Month: January 2013

Adapted by Spencer Erling, Education Director, SAISC It is not difficult to comprehend why architecturally exposed steelwork can become the subject of hot debate and maybe even harsh words in the contracting environment. If the requirements of the architect are clearly defined then the likelihood of misunderstandings in the contract will almost certainly be largely […]

PART 1 By Spencer Erling, Education Director, SAISC BACKGROUND AND HISTORY South Africa has a long tradition of specifying and using hot dipped galvanized bolts for steel structures with generally great success. The SAISC has recommended for a long time that bolts to class grade 4.8 bolts and class 4 nuts (in general because of […]

PART 2 By Spencer Erling, Education Director, SAISC WHAT IS HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT? We used the term a number of times in part 1 without defining the term. Thanks to Wikipedia for the following definition: Hydrogen embrittlement is the process by which various metals, most importantly high-strength steel, become brittle (and or a decrease of toughness […]

By Amanuel Gebremeskel, Development Engineer, SAISC There have been a number of structural failures in South Africa over the past few years in connections that use lapped gusseted joints in compression. These types of connections typically occur in lightly loaded braces and trusses because they help to facilitate easy fabrication, transportation and erection. Therefore they […]

By Dr. Hennie de Clercq, retired CEO, SAISC I would like to report back on the survey we did recently in an effort to guide us in deciding whether to go to the Eurocode for the design of structural steelwork. We received 151 responses to our questionnaire, for which we truly and profusely want to […]