Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-06-04
BIC TESTING MACHINE
Bridges Made Safe by the Use OF
Kew Device.
EVERY STEEL PIECE is TESTED
Engineers Say Powerful Apparatus
Will Revolutioni1e Structural Work
Over Watsr-Bill Before Congress to
Authorize Building Of Still Larger
Test Machine.


Authorize Building Of Still Larger
Test Machine.
According TO civil engineers, the YER
teal compression test machine OF TO-
100000 pounds capacity, which Is he
ing built by a well known firm In Phil
adelphia for the structural material
testing laboratories Of the United
States geological survey, will 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 a 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 rea-
son there is always so much uncer-
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 lem.
1t was pointed out that every piece
of steel used was subjected to speci-
fed test. the engineers knowing the
quality of the material used and has
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
In existence such machine as that
the government Is now having con-
structed the weakness Of the Quebec
bridge would have been known before
II was too late.
The nearest approach TO the proposed
government machine Is the celebrated
WATERFOWL arsenal machine, Water
town. Pa, designed by A. II. Emery
Of Stamford, Conn. The enormous cost
of such a 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 trm 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
geological survey urged that the ca
pacity of the machine be extended so
as to test whole columns OF brick,
stone, concrete and even Of steel, and
accordingly the original clearance be
tween 1.-THE heads" was increased from
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 as well.
The machine in simplest form is
nothing more than huge hydraulic
press with one adjustable head and a
weighing system for recording the
pressure developed In 1t by means Of a
triple plunger pump. Between the base
Of the machine and the adjustable
head when removed to the farthest
point is a distance Of siXty-five feet
consequently the machine Is capable
Of testing the supporting strength OF a
column more than sixty feet In length
Some idea of the size Of the machine
may be obtained from statement OF
the weight of its principal parts. The
castings for the base and the top head
weigh approximately $1,000 pounds
each. Each main screw will weigh
over 10000 pounds, the lower platform
about $4,000 pounds and the main cyl
inder 10000 pounds. The top Of the
machine will be about seventy feet
above the fioor and the concrete fOun-
dation upon which the machine rests
will be about eight feet below the floor
line.
So many letters were sent to mem
bers of congress and to the department
Of geological survey congratulating the
government on taking the initiative in
the construction of such machine
that Senator Teller has introduced q
bill providing for another machine
more than twice as large as the Phila
delphia firms apparatus, having H.,
600 tons capacity in compression and
$500 tons in tension, taking columns
or cords 100 feet long.
Mr.. Emery, designer Of the Water
town machine, Is named In the bill as
designer and builder, and the price
including the machine and two eighty
ton cranes, is fixed ut $1,7500OO. Ii
addition, 100000 is to be appropriated
for a building to house the machine.
According 10 the specifications. thi,
machine will be able to give and weigl
loads Of tension up to 100000 pound.
and loads Of compression up to $4,000,
600 pounds. The machine Is to be pro
vided also with tension holders to ties
round, square and rectangular bars III
to 100000 pounds, with lengths VI
to 100 feet.
The bill explicitly states that IL thu
compression cords of the Quebe,
bridge had been tested by such ma
| chine their weakness would have beer
discovered in time to save the struc
| h,ra --Naw Yorl. fkimao