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assessments, based on material testing
per heat or batch and control might
be appropriate under the alternative
route provided for under Clause 4.4 of
BC1. Subject to case-by-case approval
from BCA, the steel materials concerned
may be treated as Class 2 materials if
their adequacy and reliability can be
guaranteed through testing and control
plans of the materials delivery to site.
As this special provision is meant to
be an interim measure to cope with
the transition stage, it should not be
seen as an escape route to by-pass
the new requirements for quality
requirements. QPs who resort to using
this alternative path because of material
non-compliance with quality assurance
requirements, not only have to monitor
and propose a very rigorous material
control plan, but also have to review
and redo the design because of the
change in the material classification. In
addition, QPs will still have to continue
to shoulder the quality problem caused
by lesser manufacturers.
USE OF ALTERNATIVE
STEEL MATERIALS
The main objective of introducing these
new requirements on both adequacy
and reliability of the steel materials is to
improve the resilience and sustainability
of Singapore’s steel construction
industry. The enforcement and full
implementation of such requirements
will bring about some tangible and
positive improvements in the long run
as few will argue on the need for quality.
In the short term, some re-adjustments
will be necessary amongst all the key
industry stakeholders while some will
be affected more and others will view
the new requirements as restrictive.
The long term objective should not be
clouded by the short term difficulties
which are usually driven by commercial
consideration. Such issues are best
addressed separately.
In the local context, the need to
look into the use of alternative steel
materials is also understandable from
the availability point of view. The
presence of Chinese steel materials
in this region is a case in point. Under
the new provision of BC1, as long as
the steel materials can be proven to
be adequate and reliable, their use to
BS5950 will be allowed irrespective
of where the materials originate from
and what production standards they
are manufactured to. By widening the
option to source these materials from,
it is hoped that more economical and
sustainable steel construction will
eventually result in Singapore.
Equal Platform for all
Steel Materials
The mandatory requirement on material
adequacy and reliability implies that
only adequate and reliable materials
can be used under the provision of BC1.
Therefore, the approach is consistent
and fair, and all steel materials,
including those manufactured to BS
and BS EN standards are treated equally
without any preference when design
recommendations are given. In addition,
BC1 is fair to all Class 1 steel materials
by allowing the use of the full material
strength as its design strength. Design
strengths recommended by their
respective national steel design codes
might not be appropriate because of
the fundamental difference in design
philosophy compared to BS5950.
Quality Culture
BC1 took the opportunity to address the
long-standing material problems where
non-certified materials which are readily
available have been used in the past and
are still being used today. The notion
that material adequacy and reliability
can be assured by testing a few tensile
coupons is a fallacy which really needs
to be debunked. Material production
standards are serious documents
with complicated processes in which
manufacturers have to follow through
strictly. There are in-line production
tests in place which would not be
possible to duplicate off-line once the
material is produced. The manufacturer
test certificates are only meaningful if
manufacturers adhere to and follow the
production standards closely and report
the information faithfully. The mere
existence of a certificate is not sufficient
proof because such information
can be easily copied over from the
feedstock materials without having to
do a single production test. The need
for consistently reliable and quality
materials, and to single out, reward and
encourage manufacturers who practiced
quality assurance and took the trouble
to put in place a stringent production
control system and product certification
is clear. With such a framework in
place, the manufacturers will be more
responsible and forthcoming. Moving
forward, the Authority will be more
vigilant on the use of non-certified
materials such as JIS G3101 SS400, ASTM
A500 and BS4360 Grade 43A which are
still readily available. Key stakeholders
(traders, stockholders, fabricators
and QPs) should well take note of this
development.
CONCLUSIONS
Adequacy and reliability of steel
materials are the two major concerns
in promoting alternative use of steel
materials to pave a way towards a more
sustainable construction industry in
Singapore. With BC1 in place, adequacy
and reliability of all steel materials
are checked against the material
performance and quality assurance
requirements. Their adequacy can be
evaluated through either certification or
material testing; whereas their reliability
must be substantiated by factory
production control (FPC) certificate
and mill test certificate (MTC) from the
manufacturers. The steel materials are
categorised into three classes, each with
different scope for use with and without
restriction, in design to BS5950.
BC1 will bring several positive benefits
to the steel construction industry in
the long run. In the short term, it is
recognised that some re-adjustments
will be necessary and some stakeholders
will be affected more than others. The
use of alternative steel will open up
the availability and widen the source
of materials which will result in greater
economy and affordability. All steel
materials, including BS and BS EN
materials, regardless of country of origin,
are treated equally in the same manner.
Finally, BC1 addresses some quality
issues head-on in the hope it will lead to
a healthy quality culture on steel usage
which will set a new standard for others
in the region to follow.
INTERNATIONAL REGULARTORY DEVELOPMENT
Australian Building Regulation Bulletin
• 19