Bomb Proof concrete
17 Mar 2009, 17:22Burn
I was taken back 30 years on reading the article in
the March edition of Materials World relating to bomb-proof concrete by Gary
Price, when to my astonishment I was immediately reliving an extremely exciting
stage in my Metallurgical career which involved the production of high tensile
chopped wire for fibre reinforcing of concrete. The era was the very early 70's
the place was Ambergate in rural Derbyshire and the wire production plant of
Richard Johnson and Nephew, later to become Johnson and Nephew. I was working as
a Quality Control Engineer, a Technician Engineer in the Institute of
Metallurgists, destined to become a founder member of the Institute of
Metallurgical Technicians and later Chairman.
The company developed a wire chopping technique to
produce wire fibre and working with a major UK Civil Engineering company, a
multi story car park was built, and the slab was cast in situ using concrete
reinforced with the wire fibre. The name of the Civil Engineering company
escapes me after so many years and I believe that this was a one of exercise,
and whether or not the car park survived to this day remains a mystery, sadly
the Ambergate factory closed.
My fondest memory was working with the venerated
Ted West, who lived very close to me at the time, Don Moore, and Terry Marsden,
on the formation of Technician Engineer offshoot of the Institute.Maybe some
reader may possibly be able to fill in some of the gaps in the
detail.
Happy Days.
Cllr Robin Burn I Eng
AIMMM Retired
BOMB PROOF CONCRETE
DEAR ,
CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR COMPREHENSIVE AND BREEF ESSAY.AS
A MINING ENGINEER I THINK IT IS REMARKABLE FOR US.
HOPE ,MORE DETAILS.
M.A.MONAYEM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
CANADA-BANGLADESH PARTNERS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
DHAKA,BANGLADESH.