Chapter LXXXV: Section 99: Materials Employed in Construction

The following memoranda relate only to such materials as are required in connection with machinery or mechanical constructions, and are intended to supply particulars of the dimensions of the manufactured or raw material, giving the sections manufactured and the limits as to size available for incorporation in any design under consideration.

=Rolled iron and steel bars= are manufactured as below:--

=1811. Rounds,= from ³⁄₁₆″ to 7³⁄₄″ diameter, and up to 18′ long.

=1812. Squares,= from ³⁄₁₆″ to 6″ square, and up to 18′ long.

=1813. Flats,= from ¹⁄₂″ to 14″ wide, and up to 18′ long.

=1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, & 1819. ~L~ iron sections= are made from ³⁄₄″ × ³⁄₄″ up to 14″ × 3³⁄₄″, or to 12¹⁄₂″ united inches, with equal or unequal flanges, and up to 30′ long; but the acute, obtuse, and round angled sections are not usually stocked.

=1820 & 1821. ~T~ irons,= from 1″ × 1″ up to 12 united inches, or to 9″ × 4″, and up to 30′ long.

=1822. Rolled girder iron,= from 3″ deep to 20″ deep × 10″ flanges, and to 36′ long, in hundreds of sections.

=1823. Zore girders,= from 3″ to 8″ deep, and to 24′ long.

=1824. Channel iron,= from ³⁄₄″ to 12″ wide, and to 25′ long.

=1825. Convex iron,= from 1″ to 6″ wide, and up to 20′ long.

=1826. Cope iron,= from 1″ to 4″ wide, and to 20′ long.

=1827. Half-round iron,= from ¹⁄₂″ to 4″ wide, and to 20′ long.

=1828. Funnel ring iron,= from 3¹⁄₂″ × ³⁄₁₆″ to 8″ × ⁹⁄₁₆″ wide, and up to 18′ long.

=1829. Jackstay iron.=

=1830. Hollow cope iron.=

=1831, 1832, & 1838. Rail sections= (see Section 73), usually made in 18′ to 30′ lengths, and numerous sections of from 22 lbs. to 84 lbs. per yard.

=1833. Bulb ~L~ iron.=

=1834. Deck beam or bulb ~T~ iron,= up to 16″ × 6″.

=1835. Bulb ~L~ iron,= up to 10″ × 4″.

=1836. Bulb iron,= to 13″ wide.

=1837. Pile iron.=

=1839, 1840, & 1841. Flush tram rails,= 18′ to 30′ long.

=1842, 1843, & 1849. Fire bar iron.=

=1844. Double ~L~ iron,= ¹⁄₂″ × 1″ × ¹⁄₂″ to 5″ × 5″ × ¹⁄₂″.

=1845. Cross iron.=

=1846, 1847, & 1853. Sash bar iron.= Hundreds of special sections are manufactured.

=1848. Bevil edge iron.=

=1850. Octagon bar iron.=

=1851. Hexagon bar iron.=

=1852. Tyre iron,= made in many sections. See note to No. 1719.

=1855. Bevilled flat iron.=

=1856. Trough iron.= Used for bridge flooring, fire-proof floors, &c.

=1857. Double convex iron.=

=1858 & 1859. Tramplate iron.=

=1860 & 1861. Chair or sleeper iron.=

=1862. Oval iron.=

=1863, 1864, & 1865. Round edged flats.=

=1866. Segment round iron.=

=1867. Round edged convex iron.=

=1868. Bevilled flat iron.=

=1869. Bevil edge flat iron.=

=1870. Bevilled flat iron.=

=1871. Round edged hollow convex iron.=

=1872. Taper edged hollow convex iron.=

=1873. Boiler tube expansion ring iron.=

=1874. Moulded flat bar.=

In addition to the above, iron ornamental mouldings are rolled with
moulded and relief ornaments in bars, from ⁵⁄₈″ to 2³⁄₄″ wide, and up
to 16′ or 18′ long. Also plain mouldings similar in sections to those
used in joinery.

=Plates= (iron and steel) are manufactured from ¹⁄₈″ to ³⁄₄″ thick
ordinary. Thicker plates are rolled to order up to 20″ thick.

Stocked sizes of ordinary plates are 4′ × 2′ up to 14′ × 4′ 6″.

=Strips= from 7″ to 22″ wide, and up to 30′ long.

=Chequered plates,= with diamond, oval or square recessed patterns,
are made 6′ × 2′ up to 8′ × 3′ 6″.

=Sheets,= plain, in thicknesses from No. 10 w.g. to No. 36 w.g., and
from 6′ × 2′ to 10′ × 4′.

