The recent fire at Notre Dame in Paris has, once again, turned the spotlight on how susceptible heritage buildings are to fire. Throughout the ages, devastating fires have robbed mankind of its knowledge, art and treasures. Prior to the Notre Dame fire, Brazil’s Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most important cultural institutions in South America, burned down in September 2018 and closer to home there was the fire at the Glasgow School of Art (Mackintosh Building) in June ...

  Author: Brendan Connolly, project manager, Bord na Móna Powergen Bord na Móna has been involved in the management of Ireland’s natural resources since the early days of the State’s existence. In the decades since it was established, the company has expanded beyond that part of the original mandate, focusing on the management of the nation’s peat resources, into other businesses built on its extensive landbank of more than 80,000 ha. Today Bord na Móna is in a process of accelerated ...

  Author: TP Fanning, BSc, senior process excellence engineer, KCI Manufacturing Ireland, Athlone Is overall equipment effectiveness the best fit for high-volume manufacturing? Are there viable alternatives? At KCI, an Acelity company, we asked these questions and found an approach that best suited our needs. Could this approach help your company, too? The challenge to improve quality and reduce costs is a constant driver in medical-device companies. As a result, the Athlone ...

  Authors: Kevin Fay, BSc (Eng) Dip Eng MIEI, contracts director, Gem Purcell Ltd and Jonathan Macauley, BEng CEng MIStructE MIEI, director, Design ID On 20 October 2014, the authors discussed the restoration of St Mel’s – one of the largest conservation projects currently under way in Western Europe – at an event jointly hosted by the Heritage Society and Structures and Construction Division, in association with the Institution of Structural Engineers, Republic of Ireland ...

  Author: Mark Cassidy, technical manager and director, Advanced NDT Solutions Industrial radiography is a widely used inspection method for testing the integrity of welds. Advanced NDT Solutions (ANS) was recently approached and asked to look at the feasibility of replacing radiography with ultrasonics for thin-wall austenitic materials. The project was an upgrade to existing pipe work on an offshore Installation in the North Sea (Norwegian sector). All welding was performed ...