In the US, the International Code Council (ICC) manage an evaluation service for bespoke construction products, similar to CE Marking in Europe. The process involves preparing (or revising) a document describing acceptance criteria, to ensure the product is within scope. For Blindbolts, this is AC437, which describes the product, how it is to be tested, how the results must be analysed and how the design resistances must be calculated - in a similar way to a European Technical Assessment (ETA).

SCI's role was to firstly propose amendments to AC437, to widen the scope to include Blindbolts and then to prepare a Qualification Test Plan for approval by ICC. SCI then arranged the testing and determination of the design resistances, all completed strictly in accordance with AC437 and presented in an Evaluation Report. The calculation of the design resistances is perhaps less transparent than the approach described in Annex D EN 1990, but the same principles are followed.

The Evaluation Report was accepted by ICC and the manufacturing production control system also met the ICC requirements - meaning that Blindbolts are now accredited for use in the US.

SCI have recently completed the update of the Tata Steel Blue Book (www.tatasteelbluebook.com), which now includes the latest range of cross sections, and member resistances in S355, S420 and S460. The inclusion of S460 is a new feature, reflecting the general movement towards higher strength steel. Hot finished hollow sections in S460 have the additional advantage of a more advantageous buckling curve specified in Table 6.2 of BS EN 1993-1-1. The updated website is now entirely compatible with the app for mobile devices - both have the same ranges and material strengths.

What better way to start the new year than with a nice new certificate from SCI, the following companies have done just that!

QB Technology IP Ltd have completed the process for an SCI/NHBC Stage 1 Certificate (20240111). The QB Technology system is a light steel framed modular system for buildings up to 6 storeys.

Steel Frame Solutions have updated their existing SCI/NHBC Stage 1 Certificate (20221114) so that it now covers buildings up to 8 storeys.

Metek Plc have successfully achieved a new SCI/NHBC Stage 1 Certificate (20240125). The new certificate covers their system for buildings up to 10 storeys.

SCI have recently completed the development of a web based composite floors design tool for Colaborante (Portugal). The tool analyses and designs composite floors with Colaborante PC65 decks for construction stage, normal stage and fire. The tool also offers an acoustic performance prediction tool.

The latest NSC Technical Digest 2020 is now available from the NSC website. The Technical Digest is a free compendium of all the technical Advisory Desk Notes published within the NSC (New Steel Construction) magazine during 2020 - the vast majority of which were written by SCI. It provides a quick and easy reference to latest technical advice, keeping its readers you up-to-date with best practice.

You can sign up to receive a free monthly copy of NSC by subscribing here

The new Advisory Desk service emails sent this month included;

Advisory Desk Note - AD 423
Wind Loads on Building Canopies

Advisory Desk Note - AD 457
'Bimoment' in Eurocode Design

If you are an SCI Sole Trader or Corporate Member and not receiving these emails alerts go to the SCI Information Portal and in your Profile click on notifications/alerts and select the notifications you require.

All the Advisory Desk Notes and Questions and Answers together with other technical resources are all available at all times on the SCI Information Portal.

For SCI Sole Trader and Corporate members, SCI offers support through our Advisory Desk Service. For questions asked which we feel are pertinent to the wider member audience we publish anonymously the questions and answers.

Where some questions relate to SCI Publications we publish the question and answers in Connect.

This month our published question is about; Material thickness and strength of cold formed steel

Question: When calculating the resistance of a galvanised cold formed steel member, what allowance should be made for the galvanizing, and what steel strength should be used?

Please see the answer to this Advisory Question/Answer - Ref No AD_QA_7154-21 and all Advisory questions on the SCI Information Portal.

The Advisory Desk Service is for SCI Corporate and Sole Trader Members advisory@steel-sci.com | +44 (0) 1344 636525

SCI Online Event

Structural Design of High Strength Steels

2 February 2021:
Design of HSS - member stability and dynamic response

9 February 2021:
Weight, cost and carbon savings with HSS

Time: 12:00-13:15

This series of four webinars continues with our last two remaining webinars to come in February. The event will inform engineers how to design high strength steels (HSS) in accordance with current European practice, as well as cover brand new developments in design guidance arising from the STROBE project.

The webinars are from 12:00 to 13:15. Each webinar will include case studies and design examples.

This event is FREE for anyone to attend

Register here to attend.

SCI Online Training Courses

Light Gauge Steel Design Course - 3 sessions:

This online course is delivered in 3 sessions
Part 1 - 23 February
Part 2 - 25 February
Part 3 - 2 March

Time: 10:00-12:00

This on-line course will introduce the uses and applications of light gauge steel in construction, before explaining in detail the methods employed by Eurocode 3 for designing light gauge steel members in bending and compression, and calculation of section properties. Specific design issues related to the different uses of light gauge steel will be addressed.

For light steel framing the issues covered include: frame stability, bracing, designing for robustness, connection design, frame anchorage and serviceability conditions.

For industrial building applications the issues covered include: specification with load tables, rafter and column restraint and load reversal (uplift) conditions.

Other specific topics that are covered include: fire resistance, acoustic performance, NHBC Standards Chapter 6.10 and durability.

The subjects are illustrated through a series of example calculations throughout the course.

Member Rate - £250.00
SCI Non-Member - £330.00

For more information and to book this course click here.

Next SCI Member webinar is;

Eurocode Load Combinations
16 February 2021
Time: 12:30-13:30

Eurocode load combinations can cause some confusion amongst building designers, so this webinar has been prepared to explain which combinations are appropriate, in which circumstances. In addition to the orthodox cases, the presentation will also cover

• specific provisions for roofs
• the partial factors appropriate for crane actions
• the combination when assessing brittle fracture
• the variable action reduction factors and when they may be used serviceability

Register here to view this webinar

For a list of webinars, on-line public courses visit the
SCI Information Portal

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