Experts Advocate for the Consolidation of Analysis Procedures in the Code of Practice for Aluminium Structures

28.08.2023 – Aluminium Association

Creating a unified guide for structural analysis of building aluminium structures based on CP 128.13330.2016 and Construction Code 2.03.06-85 Aluminium Structures will help avoid contradictions, duplications and incomplete information in the existing Codes of Practice (CP), and make them less ambiguous. This viewpoint was expressed by Alexey Svyatoshenko, an expert in structural concepts, National Construction Supervision Agency, at the Parametric Structural Analysis in Construction roundtable organised by the Federal Centre for Standardisation and Practice Codes, Russian Ministry of Construction, and the National Association of Surveyors and Designers (NOPRIZ).

When applied to the design of buildings, façade systems, or footbridges, the existing codes of practice often contradict each other or lack clear definitions of the design and installation procedures, and the quantity of materials used. Contradictions in the documentation can pose a significant obstacle for designers: according to the analysis of the Codes of Practice and national standards, they specify different values of ultimate strength for some alloys, for example, AD31T1. The spread of this value is up to 8.5%.

Another weakness of the current documentation is duplication. For instance, the uniform load imposed by pedestrian traffic is specified in at least four Codes. This could result in mismatches when only one of the regulatory documents is updated.

According to Alexey Svyatoshenko, a comprehensive solution should be a revision of the regulatory documentation so that Code of Practice 128 plays a dominant role for all types of aluminium building structures in terms of consolidating the structural analysis procedures for various static and dynamic loads, analysis of assemblies and connections, introducing uniform requirements for materials and connections, uniform FEM analysis approaches, and uniform requirements for the local stability of sheet metal.

Simultaneously, these requirements should be removed from CP35.13330.2010 Bridges and Pipes, CP443.1325800.2019 Aluminium Alloy Bridges. Design Rules, СP259.1325800.2016 Bridges in Dense Urban Areas. Design Rules, СP20.13330.2016 Construction Code 2.01.07-85 Loads and Effects codes, and so on.

“Consolidating the structural analysis procedures in CP128 will significantly simplify and organise the work of aluminium structure and bridge designers. They will get a single document containing all the rules and requirements. Additionally, it would facilitate the inspections by government and private experts will be simplified and better organised, primarily due to the better agreement of the structural analysis results.
Ultimately, this will lift restrictions to the use of aluminium structures in construction, transport infrastructure and bridges, and stimulate the expansion of aluminium use in these areas", said Evgeny Vasiliev, Vice Chairperson, Head of Transport Infrastructure, Aluminium Association.