Bas Veltenaar wins the 2023 Student Steel Award!
Graduate Bas Veltenaar won the 2023 Student Steel Award during the annual Bouwen met Staal Day on 3 October. During his graduation internship at Iv, Bas developed an automated routine to determine steel dimensions for large structures in the best and most efficient way possible. Andries Kaptijn, a mechanical specialist at Iv, supervised Bas’ work.
The Student Steel Award jury described the method Bas developed as “commendable work” that “contributes enormously to the sustainability of our living environment”. The motivation for this assignment is that steel structures for transformer platforms are getting bigger and heavier, making it necessary to achieve weight savings. Also, the weight must be kept below a specific limit so existing vessels can continue to carry out installations. Weight savings can be achieved by designing slenderly and smartly and by eliminating failure mechanisms such as the buckling of a (thin) stiffened plate. On top of all this, the platform requirements are incredibly stringent.
Significant weight savings can be achieved using steel plates as a so-called stressed skin (a design in which the walls form part of the load-bearing structure). The jury believes the application of such a stressed skin construction requires insight into complex mechanics.
The development of automated routines and measurement systems considers aspects such as operation, cost, and safety, resulting in significant time and material savings. The jury also found it advantageous that this method could be applied to the offshore energy sector as well as to other complex steel structures.
Iv is proud of Bas’ work and thrilled with the recognition from the critical jury. We value the opportunity to help accelerate the energy transition in addition to providing smart technical solutions.