ACSEV NEWSASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS (Vic)

Associations Incorporation Registration No A0026069J

WWWACSEVORGAU

THIS ISSUE

bull PRESIDENTrsquoS REPORT

bull CHANGING STANDARDS

bull SCREW PILE DESIGN

bull ONE STEEL

bull FRAME AUSTRALIA

bull ASSDA

bull FINANCIAL RUIN

JUN 2014 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE

PAGE 2 ISSUE 185

ADVERTISEMENT

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Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of

Victoria

PAGE 3 ISSUE 190

Committee Members

Mr Robert FentonPresident

Mrs Jenny NorishVice President

Mr Geoff SnowTreasurer

Mr Malcolm CuthbertPast President

Mr Francis HsiehImmediate Past President

Mr Robert Nestic Past President

Mr Len Dalziel Past President

Mr Russell BrownPast President

Mr Richard EckhausGeneral Committee

Mr Bradley LittleGeneral Committee

Mr Keith AllilomouGeneral Committee

Mr Karl AptedGeneral Committee

Mr Phillip VawdreyCountry Representative

Mr Richard FooksCountry Representative

GENERAL BUSINESS

PRESIDENTrsquoSREPORT

PO Box 467 Box Hill DC Vic 3128

wwwacsevorgau

I am pleased to introduce our June newsletter Thanks to Editor Robert Nestic and his editorial team Your committee is aiming to have a wider range of articles in our newsletters and are pleased to have interesting contributions from Russell Brown and Tony Furr in this edition Richard Eckhaus will also be a contributor in future newsletters We also welcome contributions from any other members who have interesting articles or other items of interest to members

We have had good attendance at our Technical Meetings so far this year with members and guests enjoying the interesting topics and we have more interesting topics planned for the remainder of this year We will soon start planning for next yearrsquos Technical Meetings so are open to suggestions from members for topics and speakers of interest

Planning is well underway for our workshop on Concrete which will be held in August at Swinburne University Jenny Norrish and Robert Nestic are working hard to develop a stimulating program with expert speakers More details will follow closer to the timeOn 29th April I again had the pleasure of representing ACSEV at the Box Hill Institute Awards Night to present ACSEV sponsored awards to the following two top students

Diploma in Engineering (Civil Design) Ms Hee Ae Yang Advanced Diploma in Engineering (Civil Design) Carl Michaud

As always it was wonderful to be a part of this important event for the Box Hill Institute and to meet the award winning students

The photo at left shows Award recipient Ms Hee Ae Yang with Box Hill Institute Interim CEO Joe Piper and myself

I also remind members to make use of our website wwwacsevorgau We have plans to further improve the website to make it more user friendly and to increase the ways in which it can be used

I wish you happy reading of this newsletter and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Technical Meetings and other activities

I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and activities

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of

Victoria

PAGE 3 ISSUE 190

Committee Members

Mr Robert FentonPresident

Mrs Jenny NorishVice President

Mr Geoff SnowTreasurer

Mr Malcolm CuthbertPast President

Mr Francis HsiehImmediate Past President

Mr Robert Nestic Past President

Mr Len Dalziel Past President

Mr Russell BrownPast President

Mr Richard EckhausGeneral Committee

Mr Bradley LittleGeneral Committee

Mr Keith AllilomouGeneral Committee

Mr Karl AptedGeneral Committee

Mr Phillip VawdreyCountry Representative

Mr Richard FooksCountry Representative

GENERAL BUSINESS

PRESIDENTrsquoSREPORT

PO Box 467 Box Hill DC Vic 3128

wwwacsevorgau

I am pleased to introduce our June newsletter Thanks to Editor Robert Nestic and his editorial team Your committee is aiming to have a wider range of articles in our newsletters and are pleased to have interesting contributions from Russell Brown and Tony Furr in this edition Richard Eckhaus will also be a contributor in future newsletters We also welcome contributions from any other members who have interesting articles or other items of interest to members

We have had good attendance at our Technical Meetings so far this year with members and guests enjoying the interesting topics and we have more interesting topics planned for the remainder of this year We will soon start planning for next yearrsquos Technical Meetings so are open to suggestions from members for topics and speakers of interest

Planning is well underway for our workshop on Concrete which will be held in August at Swinburne University Jenny Norrish and Robert Nestic are working hard to develop a stimulating program with expert speakers More details will follow closer to the timeOn 29th April I again had the pleasure of representing ACSEV at the Box Hill Institute Awards Night to present ACSEV sponsored awards to the following two top students

Diploma in Engineering (Civil Design) Ms Hee Ae Yang Advanced Diploma in Engineering (Civil Design) Carl Michaud

As always it was wonderful to be a part of this important event for the Box Hill Institute and to meet the award winning students

The photo at left shows Award recipient Ms Hee Ae Yang with Box Hill Institute Interim CEO Joe Piper and myself

I also remind members to make use of our website wwwacsevorgau We have plans to further improve the website to make it more user friendly and to increase the ways in which it can be used

I wish you happy reading of this newsletter and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Technical Meetings and other activities

I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and activities

ISSUE 190

EDITORIAL

PAGE 4

Changes to Standards can be a real nuisance in an already busy design day Change however should be considered an opportunity to invest in our Continued professional Development (CPD) by reviewing aspects of design we already (thought we) knew about discover aspects of design we may not have known about and perhaps update our understanding of aspects we may have overlooked or misunderstood in the first place

But why change When reviewing the Wind Code a number of years ago I found this statement on the inside cover

ldquoStandards are living documents which reflect progress in science technology and systems To maintain their currency all Standards are periodically reviewed and new editions are published Between editions amendments may be issued Standards may also be withdrawn It is important that readers assure themselves they are using a current Standard which should include any amendments which may have been published since the Standard was purchasedrdquo

This is a good explanation of why codes change and remind us of our responsibility to keep up to date Unfortunately progress seems synonymous with complexity (not to be confused with accuracy) Computers are becoming more necessary to comply with standards and it is more difficult to independently check using hand methods Although I would not prefer to use a pencil and calculator (I tend to introduce more errors this way) the computational dangers that exist due to complexity of implementing such codes are becoming more real In my opinion if you are conscientious about managing your companyrsquos risk the day of a three line beam design is gone Perhaps I am just becoming more cautious in my thinking or perhaps realise I that a mistake while trying to comply with ever more complex standards is more and more likely

