Issue 2

Mr. H. KAYLOR (Associate-Member) asked whether there was any special reason for deciding that the test load should be equal to the design load. He would have thought that 1 1/2 times, or at my rate some bigger load than the design load, would have been applied as a test.

Most structural engineers realise that modern developments in Soil Mechanics can be of great value in the economical and efficient design of structures of all kinds. Theory and research have produced a mass of information on this subject, much of it still controversial, but its full application to practical engineering problems appears to lag behind. The object of this paper is to review the position of the science of Soil Mechanics in relation to certain aspects of structural engineering, to point out some of the gaps in our present knowledge and to indicate the lines on which design methods should be adapted so as to make the most efficient use of the available knowledge. P.L. Capper

Members of the Institution who were acquainted with Mr. C. F. Priestley, a former Member, will regret to learn that he died at Parramatta General Hospital, Australia, on November 13th, 1952, after a heart seizure.

In the last twenty-five years large numbers of brick walls and piers have been tested at the Building Research Station. The results of these tests are examined in relation to the design recommendations given in Code of Practice CPIII (1948) “Structural Recommendations for Load-bearing Walls.” As a result, modifications are suggested which lead to a more reasonable distribution of load factor than that obtained by adopting the present Code recommendations. F.G. Thomas