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Book aims to standardise structural steel connections

1st March 2013

By: Sashnee Moodley

Senior Deputy Editor Polity and Multimedia

  

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To promote standardisation and reduce project costs and design time among steel fabricators, engineers and drafts- people, the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (Saisc) has launched a new book called Structural Steel Connections or more commonly known as The Green Book.

The book was written in 2011 by Saisc CEO Dr Hennie de Clercq, assisted by Saisc director Spencer Erling and Saisc development engineer Amanuel Gebremeskel and was launched in January this year.

Structural Steel Connections deals with the elements connecting parts, such as beams and columns, together in steel structures, including the design of the connections, their fabrication in the workshop and their assembly on the construction site.

The book also discusses how structural steel connections work and their required and actual strengths and basic connection agents, such as bolts and welding.

De Clercq compiled the book by researching connection concepts, theory and practice worldwide and applying that knowledge to situations that are likely to be encountered in practice locally.

De Clercq says although international research was used in the compilation of Struc- tural Steel Connections, the book is written for South Africans and it is based on the local standards in the steel industry.

“Engineers and technicians spend a lot of time designing connections. The book will promote standardisation, reliability, predictability and improved speed and accuracy of communication between engineers and steel fabricators, and it will reduce costs and design time, as it will considerably reduce the need for calculations,” he states, adding that the book is expected to make the design of connections simpler and faster and result in economical steel structures.

Structural Steel Connections is published and sold by Saisc and, while it is not specifically directed at academics, De Clercq states that several professors at tertiary institutions have already expressed interest in prescribing it for their courses.

Saisc is also conducting practical courses based on the book, across the country, adds De Clercq.

He hopes that the book will generally be adopted by industry professionals and by companies to compile their own practical guidelines and company standards and that it will become the ultimate reference for structural steel connections.

Industry Outlook
The recent poor results of South Africa’s leading steel producers reflect a general slow-down over the last year or two in the demand for steel in South Africa and De Clercq says this situation is not surprising in view of general market conditions.

As far as government expenditure is concerned, he highlights that State-owned enterprise Eskom’s Kusile and Medupi coal-fired power stations are the only major steel-consuming projects in South Africa. This situation is exacerbated by the government’s delay in implementing its capital expenditure programme.

In addition, the private sector is not spending on capital projects, as it is uncertain about the future of project sustainability in South Africa. De Clercq says several local companies have indicated that they would prefer spending money on capital projects in countries other than South Africa, including other African countries.

He says to substantially increase steel demand to sustainable levels in the building and steel construction sector, which consumes about 65% of domestic steel sales, South Africa’s gross domestic product has to be higher than 3%, as steel sales tend to contract at lesser growth rates.

“The current growth levels in the country and many other countries, such as Europe and Britain, make for a bleak short-term future in the steel construction industry.

“In the long term, however, there is much optimism as South Africa’s steel construction industry becomes more involved in supplying projects in Africa, which, on average, is growing at a rate of between 5% and 6%.”

However, De Clercq notes that there are basic issues that need to be dealt with for the local industry to reach the requisite levels of efficiency to compete with other global players.

“While, in essence, we have a good, effective industry, there are areas in which we need to improve and make ourselves more cost effective. There are challenges regarding the cost of steel and electricity, as well as the lack of productivity, and these will have to be tackled to ensure we make the most of our opportunities in Africa,” he states.


With regard to the South African industry, in particular, De Clercq says Saisc will conduct a benchmark study to find out how it compares with global steel construction industries in terms of steel and labour costs and overheads, as this will help the local industry immeasurably to become globally competitive.

Saisc will discuss the long-term challenges and opportunities for the steel construction industry at its SteelFuture Conference, held on March 5 and 6, in Johannesburg.

“SteelFuture will be positive and action orien- tated, the ultimate intention being to equip companies, and the industry in general, to decide on a future strategy,” De Clercq explains.

He adds that the future is one where countries will have to deal with increasing urbanisation and higher population densities, which will create the need for specialist construction solutions, including appropriate steel construction solutions.

Following the SteelFuture Conference, Saisc will meet with the International Steelworkers Contractors group, an informal association of the steel construction industries of English-speaking countries, to discuss the future of the global steel construction industry, required research and the development of a new vision for the industry.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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