Seminar - Dennis Lam - Research and Development in Composite Steel: Precast Hollowcore Constructions

Tuesday, July 26, 2005, 1.10 - 1.50 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 3

Abstract

A mixture of legislation, public opinion and social responsibility has driven construction industries throughout the world to reduce pollution and waste as part of its drive for greater efficiency, improved quality and greater certainty in the delivery of construction projects. For multi-storey buildings, the use of precast slabs in the floors - particularly if this can be done without the need for in-situ screeds - drastically reduces the volume of on-site concreting required. Although the use of precast hollowcore slabs in steel framed buildings are common, the use in composite design with steel beams is relatively new. By designing the steel beams and precast hollow core slabs compositely, a reduction in beam sizes and overall floor depth can be achieved, which would lead to an overall reduction in construction cost. This presentation summarises the on-going research and developments on composite steel – precast hollowcore constructions.


About the Speaker:

Dr Dennis Lam is the Director of Research for the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, UK. He holds BEng and MPhil degrees from the University of Sheffield and a PhD degree from the University of Nottingham. His research areas encompass steel, concrete and composite structures, numerical methods and structural mechanics. He is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers and member of the Institutions of Civil Engineers. He was also formerly Chief Structural Engineer for the City of Wakefield prior to joining the University of Leeds in 1996. During his eleven years in engineering practice, he has extensive experience in the design especially of schools and public buildings.