HODGKINSON, Eaton Experimental researches on the strength of pillars of cast iron, and other materials. London, Separately issued reprint, with title page, from Vol.130 of the Phil.Trans. of the Royal Society 1840
4to. (ii) + (72)pp numbered 385-456. 3 litho plates, 1 folding and lightly stained. Orig. wrappers. A good copy of a rare item. Skempton No. 661. Eaton Hodgkinson's studies into cast iron marked a crucial breakthrough in the understanding of its strength and behaviour and thus its use as an effective structural material. The present paper, the first systematic investigation into the load-bearing capacities of cast-iron columns, is a milestone in the understanding of this treacherous material. Hodgkinson tested cylindrical, solid and hollow specimens with rounded and with flat ends and his results enabled him to give practical guidelines on their design for architects and engineers. The experiments were carried out under the auspices of William Fairbairn, many of them on a testing machine designed by him (and illustrated here). From his studies, Hodgkinson was able to produce a formula for the design of columns which, although modified and improved by Lewis Gordon and by Rankine, remained standard as long as columns were made in cast iron. The paper, which was read to the Royal Society in 1840, is here in its rare form as a separately issued reprint with its own title page. This copy is also in its original wrappers.
£380
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