The EC9 Design Provisions for Aluminium Shells: Background and Development

The new Part 1-5 of Eurocode 9, shaped within the activity of CEN/TC 250/SC9 Committee chaired by F. M. Mazzolani, is the very first issue specifically devoted to shell structures made of aluminium alloys in the field of European codification. Because of this, the new document marks a major advance in the codification on shells for both civil and industrial use, thus filling a gap in which important applications were till now not adequately covered by any reference standard. This paper summarises the genesis and the development of the prEN 1999-1-5 document dealing with aluminium shells, starting from the beginning in 2002, until to the achievement of Stage 49 in December 2005. At the same time, the main features of the new code are highlighted and critically discussed.