Mr Tom Cosgrove is presented with a Fellowship of the Institution at the Annual Dinner

The Grade of Fellow (FIStructE) is the highest grade of membership within the Institution, the attainment of which recognises excellence in structural engineering achievement and contribution to the engineering profession.

For election to fellowship, candidates should be engaged in the profession of structural engineering, should not normally be less than 35 years old and should have at least five years of senior professional experience. Additionally, candidates must have made a significant contribution to engineering and must be able to provide evidence of CPD over the previous five years.  

Chartered members and associates who meet the relevent criteria are encouraged to apply. Further information can be got from the Institution of Structural Engineers main website.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has recently published the code of practice for the design and installation of anchors. This is an important development in the use of anchors in construction. The aim of this code of practice is to provide practical guidance to designers, specifiers and installers of metal anchors on the requirements and prohibitions set out in the relevant statutory provisions.

This code of practice came into effect on 17 May 2010 and is available to download free of charge here.

The BCRI Conference, held every two years, is a the joint conference of:

• Bridge and Infrastructure Research in Ireland;
• Concrete Research in Ireland.

It has proved to be a great success with both practitioners and academics alike. This is because a key feature of the conference is to promote discussion between academics and practitioners on various topics. The main topics are:

• Bridge & Transport Infrastructure;
• Concrete;
• Geotechnics & Materials Engineering.

This year’s event will be held jointly in UCC and CIT on 2 and 3 September, 2010.

Please see the conference website for more information: www.bcri.ie.

The Republic of Ireland Branch’s Annual Dinner was held on Friday the 5th of February, in the Conrad Hotel on Earlsfort Terrace. The event was well attended, by over one hundred members, and their guests. Our guests of honour for the night were Mr Norman Train, the current President of The Institution, and his wife.

The night began with the presentation of the Chairman’s Medal to the incoming Chairman, Mr Pearse Sutton, by the President. A presentation was also made to our outgoing Chairman, Mr Martin Mannion, in appreciation of his unfailing commitment to the Institution, which has not ceased since he relinquished his role.

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All members were required to complete their 2009 CPD return, and send it to the Institution of Structural Engineers by 31 March 2010. This is a relatively quick and easy exercise, and can be done either on line by going into the Members area on the Instution’s website (https://www.istructe.org/membersarea) and following the instruction therein. Otherwise, a paper copy of the CPD Return Form can be downloaded here and posted to the Institution’s London office.

The Institution are still accepting returns for the 2009 year and members are advised to complete their CPD return as soon as possible, if they have not already done so.

Although it is not yet a condition of membership to submit a CPD return, the Institution does encourage members to do so by highlighting the advantages and benefits of submitting a return. It is anticipated that in approximately 2 years CPD reporting will be obligatory for continued membership.

A dynamic programming algorithm for optimization of composite steel box girder bridges under static and dynamic loading
Breiffni Fitzgerald – Trinity College, Dublin

This project proposes and develops a new dynamic programming algorithm for the optimisation of composite steel box girder bridges of single or multi-span under static and dynamic loads.

Displacement transfer function at mid-span for damped three-span bridge

The dynamic programming algorithm proposed is based on a combination of EXCEL based optimisation solver and finite element modelling for dynamic analysis. In addition supplemental damping devices are optimally designed. The algorithm is as follows. At first, the bridge considered is subjected to static loads and optimised. The optimal parameters obtained from this static optimisation are then used to create a finite element model of the bridge. This model is analysed dynamically to obtain the natural frequencies of the bridge and the mode shapes. Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) are then attached to the bridge at critical locations as defined by the mode shapes and are tuned to the natural frequency of the structure to reduce the structural response. These TMDs are tuned optimally. The composite box girder bridge is thus optimised for static and dynamic loading.

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The Republic of Ireland Branch, in conjunction with the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland, will be presenting a series of evening lectures to introduce the structural Eurocodes. The course will cover the current code status, changes in the design approach, terminology, design parameters, the various National Annexes and worked examples.

For more information download the flyer here.

To register: Please download the registration form here and return to
Anne Potter, ACEI HQ, 46 Merrion Square, Dublin 2
Email info@acei.ie

Following on from the success of the Dublin presentations, recent graduates will give brief presentations (12 to 15 minutes) sharing their experiences since graduating.

The aim of the evening is to provide an insight for students and other members of the structural and civil engineering fraternity into what it is like for Graduate Structural/Civil Engineers in the present difficult economic climate.

It is intended that the evening will be relatively informal and there will be ample time for questions and discussion.

Presenters:

• David Hodge BEng (CIT) – MEng studies at CIT
• William Horgan BE (UCC) – Mott MacDonald Ireland
• Ciara Murphy BEng (CIT) – Atkins and Master studies at CIT
• Robert Ryan BE (UCC) – ARUP (Cork office)

Location: Cork Institute of Technology, Room B190
Date: 15 March 2010
Time: 19:00

The 2010 James Daly Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Holger Falter and Salam Al‐Sabah on the Grand Canal Theatre.

External View of Grand Canal Theatre

The Grand Canal Theatre is a new landmark development on the Dublin docklands with great cultural importance for Dublin. The design and construction of the theatre was a challenging task for the design team as well as the contractor. One particularly intersting aspect is the use of saw-tooth connections for the first time. Steel to concrete connection details had to allow for the potentially large deviation between steel fabrication and in‐situ concrete construction tolerances, resulting in the use of a saw‐tooth connection for the first time in building engineering.

Grand Canal Theatre Auditorium

It will be held on Tuesday, 2 March in Rm 259, DIT Bolton St. A reception will be hald at 18:00 with the lecture starting at 18:30.

For more information, please see the event flyer here.

The Branch is initiating a series of fora designed to facilitate a more open discussion of topics of particular immediate relevance to members. The first of these will focus on Professional Indemnity Insurance risk and concerns in the present climate.

Graeme Tinney of Grffiths & Armour Professional Risks will present an overview of Professional Indemnity Insurance, trends and challenges, in the current market and Insurer’s concerns regarding construction professionals. It will explain and examine the underlying causes of claims, the impact of developments in the wider economy, and some practical considerations of managing risk. The floor will then be open up for a discussion and Q&A session which should prove very informative to all attending.

This forum is a must for all Young Engineers and an opportunity for all Consulting Engineers to discuss amongst fellow professionals this very important topic.

Location: DIT Bolton Street, Room 281
Date: 9 February 2010
Time: 18:00 tea & coffee reception for 18:30 forum.