Corrugated sheets, plain or galvanised, from No. 16 to No. 26 w.g.,
and from 6′ × 2′ to 9′ × 2′.

Tinned sheets, same as above.

Cold rolled sheets, same as above.

Planished sheets, same as above.

Lead-coated sheets, same as above.

Tin plates, terne plates, 14″ × 20″, 17″ × 12¹⁄₂″, 15″ × 11″, 14″ ×
10″, 24″ × 20″, 28″ × 10″, 28″ × 20″.

Hoops, from ⁵⁄₈″ to 7″ wide, and from No. 8 to No. 24 w.g.

=1875. Wire; sections manufactured= in hard iron, soft iron, soft steel, hard steel, tempered steel, piano wire, covered wire (wound with either cotton, silk, guttapercha, flax, &c.), or copper wire. Also brass, copper, lead, zinc, and other metal wire, hard or soft; tinned iron wire, galvanised iron wire, tinned brass wire, coppered iron wire, lead-coated iron wire.

=Pipes= (see Section 57) =and tubes= of wrought iron, either butt or
lap welded, or solid drawn, are made in four qualities or
strengths:--1. Gas tube; 2. Steam or water tube; 3. Boiler flue tube;
4. Hydraulic tube. These are manufactured from ¹⁄₄″ to 3″ internal
diameters; boiler flue tubes to 9″ diameter, but much larger sizes can
be made to order.

Solid drawn steel tubes are made up to 10″ diameter; larger sizes are
made to order.

Special steel or wrought iron pipes, flanged with ~L~ iron, are made
up to 4′ diameter with welded joints, and welded steel or wrought iron
socket and spigot pipes up to 24″ diameter.

=Cast iron pipes= are made in the following strengths:--Rainwater
pipes, hot-water pipes, gas mains, water mains, hydraulic mains for
high pressure, and the thicknesses of metal vary according to the
pressures. Diameters from 1¹⁄₂″ up to 4′, and lengths usually 6′ and
9′. See Section 57.

=Castings= are made in cast iron of various mixtures, according to
strength, toughness, or hardness required, and of any weight up to 20
tons. Chilled iron castings are made for hard wear, as in crusher
rolls, &c., but cannot be machined; they are usually ground smooth by
a grindstone or emery wheel.

=Steel castings= are made in either Bessemer, Siemens-Martin,
Thomas-Gilchrist, or in crucible steel, the latter being most relied
upon. They require annealing to soften them sufficiently for
machining, are almost invariably “blown” or honeycombed, and rarely
homogeneous, or twice alike from the same pattern or cast.

=Wrought-iron castings,= Mitis metal, &c., are also obtainable, but
malleable cast iron castings are most relied upon for toughness, the
process having now attained great perfection, but is not applicable to
very thick castings.

Pressed iron on steel forgings of simple forms are now obtainable at
low prices.

=Forgings= in wrought iron and steel can now be made to almost any
size, shape, and weight, and are replacing many structures formerly
made of cast iron or built up.

=Other metals= employed are copper, brass, tin, zinc, phosphor-bronze,
lead, antimony, bismuth, pewter, Muntz metal, aluminium, sodium,
potassium, platinum, gold, silver, nickel, and a great variety of the
bronzes, which are valuable compounds varying in tenacity and hardness
from the hardest steel to that of soft copper. Most of the above are
manufactured into wire, sheets, tubes, rods, &c., and can in addition
be cast into any form from a crucible. Copper can be forged but not
welded; joints in it are generally brazed or soldered.

=Other materials= employed comprise--

=Timber.= Yellow, white, and red pine in logs, deals, and battens;
logs, up to about 3′ diameter by 35′ to 40′ long; deals, 9″, 10″, and
11″ wide, and from 1¹⁄₂″ to 4″ thick--a few wide deals are imported up
to 22″ wide--spruce and fir, sycamore, pear tree, willow, poplar, &c.
The following table gives a list of woods and their applications:--

TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE WOODS COMMONLY IN USE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

FOR BUILDING.

_Ship-building._--Cedars, deals, elms, firs, larches, locust, oaks, &c., &c.

_Wet works, as piles, foundations, &c._--Alder, beech, elm, oak, plane-tree, white cedar.

_House carpentry._--Deals, oaks, pines, sweet chestnut.

FOR MACHINERY AND MILL-WORK.

_Frames, &c._--Ash, beech, birch, deals, elm, mahogany, oak, pines.

_Rollers, &c._--Box, lignum vitæ, mahogany.

_Teeth of wheels, &c._--Crab-tree, hornbeam, locust.

_Foundry patterns._--Alder, deal, mahogany, pine.

