CHAPTER IX
EXPERIMENTS UPON THE TRANSVERSE STRENGTH OF BRITISH OAK.
British Oak timber being, as before stated, generally recognised as the standard of quality, the greatest possible care was taken in preparing the specimens of the prescribed dimensions—2" × 2" × 84"—for the experiments to test its strength; further, the deflections under a weight of 390 lbs. as also that at the crisis of breaking, and the exact breaking weight each piece bore, were all taken, the results being shown in the tables. which follow. It is hoped, therefore, that a sufficient guide is thus afforded, not only for comparing its strength with other woods, but also for determining the scantlings required for architectural purposes:—
| Number of the specimen. | Deflections. | Total weight required to break each peice. |
Specifc gravity |
Weight reduced to specfic gravity 1000 |
Weight required to break 1 square inch | ||
| Inches. | Inches. | lbs. | lbs | ||||
| 1 | 3.500 | .200 | 5.250 | 590 | 905 | 652 | 147.50 |
| 2 | 3.125 | .312 | 8.500 | 825 | 682 | 1209 | 206.25 |
| 3 | 3.250 | .125 | 11.000 | 1,002 | 708 | 1415 | 250.50 |
| 4 | 3.250 | .125 | 11.000 | 1,002 | 708 | 1415 | 250.50 |
| 5 | 3.500 | .250 | 7.000 | 804 | 720 | 1116 | 201.00 |
| 6 | 3.625 | .125 | 5.875 | 637 | 670 | 936 | 159.25 |
| Total | 20.250 | 1.137 | 44.125 | 4,655 | 4410 | 6427 | 1163.75 |
| Average | 3.375 | .189 | 7.354 | 776 | 735 | 1071 | 193.96 |
| E = 284310.S = 0237. | |||||||
Remarks.—Nos. 1 and 4 broke with a moderate length of fracture; 2, 5, and 6 with 9 to 15 inches and splinters in fracture. No. 3 was not completely broken asunder.