The latest timber code (AS11701-2010) released

Changing StandardS ndash nuiSanCe or neCeSSity

in June 2010 and amended in December 2010 and again in August 2011 shows that although standards are living documents they are definitely susceptible to human error Although most of the changes in the amendments were mostly cosmetic some were errors By choice Structural Toolkit already used the corrected values (material Constant ρb values for GL18 Glued-Laminated Timber Construction) but whether we were right using these incorrect values (which were correct at the time in accordance with the Standard) is an important question of debate and perhaps a good topic of future discussion

There were other values in the timber code which were still incorrect after the first amendment which were not fixed until the second amendment some 9 months later This raises an important question how can we readily recognise problems in the more complex Standards such as the Concrete Code The Concrete Code was released in December 2009 and amended almost a year later in November 2010 One of the corrections involved the γ gamma value for the beam compression area relative to neutral axis kud The calculation of γ fundamentally changed from the 2001 standard but required subsequent amendment (Eq 813(2) for those interested) Similarly a small footnote in the FRL simplified column assessment (being Eurocode method A) Table 563 requiring 8 bars rather than 4 corner bars for some of the higher fire ratings ndash oops Despite almost directly copying from the Eurocode it illustrates the complexity we face trying to apply new Standards with new empirical theory

Delving into the many references (standards and textbooks) that make up Structural Toolkit the presence of errors is not uncommon The presence of errors no longer surprises me but it does continue to concern me Particularly when you see the length and complexity of some of the formulae we are expected to follow in the Standards An

EDITORIAL

ISSUE 190 PAGE 5

article on Liability in the Engineers Australia magazine (March 2009 Page 38) concerns me even more as clients demand even less redundancy in our structures It states ldquoengineers cannot avoid liability in negligence hellip by simply relying on current and published standard or coderdquo suggesting it may be necessary to go beyond what standard or code strictly requires Keep this in mind when you are looking at theory (published papers etc) errors exist everywhere and you should not take anything at face value It doesnrsquot take much research to gain sufficient awareness to see omissions and problems in our design standards and references It does however take commitment passion in the art of engineering and a bit more than everyday thinking I encourage each and every one of you to do so a little more often

So while using Structural Toolkit (or any other software for that matter) donrsquot just look for the black (OK) or red (No Good) Ensure you are occasionally looking a little deeper to understand

Anthony Furr Software Structural Toolkit

the fundamentals Grab the relevant standard (the current one with amendments) and one of the many referenced textbooks and take a closer look If there is something you do not understand we at Structural Toolkit can assist in working through the problem

Structural toolkit is the essential Tool for Australian Structural Engineers Designed to streamline the number crunching process Structural Toolkit saves time and reducing errors when designing discreet elements in materials such as timber steel concrete and masonry Structural Toolkit is designed and supported in Australia by an active practising Consulting Engineer

If you have not tried Structural Toolkit visit the website wwwstructuraltoolkitcomau and register for a free 30 day trial ACSEV members will receive a discount off the retail price (providing you tell us)

Anthony Furr Software Structural toolkit

PAGE 6 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

From Intrax in what I perceive to be their internal newsletter (December issue from 2013) Ive been given permission to give you pages 5 and 6 and would note that we have tried them out and they appear to be fairly compatible with the data and the information More importantly its a straight flow path technique and I dont see that great deal of difficulty in following it all the way through I would however point out that you really do need to have your soil testing done to an excellent standard You do need to understand what is in fact meant by a CU value and make sure that its been determined correctly If there is any uncertainty use the lower values in the given categories You will find it doesnt vary the answer andor the data that you are given by much The only other criteria that I would suggest has not been covered is drag down which does in fact occur on all forms of piles and occurs over a given period of time as soils consolidate and then grab onto the shaft and have a push down effect Ive found but

have never had 100 tested that if we ignore skin friction on the shaft to work out the base size that you need and then always round up to the next 50 mm ie if its 320 youll take it all the way that the 350 etc if you are always a little bit oversized youll probably compensate for drag down (do not include skin friction on the shaft to determine your helix) That might be being a little conservative but when you look at the figures that yoursquore getting to use conservatism is not actually there you need to adjust your own safety factors A good document and Id like to acknowledge Intrax for allowing its publication YoursRussell R I Brown Pty Ltd72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040Ph 9374 2877Fax 93741057Email generalribrowncomauWebsite wwwribrowncomau

SCreW PiLe deSign For CLay SoiL

PAGE 7ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

PAGE 8 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

EDITORIAL

ISSUE 190 PAGE 5

article on Liability in the Engineers Australia magazine (March 2009 Page 38) concerns me even more as clients demand even less redundancy in our structures It states ldquoengineers cannot avoid liability in negligence hellip by simply relying on current and published standard or coderdquo suggesting it may be necessary to go beyond what standard or code strictly requires Keep this in mind when you are looking at theory (published papers etc) errors exist everywhere and you should not take anything at face value It doesnrsquot take much research to gain sufficient awareness to see omissions and problems in our design standards and references It does however take commitment passion in the art of engineering and a bit more than everyday thinking I encourage each and every one of you to do so a little more often

So while using Structural Toolkit (or any other software for that matter) donrsquot just look for the black (OK) or red (No Good) Ensure you are occasionally looking a little deeper to understand

Anthony Furr Software Structural Toolkit

the fundamentals Grab the relevant standard (the current one with amendments) and one of the many referenced textbooks and take a closer look If there is something you do not understand we at Structural Toolkit can assist in working through the problem

Structural toolkit is the essential Tool for Australian Structural Engineers Designed to streamline the number crunching process Structural Toolkit saves time and reducing errors when designing discreet elements in materials such as timber steel concrete and masonry Structural Toolkit is designed and supported in Australia by an active practising Consulting Engineer

If you have not tried Structural Toolkit visit the website wwwstructuraltoolkitcomau and register for a free 30 day trial ACSEV members will receive a discount off the retail price (providing you tell us)

Anthony Furr Software Structural toolkit

PAGE 6 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

From Intrax in what I perceive to be their internal newsletter (December issue from 2013) Ive been given permission to give you pages 5 and 6 and would note that we have tried them out and they appear to be fairly compatible with the data and the information More importantly its a straight flow path technique and I dont see that great deal of difficulty in following it all the way through I would however point out that you really do need to have your soil testing done to an excellent standard You do need to understand what is in fact meant by a CU value and make sure that its been determined correctly If there is any uncertainty use the lower values in the given categories You will find it doesnt vary the answer andor the data that you are given by much The only other criteria that I would suggest has not been covered is drag down which does in fact occur on all forms of piles and occurs over a given period of time as soils consolidate and then grab onto the shaft and have a push down effect Ive found but

have never had 100 tested that if we ignore skin friction on the shaft to work out the base size that you need and then always round up to the next 50 mm ie if its 320 youll take it all the way that the 350 etc if you are always a little bit oversized youll probably compensate for drag down (do not include skin friction on the shaft to determine your helix) That might be being a little conservative but when you look at the figures that yoursquore getting to use conservatism is not actually there you need to adjust your own safety factors A good document and Id like to acknowledge Intrax for allowing its publication YoursRussell R I Brown Pty Ltd72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040Ph 9374 2877Fax 93741057Email generalribrowncomauWebsite wwwribrowncomau

