Civil Engineering Association

The purpose of this guide is to advise structural engineers, architects and fabricators of the properties and capabilities of iron, carbon steel and stainless steel castings. It emphasises that the high strength, ductility and toughness of these castings, coupled with their efficient production method, offer cost-effective solutions for a variety of structural components. Additionally, castings have excellent surface finish, together with good welding and machining characteristics. Functional shapes can be streamlined to give the best combination of strength, stiffness, slenderness and weight, thus saving on materials and minimising manufacturing costs. The guide explains the basic processes and techniques of casting and provides information for the designer on welding, surface finishes, tolerances and inspection and testing methods. The guide emphasises that the specification of the correct casting techniques and the appropriate level of quality are very important and require close liaison between the foundry and the design and construction teTahme .
procurement process is explained and illustrated with flowcharts. Appendices give exampleos f recent projects using structural castings, including four detailed case histories featuring main trussc onnections, glazing connections, beam to column connections and compression members in a bridge. Lists of sources of further information and the addresses of some UK foundries are also given.