Re: Re: ASME (or other) Piping Codes and Standards

On Aug 5, 2007, at 4:54 PM, blenrayaust wrote:

> ASME and other organisations are struggling because the X & Y
> Generation will not front up for nothing.
Having served on an ASME Committee back in the salad days, I think it's fair to say that the problem is twofold. The US pressure vessel industry isn't supporting codes and standards development like they used to and the ASME has failed miserably at updating code committee work practices. The result is a very pricy development cycle and less support from traditional sources.

I gave my time freely and cheerfully for Committee work as did everyone else because it was interesting and useful and you got to hang around some of the greats. The company I worked for placed great value in supporting Code work becasue it gave them a voice in the process. It was in the days before the Internet and there were tons of letters that flew back and forth with cost a lot of time, but that was just how it was. Teleconferencing was generally out without a visual link so we travelled, usually to New York at company expense fortunately because I didn't have the bucks to jet set around the country. Those days are as dead as lifetime employment. The beancounters who run things these days don't see and immediate profit in supporting Codes and Standards and the won't budget time and expenses for it. Hell--most corporations won't even support basic research for product development.

I know Codes and Standards can be done properly in the 21st century because the AISC does it extremely well. Moreover unlike most other technical societies their standards are very reasonably priced in hard copy and down loadable form their web site generally at no charge. They've stumbled from time to time, but the AISC Code is pretty near the equal of the ASME B&PV codes. Better in some respects.

Christopher Wright P.E. |"They couldn't hit an elephant at chrisw@skypoint.com | this distance" (last words of Gen.

.......................................| John Sedgwick, Spotsylvania