SUMMARY:

How can aluminium and its alloy satisfy the requirements of civil engineering structures? In which applications can they compete with other structural materials, like steel?

These are the main questions to which the designer want to receive a prompt and convincing answer, since the use of aluminium alloys started to become a new trend in the range of the so-called civil engineering. The answer to these questions is fundamental when you have to face the complex problem of the design of aluminium structures. This lecture try to give a contribution in this direction, not only to explain the main reasons of the choice of this new material in the existing applications, but also to emphasise the main aspects which will help the future developments of this challenging technology. The result of the application of proper design criteria is shown by means of a series of examples of construction built in Europe in the last decades. In the 21st Century, the aluminium designers have the possibility to take great advantages from the rational use of the modern codification, like Eurocode 9 "Design of Aluminium Structures", whose basic principles are also illustrated during the lecture.

Last Updated Wednesday, March 28, 2001 2:36:44 AM