Improvements in and relating to Pillars or Columns, chiefly designed for Building Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pillars or Columns, chiefly
designed for Building Purposes.
I, JOSEPH MCMASTERS LARIMER of Chicago, Illinois, United States of
America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
In carrying my invention into practice I preferably construct my pillar or
column from two steel beams, preferably I-beams, although bulb beams, Z-beans
and other forms may be found well adapted. These beams of whatever form they
may be have their webs or body portions bent upon a curved line so as that when
two of them are placed with their convex sides toward each other the flanges
thereof will present outwardly and their middles are secured together by means
of bolts or rivets through an interposed fillet or core of wrought or cast metal.
This fillet has shoulders to provide bearings for the beams on opposite sides of the
connecting bolts or rivets.
I provide also a continuous band or ring, which may be angular or plain in
cross section and adapted to form either a base for the column, a bracket to
support and connect a transverse beam, or a part of the connection for a superposed
column.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of a column of the preferred form of
construction.
Figure 2 is a plan of a column of like construction to that shown in Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of modified constructions.
Figure 5 is a side elevation partly broken away showing the rings applied to
the column; and
Figure 6 is a plan view below 6-6 of Figure 5.
A represents steel beams of the form known as I-beams and which may be
rolled in the first instance to the form shown, the webs thereof being centrally
bent with reference to the faces of the heads. The form of the head or flange
of the beam is not of the essence of the invention and the beam may partake of
two types, as for example, one head may be of the flanged form shown in the
drawings, while the other may be a bulb. These beams having their webs bent
as described are then placed so that the heads of the flanges present outwardly
and their convex sides face each other and then by preference they are fitted to
an interposed fillet or core B, preferably of steel. The fillet may consist of an
I-beam as shown in Figures 3 and 4 or of a solid block having its sides concave to
conform to the convex sides of the beams as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 6.
beams and fillet are then secured together by the bolts or rivets C.
The
In this form of construction it is apparent that the weight is carried by the
heads or flanges of the beams at the periphery of the column, while the webs and
core or fillet furnish lateral or bracing support to these heads or flanges. The
result of this distribution of the weight is the prevention of shearing strain upon
D

page_text: the bolts or rivets. The core or fillet, of course, adds strength to the column by
supporting or bracing the webs of the beams, and it not only increases the efficiency
of the column in resisting a crushing strain but also increases the efficiency for the
resistance of lateral vibration or strain. Of course, the size of the fillet will be
varied in proportion to the length and size of the column. The fillet furnishes
bearings on either side of the rivets and the elasticity of the metal of the webs is
constantly exerted in this form of construction to bind the parts together.
The essential feature of my improvement consists in constructing the column
from steel beams having their webs hent on curved lines and connected together
through an interposed fillet. adapted to furnish bearings for said webs.at separated
points and on opposite sides of the connecting bolts or rivets.
D represents a continuous ring which may be angular in cross section to provide
a bolt flanged and a supporting flange, and this ring can be either wrought or
pressed to the desired form and utilized as a base ring, as a bracket to support
a transverse beam E or girder, or as a part of the top connection F to support a
superposed column.
This ring adds strength to the structure by clamping or
confining the column members together when they are made from separate beams
bolted through their webs.
Instead of specially preparing a fillet it is obvious that an I-beam or double
channel or two channel beams placed back to back might be employed in place
of the fillet shown, and in fact this fillet may be of any desired form in cross
section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. A pillar or column composed of steel beams or bars having heads or
flanges and their webs bent to convex form, an interposed core or fillet to provide
bearings for the bent portions of said webs, and bolts or rivets connecting the
beams through the core or fillet, substantially as described.
Second. In combination with a pillar or column having peripheral supporting
flanges and centrally connecting webs, a ring angular in cross section and adapted
to form a base, a bracket or a part of the top connection, substantially as
described.
Dated this Sixth day of July 1891
JOSEPH MCMASTERS LARIMER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.