FOR TURNERY.

_Common wood for toys (softest)._--Alder, beech (small), birch (small), sallow, willow.

_Best woods for Tunbridge ware._--Holly, horse chestnut, sycamore (white woods); apple-tree, pear-tree, plum-tree (brown woods).

_Hardest English woods._--Beech (large), box, elm, oak, walnut.

FOR FURNITURE.

_Common furniture and inside works._--Beech, birch, cedars, cherry-tree, deal, pines.

_Best furniture._--Amboyna, black ebony, cherry-tree, Coromandel, mahogany, maple, oak (various kinds), rose-wood, satin-wood, sandal-wood, sweet chestnut, sweet cedar, tulip-wood, walnut, zebra-wood.

_Foreign hard woods, several of which are only used for ornamental turnery._--

1. Amboyna. 13. Greenheart. 25. Peruvian.
2. Beef-wood. 14. Grenadillo. 26. Princes-wood.
3. Black Bot. B. wood. 15. Iron-wood. 27. Purple-wood.
4. Black ebony. 16. King-wood. 28. Red sanders.
5. Box-wood. 17. Lignum vitæ. 29. Rosetta.
6. Brazil-wood. 18. Locust. 30. Rose-wood.
7. Braziletto. 19. Mahogany. 31. Sandal-wood.
8. Bullet-wood. 20. Maple. 32. Satin-wood.
9. Cam-wood. 21. Mustaiba. 33. Snake-wood.
10. Cocoa-wood. 22. Olive-tree & root. 34. Tulip-wood.
11. Coromandel. 23. Palmyra. 35. Yacca-wood.
12. Green ebony. 24. Partridge-wood. 36. Zebra-wood.

Nos. 3, 8, 16, 33, and 34 are frequently scarce.

Nos. 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 are generally close, hard, even tinted, and the
more proper for eccentric turning, but others may also be employed.

Nos. 4, 5, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 30, 32 are generally abundant and
extensively used. All the woods may be used for plain turning.

MISCELLANEOUS PROPERTIES.

_Elasticity._--Ash, hazel, hickory, lance-wood, sweet chestnut
(small), snake-wood, yew.

_Inelasticity and toughness._--Beech, elm, lignum vitæ, oak, walnut.

_Even grain, proper for carving._--Lime-tree, pear-tree, pine.

_Durability in dry works._--Cedar, oak, poplar, sweet chestnut, yellow
deal.

_Colouring matter_ (_red dyes_).--Brazil, braziletto, cam-wood,
log-wood Nicaragua, red sanders, sapan-wood.

_Colouring matter_ (_green dye_).--Green ebony.

_Colouring matter_ (_yellow dyes_).--Fustic, zantes.

_Scent._--Camphor wood, cedar, rose-wood, sandal-wood, satin-wood,
sassafras.

=Indiarubber,= manufactured into sheets, with or without canvas insertion of single, double, or treble thickness, up to 36″ wide and to ¹⁄₂″ thick; cord to 1″ diameter; tubes, plain, or with canvas insertion or wire coiled inside or outside, from ¹⁄₄″ to 4″ bore, usually in 30′ and 60′ lengths. Washers, rings, rollers, strips, belts, and moulded articles of every form.

=Guttapercha= is manufactured into similar articles.

=Leather.= Most of the varieties are manufactured from the skins of oxen, sheep, goats, deer, horses, dogs, hogs, and seals, and the larger skins are divided into butts, shoulders, cheeks, and bellies, the dimensions depending of course upon the size of the animals. Ox hides are the largest and kid skins the smallest in general use.

For mechanical purposes ox hide, raw or tanned, is chiefly used, as
for valves, seatings, belts, piston leathers, &c. Sheep skins can be
obtained either strained, half-strained, or unstrained; the first are
hard and comparatively stiff, the last-named soft and pliable as
cloth. Other soft varieties are goats’ skins and chamois leather.
There are many imitations of leather, but they are rarely employed in
mechanical constructions.

=Vulcanised fibre= is often used for similar purposes to leather, as for valves, seatings, joints, &c. It is made in two varieties, medium and hard, and in sheets up to 1″ thick.

=Ebonite.= A hard, black, horny substance, moulded into any required shape.

=Papier mâché.= Solid paper, moulded from pulp into any required form.

=Asbestos,= in sheets, cord, packing of various sections, loose fibre, millboard, &c.

=Ivory,= from tusks and teeth.

=Bone.=

=Vegetable ivory;= nuts about the size of eggs.

Packings for glands, &c., are made of cotton, hemp, and other fibres,
asbestos, indiarubber, &c., in round, square, and other sections.