Rolf Eligehausen, Prof. Dr.-Ing. studied structural engineering at the Technical University Brunswick and gained his doctorate from the University of Stuttgart. Following two years of research at the University of California Berkeley, he became professor for fastenings technology at Otto Graf Institute, University of Stuttgart in 1984. He is a member of numerous national and international expert commissions in the fields of steel-reinforced concrete and fastening technologies and the author of a large number of essays on these topics. Rainer Mallée, Dr.-Ing. studied structural engineering at the Technical University Brunswick and gained his doctorate from the University of Stuttgart. Between 1980 and 1987 he was head of Professor Rehm”s engineering company in Munich, before becoming head of development in fastening elements at fischer in Waldachtal. Since 1996 he has been head of research at the fischer group of companies. John F. Silva, MS, SE gained his Master of Civil Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley and is a Structural Engineer. He worked for ca. 10 years in San Francisco at two renowned engineering firms concentrating on inter alia fastenings during earthquakes. He worked in the development centre at HILTI for four years and currently works in their San Francisco offices.