Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa November/December 2013 | Page 55

2013 Steel Awards T he 32nd year in which the Steel Awards, which recognise excellence in the use of structural steel in various construction projects, were held was evidence of another successful year for the Steel Construction Industry. Fifty entries of projects completed in 2012 were received; although the number was less than the bumper years of 2009 and 2010, the quality of the entries was excellent. The main sponsor of Steel Awards 2013, which was held simultaneously in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, was Aveng Steel (Aveng’s steel cluster consisting of Aveng Trident Steel, Aveng Steel Fabrication, formerly DSE, and Aveng Steeledale). Other sponsors were: Macsteel (Table Décor); Cadex SA (Photo Competition); The Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa (Tubular Award); Stewarts & Lloyds (Light Steel Frame Award) and partner sponsors: ArcelorMittal SA; B&T Steel; Eazi Sales & Service; Genrec Engineering; NJR Steel; Peddinghaus; Tubular Holdings and Vital Engineering. OVERALL WINNER & MINING & INDUSTRIAL WINNER Medupi Power Station, Limpopo The main frame and boiler grid supports project at Medupi Power Station is the Mining and Industrial category winner, as well as overall winner for Steel Awards 2013. The judges said: “The boiler support structures really exhibit excellence in the use of structural steel. It is a classic heavy engineering project of spectacular proportions. The structures look so clean and simple, especially before all the rest of the steelwork, platforms, boiler casings and piping bundles, and other equipment enclose them The fabrication of the Medupi structure is worthy of special mention. The major boxed column and beam components are fabricated to the extremely exacting dimensional tolerance requirements - 2 mm on those massive chunky pieces of steel. The boxed columns have extensive diaphragm and stiffening requirements making it difficult to meet the ‘squareness’ requirements, especially taking the distortion resulting from the welds into account. The boiler support grid at the 105m level is critical to the success of the boiler house structures. It consists of 110 structural elements. A structural failure at this level could result in the release of super-heated steam that could be disastrous in terms of loss of life to people in the vicinity. “The enormously high standard of engineering at every level in the process - structural design, connection design, detailing of the structures, fabrication and erection and the comprehensive checking to ensure that the demanding requirements are fully met – are therefore completely justifiable,” the judges said. Louis Breckenridge, a judge representing the Constructional Engineering Association, said that It is difficult to grasp how impressive they are until you get close to these gigantic objects