420 THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE. Book II.

IV. The weight of a floor of timher has been calculated at 35 to 40 lbs. per square foot
;
20 lbs. is usually allowed. A single joisted floor without counter floor, from 1260
to 2000 lbs. per square. A framed floor with counter flooring, from 25<50 to
4000 lbs. per square. Barrett's system at 78 lbs. A half brick arch floor, 70 lbs.
A one brick arch floor, 120 lbs. Though Trcdgold allows 40 lbs per square foot
for the weight of a ceiling, counter floor, and iron girders, with 120 lbs. per sejunre
foot more supposing the floor to be covered with people at any time =
to 160 llis.,
as the least stress, yet a wareliouse floor, as required at the docks, is there calcu-
lated at about 17 lbs. including girders, which, with about 9 lbs. for plastering,
allows 26 lbs. per sup. foot.
V. Partitions, <r any other additional weights brought upon the floor, must also be
taken into consideration. This is calculated at froJTi 1480 to 2000 lbs. per square.
VI. The weight of the load to be carried must always include that of the girder itself.
STRAINS ON BEAMS AND GIRDERS.
1628c. These we shall consider under the heads I. TRANSVERSE STRAIN
(1628.9),
which consists partly of the action of Tension as well as of Compression, each of
thetii being dependent upon the CoAes/on of the mateiial. Under II. TENSION (leSCc),
will be considered the ne-uiral axis (1630c.), deflection of beams (1630e.
),
with the modulus
of elastici/i/ (1630/.), impact or collision (1630o.), and the tensile stre^rith (1630;).).
Under
in. COMPRESSION (1630!^;.) is consideied Deflection of pillars, and Dctrusion
n631n.). The subject IV. TORSION (1631x.) closes this section.
162^6?. Timber is permanently injured if more than even
\
of the breaking weight is
placed on it. Buflf'on allowed
jj,
which is now the custoin, for the safe load. Fairbairn
spates that for bridges and warehous-es, cast iron gir^'ers should not be loaded witli more
than
i
or
^
of the breaking weight in the middle. For ordinary purposes,
i
for cast iron
is allowed for the permanent load ( Barlow). A little more tlian
|
can be allowed for
wrought iron beams, as that material, from its extensile capability, does not suddenly give
way (Warr)
;
but they should never be loaded with more than ^th (Fairbairn). Girders,
especially tliose of cast iron, which are liable to be less strong tlian intended from irrogu-
lariiy in casting and cooling, should be proved before use to a little more than the extent
of the safe load
;
this proof, however, should never exceed the half of the breaking weight,
as the metal would be thoroughly weakeiud. 'J'redgold observts that a load of
i
ol tlie
breaking weight causes deflection to increase with time, and finally to produce a permanent
set. 1 he Board of Trade limits the working strain to 5 tons, or 11,200 lbs. per square
inch, on any part of a wrought iron structure.
]628e. Of all the circumstances tending to invalidate theoretical calculations, the sun
is about the worst. Mr. Clark writes, about the Britannia tubidar bridge: "Although
the tubes offer so effectual a resistance to deflection by heavy weights and gales of wind,
they are nevertheless extremely sensitive lo changes of temperature, so much so that half
an hour's sunshine has a much greater efTect than is produced by the heaviest trains or the
most violent storm. They are, in f;ict, in a state of perpetual motion, and after three
months' close observation, during which their motions were recorded by a self-registering
instrument, they were observed never to lie at rest for an hour. The same may almost be
said of the large bridges over the dotk passages. Tiie sun heats the top flange, whilst the
wind, alter sweeping along the water, impinges on the bottom flange, keeping it cool and
causing it to contract, whilst the top flange is being expanded by the sun, so putting a
camber on the bridge much exceeding the deflection caused by the heaviest working load.
At the Mersey Docks the top flanges of the bridges are painted white, to assist in meeting
the difficulty."
Transvekse Strain.
1628^. The strength of beams in general is directly as the breadth, directly as the
square of the depth, and inversely as the length
;
thus
I^!^
~t^
""
^"* ^ certain
supposed quantity must, however, be added to express the specific strength of any material,
a (juantity only obtained by experiments on tha-t material. This supposed quantity is re-
presented bv S. We then obtain
^
r'
=
breaking weight. Therefore, in
experiments, a simple transposition of the quantities evolves the value of S; thus
length X breaking weight
c i

i o ... i . ^ a j ^i i

r TTT

T^.,
.,
= o, which S then becomes a constant. As regards the usual form
of a cast-iron girder, using C as a constant for a signification in a girder, similar to that of
-, . ,
..\ 1
nrra of section X (leptl'.^x , i

i i-.,
i c a
IS in a beam, the tovmula ^ r

=breakin<; weight, llie values ot Js

'
length
=
_
^
and C are only applicable to a beam or girder of a similar sectional form to that from