The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is the premier public resource on scientific and technological developments that impact global security. Founded by Manhattan Project Scientists, the Bulletin's iconic "Doomsday Clock" stimulates solutions for a safer world.
The second edition of the Structural Concrete Textbook is an extensive revision that reflects advances in knowledge and technology over the past decade. It was prepared in the intermediate period from the CEP-FIP Model Code 1990 (MC90) to fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010 (MC2010), and as such incorporates a significant amount of information that has been already finalized for MC2010, while keeping some material from MC90 that was not yet modified considerably. The objective of the textbook is to give detailed information on a wide range of concrete engineering from selection of appropriate structural system and also materials, through design and execution and finally behaviour in use. The revised fib Structural Concrete Textbook covers the following main topics: phases of design process, conceptual design, short and long term properties of conventional concrete (including creep, shrinkage, fatigue and temperature influences), special types of concretes (such as self compacting concrete, architectural concrete, fibre reinforced concrete, high and ultra high performance concrete), properties of reinforcing and prestressing materials, bond, tension stiffening, moment-curvature, confining effect, dowel action, aggregate interlock; structural analysis (with or without time dependent effects), definition of limit states, control of cracking and deformations, design for moment, shear or torsion, buckling, fatigue, anchorages, splices, detailing; design for durability (including service life design aspects, deterioration mechanisms, modelling of deterioration mechanisms, environmental influences, influences of design and execution on durability); fire design (including changes in material and structural properties, spalling, degree of deterioration), member design (linear members and slabs with reinforcement layout, deep beams); management, assessment, maintenance, repair (including, conservation strategies, risk management, types of interventions) as well as aspects of execution (quality assurance), formwork and curing. The updated textbook provides the basics of material and structural behaviour and the fundamental knowledge needed for the design, assessment or retrofitting of concrete structures. It will be essential reading material for graduate students in the field of structural concrete, and also assist designers and consultants in understanding the background to the rules they apply in their practice. Furthermore, it should prove particularly valuable to users of the new editions of Eurocode 2 for concrete buildings, bridges and container structures, which are based only partly on MC90 and partly on more recent knowledge which was not included in the 1999 edition of the textbook.
Several decades ago, a typical arbitration would involve one claimant against one respondent. Over the years, more and more cases involve several claimants against several respondents. Today, one third of all international ICC arbitrations seem to involve multiparty cases, multi-contract cases involving multiple contracts, multiple parties. The evolution has continued and the debate today is whether it would be possible for a class of people in the same situation or a group of citizens having the same interest to start one single arbitration procedure as a group or as a class. This publication examines the complex issues involved in class or group arbitration on a comparative law basis. Is there a place for such proceedings within the framework of the arbitration process? Class action procedures, as developed in the United States court system and more recently in Canada, are almost nonexistent in Europe. The European Commission has advocated collective redress as an important means of access to justice but class actions have found little enthusiasm in the Members States. The book highlights the lessons which have been learned from the experience of cases in the US and in Europe. What does the future hold for class, collective and mass arbitrations? Are they a marginal phenomenon or has their potential yet to be realized? What are possible solutions to the issues that have been encountered? Can we expect to see more of such arbitrations in the future? Written by arbitrators, academics and practitioners, this Dossier will provide the answers to these questions and many more.