SCreW PiLe deSign For CLay SoiL

PAGE 7ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

PAGE 8 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 6 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

From Intrax in what I perceive to be their internal newsletter (December issue from 2013) Ive been given permission to give you pages 5 and 6 and would note that we have tried them out and they appear to be fairly compatible with the data and the information More importantly its a straight flow path technique and I dont see that great deal of difficulty in following it all the way through I would however point out that you really do need to have your soil testing done to an excellent standard You do need to understand what is in fact meant by a CU value and make sure that its been determined correctly If there is any uncertainty use the lower values in the given categories You will find it doesnt vary the answer andor the data that you are given by much The only other criteria that I would suggest has not been covered is drag down which does in fact occur on all forms of piles and occurs over a given period of time as soils consolidate and then grab onto the shaft and have a push down effect Ive found but

have never had 100 tested that if we ignore skin friction on the shaft to work out the base size that you need and then always round up to the next 50 mm ie if its 320 youll take it all the way that the 350 etc if you are always a little bit oversized youll probably compensate for drag down (do not include skin friction on the shaft to determine your helix) That might be being a little conservative but when you look at the figures that yoursquore getting to use conservatism is not actually there you need to adjust your own safety factors A good document and Id like to acknowledge Intrax for allowing its publication YoursRussell R I Brown Pty Ltd72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040Ph 9374 2877Fax 93741057Email generalribrowncomauWebsite wwwribrowncomau

SCreW PiLe deSign For CLay SoiL

PAGE 7ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

PAGE 8 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 7ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

PAGE 8 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 8 ISSUE 190

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

TECHNICAL MEETING

PAGE 9ISSUE 190

ldquoTHE QUEST FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELDrdquoREPORT SHINES LIGHT ON ISSUE OF NON-CONFORMING BUILDING PRODUCTS

Findings from ldquoThe Quest for a Level Playing Fieldrdquo a report on non-conforming building products published by the Australian Industry group (AiG) late last year suggest that non-conforming building products have been allowed into the Australian market due to ldquoinadequate surveillance no audit checks limited testing and enforcement and inadequate first party certificationrdquo

The Report found that non-conforming products impact on safety and business sustainability and can escalate deterioration rates in buildings reduce asset value and increase maintenance costs

According to the Report the collective framework for product conformance which includes regulators regulations codes of practice and standards does not operate effectively The report indicates that best practice national and international industry and regulatory examples should be sought and examined with a view to implementation in Australia Overall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open market

From a steel perspective the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) administers a JAS-ANZ accredited third party product certification scheme The scheme certifies reinforcing prestressing and structural steels to Australian standards

ACRS Certification gives confidence to the Construction Industry Supply chain that the manufacturer of the products used in their project has been rigorously assessed by an independent body ACRS Certification also means the manufacturer consistently manufactures to and meets the requirements of the Australian standards All OneSteel manufacturing facilities supplying product to ASNZS 4671 ASNZS1163 ASNZS36791 and ASNZS36792 have achieved ACRS certification

By choosing to have our products third party certified by ACRS OneSteel is demonstrating its commitment to supplying quality products compliant to Australian Standards

ldquoOverall regulation needs to be effective keep compliance costs to a minimum and maintain an open marketrdquo

copy Copyright 2014

IMPORTANT INFORMATION This publication has been prepared by OneSteel (OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325 trading as

OneSteel Market Mills) The information contained in this publication is subject to change without notice and to ensure accuracy OneSteel recommends

you seek your own professional advice in relation to the matters covered by this publication to satisfy yourself and not to rely on the information without

first doing so Unless required by law the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss damage or consequence resulting from the use of this

publication Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications current at March 2014

bull Download a copy of the AiG Report ldquoThe Quest for a level playing field ndash The non-conforming building product dilemmardquo

bull View OneSteel manufacturing sites with ACRS Certification

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 10 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Thousands of suburban home owners facing financial ruin

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquoslab heaversquo

Thousands of near-new homes are cracking up in Melbournersquos western and northern suburbs leaving their owners facing financial ruin and long battles to fix them

Estimates suggest up to 4300 homes in Wyndham Melton and Hume local government areas may be suffering from lsquorsquoslab heaversquorsquo where volatile soil movements under a homersquos foundations cause walls to crack doors and windows to jam and floors to tilt

But the actual number may be far higher said former academic and consulting engineer Peter Yttrup Hundreds of other homes in Melton West have been built on a lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home that hashad many builder issues Photo by James Boddington Fairfax MediaSunday Age News Friday June 6 2014 Jamie Crouch and son Morghan in front of their Grovedale home Photo James Boddington

A report revealed in a legal case this week shows Melton Council knew about extreme soil conditions in the new housing estate but did nothing to inform builders or potential home owners

Melton Council would not comment because of the legal action

Concerns about slab heave have prompted 160 Melbourne home owners to contact Slater amp Gordon Lawyers solicitor Robert Auricchio said Others are taking individual legal action If they are successful the state government which from January this year underwrites all builders warranty insurance may ultimately foot the bill

New estates from Grovedale on Geelongrsquos outskirts to Doreen in Melbournersquos north are also affected in an epidemic being blamed on lsquorsquowaffle slabrsquorsquo foundations and poor classification of highly reactive volcanic clay soils

Waffle slabs lsquorsquofloatrsquorsquo on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings

Grovedale home owner Jamie Crouch is living with his young family on a lsquorsquodam of sewerrsquorsquo that is collecting under his seven-year-old house causing its slab to heave

lsquorsquoWe noticed some internal cracking and we patched it on numerous occasions It just kept opening up Itrsquos impacting on our personal and financial lifersquorsquo he said

Internal walls were lifting off the floor objects roll off the benchtops and windows and doors wonrsquot shut in the Bailey Street home

Mr Crouch blamed poor drainage and broken sewer pipes left by the builders for triggering the problem

Both the previous Labor government and current Planning Minister Matthew Guy have sped up land releases in Melbournersquos fast-growing outer suburbs many in areas with volatile soils to encourage affordable new housing

