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To better understand concrete groupings according to CIRIA R108 (1-7) it is important to recognise how different kinds of cement and admixtures influence this classification.

Back-propping of RC slabs during construction is often neglected or misunderstood in the civil engineering industry. Regrettably, many permanent works designers still consider the subject as not relevant and a contractor’s issue.

Generally speaking the scaffolding market place is divided in to two approaches to provide access and support to work activities.  Firstly, what is widely known as Tube & Fittings and secondly System Scaffolds.  Both applications are in wide use in the UK and both are...

Piling mats are a working platform used for construction plant such as piling rigs or mobile cranes. They provide a stable base on which plant can safely travel and operate. The term working platform is restricted to ground supported platforms constructed of granular material.

During the entire process concrete formwork is subjected to various loads and forces. Vertical forces are associated with the dead load from placed concrete mix, formwork and the live load of workers and their equipment.

The prime purpose of formwork is to provide a temporary fixed shape for concrete to harden in like a jelly mould. If the requirements for the finish of the hardened concrete are important in terms of texture, pattern or general appearance, then these need to be properly specified and considered from the outset.

Platforms within tube and fitting scaffolds may be constructed using various permutations of decking units and materials, however timber scaffold boards are most commonly used.

A Preliminary Tie test should be done prior to the construction works of any scaffold and should be carried out away from the area where the scaffold is to be erected, to prevent stressing on the façade where the scaffold is to be positioned.

Since we have been designing, this is an area that has not always been clearly defined in terms of guidance and what is required in order to provide a compliant design.

In scaffold design when we reach the leg capacity we have several options open to us such as reduce the loading, reduce the bay sizes or introduce double standards and try to spread the load.

Bearing pressure is simply a load (force) over a certain area. For instance, a 100 kg mass exerts a force of 1 kN. When this load is evenly applied over 1 square metre then we can say the pressure being applied by this force is: = 1kN / 1m^2 = 1 kN/m^2

Many designers take the effective length of a scaffold standard, arranged in a basic scaffold configuration, as 2m. I.E. 2m Bays and 2m lifts with conventional tie patterns, ledger and face bracing.

We are often asked if particular scaffold arrangements ‘need’ to be designed. The HSE have compiled a list of scaffold arrangements they would expect to see a design.

Effective length is a critical concept in Structural Design which relates to ‘the length of a component which is effectively restrained’.

Everybody knows to stabilise a scaffold we tie it to the adjacent building as the scaffold is erected. Depending on a number of factors such as geographic location, netting, sheeting height and load we determine in the design process what tie pattern to adopt and the frequency of ties.

When designing scaffolds at IDH we have to identify what they are going to be used for. In order to design the scaffold, gantry, birdcage or bridging etc, we need to first identify the load it will carry.