Prof. Kwok-Fai Chung, Director of CNERC, received a Medal of Honour as presented by Mr John Lee, Chief Executive of the Government of Hong Kong SAR on 25 November 2023 at the Government House for his exemplary contribution to engineering in Hong Kong.
Since its establishment in 2015, CNERC achieved the following through a successful completion of an extensive programme on research and technology transfer under the leadership of Prof. Chung :
- An innovative construction technology using high-strength S690 steel with proven structural adequacy and improved structural economy for construction;
- Development of effective welding on sections of high-strength S690 steel through the use of a robotic welding system which ensures little or virtually no reduction in mechanical properties of 10 to 70 mm thick steel plates after welding;
- Rationalized methods for structural design of welded sections, connections and joints of high-strength S690 steel which are in line with current engineering practice in Hong Kong; and
- Innovative applications of the high-strength S690 steel in building and civil engineering projects.
The innovation enables a modern construction technology using the high-strength S690 steel to achieve significant savings in construction materials and time, manpower demand, and carbon footprints. Typical applications include long-span foot bridges and roof structures, highways noise closure, steel piles supporting heavily loaded structures, and supporting members in road bridges.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Prof. Chung on receiving the Medal of Honour and we look forward to seeing more groundbreaking achievements from him in the future.
