HRO Design Forum

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The HRO Design Forum is a forum co-ordinated by Laboratory of Steel Structures at LUT University for the designers, product developers and researchers of demanding structural applications.

Purpose of the HRO Design Forum

The HRO Design Forum was established as a meeting place for the designers of welded and demanding structures with the operating idea:

to produce original and meaningful research information
to actively develop interesting national and international research projects
to relay the latest research information to the participants through annually arranged theme days, symposia and events
to form business groups that start joint product development projects to study common problems
to enable the establishment of company-specific service research and training days
to relay the information assembled within the framework of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) to the industry.

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News

Theme Days of the HRO Design Forum

The HRO Theme Days are typically held in August. The venue varies annually, but every other year the Theme Days are held at the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT).

The programme includes presentations on the latest research in the field and the companies' own research projects, as well as international aspects. Additionally, the conference includes a festive dinner and the possibility to visit businesses.

Membership

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A company interested in the forum topics may join the HRO Design Forum by getting in touch with the forum's contact person.

The membership fees for the HRO Design Forum are harmonised with the membership fees for the forums of the Finnish Welding and Joining Institute. The membership fees are determined based on the company's size. If the company is already a member of the forums of the Finnish Welding and Joining Institute, the membership fee is lowered. The currently valid membership fees are as follows:

	HRO Design Forum annual fee	Member in other SHY forums annual fee
Micro company (staff <10 person and turnover less than 2M€	€300	€300
Small company (staff <50) and turnover less than 10M€	€625	€625
SME (turnover less than €50 million or staff of less than 250 people)	€1,250	€875
Other companies	€2,500	€1,750
Educational institute	€625	€625

The interest of the members has focused on the fatigue phenomenon and, in particular, that of welded joints. In the section below, we list the research projects co-ordinated by Laboratory of Steel Structures at LUT University that have been completed,or are currently underway or that are being planned on topics that the HRO Design Forum considers interesting.

Planned Research Projects

determining the fatigue chracteristics of aluminum structures, focusing on welded aluminum components (AluWeld)
development of the 4R method for fatigue assessment of welded joints and cut edges
prediction and control of welding deformation and residual stresses

Completed Research Projects

WiseROOT, studying the rootside fatigue of a weld joint
research project, "Hot Spot Method for the Fatigue Analysis of Weld Joints"
product development project, "Improving Fatigue Strength"
product development project, "Hot Spot Fatigue Strength of Long Durability"
research project, "Improving Fatigue Strength by Ultrasound Peening"

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Links

HRO Design Forum on LinkedIn

Members

The HRO Design Forum consists of nearly forty member companies. All member companies are focused on the design, manufacturing or development of demanding metal structures. In addition, the HRO network also includes material suppliers, analysis, measurement and inspection services, as well as product developers and customers. Thus, the entire production chain of metal structures is represented.

History

The HRO Design Forum was established in 1992 by LUT Laboratory of Steel Structures as a meeting place for the designers of welded structures. For a long time, the forum was known as the Forum for the Optimisation of Welded Structures (HRO).

When HRO forum joined the Finnish Welding and Joining Institute, co-ordinated by the Welding Society of Finland (SHY), at the beginning of 2002, the name "Design Forum" was adopted to describe the broadened content. The forum has expanded to cover structures that are not welded, though welded structures are still at the core of the forum.

The theme days of the HRO Design Form (HRO Theme Days) are an annual conference for all those interested in the topic of the forum. In other words, companies, organisations and individuals that are not members of the forum may participate.

The regular participants have included the member companies, the faculty of polytechnical universities and technical institutes, structural designers, manufacturers and others interested in the topic.