Between 2003 and 2011 82738 building permits were issued in Wyndham Melton and Hume the Victorian Building Authority said A VBA investigation of 625 homes found 53 per cent had faults

The problem of slab heave is lsquorsquosystemicrsquorsquo widespread and needs urgent government action to fix Mr Yttrup said

He said waffle slabs poorly trained and regulated soil testers and builders failing to follow the AS2870 standard for home footings were at the root of the problem

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

ARTICLE

PAGE 11ISSUE 190

Just a quick note on the presentation by Dr Peter Key from the Australian Steel Industry I think those that attended would have agreed that it was eye opening and that it was good to hear that the Australian Steel Industry is looking at formalising educational packages over the coming years to achieve an infill of whats been occurring between University and in industrial training schemes I think it was incredibly professional of Peter to not mention or to put a great emphasis on the book that I know hes put an enormous amount of effort into over the last couple of years ie the connection of tubes there being several documents all of which are excellent particularly if you trying to join those damn things together Not quite as easy as they first look when youre drawing them The document that has been produced by ASI via Peter is excellent The main point of Peters presentation was (I believe) to worry us into a state of near hysteria as to whether or not the steel we are getting is actually working The sad truth is that in a lot of cases it isnt but its not massive at the moment but I can see it getting worse and I think we need to think about whether we want to be sucked in That might be one for the committee to look out over the next coming months However I note that in my own practice and Ive checked it out with others that the vast majority of our steel is being designed and analysed with deflection as the basic criteria possibly as high as 75 of members The problem is it matters not if it doesnt deflect too much if it cant be welded cant be bolted or rusts rapidly Perhaps the genie in the bottle can be put back if somebody was to work out how to roll steel with initials on it Im racking my brains but I do think it was the norm and it was dropped 1) for cost and 2) for architects who didnt like it Perhaps some of our steel manufacturers might like to think their way through what is good for somebody emotionally and what is good for everybody financially Rusting failing and degraded steel doesnt do anybody any good RegardsRussell Brown

dr Peter Key PreSentation Others say the standards themselves are not tough enough

Melton West home owner Annette Watson this week took builder Cavalier Homes North Western to Victoriarsquos planning tribunal seeking at least $30000 to fix problems with her home caused by soil movement under a waffle slab Ms Watson said her difficulties began six years ago when cracks appeared in the walls and cornices dropped off as her new $225000 house moved

Now the front bedroom is 71 millimetres higher than the rear of the home Many neighbours are suffering similar issues she said

Barrister for Cavalier Homes Robert Squirrell told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal up to 80 other houses built by Cavalier could be affected

lsquorsquoThis is but one of many this is the thin edge of the wedgersquorsquo he said

Mr Squirrell sought to have Melton Council the soil tester and engineer joined to the case because a report given to the council which labelled the area lsquorsquosinkhole plainrsquorsquo showed thick expansive clay soil posed a hazard to development

Earlier this year a home owner in Melbournersquos newest suburb Tarneit won $289589 for the cost of replacing his home in Hollows Circuit Metricon Australiarsquos largest new home builder has since appealed the decision but faces a similar case in September

Tribunal member Margaret Lothian said home owners are facing lsquorsquotoxic costsrsquorsquo - where legal fees outweigh recompense - when they seek to fix their problems in court

Read more httpwwwtheagecomauvictoriathousands-of-suburban-home-owners-facing-financial-ruin-20140607-39q4zhtmlixzz34Jx1ztMT

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 12 ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

FRAME 2014 TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER

Pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction as the theme for next weekrsquos Frame Australia 2014 Conference and Exhibition has attracted an amazing number of delegates to be the biggest ever in the 16 years of the event

Delegates from the building design and construction sector will attend the conference in record numbers in part due to the active support by HIA and MBA in Victoria promoting the conference topic to their members

Also a number of organisations within the timber supply pre-fabrication and building materials have strongly supported Frame with groups of delegates using the timing of Frame for convenience in arranging national meetings of members

Frame 2014 has been organised in conjunction with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and EWPAA will conduct a dinner and annual meeting at the venue as will the National Building Suppliers Group (Natbuild) and others

Other industry associations providing valuable assistance in supporting the conference include FTMA Aust TMAV and AFPA

The Malaysian Timber Council is sending an important group of nearly 30 delegates from the Timber Council and Malaysian Government along with architects and engineers to review timber construction in low and high level construction for creation of opportunities for affordable housing in Malaysia

They have arranged a tour of housing construction sites and manufacturing plants around Melbourne with support from Burbank Group Henley Homes Australand and Lend Lease

Delegate attending Frame 2014 are from the main sectors of timber and engineered wood timber frame pre-fabrication building design and construction with nearly 350 attendees expected at the Park Hyatt Melbourne venue

Registrations will be accepted until Thursday May 15 and for on-line bookings visit the Frame Australia website wwwframeaustraliacom

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 13ISSUE 190

FRAME AUSTRALIA

Dear members of ACSEV

I had the privilege and perhaps the interest to go to the Frame Australia 2014 Conference re Prefab Timber amp Engineered Wood in Building Construction I was to say the least amazed timber is quite capable of doing some remarkable things but I also came to the conclusion it needs remarkable machines and remarkable people to run them They stressed that the places in which this works very well is in the German speaking parts of Europe For whatever reason it doesnrsquot seem to work terribly well elsewhere perhaps because technology hasnrsquot spread and being quantified or perhaps it has spread but hasnrsquot worked as well They are quite genuinely talking about achieving 1 mm tolerances for the connection of timber prefabricated construction and the matching together and transportation distances like and similar to Melbourne-Sydney Some of the products also on presentation (excluding the machines etc which Irsquom sure we are only truly interested in their end result) are of some interest Some of the new connections are quite intriguing and some of the methodologies by which connections can be done appeared to be on the newer side probably influenced from Europe Irsquod suggest that we could perhaps invite the speakers who talked about the five-storey timber construction on the Tullamarine FreewayParkville I think all of us in ACSEV could learn a lot from the presentation and include that with some of the manufacturers and suppliers of newer and more interesting connection details support mechanisms and things that go bang in the night - which I havenrsquot seen If we invite three people along to cover those elements I think it would make a damn good night and I hope we get support for it RegardsRussell Brown

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 14 ISSUE 190

ADVERTISEMENT

in MeMory - neiL hoCKing

ldquo It is with great sadness that we heard back in March this year of the news of the sudden death of our esteemed colleague Neil Hocking of Blackburn

Neil had suffered several heart attacks early in that week and unfortunately lost his battle towards the end of that week He was a young and active 67 years old

