Letters to the editor: quantity 17, situation 7

Constructions that final by means of time

The April 2022 situation of E&T checked out present and future makes use of of concrete in building. Right here in Quebec, Canada, chilly climate all the way down to -35°C in winter and sizzling climate as much as +37°C throughout summer time has a serious and violent affect on concrete constructions. The atmospheric humidity, hot-cold cycles and using de-icing salt on roads and bridges has additionally contributed to the speedy degradation of every thing product of concrete that’s situated outdoors. Bridges, overpasses, sidewalks, buildings, monuments, statues… every thing.

The standard of concrete was not very excessive prior to now, and a few say the brand new materials is significantly better performing. However nonetheless, even at the moment, we are able to see cracks forming in concrete that was poured only a yr in the past.

Previously decade, after the collapse of bridges and overpasses product of concrete, a serious inspection of all transportation constructions was urgently carried out. Because of this, many needed to be demolished as a result of the concrete was brittle, exposing rusty metal rod armatures. General, the constructions have been unsafe. The Champlain mega bridge, constructed simply 60 years in the past, needed to be demolished and changed as a result of the concrete of the deck and piers was falling aside.

As a comparability, the Victoria Bridge crossing the St Lawrence River was constructed between 1854 and 1859. It has 24 piers in water, all product of stone, and continues to be utilized by autos and freight/passenger trains.

Many constructions constructed with stone by the Romans are nonetheless standing tall after some 2,000 years. Lastly, let’s not neglect the concrete manufacturing course of may be very polluting, and so constructions product of stone have been way more environmentally pleasant.

Our selfish society thinks that trendy know-how is above something that has ever existed earlier than. It’s tough for many individuals to just accept the truth that some issues made prior to now have been significantly better. A bit humility wouldn’t damage. We must always construct civil engineering constructions that may stand the check of time, thus return to the stone.

Robert Boily FIET

Quebec, Canada

Time to speak waste within the boardroom

It was nice to see the July 2022 situation of E&T dedicated to the topic of waste. A number of the messages relayed in it correspond with the IET Technique 2030, which outlines 5 societal challenges: sustainability and local weather change, digital futures, wholesome lives, people-centric infrastructure, and productive manufacturing.

These additionally align with suggestions from Jeremy Rifkin, advisor to German, EU and Chinese language governments, who has steered a collection of pointers emigrate out of the carbon-intensive second industrial revolution infrastructure, fuels and wastes. We must always shift to renewable vitality; remodel the constructing inventory on each continent to gather renewable vitality onsite; deploy hydrogen (through electrolysis) and different storage applied sciences in each constructing and all through the infrastructure to retailer intermittent energies; use web applied sciences to rework the facility of grid of each continent into an energy-sharing inter-grid that acts as a distributed community, just like the web; transition the transport fleet to electrical and fuel-cell autos that may purchase and promote vitality on an interactive energy grid.

These 5 factors will be distilled into one message – enhance effectivity and cut back waste in all sectors.

I do know there are main impediments to retrofitting current programs. My query to E&T readers is, what can engineers do to assist transfer in the direction of this extra environment friendly distributed economic system in a sensible and significant approach, with out dropping our shirts? It’s not too late to have these discussions in our boardrooms, in addition to with our clients and buyers.

EurIng Alan Rossney CEng FIET

By e-mail

Simpler disposal will deal with waste drawback

I discovered the July 2022 situation of E&T enlightening, significantly the ‘waste mafia’ piece. The federal government is worried about fly-tipping, the price of clean-up and the related environmental harm. If we wish to cease fly-tipping, the reply isn’t extra CCTV/surveillance – merely make it simpler for everybody to get rid of waste.

My native tip accepts most waste behind a automobile; vans will need to have a allow however even personal people should pay to get rid of many gadgets. I changed a chipped sink within the downstairs bathroom, I checked the council web site and, certain sufficient, if my load is unfastened within the boot (sink, just a few tiles, some plumbing components) that can be £50 (together with VAT). That is apparently extra affordable than the neighbouring borough, whose residents are now not allowed to go to ‘my’ tip.

On one event, a well mannered younger man requested if I used to be native and needed to see proof of tackle. This was an outrage for some members of my group, and now the tip has number-plate-recognition cameras.

If we make every thing a cost-centre, every thing prices extra. Take a look at the larger image, Prime Minister.

Brian Thomson

By e-mail

How sandwich programs profit either side

I totally agree with CJ Poole’s feedback about some great benefits of college sandwich programs within the June 2022 situation of E&T. Nonetheless, there have been extra advantages. In my expertise, these college students have been a pleasure to show as they have been extra mature than faculty leavers and had a greater understanding of why they have been finding out for an engineering diploma. On account of some discussions with these college students, I gleaned worthwhile details about newest developments in business that helped inform my instructing.

