Chap. III.

CARPENTRY.
619
2021a. Girders or beams wliose bearing exceeds 24 feet are difficult to be prociind of
Bufticient depth, in wliicli case an expedient is put in requisition to strengthen a less depth.
The principles it involves are explained under the head of roofs, namely, those of tru^sin<j
them (2i)31, et seq.), an operation that converts the beam within its own tiiickncss into a
piece of framework, for the purpose of preventing the bending, or, as it is technically called,
its saoginp, wiiicii jiroduces an injurious horizontal thrust on the w^iUs. This operation is
represented injiy. 675, in two different ways. No. Ill represents the plan.
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c'

liA
c
;-_
_,
B!>
k#a
s? -
tia
II?
rr^'-^-^~'c"

;'a

a::

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..9i:^l
fi"
iS=
= -JH -^^
Fig. 075.
The beam is cut into tv/o halxes in the direction of its depth and length, between and into
wliicli the truss is inserted, as shown. It is better tliat the Oucss posts A, and nbutment
pieces B, should be of wrought iron ; tlie struts C may be of oak, or some stiff'er wood
tli.ui the beam itself. In I. and II., the whole, or nearly the whole of the timber, is in a
state of tension.
'20 Jib. This operation is further developed by trussing the beam hcloiv itself, an
arrangement cjnsidered to be safer and stronger than that above described. No. IV. has
a wrought iron tension
rod, with a stay in the V.
centre, whieh^ takes the
whole of the tension,
whilst the timber is thrown
e.itirely into compression.
No. V. is the s^ime with IV.
two stays. By tliese sys-
""^
'"'"'"'--=--.-.--.. ': ..-.--'''

tems a beam, rafter, purlin,

--;.,--
ivc, which wdl b.irely sup-
l)ort its own weight safely, may be made to carry a load of many tons without sensllile
detlection. Tlie tension rod is useful in pro|iortion to its distance from the beam (evi-
dently within certain limits). \^ it he immediately imder, or concealed within the under
edge, it becomes nearly useless, especially in a ca.st iron beam with a wrought iron rod,
where the beam is mucli less extensible than the rod. In such a c;;se, the beam would
break and fall before the rod has bjen brouglit into action. The respective sizj or
sectional area of the rod and beam is regulated l)y the respective strength of the materials,
as it is useless to apply a rod capable of sustaining double tlie tensile force that the beam
can resist of crushing force, and riVt v>rsa; it is merely adding weight (Warr, D'jnamics,
page 2.')9
).
The flitch girder is described in par. I(jy9.
20'Jlc. The resistance of beams of soft wood may be considerably incieased by strength-
ening the centre of gravity. Du Hamel, Force Jes Buis, took twenty-four sticks, cut from
young willows, of equal strength. Each stick was 3 feet
(
French) long, and 1 ^ ineli square.
Six of these broke in the middle with an average weight of 566 48 lbs. In two other
pieces he made a cut across it
^
inch deep in the centre, and filled it out with a piece of
oak; these broke witli an average weight of 594-73 lbs. 'I'wo more were cut ;^ inch
deep, and treated in the same manner; they broke with 5S5 lbs. Five were cut '\
inch
deep, and broke with 572 78 lbs. All the trials showed that the piece of harder wood
increased the strength of the beam.
20-' i d. Laves's girder is a simple and elective contrivance for strengthening a beam.
The piece of timber having been cut nearly from end to end
(^Jig. 675a.), is hound at each
termination with
J
an iron strap.
/ *l Blocks are
' ' driven in the cut
so as to separate
the severed pieces to several inches distance in the middle of the length, thereby throwing