The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is proposing several amendments to B1/VM1, and it’s important that you have your say in these changes as they’ll affect our steel industry. They intend to: Update Verification Method for B1 Structure (B1/VM1) to cite the latest version of NZS 3101:2006 Concrete Structures Standard: Part 1 – The…
The factor of safety (FoS), also known as (and used interchangeably with) safety factor (SF), is the ratio between the nominal and the design load carrying capacity of a structural member or system. The factor of safety ensures that the probability of the actual resistance falling below the design resistance is sufficiently low. The magnitude…
We’re saddened to share the passing of University of Auckland’s Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering John Butterworth. Passing away after a long illness on 4 September – we wanted to share our condolences with his family and friends and acknowledge the contributions he’s made to our industry. Graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering…
We’re pleased to announce that the first test on stainless steel connection was successfully performed 28 July 2017 at the University of Auckland’s testing lab. Answering what we believe is a growing industry necessity to understand the behaviour of structural stainless steel connections under severe seismic load. For HERA it’s an area where we currently…
Recognising the need for risk mitigation in the procurement of fabricated steelwork, HERA and SCNZ in partnership with ASI developed Code of Practice for fabrication and erection of structural steel work and the SFC Rules in 2014. This formed the basis for a joint Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand project to create the first dedicated…
Historically, boron has not been intentionally added to structural steel manufactured in New Zealand or Australia to AS or AS/NZS standards. However some overseas steelmakers have added boron to structural steel to take advantage of export subsidies or for other reasons, including improved impact energy. Reports indicated that some imported steel may show elevated levels…
Winning work is imperative for business survival – yet it often comes at a cost to the very environment we live and operate in. But what if there was a way to have one without the expense to the other for the metals industry? Well, it turns out one of the steps you can take…
Even though stainless steel structural sections have been available since the 1960s, the industry hasn’t shown great interest until the last decade – the main reasons being a lack of material knowledge, limited supply sources, irregular demand, small volumes, long delivery times and high prices. Today this has changed, with the market not only asking…
The Statistics House investigation has highlighted that had the Kaikoura earthquake have happened at a different hour – lives would have been lost. Now more than ever, urgent action is required to safeguard and ensure existing precast concrete floor designs are checked and the 10-year old concrete design standard updated. On 14 November 2016 the…
Mentioned in the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels March 2017 Update, the ACRS Board meeting on 28th February considered a number of proposals to improve ACRS’ efficiency and effectiveness. It was agreed that stakeholders and certificate holders should be given until the end of March to discuss and comment on these important…
We’re looking forward to attending the Austroads Bridge Conference being held at the Pullman Melbourne next week from 3 – 6 April 2017. Hosted by VicRoads Australia, this will mark the 25th anniversary of the first ABC conference and is anticipated to be a pivotal event for attendees with a specialty in bridge engineering as they…
This week we’re focused on shining the light on #WomenInEngineering, as we work to close the gender gap in the New Zealand metals industry and inspire our next generation of females to see engineering differently. That’s because, in a time when we should be welcoming more females to address skills shortages, we are seeing…