A Newsletter from CROSS-UK containing reports on structural safety issues.
Note: this Newsletter was published by CROSS (Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety). Since March 2021, Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety is renamed Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS).
Newsletter content
Inadequate billets used in precast concrete connections
Whilst completing a third-party design appraisal, a correspondent found that solid steel billets intended to form the primary shear transfer mechanism between concrete beams and columns were insufficient for this purpose.
Hidden defects in railway masonry arch viaducts
A reporter raises concern about the sell-off of spaces under railway arches, as it may become difficult to carry out future inspections and maintenance.
Incorrect load testing of steel lifting frames
On two occasions, a reporter has experienced issues with load tests on steel lifting frames and wonders how many other load tests may have been carried out incorrectly without being noticed.
Concrete grade confusion in software
A reporter noticed that the design calculation report generated by a proprietary software package called for ‘concrete characteristic strength = 45N/mm2’, but did not confirm whether this refers to the cylinder or cube strength.
Design responsibility for temporary stability of steel frame building
A reporter raises concerns about the division of responsibility for the temporary stability of a four-storey steel frame structure with precast concrete planks and a structural topping.
Inadequate product testing for shear studs
A reporter raises concerns about a manufacturer providing testing information for a variant product based on a university student Master’s dissertation.
High winds cause masonry parapet failure
A reporter highlights how exceptionally strong winds caused a fourth-floor level masonry parapet wall with a 1.7m high timber fencing on top of it to collapse.
Inadequate structural design on industrial steel structures
A reporter's firm believes that steel structures associated with plant are being erected without a design being carried out by a structural engineer and are therefore potentially dangerous.
Wind loads acting on timber frame walls for designs to BS 5268-6
A reporter says that the masonry shielding factors in BS 5268-6 (K100 and K200) were substantially reduced when PD 6693-1 for designs to EC5 was produced.
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