Neil had been an ACSEV member for approximately 20 years and is well remembered for his active participation in our annual golf days

He was a popular structural engineer and well respected for his honesty and dry sense of humour

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Joan and familyrdquo

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 15ISSUE 190

LINKS

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers(Vic) wwwacsevorgauTimber advisory wwwtimberorgauConcrete institute of Australia wwwconcreteinstitutecomauCement Australia wwwcemaustcomauConcrete Masonry Association of Australia wwwcmaacomauCement Concrete and Aggregates Australia wwwconcretenetauAustralian Steel Institute wwwsteelorgauBuilding Commission of Victoria wwwbuildingcommissioncomauAustralian Stainless Steel Development Association wwwassdaasnauForest amp Wood Products Australia wwwfwpacomauThe Australian Timber Database wwwtimbernetauWood Naturally Better wwwnaturallybettercomauGalvanizers Association of Australia wwwgaacomauAustralian Building Codes Board wwwabcbgovauAustralian Glass amp Glazing Association wwwaggaorgauFoundations and Footing Society of Australia wwwfootingsaustraliaorgauEngineers Australia wwwengineersaustraliaorgau

Web Links

ASNZS 11700 2002 Structural design actions - General Principles ASNZS 11701 2002 Structural design actions - Permanent imposed and other actionsASNZS 11702 2011 Structural design actions - Wind actionsASNZS 11703 2003 Structural design actions - Snow and ice actionsASNZS 11704 2003 Structural design actions - EarthquakeAS 1288 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installationAS 1288 Supp 1 - 2006 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation (Supp AS 1288 - 2006)AS 1428 (set) - 2010 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access AS 1684 - 2011 National Timber Framed ConstructionAS 17201 2010 Timber structuresAS 2550 (set) - 2011 Cranes hoists and winches - safe use setAS 2870 - 2011 Residential slabs and footingsAS 3600 - 2009 Concrete structuresAS 36101 - 2009 Formwork for concrete - Documentation and surface finishASNZS 3678 -2011 Structural Steel - hot rolled plates floor plates and slabsAS 3700 Set - 2007 Masonary structures SetAS 3740 - 2010 Waterproofing of domestic wet areasAS 3959 - 2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areasAS 4055 - 2006 Wind loads for housesAS 4100 - 1998 Steel structuresAS 4299 -1995 Adaptable housingASNZS 44902011 Timber - solid - Stress grade for structural purposesASNZS 4360 2004 Risk Management AS 5100 Set - 2007 Bridge design SetASNZS ISO 9001 2008 Quality management systems - RequirementsHB 50 - 2004 Glossary of building termsHB 330-2009 Living in bushfire-prone areas Note The following standards have recently been revised and re-issued

Australian Standards

PAGE 16 ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Stainless steel is widely used in and around swimming pools and performs exceptionally well in most applications Handrails and other fixtures are strong durable and look attractive They are easy to keep clean and require little or no maintainence for the life of the pool

However some common types of stainless steel are not suitable for use in the airspace of indoor pool buildings in certain applications where they are subject to tensile stress In these circumstances a phenomenon known as stress corrosion cracking (SCC) can occur with potentially tragic consequences

SCC occurs under a unique set of circumstances found in the airspace of indoor pool buildings where the pool is sanitised with chlorine Research into SCC does not suggest that outdoor pools are affected

ASSDA has prepared the following advice to assist those who design and manage indoor pools to avoid the danger of SCC

WHAT IS SCCStress corrosion cracking causes microscopic cracks in the stainless steel eventually resulting in failure It is particularly dangerous because it can cause collapse without warning It can only affect stainless steel under tensile stress that is elements such as fasteners rods or wires which are supporting a load or from which a load is suspended Residual fabrication and welding stresses can also cause vulnerability to SCC

SCC is triggered by attack from corrosive chemicals present in atmospheric conditions of indoor pools which can occur even at room temperature

The SCC failure mode can occur in most metals under particular conditions of stress and corrosive attack Stainless steels are no exception and when SCC failure occurs there is no obvious warning

ASSDA strongly urges pool designers owners and managers to take preventive action to avoid injury to pool patrons by not using potentially susceptible stainless steel grades in load-bearing applications in pool buildings

WHAT CAUSES SCC IN POOL BUILDINGSIn warm humid conditions chlorine reacts with ammoniacal body products to form volatile chloramines Gaseous chloramines permeate the pool building and are absorbed by condensation in the cooler parts of the building typically settling on structural components high up in the buildingrsquos airspace As the condensation evaporates chloramines concentrate becoming more aggressive Under these conditions stainless steel may be corroded and members in tension may suffer SCC Catastrophic failure

of the member may result and the load it was supporting may fall The problem is particularly likely to occur in the new leisure centre type complexes where the pool is kept at relatively high temperatures There is often also intensive use requiring higher rates of chlorine dosing to disinfect the water

Where ozone disinfection is the only method of disinfection used the warning in this bulletin do not apply as failure by SCC is unlikely However SCC may be a threat where a back-up chlorine system is in place

WHAT IS AFFECTED BY SCC AND HOW CAN IT BE PREVENTEDSCC only happens in the airspace of indoor pools and only where chloramines accumulate on stainless steel elements which are under tensile stress

The vast majority of typical swimming pool components are unaffected SCC does not affect stainless steel components which are immersed or regularly drenched which arenrsquot under tensile stress such as

rsaquo benchesrsaquo pool laddersrsaquo safety railsrsaquo doors and windows

SCC has not been found to be a problem in these applications

As SCC only occurs under a specific set of conditions it can be effectively controlled through careful pool design (including ventilation) and stainless steel grade selection coupled with appropriate managment of bather load and water conditions

The grades of stainless steel which are known or suspected to be susceptible to SCC in these conditions are the common ldquo188rdquo grades such as 303 304 and 316 Not enough is known about duplex grades such as 2205 to recommend them in this environment

The typical fittings at risk are those holding up

rsaquo light fittingsrsaquo air conditioning ductsrsaquo signagersaquo wallceiling panelsrsaquo suspended ceilings

Stainless steel rigging and bracing are also vulnerable to SCC All these elements should be specified in grades suitable for safety-critical use such as 904L or a super-austenitic 6 Molybdenum alloy

Stainless Steel in the Airspace of Indoor PoolsIMPORTANT WARNING for designers owners and operators of indoor

ASSDA TECHNICAL BULLETIN JULY 2002

PAGE 17ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Ongoing measures for avoiding SCC risks include

rsaquo monitoring and controlling pool chemical levelsrsaquo preventing excessive bathing loadsrsaquo providing good shower and toilet facilities and clear instructions to patronsrsaquo monitoring and controlling air qualityrsaquo instituting a regular inspection and cleaning program as outlined below

