Tue, 13 June, 2023
The Materials Integrity Technology Transfer (MITT) programme has been providing expert support to SMEs across the Tees Valley region.
An average of one in every one hundred houses built suffer from a collapsed wall during construction due to wind loading prior to the cement setting. Collapsed walls costs the UK at least £2.65 million each year in lost and replacement materials plus labour.
Among those who received support was Carl Harris of Harris Brick Safety Systems. Having worked as a bricklayer and site foreman, Carl has seen the effects of wall collapse first hand and has devised a reusable propping system to support brick walls as the cement dries. Carl sought MITT assistance to critically assess his design and create a demonstration item that he could use as a marketing tool.
MITT Support
Mr Harris had initial design drawings that were produced for his patent application, but these needed to be re-drawn as engineering drawings for the manufacturing process. The MITT team, consisting of Dr James H Kern, Tony Kraus and Andy Knight, identified areas where the design could be enhanced with respect to operation and manufacture. Back-and-forth communications between the MITT team and Mr Harris allowed the design changes to be discussed and agreed as they were identified, maximising the benefit of the support.
A demonstration item was manufactured at TWI Ltd, see below, that is suitable for Mr Harris to present to prospective buyers to enable them to visualise his safety vision.
To enhance the green credentials of the system, Mr Harris worked with TWI experts Tony Kraus and Andy Knight to incorporate recyclable polymers within the design. The final prototype was designed using polypropylene, chosen to provide sufficient strength and recyclability.
Next Steps
The prototype system is available for demonstration to prospective buyers, and Mr Harris is now working to develop his supply chain for manufacture.
The Materials Integrity Technology Transfer (MITT) programme is a component of the Tees Valley Centre for Materials Integrity Programme, which is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020) and Tees Valley Combined Authority.