Building materials working stresses

Like lime mortar, natural cement mortars deform as masonry units expand and contract with changes in temperature and moisture levels, relieving stress. In historic restoration work, avoidance of stress to the original building materials is important, as they constitute historic fabric, the key components of historic buildings that are the objects of preservation efforts. 

We also had to be proficient at design and here our capabilities in Finite Element Analysis were important. We use finite element stress analysis for design of offshore structures for oil production, for pipelines and for a range of process plant. By working closely with materials scientists who understand the properties of fibre reinforced materials it was possible to build models of the blocker door and predict load paths and deflections as required by the customer. These analyses formed the basis for determining the shapes and fibre directions of the preforms. 

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