28th Timber Construction Structural Engineers Regulars’ Table – June 06, 2023 IBS Linz
"Fire in timber construction - test engineering and fire measurement".
On Tuesday, 06.06.2023 the meanwhile 28th Holzbaustatiker-Stammtisch – this time due to the chosen topic fire in timber construction – took place at the IBS in Linz (Institut für Brandschutztechnik und Sicherheitsforschung GmbH).
In the course of this regulars’ table, there were two input presentations from the IBS. On the one hand, a general overview of the services and competencies at IBS by Ing. Helmut Berghahn and on the other hand on the possible test technology – “Fire tests as a basis for dimensioning”, especially in timber construction by Ing. Josef Stockinger. After his lecture, he gave a very interesting guided tour through the test halls and answered questions on the subject of fire tests of wooden components.
Afterwards, it continued with a detailed topic-specific lecture by DI Dr. Harald Krenn with the title: “Fire design in timber construction – outlook into the near future”. In addition to his work as a structural engineer at the company KLH also a member of the European working group on the new edition of Eurocode 5 – Fire (CEN/TC250/SC5/PT4).
In the course of his presentation, the developments and the current status of the Eurocode for fire design, which is currently being revised and will replace ÖNORM EN and ÖNORM B 1995-1-2 in the future, were presented. Numerous innovations and details in the design as well as the underlying modeling were presented on the one hand and intensively discussed and verified on the other hand with the attending structural engineers.
In the course of this, the call among the 35 participating practitioners undertaken to review the current documents of the new Eurocode (both Part 1 and Part 2) in the context of the current objection phases, to make comparative calculations for the plausibility or better and worse position and thus to make a practical feedback to the authors of the prEN 1995-1-2 to provide a workable set of rules in the future (vs. as of March 2028).
Interested parties are welcome to contact office@ihbv.at.
At the end, as at the previous regulars’ tables, the topic “Timber structural analysis in quick demand – news from the engineering office” was discussed and the 28th regulars’ table for timber structural engineers was rounded off with a convivial get-together.
What is the regulars' table of timber construction engineers?
The Holzbaustatiker-Stammtisch was established in 2011 in Styria – at that time under the leadership of Holzcluster Steiermark, later proHolz Steiermark – as an information and exchange platform for timber construction structural engineers. According to the motto “From practice – for practice”, structural engineers (almost exclusively) working in timber construction from all over Austria – i.e. exclusively civil engineers as well as structural engineers of producing and/or executing companies in the timber industry – meet at regular intervals 2 to 3 times a year at different locations in Austria and exchange information on various topics of timber construction statics at a very high and, above all, practical level.
On average, 30 to 40 people take part in the regulars’ table for timber construction engineers, which is now organized by the Austrian Timber Construction Platform and the Professional Association of the Timber Industry and has been run by Jörg Koppelhuber and Helmut Stingl since the beginning. On the one hand, they learn about new developments in the field of standardization, statics and detail and material development through input lectures, and on the other hand, they further develop the increasingly large and complex subject area of timber construction in all its facets through intensive discussions and inputs from their own offices and producing (executing) companies in the timber industry. Numerous very specialized timber construction topics have already been discussed in the past and the exchange of experiences has been promoted, many more regulars’ tables with visionary as well as everyday challenges will still emphasize the topicality of timber construction through the community of timber construction structural engineers.
For more information about the Holzbaustatiker regulars’ table or an overview of previous topics, please contact us at office@koppelhuber-partner.at.