Technical Articles

TA001

Offshore Steel Fabrication

Offshore steelwork fabrication presents many challenges, including the tyranny of distance, variation in country design and fabrication standards, language (both written and verbal), cultural differences, contract and legal implications and of course budget, schedule and quality outcomes. This paper explores a variety of issues that are likely to be encountered, both of a technical and non-technical nature, when steelwork fabrication is conducted in a location other than where the final product will be located for use. Infrastructure Owners and their project personnel need to develop strategies for tendering, bid/tender evaluation, procurement, quality control, transport, delivery, erection, use and maintenance of structural steel that are different from those conventionally employed when design, materials, fabrication and erection all occur in the same jurisdiction. These strategies need to address each phase of procurement and use, including the correlation between the standards used for design, fabrication and use.

TA002

Welding High Strength Steel

This article examines the growing use of higher‑strength structural steels, commonly referred to as “Grade 350”, and the engineering, fabrication, and welding considerations that come with them. While these steels offer benefits such as increased strength, reduced weight, and wider global availability, their use also introduces challenges, particularly when materials are sourced from overseas standards like EN, GB/T, or ASTM. Differences in yield strength, thickness effects, and material properties can lead to significant design implications, making early alignment between design intent and fabrication materials essential. The article highlights risks associated with material substitution, weldability, and welding procedure qualification, noting that overseas steels may fall outside Australian design and welding standards. It also stresses long‑term maintenance concerns, urging engineers to understand international steel standards and ensure that material selection, quality control, and welding practices support reliable structural performance over a structure’s lifecycle.

TA003

AS4324 Revision

Decisions made at the design stage of a major project, will impact on all subsequent stages of the structure or equipment’s life, from fabrication, construction / erection, through to use, management and maintenance. Poor decisions at the design stage can have significant impacts on the performance and cost of the structure throughout its lifetime. Impacts may include increases in project costs, poor reliability, increased maintenance requirements, inadequate performance or an increased risk of catastrophic failure. An effective method for managing
the risks associated with poor design decisions and/or non-compliance with project specifications and standards is the execution of a design review or design audit by a suitably qualified and experienced Audit Engineer. The Audit Engineer acts on behalf of an asset owner to confirm that the design complies with the design brief, relevant standards, statutory requirements and other project constraints. This paper provides an overview of the importance of the execution of design review and audit engineering.

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