The design of column bases in single storey buildings

Welding has long been considered as the art of uniting pieces of similar metals by ham- mering or compression when raised to a temperature short of the fusing point; but today a broader interpretation must be accepted to include autogenous soldering in which fusion occurs, and any added metal is similar to the pieces to be joined together in firm union. Such autogenous soldering has long been practised with lead. J Caldwell

THE CHAIRMAN (Mr. H. J. Deane, Past President) said he might possibly add to what Mr. Burns had said in connection with “ slump,’’ referred to on page 440. Some might wonder why the engineers carrying out this work should have made a point of having this slump taken, but Mr. Burns, quite rightly, had not mentioned the question of specification. He had been dealing solely with the difficulties and intricacies of foundations which were rather out of the ordinary. I n order, however, to obtain satisfactory results, bearing in mind the fact that the Contractors desired to use chutes for placing the concrete, one had to arrange a specification which would meet these conditions, and at the same time give the amount of strength that was necessary for the work in general.

Sir,- Is there not a demand for a publication of steel details for buildings only(apart from other engineering practice), say a series of loose sheets in, a small portfolio?-taken from drawings with few photographic reproductions and following up-to-date conditions, standardised as much as possible and very little letter press; also dealing with roofs of all types and spans to 100 ft., floors, girders, theatrical conditions, frame buildings, etc., on the lines of the “Practical Exemplar of Architecture,” by Mervyn McCartney.