THE ARUP JOURNAL r - JULY 1983 I i • 1! B :- ; in* Vol. 18 No. 2 July 1983 Contents For the 90m x 60m factory for Adamswear at Published by Nuneaton (Job 9195) our client instructed us Ove Arup Partnership 13 Filzroy Street. London W1P 6BO to prepare a performance specification so THEARUP that subcontractors could use either portal frames or trusses. The grid for the 60m width Editor: Peter Hoggett is two spans of 30m with a 6m spacing down Art Editor: Desmond Wyeth FSIAD the length of the building. The truss design Assistant Editor: David Brown JOURNAL proved the most economical. The structural steelwork industry: 2 Trusses were also used for a 20m span tank A review, production shop for Joseph Ash and Sons by R. Haryott (Job 9580) and also for an awkward re• Fire protection, 5 development of an existing site for Samuel by M. Law Heath and Sons (Job 8567) which required some operational areas to be kept in Towers and flare stacks, 9 production while the new building was by J. Tyrrell completed around them. The use of plated steelwork in 12 a tension leg platform design, Figs. 4-5 by N. Prescott Factory for Adamswear The Central Electricity Workshops 15 at Nuneaton Johannesburg, Fig. 6 by B. Williams Joseph Ash and Sons Multi-storey steel-framed 18 tank production shop buildings in South Africa, by C. McMillan Architects: for both projects: Harper Fairley Partnership Local reports summary, 21 by J. Hannon Composite frame and 25 metal deck construction, by I. MacKenzie Precedent and intuition in design, 26 All the papers in this issue of by J. Roberts The Arup Journal have been taken from THE ARUP PARTNERSHIPS' Industrial building: 30 Structural Steelwork Seminar which was Report from Birmingham, held in London, 8-11 November 1982. by R. Greenwood and P. Handley Front cover: Victorian steel-the Forth Railway Bridge (Photo: Eric de Mare) Fig. 7 Samuel Heath and Sons, Back cover: The Papal Cross, Phoenix Park. Dublin (Photo: Harry Sowden) redevelopment of existing site. Architects: Kineton Design Group/ Bateman Associates (2) That in the eyes of many specifiers, against concrete. In recent times, for a The structural contractors and clients, there are many period of more than 20 years until around obstacles to the use of steel. These range 1975, demand for steel products exceeded steelwork industry: from long memories regarding supply steelmaking capacity in most parts of the Schemes on the drawing board at this problems, lack of understanding of the world, and certainly in Europe. One gets the moment include a further project at Coventry A review scope for savings in time or material, to impression that the most lucrative markets of a 30m span where a welded angle truss difficulties which exist in obtaining good for the steelmakers were the ones that took will be used and a 64m x 45m building where Richard Haryott advice on steel design. the biggest volume of simple steels, namely portal frames of 15m span have proved most (3) That designing in steel can only be ship building, the motor industry and heavy suitable. successfully accomplished if the task is engineering generally, and as a result supply Conclusions seen as a part of the whole: that is to say the of steel in the form of sections and other To summarize, our recent experience has Introduction contract procedures, the fabric and finishes structural shapes was never adequate. shown: Delays in steel supplies were certainly seen My task is to paint a general picture of the in relation to the structure, speed of con• (1) Buildings must be adaptable for future as the rule, rather than the exception. structural steelwork industry today. struction, fire protection and so on must all planning and flexible for future extension. I am going to concentrate on the situation be part of the evaluation. This may sound Sometime around 1975 the world supplies (2) Roofs must be strong enough to carry concerning the role of steel in the market obvious, but in fact it seems to me that much scene changed. The steelmakers, or the adequate services. place, and in the main I will also be concen• of industry is not tackling the task as a politicians, or both, appeared to get it wrong. (3) Truss or Portal? We will usually trating on those aspects relating to the use whole. In the UK for example, a grand expansion of of structural steelwork in multi-storey examine both schemes but trusses more A key must be education. There is nothing steelmaking capacity had been made, taking often offer the best solution. frames, in one-off special structures where magic about designing steel, but the capacity for production of liquid steel to (4) Bolted or welded trusses? Shop-welded reinforced