before the loading procedure until there was no horizontal curve. The load- 

 ing heads were loaded until they almost touched the pile, load and deflection 

 recording devices were zeroed, and circumferences were measured at the tip, 

 middle, and butt of each pile. Moisture contents of untreated or creosote- 

 treated piles were measured with a resistance-type moisture meter near a 

 loading head at a depth of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 inches." 



"Data were recorded in two ways: (1) by means of a strip chart attached 

 to the universal testing machine and written data sheets, and (2) a magnetic 

 tape, digital recorder and microphone provided by CEL. The tape reel number, 

 tape footage, date, time and specimen numbers were recorded on the data 

 sheet, and the tape recorder was set for recording. The specimen number, 

 date, and weather report were spoken into the microphone, and some sounds were 

 recorded of the breaking piles. The loading rate was 0.53-in./min until fail- 

 ure when the head speed was increased until 10 inches of deflection occurred. 

 Maximum breaking load (P max ) was recorded on the data sheets as were abnormal- 

 lities such as severe slope of grain or overabnudance of knots, and the type 

 of failure (i.e., compression, tension, or shear)." 



"After these bending tests, a 4-ft-long butt specimen and a 3-in.-long 

 cross section near the failure were cut from each pile. The 4-ft-long speci- 

 mens were sent to CEL and the 3-in.-long sections were saved for preservative 

 analyses. Moisture content specimens were taken near the point of failure. 

 Salt-treated and untreated specimens were oven-dried. The Karl Fischer method 

 was used to determine moisture contents of creosote and salt-treated speci- 

 mens. Sections of piles from the vicinity of failure points were cut and 

 saved ." 



4. Compression Tests on Piles Segments 



"The 4-foot butt specimens obtained earlier were squared off with a table 

 chainsaw to a length of 45 inches. The specimens were submerged in water in 

 a retort and 90 psi of pressure applied to bring the wood to its fiber satur- 

 ation point . This water-impregnation treatment required 1 day for pine and 1 

 week for Douglas fir. Moisture contents of creosoted specimens were recorded 

 with five readings at 1/2-inch-depth increments up to a total depth of 2-1/2 

 inches in the middle of a piece 2 feet from its end. The moisture content of 

 dual-treated piles was assumed to be similar to creosote-treated material. 

 The moisture content of salt-treated piles was assumed to be similar to the 

 untreated specimens. The average moisture contents after pressure treatment 

 with water were 30% for southern pine and 28% for Douglas fir." 



"The length and circumference at butt and tip of each specimen was < 

 measured. Loading to failure was at the rate of 200 kips/min. The location 

 of each failure was recorded." 



5 . Results 



"Table 2 shows the data obtained from this program. Table values are 

 based on a limited number of piles, selected originally for high quality 

 appearance and apparent low variation from pile to pile. Thus, the table 

 values may be higher than they would be if unselected run-of-the-mill piles 

 were used. As can be seen, there was a definite decrease in the mechanical 

 properties of the wood with treatments, some as high as 55%." 



409 



