Technical
Countdown to Eurocode Implementation
NA for EC3: Part 1.10 – Fracture toughness
The National Annex for Eurocode 3: General rules and rules for buildings Part 1.10: Material toughness and through thickness properties is currently with the BSI editor and is scheduled
to be published early this year. This Eurocode gives a complex expression for determining fracture toughness which will be unfamiliar to most UK designers. Fortunately the NA is accompanied by
a BSI Published Document PD 6695-1 Recommendations for the design of structures to BS EN 1993-1-10 which gives a simple procedure together with look-
up tables for the maximum thickness for internal steelwork in buildings (Tmd = -5C) and the maximum thickness for external steelwork in buildings (Tmd – -15C). The tables below compare the thicknesses from BS 5950-1 with EC3: Part 1.10 for welding general with k=1.0 for internal and external conditions.
The Eurocode together with its NA give limiting thicknesses which are similar to and in some cases better than those given in BS 5959-1.The PD is also scheduled for publication this year.