The Sixth Order. The Architecture of Concrete

BEFORE opening the steel section of the discussion, I should like to say that I hold no brief for any one water-tight section. To my mind a structural engineer should be able and free to design and construct in any material, according to its suitability for the work in hand. A.J. Hodgkinson

ABOUT three months ago I was rash enough to allow my name to go forward as the chief advocate of reinforced concrete in this discussion, but I felt quite safe because I knew that I had got the better end of the stick. The advantages of reinforced concrete are so obvious, and the disadvantages of structural steel so patent that I have really very little to do, whereas, thought I, my friend, Mr. Hodgkinson has let himself in for a pretty tough job. Anyhow, when I found that there was only a week or so to go, I sat down to make out my case, and as I did so, I realised that even the best of cases must be carefully thought out beforehand. I realised that there would be men present, who, like most men born of woman, would not be entirely given to logical reasoning. Furthermore, I realised that many a righteous cause has been lost because it relied too much upon reason, and did not take into account the impressionable and illogical side of man’s nature. N.B. Liversedge

In May and June of 1931 a series of tests was carried out by the Masonry Sectional Committee of the Institution’s Science Committee to determine the effect of Steel Bearing Plates in spreading the reaction load of a beam on to a brick wall. The results, published in The Structural Engineer of February, 1932, and subsequently issued in pamphlet form, showed that the effect of a thin plate was very small, and that, unless plates considerably thicker than those customarily used were provided, some other substitute for a padstone must be sought, or the load restricted to about 15 tons per sq. ft. of actual bearing area of the joist flange on the wall.