77 



Experimental Studies in Reinforced Concrete. 



W. K. riATT. 



It was the comfortable assurance of that urbane Roman poet, Horace, 

 that he had built himself a monument more lasting than brass in the intel- 

 lectual life of mankind. At the time that he was writing these lines the 

 Roman engineers were constructing those concrete aqueducts and domes 

 that have served mankind on the physical side during the time that Horace 

 had been a source of perpetual delight to the students of classical writ- 

 ings. Which product will endure the longer is an open question. One 

 thing is certain, while many persons of exquisite taste may prefer Horace 

 to our modern writers, all well-inlormed persons conclude that the en- 

 gineer of today has surpassed the Roman engineer in the quality and use 

 of concrete. 



The number of recent failures of reinforced concrete buildings, at- 

 tended with the loss of life of workmen, does not constitute an argument 

 against the advance of the practice of this new art, but calls attention to 

 the need of correct theory in design and expert supervision in construction. 

 Steel for buildings is made under highly technical methods, and a searching 

 inspection by trained men, whereas concrete for buildings may be formed 

 by ignorant and unskilled workmen, and may be supervised by foremen 

 who are mostly inexperienced in the art of proportioning and mixing the 

 ingredients. Defective material, either of cement, sand or stone, dishonest 

 skimping of cement and poor inspection, incorrect proportioning, and a too 

 early removal of the wooden forms from the floors molded in cold weather, 

 or heavily laden with stored cement and other materials, are sufficient 

 causes to explain these failures. An increasing number of these may be ex- 

 pected as time goes on and untrained men who have learned their busi- 

 ness in other lines of construction, take up the work of building reinforced 

 concrete structures. The resulting loss of life will no doubt call attention 

 to the necessity of regulating by proper building laws this new construc- 

 tion, which has spread so rapidly over the country from sea to sea. In 

 1902, when the first published results of experimentations appeared in this 

 country from the Laboratory for Testing Materials of Purdue University, 



