The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-08-26
AID FOR ROCK ROADS
Native limestones to Be Tested
at Kansas University.
BY ENGINEERING Department
Counties and Towns May Have the
Benefit For the Asking-Materials
and Methods Found That Will Make
Macadam Last Indefinitely.

MacAoam Last Indefinitely.
The engineering department Of the
University Of Kansas has decided to
join the good roads movement From
| now on it will be equipped 10 give the
benefit of its testing laboratories to
the counties and cities in the state Of
Kansas on road materials and meth
ois. A bulletin will be published soon
by the department giving the standard
tests on more than 200 samples OF
limestone from the eastern half of the
state. The regents established a test
Ing station at Lawrence about a year
| ago. but up to this time there have
been no funds to publish the results
| Of the tests that have been made Tie
tests in the first bulletin are Of stones
available for macadamizing. of which
there is practically an unlimited
| amount
In 1905 Professor W. C. Hoad, who
has charge Of the work. had two seq
| ior students begin an investigation Of
| the value Of Kansas limestones for road
making. and they tested nearly A hun
drcd samples. In the followir. year
two more students. Edward n Noyes
| and D. c. McConaughy. carried on the
| tests. Last year more tests were made
! from time to time until the depart
ment has il good idea of what lime
| stones will make macadam roads.
There Is a wonderful difference in
them. some being practically worth
| less. while otllers-and they are in the
| majority-are first class material
Two tests are applied. enc to deter
mine the toushness and wearing quail
| ties of the stones and the other to de
termine the cementing properties OF
the powder that IS made by the read
roller and the wear of traffic. 1t some
times happens that !; stone that is
good In one respect is worthless oil
account of the lack of the other quail
ty. Wearing qualities are determined
by the standard ''rattler" test. which
was originated in France thirty years
ago. The samples of some are broken
into uniform pieces. SO that fifty will
weigh approximately eleven pounds
They are put into a RATHER" which
consists of an iron cylinder. set at an
angle of thirty degrees with the axis
| OF rotation. In the test. lasting five
hours, the cylinder is rotated 10000
times, and the amount ground off the
samples in that time by weight de
termines the measure of wearing Gnal
ity Of the stones In making the ce
ment test the powder is taken from
the "rattler'' and mixed with water
It IS allowed to harden in cylindrical
briquettes and is tested for its resist
| ance under the trip hammer.
1--WE expect to be able to make tests
from now on for any town or county
that has macadamiZing project I'M
der way" said Professor Hoad. land
l believe the work will be great
thing for the good roads movement il
the state There are any amount OF
limestones which, If properly selected
and put OH the roads, will make roads
that last indefinitely"
There are only six other testing sta
tions in the United States that arc
equipped for the tests now being made
at the university. The only other one
west Of Ohio is at the Iowa Agricul
tural college.-Kansas City Star.