INSPECTION AND CLEANING REGIMEAn inspection program should be instituted as a first step ASSDA recommends that pool owners and managers compile an inventory of stainless steel parts which may be at risk of SCC and engage a qualified engineer to undertake assessment which may include

rsaquo cleaningrsaquo visual examination at x10 magnificationrsaquo flexing wires or clips rsaquo tightening and loosening fasteners

A dye penetrant test is also an option

Typical indications of SCC are brown stains on the stainless steel but these can be inconclusive If discolouration is found in a load-bearing safety-critical location in the complex samples should be tested for SCC If a positive result is returned it may be necessary to replace the affected components

Expert advice should be sought to establish a course of action

A cleaning and inspection regime should be put in place and scheduled no less than twice a year Thorough cleaning using plenty of fresh water is needed to remove chloramine deposits Simply wiping with a moist cloth is not sufficient

Strict adherence to such a cleaning and inspection regime will reduce the risk of SCC but no assurance can be given that the risk will be eliminated

Cleaning after cracks have commenced will not rectify the damage and components should be replaced immediately with a higher alloy stainless steel or another material

IMPORTANT QUALIFICATIONThe technical recommendations contained in the bulletin are necessarily of a general nature and should not be relied on for specific applications without first securing competent advice Whilst ASSDA has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information contained herein is accurate and current ASSDA does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information and does not accept liability for errors or omissions

AUSTRALIAN STAINLESS STEEL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Level 4 243 Edward StreetBrisbane QLD AUSTRALIA 4000wwwassdaasnau

t +61 7 3220 0722f +61 7 3220 0733e assdaassdaasnau

networking promotion education accreditation advocacy problem solving

PAGE 18 ISSUE 190

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

10-14 august 20142014 World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2014) Quebec City Canadawwwwcte2014ca

23 october 2014 east - West Link geoff rayner Fieaust director Linking Mel-bourne authority engineers australia John Connell auditorium 21 Bedford St north Melbourne ViC

24-25 october 201422nd International Specialty Conference on Cold-formed Steel StructuresSt Louis USA

GENERAL CALENDAR

DATE TOPIC LOCATION19 February Austral Bricks Craigieburn19 March Design software Box Hill Golf Club4 April Golf Day Box Hill Golf Club16 April Ramset - Mechanical Fasteners Box Hill Golf Club21 May ASI steel Box Hill Golf Club18 June Water Proofing Box Hill Golf Club 16 July Joint FFSV and ACSEV Box Hill Golf Club20 August TBA Box Hill Golf Club29 August Concrete Workshop Swinburne17 September TBA Box Hill Golf Club15 October AGM Box Hill Golf Club14 November Annual Dinner TBA

TECHNICAL MEETING PROGRAM - 2014

PAGE 19ISSUE 190

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENT

CAN WE HELP

RI BROWNPty Ltd

CharteredStructural

CivilEngineers

72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040

Tel 0 3 9 3 7 4 2 8 7 7Fax 0 3 9 3 7 4 1 0 5 7

ribrowniprimuscomau

CIVIL STRUCTURAL D E S I G N D R AW I N G PRE-STRESS SCREW PILES WAFFLE PODS DILAPIDATION DAM DESIGN INSURANCE F IRE ASSESSMENT FA I L U R E R E V I E W S I N V E S T I G A T I O N S

L E G A L D I S P U T A -T I O N A P P R O V A LCERTIFICATES PRO-JECT AND CONSTRUC-TION MANAGEMENT SOIL INVESTIGATIONS A R C H I T E C T U R A L PRODUCT TESTING

ACSEV FEE SURVEYA sample of ACSEV members were surveyed in 2012 with regards to fee scales The results printed below do not include GST

EXPERT WITNESS $250 - $350PARTNERPRINCIPAL $210 - $300SENIOR ENGINEER $150 - $210ENGINEER $100 - $150SENIOR DRAFTSPERSON $120 - $150DRAFTSPERSON $90 - $120OFFICE ADMIN $60 - $90GST must be added to the above ratesIn addition vehicle costs should be charged at the RACV scaleMembers are not bound by this schedule Clients using the services of ACSEV members can be assured of a high standard of technical competence

Statements made in the ACSEV Newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of this Association The Association cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information supplied or for any loss or damage which may arise from errors or omissions

ADVERTISING RATES

FRONT COVER BANNER $300INSIDE FRONT COVER FULL PAGE $300INSIDE FRONT COVER HALF PAGE $200INSIDE FRONT COVER 14 PAGE $180

INTERNAL FULL PAGE $250INTERNAL HALF PAGE $180INTERNAL 14 PAGE $150

BACK COVER FULL PAGE $300BACK COVER HALF PAGE $180BACK COVER 14 PAGE $150

THE ABOVE RATES ARE FOR INDIVIDUAL ADVERTISEMENTS

FOUR(4) CONSECUTIVE ISSUES 20 DISCOUNT

Weldlok Forgebar Grating amp Ball Tube Handrail SystemWeldlok Forgebar grating is constructed of Load Bearing Bars in various depths and thicknesses with lateral restraint provided by 6mm square twis ted Cross Bars forge welded to the upper edges of the Load Bearing Bars This process produces a product of one piece construction with a high strength to weight ratio which meets the requirements of Australian Standard 1657 - 1992 and British Standard 4592 - 1970The Weldlok Ball Tube Handrail System meets todayrsquos need for cost and time saving techniques in the installation of walkways stairs and laddersWeldlok Industries 9 Second Ave Sunshine Vic 3060Ph 03 9311 0122 Fax 03 9311 0133Email weldlok-vicgrahamgroupcomauWeb Site wwwweldlokcomau

ADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 20 ISSUE 190

PAGE 17ISSUE 190

ARTICLE

Ongoing measures for avoiding SCC risks include

rsaquo monitoring and controlling pool chemical levelsrsaquo preventing excessive bathing loadsrsaquo providing good shower and toilet facilities and clear instructions to patronsrsaquo monitoring and controlling air qualityrsaquo instituting a regular inspection and cleaning program as outlined below

INSPECTION AND CLEANING REGIMEAn inspection program should be instituted as a first step ASSDA recommends that pool owners and managers compile an inventory of stainless steel parts which may be at risk of SCC and engage a qualified engineer to undertake assessment which may include

rsaquo cleaningrsaquo visual examination at x10 magnificationrsaquo flexing wires or clips rsaquo tightening and loosening fasteners

