TREATMENT OF MANUFACTURED IRON AND STEEL. 273 
if it were treated more kindly, it would have a fibrous and satis- 
factory appearance. 
To show the different fractures of good, bad, and indifferent 
material, the author has had specimens placed upon the table for 
the inspection of those members who have not had opportunities 
of observing such fractures. 
It is occasionally desirable to obtain some idea of the quality of 
material, such as rolled joists used for building purposes, when it 
would be too costly and inconvenient to cut any of them for the 
purpose of obtaining specimens sufficiently large for tensile tests. 
In such cases it is recommended that some tests be made by bend- 
ing and breaking the corners of the top flanges, in the manner 
shown on some of the samples, and this would not usually interfere 
with the fixing of the girders, or impair their strength. Iron joists 
are frequently rolled from brittle and dangerous material, and it 
is particularly important to architects who use them to a very 
considerable extent, that such simple tests as have been described 
should be carried out. 
The author believes that, as a rule, architects do not take 
sufficient care in ascertaining the quality of the iron and steel of 
the girders they purchase, but rely upon the statements they receive 
regarding it from the importers. It is certain that they would 
be exceedingly cautious if they were aware of the very inferior 
character of some of the iron joists that are supplied, especially 
those made on the Continent of Europe. 
With regard to the bending tests of plates &c., required by the 
specifications, the engineers who carry out such tests usually pro- 
vide themselves with a sheet of paper upon which to place the 
specimen and scribe round it with a pencil directly signs of fracture 
are noticed. It is then usual to continue to bend the sample until 
the two halves are about to separate, when another scribing is 
taken within that first made, and thus a record of the bending tests 
is kept. 
R—July 5, 1893, 
