In Finite Element Design of Concrete Structures: practical problems and their solutions the author addresses this 'blind belief' in computer results by offering a useful critique that 'important details are overlooked due to the flood of information' from the output of computer calculations. Indeed, errors in the numerical model may lead in extreme cases to structural failures as the collapse of the so-called Sleipner platform has demonstrated. Finite Element Design of Concrete Structures: practical problems and their solutions highlights that complex numerical calculations should not be used to compensate for any lack of practical knowledge of the structural behaviour of a structure. An engineer should be able to simplify any real structure into a well defined, known, understandable and designable equivalent structural system. This is an invaluable book for both practical structural engineers and students who are using software for designing concrete structures.
