Practical Reinforced Concrete Standards for the Design of Reinforced Concrete Buildings by H. B. Andrews is a compact historical engineering reference. Published by Simpson Bros. Corporation in Boston, it identifies itself as the first edition and first thousand. The copyright page is dated 1908, and the preface is dated Boston, January 1908.
A practical reference for building design
Andrews writes for the architectural designer who needs information in a convenient working form. His preface describes a gap between developing reinforced-concrete theory and material that can be applied readily in ordinary design work. The book therefore emphasizes sections, tables and specifications.
The author says that the tables had been used in designing and constructing large public buildings in Boston and elsewhere. That statement is part of the book’s historical account of its own development. It does not establish that the same tables satisfy present-day building requirements.
Five chapters divide the subject into standard sections, miscellaneous tables, a reinforced-concrete code, standard specifications and foundations. This organization makes the small volume easy to survey and helps a reader locate the type of information being sought.
Standard sections, beams and slabs
The opening chapter treats the design of reinforced-concrete beams. It includes an illustration of the use of diagrams and tables, a typical floor section and bending-moment formulas. Separate diagrams address the design of slabs and bending moments.
Elements of reinforced-concrete beams and working loads for reinforced-concrete columns complete the main topics listed for this chapter. The material combines explanatory discussion with graphical and tabular aids, showing how an early designer might approach repeated calculations.
For readers studying historic structures, the chapter can help explain the vocabulary and presentation of period design documents. A typical section is especially useful as evidence of the arrangement an author expected readers to recognize. It should be read with the surrounding assumptions rather than copied as a current detail.
Reference tables for materials and loads
The second chapter gathers tables on the weight and area of square and round steel rods, welded and expanded metal, proportions of concrete aggregate and the crushing strength of Portland-cement concrete. Material quantities for a sidewalk or floor and safe loads for wooden beams also appear in the contents.
These tables show the range of practical information collected for the designer. Some deal with the geometry or quantity of a material, while others concern its behavior under load. Keeping those purposes distinct is important when interpreting a historical reference.
The tables can support comparisons between period publications and help a researcher understand how work was estimated and described. Their stated units, material assumptions and load conditions matter. They do not replace current product data or engineering calculations for a new project.
Code and specifications
A reinforced-concrete code occupies the third chapter, followed by reinforced-concrete specifications in the fourth. Andrews treats design guidance and construction requirements as related parts of one reference, rather than limiting the book to calculations.
The preface stresses that workmanship and knowledge of the material are important to successful concrete work. The inclusion of specifications reflects that concern. A member’s theoretical capacity is only one part of the wider process of choosing, assembling and placing its materials.
Readers comparing early codes will find this portion useful as a dated source. The wording and requirements belong to the book’s 1908 context. They should not be represented as a current building code or an approval for structural work.
Foundations and the surviving scan
The final chapter covers loading, classes of foundations, foundations directly upon the soil and pile foundations. This extends the book from floors and columns to the support beneath the structure. The contents provide a concise route through those subjects.
This free ebook is intended for historical study by architecture and engineering readers, building researchers and people interested in construction reference books. It preserves 61 PDF pages, including blank pages, with diagrams, tables and printed specifications. The scan is image-based, so it is best browsed visually. Small figures and numerical entries should be read at sufficient magnification and checked in their surrounding context.
Book details
- Author: H. B. Andrews
- Publisher: Simpson Bros. Corporation, Boston
- Year: 1908
- Edition: First edition; first thousand
- Digital length: 61 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 1.93 MB
