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566 THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE. Boox II.

1903c. The arcli brick


floors,
used in tlie dwell'ngs for workmen at I51rkenl)i.ad, by tlie
architect, C. E. Lang, were 7 feet in span, worked in lialf- brick excejjt at the sprinj;iiig
and the skew-backs, with a few three- (jusrter and oilier jiarts ot bricks inserted, so as to
form a toothing or vertical bond with tlie concrete with whicii tlie spandrels were tilled.
The six or seven courses at the crown were wedged in with slate while the mortar was
wet, and in no instance did the least siibsidenie take jilace at the crown, allhoiigll subjected
to very severe trials, such as that of men jumping from the walls upon the arches. The
span of 7 feet is perhaps the limit of a halt-bnck arch turned in mortar with the ordinary
rough brick. The arches rise about one inch to every foot in span. Tiles were laid in
mortar on the concrete, which macie the thickness ot the fluor at the crown ol' the arch
5^
inches. There were altogether about 1200 arches of this kind turned, and without the
siigiitest accident. This explains the usual metliod of forming hreproot floors, by turning
brick arches between iron girders, which are in large spans tied togeiher at the springing
by iron tie rods
;
a subject which has been so often considered and discussed, and nowhere
more so than at the Iiisiilute of Architects, as detailed in their IVansfictiuiis.
1903c/. TUe Denu'tt arch. A fireproof system, patented by Messrs. Dennett, of Not-
tingham, and used since about 1855. Tliey execute a groin, dome, or circular ceiling of
any length, width, or height, without tie rods or intermediate supports, at much less cost
than can be done liy any other fireproof material ; circular ceilings of ii6 feet diameter,
with coffers in them, or any amount of decoration, can be executed on the soffits, and the
upper surface can be finished smooth in itself, or with stone, wood, tiles cement, or asphalte,
and a current of air ensured underneath. Very few iron girders are reijuired. For fluors,
although in an arched shape, it is in reality a beam, as a complete floor can be turned from
wall to wall, resting on a projection of brickwork, and the material be left without any
abutment. Its durability equals stone ; and its strength is equal to Irickwork. The
Hoors are bad conductors of heat ; leave no harbour for vermin; ventilating pipirs may be
laid in them, and also flues. The material (a concrete of broken stone or brick em-
bedded in gypsum calcined at a r.^d heat) can be be used for a sound-proof construction,
wlien laid in the old method between wood joists, as at St. Thomas's Hospital.
1903e. Three courses ot' plain tiles Itiid in cement and well bonded have been for many
years employed for sliglitly curved roofs to form terraces
;
roofs for cellars under paving
; as
roof's over small hack buildings, and for similar purposes. Where the walls are well backed
up, tie rods may not be necessary. It has been asserted that the tiles shotild twt be covered
with the cement. Portland or other cements laid on brick arches, or on tile, or on a flat
concrete roof supported by iron joists
;
also asphalted roofs; all generally crack and let in
wet, especially where there is any traffic on them, or their foundations are not perfectly stable.
At .\iistin and Seeley's artificial stone works, New Road, flat roofs, floors and steps are
formed in their material. The terrace roofing is formed of plain tiles in three couises,
rendered on tlie top to tlie thickness in all of about 4 inches, carried over by arches sliglitly
camt)ered, springing from small brick piers, and tied by light iron rods, which form
their chord line. 'I'hese flats ha\e an immense weight upon them, and arc cast in one
l)iece, as it were, there being no perceptible joint; they are coinplettly water-tight, and cjH
be easily cleaned.
1903/.
Light arches may likewise i)e formed by placing thin iron plates between joisting
of iron or wood, bending them to a slight curve, and filling in above them with concrete to
form solid work. Mallet's budded wrouylit iron plates, are usually made in square or oblong
shapes, having a slight convexity in the middle, and a flat rim round the edge, called the
fillet.
These plates are considered the best form yet devised for the iron covering of a plat-
form, and are usable for the above purposes. They are often placed so that the convex
part is compressed, and tlie flat fillet stretched; when they give way under an
excessive load, it is usually by the crushing or crip|)ling of the convex jiart. The safe load.s
given in the tables published by the inventor, for a ])late 3 feet square,
\
inch thick, and
with
1
-75 inch of curvature, are
4-5
tons for a steady load, and 3 tons for a moving load. The
square form, supported and fastened at all the four edges, is the inost favourable to strength.
The buckled jilates used by Mr. Page for the platform of new Westiuinster bridge measure
84 inches by 36 inches, with a curvature of S.Jinches, and thickness of
\
inch; they bear
17 tons on the centre without giving way (Rankine, Civil Engineering).
1903^. In India, where all buildings of any importance have
flat roofs, the long estab-
lished jjractice is to forin them of tiles, mostly 12 inches square and 1 finches thick ;
in
Calcutta they are generally 18 inches square and 2 inches thick. These tiles arc made
with great care : they are burnt the same as pottery, and are used both for roofing and for
flooring. In roofing a room of 20 feet span, it is first covered with teak beams 1 2 inches
deep l)y
8,^
inches broad, jilaced 3 feet apart, which carry burgalis or joists, 3 inches stjuare,
fixed Ifoot apart, and on these the tiles are jilaced in two layers carefully jointed with each
other. Above them is laid 6 inches of concrete, formed of broken bricks and lime, spread
evenly and beaten down to 4 inches, and beaten until the mass is dry
;
finally it is plastered,
and rubbed or polished. If well made and of good materials, it is impervious to wet, and
will last as long as the timber under it.

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