very easy indeed. Our prototype on-line 'Code of practice' for UK steel design has been developed in light of recent debates about the use of Eurocodes and former British Standards, and shows designers what design rules they can use, and guides them on how to use those rules correctly. It will also facilitate migration to the next generation of Eurocodes. We will also present our thoughts on more robust and user-friendly offerings for third party certification, including Product Certificates targeted specifically at the steel construction sector and with the aim of being absolutely clear to potential specifiers of a given product.

To register your attendance email education@steel-sci.com

BS EN 1993-1-10 presents limiting thicknesses for steelwork, but notes that if the element is not subject to tension, welding or fatigue, the rules can be conservative. The conservatism arises because initial flaws are assumed to grow under fatigue loading, which will not be the case if fatigue is not a design consideration for the structure. The background document to the Eurocode notes that the use of the Eurocode rules would be extremely safe-sided in building where fatigue plays a minor role. In the UK, additional modifications are made in the National Annex and the rules are applied both to structures subject to fatigue, and to those that are not.

SCI have been commissioned by BCSA and Steel for Life to prepare a guide for so-called quasi-static structures, considering only nominal fatigue, to reduce the conservatism in the current rules. The result is that the limiting thicknesses presented in P419 are much less onerous, representing a real opportunity for designers to select an alternative sub-grade and relieve a frequent problem when specifying thick material. The guide follows the calculation process in the Eurocode precisely, excepting only that a smaller crack growth is calculated. The full provisions of the UK National Annex are also implemented, meaning the document is appropriate for structures built in the UK.

The effect of the reduced crack growth is very significant. A maximum thickness for S355 J0, used externally, with a stress ratio of 0.5 and a "moderate" detail type is 37.5 mm if the structure is subject to fatigue. In P419, for structures where fatigue is not a design consideration, the thickness limit rises to 188.8 mm. For structures in this category, P419 facilitates a significant easing of the limits in the Eurocode.

The 2-day structural stainless steel expert's seminar was held on the 18 and 19 September 2017 at Imperial College, London. Invited researchers from around the world, many of whom are responsible for writing their national design codes, were invited to share recent advances in their research of structural stainless steel and discuss recent code developments in their respective countries. In addition some designers (and manufacturers) were also invited to talk about recent stainless steel structural projects, showing the practical implementation of the research work.

This year saw around 60 delegates attend from 29 different organisations and representing 15 different countries. There were 39 presentations and papers in the proceedings, which prompted much discussion and sharing of ideas. The event ended with a presentation looking at the future wrt stainless research and presented by Professor Kim Rasmussen.

The event is biennial and is possible due to generous sponsorship. If you would like to know more about the event contact Nancy Baddoo.

On Wednesday the 20th September SCI hosted and ran a two hour bridge web conference, to support current efforts in North America to include stainless Steel in relevant product and design standards. SCI together with six other presenters from the UK, San Diego, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, delivered presentations to invited guests in the Northern States of American. The audience included 13 US departments of Transport, Suppliers, practitioners and Universities.

The presentations informed the relevant parties on the use of stainless steel in bridge/highway structures (existing structures, design rules, opportunities & obstacles) The webinar covered all types of bridges including; Austentic, duplex and A1010 stainless steels.

A video recording of the presentations will be available shortly.

Contact Nancy Baddoo. for further information.

Brittle Fracture: Selection of Steel Sub-Grade to BS EN 1993-1-10 (P419) This guide presents limiting thicknesses for internal and external steelwork in the UK when fatigue is not a design consideration.

COMING SOON

Steel Bridge Group: Completion of Appendix 18/1 (P418) For use with Specification for Highway and Railway Steelwork This publication provides guidance on the completion of an 'Appendix 18/1' document to be used in conjunction with the specifications for steelwork issued by Highways England and Network Rail.

COMING SOON

Design Manual for Structural Stainless Steel (P413) This Design Manual gives design rules for austenitic, duplex and ferritic stainless steels. The rules are aligned to the 2015 amendment of the Eurocode for structural stainless steel, EN 1993-1-4.

COMING SOON

Introducing Eleftherios Aggelopoulos, Senior Engineer, SCI

Eleftherios joined the SCI in October 2012 and is currently participating in a range of research projects, mainly in the field of steel-concrete composite construction. His interests also include the use of FRP composites for the life extension and strengthening of ageing steel structures found in the bridge and offshore sectors.

Prior to joining the SCI, Eleftherios worked as a consulting structural engineer in both the UK and Greece and was involved in the design of a wide range of civil infrastructure and temporary works projects.

SCI would like to welcome a new member;

ESL (GB) Ltd

PDW Design Ltd

Safety first for steel firm's site workers – SMD

An expanding Dorset company at the forefront of efforts to cut construction industry workplace deaths and injuries is urging other firms to follow suit.

Steel decking manufacturing and installation firm SMD demands all site operatives adhere to stringent workplace health and safety regulations due to the hazardous nature of working at height.

But what sets Poole-based SMD apart from most competitors is that it directly employs site operatives rather than utilising sub-contractors and so is wholly accountable for their welfare. Therefore SMD has for many years booked accommodation for site operatives working away from home in national chain hotels to ensure they are fresh for work every day.

Teamwork paying off for steel firm

A Dorset company shaping Britain's skyline has been praised by an MP for its contribution to the UK's manufacturing industry.

MP for Poole, Robert Syms, spoke as he toured the headquarters of SMD Ltd, one of only a handful of British firms to design, manufacture and install its own steel decking systems.

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