concrete is a successful or even standard of education and training must be something in the region of 30m. tonnes per with site-bolted joints for almost all projects. dominant competitor. improved if excellence and value for money annum, and at that with no real changes in trusses had to be replaced with new with the universal columns/universal beams Clearly the review is made through the eyes are to be attained. Arups should examine productivity. In Europe capacity increased, monopitch trusses. Parallel lattice girders booms ideal for carrying local bending and (5) Grade 43 or Grade 50 steel? Most of an Arup engineer who is based mainly in what their role should be. and the new steelmaking plants were were used with structural T booms to which the tubular bracings efficient as long struts. schemes have used Grade 43 only but we London. In the time available it is obviously Background market conditions opened up all over the developing world. This angle bracings could readily be welded on To allow for transportation the truss is to be must bear in mind that the same mill delivery not possible to refer to all the many Steel sections have been used in all at a time when the post-OPEC price alternate sides. site bolted with Grade 8.8 bolts. of four to six weeks is offered. We should shocks were slowly reducing world demand therefore look for out places where Grade 50 differences in circumstances worldwide, but construction for over 100 years and for many Another form of truss construction we use We are finding that Grade 8.8 bolts have and helping to bring about major recession. can be used to advantage such as heavy nevertheless it seems to me that there are years the materials held a predominant has universal column or beam booms with largely replaced HSFG on most jobs as they loads on 'short' spans and for certain many areas of common experience and position in bridgework and in major building Suddenly world demand for steel products tubular bracing. The example is a 30m span are easier to use on site. Particularly with bracings. interest. frames. Competition from concrete and fell far short of capacity. Steelmakers in the with warren bracing. overseas jobs we avoid having two bolts of One of the purposes is to propose to you the other materials gradually reduced its market USA are working at less than 40% of their This same principle has been used for the the same size but different grades. Some (6) Grade 4.6 or Grades 8.8 bolts? Almost following main points or themes: share, but nonetheless the industry as a capacity, and in Europe the average output is boiler house at Telford District General trusses for Africa (Job 8399) were all M16 bolts are Grade 4.6 but M20 and M24 (1) That market forces are now such that whole did not seem to run into a feeling of around 60% of capacity. In the UK the BSC is Hospital (Job 4623) of 16m span and 9m transported in containers as individual angle in Grade 8.8 are frequently used for major steelwork is once again a sensible and decline until comparatively recently. currently producing around 10m. tonnes, and high. The initial design for a portal frame members and completely site bolted. The structural connections. economic alternative in many of our 'main• Steelmakers worldwide found themselves in the private sector production brings the total was abandoned when 10 tonne coal hoppers M20 and M24 bolts were grade 8.8 with the (7) Bracing members angle, rod or square stream' structures in areas where concrete a sellers' market for a considerable period of to around 14m. tonnes - pretty much in line had to be carried from the roof and a full M16 bolts in grade 4.6 to avoid any possible hollow sections? All are used with the has perhaps been dominant for the past two time, even if parts of the market, such as the with the capacity/demand situation for the height walkway above the hoppers. The confusion on site and we try to follow this advantage taken of square hollow sections or three decades. construction industry, were losing a battle EEC as a whole. welded steel truss met these requirements procedure in the United Kingdom. for long slender bracings. Industrial building: Fig. 1 - -10 Employment in the EEC steel industry Report from W. Germany Fig. 2 Birmingham Potential UK steel production capacity against actual UK steel production 150 Robert Greenwood potential production - Peter Handley * • France 100 Introduction Italy Birmingham Office has been involved in a actual production large number of single storey industrial buildings. These have ranged from small Britain extensions of 200m2 for family-owned Black Country businesses to a 20,000m2 ware• -12 house at Coventry.