Monitoring s t r u c t u r a l m o v e m e n t In London The tunnel for the Docklands Light Railway extension will pass very close to the foundations of the eighteenth-century Mansion House in the City of London and extensive precautions have been taken to minimise possible s u b s i d e n c e damage to the historic building. The Building Research Establishment is carrying out comprehensive monitoring of movement in both the building itself and in the ground around the new tunnel. The new tunnel is approximately 30m deep and passes northwesterly 17m from the north-east end of the front portico and includes a hand. dug step-plate junction in an elliptical tunnel 8m by 11m, under Bank station. To minimise cracking, high quality stainless steel horizontal tie bars have been installed in the Mansion House, mainly on the third and fourth floors and inside the portico. All 28 bars are concealed in the floors, ceilings and walls, ensuring minimum damage to the fine eighteenth-century interior finishes. BRE has designed and installed
B r o k e n glass - n o w a thing of t h e p a s t At the Soilac works in Lorraine, France, one of Europe's leading metal.working companies, many of the older factory buildings reached the point where they had to be refurbished, requiring the replacement of countless broken window panes. The c o m p a n y specified "Akyver Sun Type" glazing since the twin.wall cellular panels, extruded from "Makrolon" polycarbonate in Kaysersberg, provided impact resistance and the ability to withstand hail, reducing maintenance costs as well as the risk of injury from broken glass. The material's low weight facilitates installation and permits the glazing of large areas even in buildings with an older superstructure, allowing more daylight to penetrate the buildings. The cushion of air enclosed within the cellular panels serves as a heat-insulating layer and helps to save energy where heating is required.
Checking a level in the basement of the mansion House a number of separate monitoring systems. A precise water-level system in the basement can detect vertical movements to an accuracy of 0.25 mm. Invar wire extensometers in the magnificent third-floor ballroom will detect any racking movement. Strings of BRE electroleveis are also monitoring any basement settlement, and vertical strings are
attached to the east, north and west external walls to detect leaning and bulging. Calibrated load cells have been fitted to each of the tie bars and surveying targets to the exterior walls. Sub-surface vertical and horizontal ground movements above the new tunnel and under the vulnerable north-east corner of the Mansion House are being monitored by further electroleveis.
The 6 mm panels' transparency ensures a very high level of light transmission, making working conditions more pleasant and reducing lighting costs. The panels, which are permanently resistant to uv-radiation, are flame-retardent and do not drip or release toxic fumes in the event of fire.
Curved l a m i n a t e d glazing
Polycarbonate for factory glazing
CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING MATERIALS Vol, 5 No. 2 JUNE 1991
Curved laminated glass for architectural applications in safety, security and bullet resistant form is now available for the first time from a UK manufacturer using the Pvb bonding technique. Produced by Romag Security Laminators Ltd, of Consett, Co. Durham, the curved laminated glass uses Pvb (poly.vinyl butyral) as the bonding interlayer. Typical applications include security screens, entrance facades, revolving doors, feature lifts, display windows, conservatories, overhead glazing and spiral staircases. Available in sizes up to 2900m x 1950mm and manufactured to tight tolerances, this specially produced curved glass is laminated using Pvb, giving optical clarity and improved performance. Visible butt joints make the product ideally suited for use in exterior display windows. Polycarbonate for m a x i m u m security performance is also offered for physical and ballistic protection.
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