A dye penetrant test is also an option

Typical indications of SCC are brown stains on the stainless steel but these can be inconclusive If discolouration is found in a load-bearing safety-critical location in the complex samples should be tested for SCC If a positive result is returned it may be necessary to replace the affected components

Expert advice should be sought to establish a course of action

A cleaning and inspection regime should be put in place and scheduled no less than twice a year Thorough cleaning using plenty of fresh water is needed to remove chloramine deposits Simply wiping with a moist cloth is not sufficient

Strict adherence to such a cleaning and inspection regime will reduce the risk of SCC but no assurance can be given that the risk will be eliminated

Cleaning after cracks have commenced will not rectify the damage and components should be replaced immediately with a higher alloy stainless steel or another material

IMPORTANT QUALIFICATIONThe technical recommendations contained in the bulletin are necessarily of a general nature and should not be relied on for specific applications without first securing competent advice Whilst ASSDA has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information contained herein is accurate and current ASSDA does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information and does not accept liability for errors or omissions

AUSTRALIAN STAINLESS STEEL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Level 4 243 Edward StreetBrisbane QLD AUSTRALIA 4000wwwassdaasnau

t +61 7 3220 0722f +61 7 3220 0733e assdaassdaasnau

networking promotion education accreditation advocacy problem solving

PAGE 18 ISSUE 190

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

10-14 august 20142014 World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2014) Quebec City Canadawwwwcte2014ca

23 october 2014 east - West Link geoff rayner Fieaust director Linking Mel-bourne authority engineers australia John Connell auditorium 21 Bedford St north Melbourne ViC

24-25 october 201422nd International Specialty Conference on Cold-formed Steel StructuresSt Louis USA

GENERAL CALENDAR

DATE TOPIC LOCATION19 February Austral Bricks Craigieburn19 March Design software Box Hill Golf Club4 April Golf Day Box Hill Golf Club16 April Ramset - Mechanical Fasteners Box Hill Golf Club21 May ASI steel Box Hill Golf Club18 June Water Proofing Box Hill Golf Club 16 July Joint FFSV and ACSEV Box Hill Golf Club20 August TBA Box Hill Golf Club29 August Concrete Workshop Swinburne17 September TBA Box Hill Golf Club15 October AGM Box Hill Golf Club14 November Annual Dinner TBA

TECHNICAL MEETING PROGRAM - 2014

PAGE 19ISSUE 190

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENT

CAN WE HELP

RI BROWNPty Ltd

CharteredStructural

CivilEngineers

72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040

Tel 0 3 9 3 7 4 2 8 7 7Fax 0 3 9 3 7 4 1 0 5 7

ribrowniprimuscomau

CIVIL STRUCTURAL D E S I G N D R AW I N G PRE-STRESS SCREW PILES WAFFLE PODS DILAPIDATION DAM DESIGN INSURANCE F IRE ASSESSMENT FA I L U R E R E V I E W S I N V E S T I G A T I O N S

L E G A L D I S P U T A -T I O N A P P R O V A LCERTIFICATES PRO-JECT AND CONSTRUC-TION MANAGEMENT SOIL INVESTIGATIONS A R C H I T E C T U R A L PRODUCT TESTING

ACSEV FEE SURVEYA sample of ACSEV members were surveyed in 2012 with regards to fee scales The results printed below do not include GST

EXPERT WITNESS $250 - $350PARTNERPRINCIPAL $210 - $300SENIOR ENGINEER $150 - $210ENGINEER $100 - $150SENIOR DRAFTSPERSON $120 - $150DRAFTSPERSON $90 - $120OFFICE ADMIN $60 - $90GST must be added to the above ratesIn addition vehicle costs should be charged at the RACV scaleMembers are not bound by this schedule Clients using the services of ACSEV members can be assured of a high standard of technical competence

Statements made in the ACSEV Newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of this Association The Association cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information supplied or for any loss or damage which may arise from errors or omissions

ADVERTISING RATES

FRONT COVER BANNER $300INSIDE FRONT COVER FULL PAGE $300INSIDE FRONT COVER HALF PAGE $200INSIDE FRONT COVER 14 PAGE $180

INTERNAL FULL PAGE $250INTERNAL HALF PAGE $180INTERNAL 14 PAGE $150

BACK COVER FULL PAGE $300BACK COVER HALF PAGE $180BACK COVER 14 PAGE $150

THE ABOVE RATES ARE FOR INDIVIDUAL ADVERTISEMENTS

FOUR(4) CONSECUTIVE ISSUES 20 DISCOUNT

Weldlok Forgebar Grating amp Ball Tube Handrail SystemWeldlok Forgebar grating is constructed of Load Bearing Bars in various depths and thicknesses with lateral restraint provided by 6mm square twis ted Cross Bars forge welded to the upper edges of the Load Bearing Bars This process produces a product of one piece construction with a high strength to weight ratio which meets the requirements of Australian Standard 1657 - 1992 and British Standard 4592 - 1970The Weldlok Ball Tube Handrail System meets todayrsquos need for cost and time saving techniques in the installation of walkways stairs and laddersWeldlok Industries 9 Second Ave Sunshine Vic 3060Ph 03 9311 0122 Fax 03 9311 0133Email weldlok-vicgrahamgroupcomauWeb Site wwwweldlokcomau

ADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 20 ISSUE 190

PAGE 18 ISSUE 190

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

10-14 august 20142014 World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2014) Quebec City Canadawwwwcte2014ca

23 october 2014 east - West Link geoff rayner Fieaust director Linking Mel-bourne authority engineers australia John Connell auditorium 21 Bedford St north Melbourne ViC

24-25 october 201422nd International Specialty Conference on Cold-formed Steel StructuresSt Louis USA

GENERAL CALENDAR

DATE TOPIC LOCATION19 February Austral Bricks Craigieburn19 March Design software Box Hill Golf Club4 April Golf Day Box Hill Golf Club16 April Ramset - Mechanical Fasteners Box Hill Golf Club21 May ASI steel Box Hill Golf Club18 June Water Proofing Box Hill Golf Club 16 July Joint FFSV and ACSEV Box Hill Golf Club20 August TBA Box Hill Golf Club29 August Concrete Workshop Swinburne17 September TBA Box Hill Golf Club15 October AGM Box Hill Golf Club14 November Annual Dinner TBA

