The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-06-01
BIC TESTING MACHINE
Bridges Made Safe by the Use Of
New Device.
EVERY STEEL PIECE is TESTED
Engineers Say Powerful Apparatus
Will RevoIutionizs Structural Work
Over Water-6iIi Before Congress TO
Authorize Building of Still Larger
Test Machine.

teal compression test machine Of TO-
100000 pounds capacity, which Is be-
ing built by well known firm In Phil
adelphia for the structural material
testing laboratories of the United
States geological survey, VIII revolu-
tionize the building of bridges In the
United States, making such an occur
renee as the collapse Of the Quebec
bridge with attendant loss Of life I'm
possible.
This machine, with gross weight
Of more than 200 tons and an extreme
height above the foundations Of about
eighty feet, is by far the largest test
ing appliance ever constructed, En-
gineers seen recently said that the req
son there is always SO much uneer-
tainty about the strength Of great
bridge is because no machines have
ever been constructed Of sufficient
power to test the great columns of
steel used in them.
1t was pointed out that every piece
Of steel used was subjected to speci-
fed test, the engineers knowing the
Ing their calculations on the strength
Of column or cord thereon. But the
actual strength of the ponderous piece
Of steel was In the last analysis known
On paper only, and the statement was
repeatedly made that had there been
the government Is now having con-
structed the weakness of the Quebec
bridge would have been known before
1t was too late.
The nearest approac to the proposed
government machine is the celebrated
WATERFOWL arsenal machine, Water.
town, Pa. designed by A. FL. Emery
Of Stamford, Conn The enormous cost
of such machine as the government
has contracted for has until now been
the obstacle between the private
plants. and its construction, and even
when the Philadelphia Arm was first
engaged to construct this machine 1t
was not designed to have 1t larger than
necessary to test the large blocks Of
stone being used In government and
other buildings throughout the United
States.
But the supervising architect of the
stone, concrete ana even 81 steel aid
accordingly the original clearance be-
tween '.the heads was Increased from
twenty-five to sixty-fve feet Now,
since the purpose Of the government
has become known the department is
being flooded with letters urging Its
early completion that 1t may be used
not only In the cases of bridges already
under construction, but to test built up
structures us well.
The machine In simplest form is /
nothing more than a huge hydraulic |
press with one adjustable head and
system for recording the
pressure developed In 1t by means OF a
triple plunger pump. Between the base
of the machine and the adjustable
lead when removed te the farthest
Joint Is distance Of sixty-fiye feet.
consequently the machine Is capable
Il testing the supporting strength OF
olumn more than sixty feet In length.
Some idea of the size of the machine
cay be obtained from a statement Of
he weight Of its principal parts. The
astings for the base and the top head
7eigh approximately $4,000 pounds
ach. Each main screw will weigh
yer 10000 pounds, the lower platform
bout $4,000 pounds and the main cyl
lder 5000 pounds. The top of the
lachine will be about seventy feet .
bove the floor, and the concrete foun- ,
alton upon which the machine rests .
Ill be about eight feet below the floor
ne.
So many letters were sent to mem.
rs OF congress and to the department
geological survey congratulating the
'vernment on taking the Initiative in
g construction of such machine a .
at Senator Teller has introduced a 9
L providing for another machine
ore than twice as large as the Phila-
lphia firms apparatus, having H. !.
9 tons capacity In compression and !. l.
100 tons in tension, taking columns =
cords 100 feet long. =
Or. Emery, designer of the Water !
IN machine, is named In the bill as =
signer and builder, and the price, u
'luding the machine and two eighty Y
cranes, Is fixed at 81, 100000. In =
lition, 100000 is to be appropriated q
q building to house the machine. us
according TO the specifications, this
chine will be able to give and weigh
DIS of tension up to Il, O00, 900 pounds /.
loads Of compression up to 22,OOO,- =
pounds. The machine is to be pro-
ed also with tension holders to test
nd. square and rectangular bars up 4.
100000 pounds, with lengths up
LOO feet. IN
be bill explicitly states that If the
lpressfon cords OF the Quebec !
Ice had been tested by such ma
le their weakness would have been tn
covered In time to save the struc-
New York Times. sh
Memorial Of Jefferson Davis.