Verulam

摘要

Aspiring structural engineers should have an affinity towards the sciences and they should undergo extensive training to develop a wide experience and sound judgment during their formative years. Questions have recently been raised, however, about the proficiency of school leavers in science subjects. Sir Terry Leahy, the chief executive of Tesco, has described the standards of state school education as 'woeful'. Additionally, the current state of the economy and building industry has adversely influenced training facilities for engineering graduates as well as technicians on work sites.rnSafety factors are used in structural design to account for numerous differences between actual and assumed properties of the structure. These would include dimensional inaccuracies, differences between properties of structural material as derived from laboratory tests - to name but a few. The safety factors also account for imperfections in design models as well as uncertainties in assessment of actions. Lately, there is a movement towards reduction in factors of safety. It is alleged that this is being driven by the sector industries so as to make their products more competitive. On the positive side, such initiatives do promote sustainable construction, by avoiding overdesign and achieving savings in construction materials. However, modern design procedures should essentially have safety of construction as the first priority and any such advancement in structural design should be accompanied by appropriate improvements in construction skills.