TECHNICAL MEETING PROGRAM - 2014

PAGE 19ISSUE 190

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENT

CAN WE HELP

RI BROWNPty Ltd

CharteredStructural

CivilEngineers

72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040

Tel 0 3 9 3 7 4 2 8 7 7Fax 0 3 9 3 7 4 1 0 5 7

ribrowniprimuscomau

CIVIL STRUCTURAL D E S I G N D R AW I N G PRE-STRESS SCREW PILES WAFFLE PODS DILAPIDATION DAM DESIGN INSURANCE F IRE ASSESSMENT FA I L U R E R E V I E W S I N V E S T I G A T I O N S

L E G A L D I S P U T A -T I O N A P P R O V A LCERTIFICATES PRO-JECT AND CONSTRUC-TION MANAGEMENT SOIL INVESTIGATIONS A R C H I T E C T U R A L PRODUCT TESTING

ACSEV FEE SURVEYA sample of ACSEV members were surveyed in 2012 with regards to fee scales The results printed below do not include GST

EXPERT WITNESS $250 - $350PARTNERPRINCIPAL $210 - $300SENIOR ENGINEER $150 - $210ENGINEER $100 - $150SENIOR DRAFTSPERSON $120 - $150DRAFTSPERSON $90 - $120OFFICE ADMIN $60 - $90GST must be added to the above ratesIn addition vehicle costs should be charged at the RACV scaleMembers are not bound by this schedule Clients using the services of ACSEV members can be assured of a high standard of technical competence

Statements made in the ACSEV Newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of this Association The Association cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information supplied or for any loss or damage which may arise from errors or omissions

ADVERTISING RATES

FRONT COVER BANNER $300INSIDE FRONT COVER FULL PAGE $300INSIDE FRONT COVER HALF PAGE $200INSIDE FRONT COVER 14 PAGE $180

INTERNAL FULL PAGE $250INTERNAL HALF PAGE $180INTERNAL 14 PAGE $150

BACK COVER FULL PAGE $300BACK COVER HALF PAGE $180BACK COVER 14 PAGE $150

THE ABOVE RATES ARE FOR INDIVIDUAL ADVERTISEMENTS

FOUR(4) CONSECUTIVE ISSUES 20 DISCOUNT

Weldlok Forgebar Grating amp Ball Tube Handrail SystemWeldlok Forgebar grating is constructed of Load Bearing Bars in various depths and thicknesses with lateral restraint provided by 6mm square twis ted Cross Bars forge welded to the upper edges of the Load Bearing Bars This process produces a product of one piece construction with a high strength to weight ratio which meets the requirements of Australian Standard 1657 - 1992 and British Standard 4592 - 1970The Weldlok Ball Tube Handrail System meets todayrsquos need for cost and time saving techniques in the installation of walkways stairs and laddersWeldlok Industries 9 Second Ave Sunshine Vic 3060Ph 03 9311 0122 Fax 03 9311 0133Email weldlok-vicgrahamgroupcomauWeb Site wwwweldlokcomau

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PAGE 20 ISSUE 190

PAGE 19ISSUE 190

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENT

CAN WE HELP

RI BROWNPty Ltd

CharteredStructural

CivilEngineers

72 Lincoln Rd Essendon Vic 3040

Tel 0 3 9 3 7 4 2 8 7 7Fax 0 3 9 3 7 4 1 0 5 7

ribrowniprimuscomau

CIVIL STRUCTURAL D E S I G N D R AW I N G PRE-STRESS SCREW PILES WAFFLE PODS DILAPIDATION DAM DESIGN INSURANCE F IRE ASSESSMENT FA I L U R E R E V I E W S I N V E S T I G A T I O N S

L E G A L D I S P U T A -T I O N A P P R O V A LCERTIFICATES PRO-JECT AND CONSTRUC-TION MANAGEMENT SOIL INVESTIGATIONS A R C H I T E C T U R A L PRODUCT TESTING

ACSEV FEE SURVEYA sample of ACSEV members were surveyed in 2012 with regards to fee scales The results printed below do not include GST

EXPERT WITNESS $250 - $350PARTNERPRINCIPAL $210 - $300SENIOR ENGINEER $150 - $210ENGINEER $100 - $150SENIOR DRAFTSPERSON $120 - $150DRAFTSPERSON $90 - $120OFFICE ADMIN $60 - $90GST must be added to the above ratesIn addition vehicle costs should be charged at the RACV scaleMembers are not bound by this schedule Clients using the services of ACSEV members can be assured of a high standard of technical competence

Statements made in the ACSEV Newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of this Association The Association cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information supplied or for any loss or damage which may arise from errors or omissions

ADVERTISING RATES

FRONT COVER BANNER $300INSIDE FRONT COVER FULL PAGE $300INSIDE FRONT COVER HALF PAGE $200INSIDE FRONT COVER 14 PAGE $180

INTERNAL FULL PAGE $250INTERNAL HALF PAGE $180INTERNAL 14 PAGE $150

BACK COVER FULL PAGE $300BACK COVER HALF PAGE $180BACK COVER 14 PAGE $150

THE ABOVE RATES ARE FOR INDIVIDUAL ADVERTISEMENTS

FOUR(4) CONSECUTIVE ISSUES 20 DISCOUNT

Weldlok Forgebar Grating amp Ball Tube Handrail SystemWeldlok Forgebar grating is constructed of Load Bearing Bars in various depths and thicknesses with lateral restraint provided by 6mm square twis ted Cross Bars forge welded to the upper edges of the Load Bearing Bars This process produces a product of one piece construction with a high strength to weight ratio which meets the requirements of Australian Standard 1657 - 1992 and British Standard 4592 - 1970The Weldlok Ball Tube Handrail System meets todayrsquos need for cost and time saving techniques in the installation of walkways stairs and laddersWeldlok Industries 9 Second Ave Sunshine Vic 3060Ph 03 9311 0122 Fax 03 9311 0133Email weldlok-vicgrahamgroupcomauWeb Site wwwweldlokcomau

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PAGE 20 ISSUE 190

Weldlok Forgebar Grating amp Ball Tube Handrail SystemWeldlok Forgebar grating is constructed of Load Bearing Bars in various depths and thicknesses with lateral restraint provided by 6mm square twis ted Cross Bars forge welded to the upper edges of the Load Bearing Bars This process produces a product of one piece construction with a high strength to weight ratio which meets the requirements of Australian Standard 1657 - 1992 and British Standard 4592 - 1970The Weldlok Ball Tube Handrail System meets todayrsquos need for cost and time saving techniques in the installation of walkways stairs and laddersWeldlok Industries 9 Second Ave Sunshine Vic 3060Ph 03 9311 0122 Fax 03 9311 0133Email weldlok-vicgrahamgroupcomauWeb Site wwwweldlokcomau

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PAGE 20 ISSUE 190