Who Are R-TECH Services?
R-TECH consists of two professional metallurgists, Tony Franks and Russell Chiplen. Between them they have over 40 years combined experience in the manufacture and testing of reinforcing steels.
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Tony Franks
Tony graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1979 with a degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science. He joined the British Steel Scottish Laboratories in Motherwell as a Physical Metallurgist, and worked on a wide range of R and D projects covering casting, hot rolling (plate, strip) and heat treatment. In 1982 he left British Steel to study for a PhD at the University of Sheffield. He was awarded his PhD in 1987, for a thesis entitled "Hydrogen Induced Cracking in Pipeline steels". The project was sponsored by British Gas, and covered stress corrosion effects caused by the exposure of pipeline steels to sour gas environments.
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In 1985 Tony joined Allied Steel and Wire, initially in their central development department, covering casting, rolling, wiredrawing and processing of steels. From 1990 Tony was the Technical Manager at ASW, covering all technical and quality aspects of the business, including quality assurance, quality control, product and process development, intellectual property issues and certification. Tony has been a member of ISE/9/1, the BSI committee responsible for reinforcing steel standards since 1990. Since 1998 he has been chairman of this committee, and leader of the UK delegation to the European standards committee ECISS/TC19/SC1.
Tony has been a professional member of the Institute of of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and a Chartered Engineer, since 1987. He is also a professional member of the Welding Institute.
Tony is now the Director of R-TECH Services Ltd.
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Russell Chiplen
Russell Chiplen has spent his whole professional life in the steel industry. He has held a number of technical and quality posts, initially at British Steel's East Moors Works, then from 1980 at Allied Steel and Wire. Russell was initially in the central development department at ASW covering a number of development projects in casting, rolling and wiredrawing of steels. From 1992 he moved into Quality Management in the rolling mills. Russell has a wealth of knowledge of the testing and examination of metals, particularly steels.
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Russell has been a professional member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and a Chartered Engineer, since 1986. He was a member of ISE/9/1, the BSI committee responsible for reinforcing steels for several years.
Russell is now the Laboratory Manager at R-TECH Services Ltd.
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