John Martin FIET

Bathtub

Onerous truths for ‘moangineers’

I think that if I had a pound for each letter in your journal from what I may describe as a ‘moangineer’ – somebody bewailing the shortage of standing (no matter that basically means) of our career – I’d be on my solution to being a wealthy man.

There are some arduous truths for these (little doubt glorious) people who complain concerning the lack of recognition they understand they get, or (as they see it) the over-liberal use of the phrase ‘engineer’.

First, those that crave it should not going to get the ‘standing’ they need simply by asking for it. We are able to’t sit in our workplaces or look out of the window at others and easily say, “I’m higher than you, and also you’d higher consider it!”. Standing needs to be earned, and it isn’t the reward of vanity. To achieve respect, I preserve that we’ve to be optimistic, inventive, good to work with, and perceive the wants of the individuals we work for.

Secondly, no-one goes to cease calling the dishwasher repairer an engineer simply because we would like them to. Certainly, why ought to we wish to try this anyway? We ought to be happy with, and encourage, anybody who desires to make lives higher to explain themselves as an engineer. Having the ingenuity to work out what an issue is and repair it, whether or not it’s a damaged workflow or a fault on a bit of package, is core to our self-discipline.

I recommend to those that need greater ‘standing’ that they want first to work out what which means to them, after which realise that the technique of attaining it are in their very own arms. If engineering isn’t “doing it” for them, then they should realise that it is perhaps time for a change to a profession that does.

Tim Donaldson

By e-mail

Concentrate on know-how to boost standing

Within the July 2022 situation of E&T, Anthony Gardner endorses Malcolm Joynson’s letter (March 2022) concerning the standing of engineers. Sadly, neither gentleman states clearly what they need the definition of ‘engineer’ to be, although Malcolm Joynson does point out skilled registration.

I’ve adopted this debate all through the 50 years of my membership. A few years in the past, at an IEE native group assembly, we have been honoured with a chat by the president of the day. The query of the standing of the engineer arose then. The president’s reply was very succinct – the IEE had no copyright of the phrase ‘engineer’.

It’s a very broad time period, which has been used for hundreds of years, and we aren’t going to alter frequent utilization of the English language. As an alternative, we have to have a look at one other title to name ourselves to emphasize the extent of our work. How about ‘technologist’, mixed maybe with one’s specialist self-discipline?

Some years in the past, the IEE made the smart choice to rename itself the Establishment of Engineering and Expertise. The phrase ‘engineering’ represents the very broad vary of our disciplines and takes the main focus away from {the electrical} facet. The phrase ‘know-how’ lifts our degree to that of making use of science to engineering duties. It’s the official title of our establishment so allow us to use it extra, and ‘engineering’ much less, as an alternative of a futile try to alter hundreds of thousands of individuals’s utilization of the English language.

Denis McMahon MIET

By e-mail

The EurIng possibility

For so long as I can bear in mind there was dialogue about how skilled engineers can obtain the popularity that their talents, expertise and {qualifications} deserve. Throughout that point many of the discussions have been about how the standing {of professional} engineers has been degraded, with quite a few different much less certified or skilled roles being described as engineers.

It does strike me that there’s a easy change that could possibly be achieved: that of the use and subsequent recognition of the title EurIng throughout society.

In lots of circumstances, together with many authorities types, banking types, passport and driving licence functions and many others, the primary field is so as to add your title. You might be supplied many choices, however what number of types have you ever seen which have given the choice to tick or add EurIng? The one instances that I’ve ever been ready to make use of it have been at technical conferences and exhibitions – and solely then by deciding on ‘Different’ and typing it in.

If the IET utilized stress to varied organisations to have a default possibility of choosing EurIng as a title, it could begin creating consciousness of it as an expert qualification.

EurIng David Guppy CEng FIET

By e-mail

Use your chartered standing

The title chartered engineer is protected beneath UK legislation. Referring to technicians or restore personnel as engineers is embedded in our tradition now, so why battle a warfare that’s misplaced after we have already got the answer? Make certain to make use of your CEng title and the chartered prefix, simply as chartered accountants or chartered surveyors do. The media and normal public ought to be made conscious of the 180,000 UK-registered chartered engineers.

If a fitter or technician advertises their providers as a chartered engineer, we’ve UK legislation to forestall this. In case you are not chartered and sad with the broader use of ‘engineer’, then right here is an effective incentive to register.

Peter Martin CEng MIET

By e-mail

Packaging geometry

Michael Hartz (Letters, July 2022) suggests lowering the quantity of plastic utilized in a 4-pint milk container by altering the form to a cylinder. The prevailing form is simpler to stack and therefore transport. Extra importantly, how would a cylindrical milk container with diameter 14.2mm match into the door of a fridge? The oblong container has a depth of 11cm.

Patricia Lyle MIET

By e-mail

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