Inventing the I-Beam: Richard Turner, Cooper & Hewitt and Others
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Inventing the I-Beam: Richard Turner, Cooper &Hewitt and Others Author(s): Charles E. Peterson Source: Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. 12, No. 4 (1980), pp. 3-28 Published by: Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1493818 . Accessed: 17/09/2013 16:52 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.59.130.200 on Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:52:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions APTVol. X11N' 4 1980 INVENTINGTHE I-BEAM: RICHARDTURNER, COOPER & HEWITTAND OTHERS' by CharlesE. Peterson,F.A.I.A.* Forwell over a centurythe I-beam,rolled first in wroughtiron -the bulb-tee used from1848 on forsupporting fireproof brick and then in steel, has been one of the most widely used building floorsand ceilings. By 1856 a trueI-beam was rolledat Trenton, elementsever invented. The story of itsdevelopment is stillobscure New Jerseyand it was at once adoptedfor the new Federalbuild- at severalpoints. But some notableachievements along the way ings programacross the country. can be reportedas we pick up where the publishedwork of ProfessorRobert A. Jewettof the Universityof Illinoisleft off a dozen years ago.2 The use of simple beamsof wood or stone goes back in time The MalleableIron Deck Beam Butwe are unableto recall ironbeam earlier beyondhistory. any Malleableiron - - buriedin the frontof an old brickfurnace at Coal- tough and fibrous is a distinctlydifferent than one still from on the Severn in the date metal cast iron which it was to supercede as a framing brookdale Shropshirebearing 1638.3 materialin Home of the Abraham famousworks and the Iron the 1840's. Thefirst advance beyond railroad iron came Darby's great in the artof a - of which the bicentennialhas been celebrated- the shipbuilding.John Grantham, consultingengineer Bridge just and navalarchitect, in 1842 to the of valleyof the Severnis richin examplesof engineeringleadership in reported PolytechnicSociety iron. Liverpoolthe successfuluse of a wroughtiron deck beam com- poundedof three L'srivetted together.7 Thirteenmiles to the northwest,in the Ditheringtondistrict of The West of Englandcontinued to be the centerof progress. Shrewsbury,Charles Bage's innovativeflax mill was erected in - 1792.4 Enclosedwithin its brickwalls can still be seen a whole IsambardKingdom Brunel's iron ship Great Britain the wonder of itstime- was underconstruction at Bristolwhen systemcomposed of rowsof columnsand beams engineerJ.R. fireproofframing Hillcarefully described it in the Mechanics' (London)for all of cast ironcarrying shallow brickvaults to supportthe floors Magazine A forwardfrom came with the September10, 1842. The screw-propelledmonster was 320' long above. great step Bage's design with a beam of 51' molded in I-formbut still done in cast iron. (Figures1 & 2). The problemof supportingits beam Scientifically main in the cast iron beams heavilyplanked deck was solved usingcompound beams of developed following years, eventually iron described reached to be such wrought (Figure3) as "barsof apparently3 inch great size.s But, though tending fireproof, with a barof beams were and brittleand to hidden flaws and angle iron, joist 51/2inches rivetedon the side." The heavy subject hullwas floatedin 1843 butthe out continueduntil Decem- suddenfailure as was tragicallydemonstrated in some spectacular fitting berof 1844. The ship surviveda in the FalklandIslands collapses. grounding in 1866 and other mishaps, and it was finally broughtback to Once the advantageof the I-formwas established,the ques- Bristolfor preservation a dozen yearsago. Itnow is unclearif anyof tion was how to produce it in malleable or wroughtiron. The the originaldeck constructionsurvived the variousremodellings dauntingtechnical challenge lay in buildingan apparatusstrong undergonethrough the years. enough to squeeze red hot iron into such a difficultshape. While the GreatBritain was underconstruction a Liverpool Thetechnique of rollingbeams began with the inventionof the team secured patentNo. 10,143 for "CertainImprovements" in modernrailroad rail, a specialform of beam,6and withrolling deck shipbuilding.James Kennedy of the firmof Bury,Curtis and Ken- beamsfor ships. Inthose years the mostenterprising iron masters of nedy and ThomasVernon, IronShip Builder,illustrated in their England,France and Americacame to be pittedagainst each other document enrolled October 15, 1844 thirteendesigns for iron in close rivalry;at times it amountedto an internationaltrade war. beams(Figure 4). Amongthem at smallscale is a trueI-beam with Finally,in the middle 1840's - after strugglesand disappoint- equal flanges, rathersquat in proportions(shown as "Fig. 5"). mentsat the mills- therecame a leap forward.An orderof true Whetherthat section was even producedcommercially-- if at all I-beamswas rolledat West Bromwich,Birmingham in 1845 for a - is not known. But the 7-3/16"bulb-tee lithographed at full size curvedroof. Butit took severalyears more to producethem com- was to have a life of its own when adoptedfor roofconstructions mercially.In the meantime,the Americanshad theirown version ashore. * Charles E. Peterson, F.A.I.A.,is a founder and past president, as well as a life member of the Association for Preservation Technology. The firstof his many articles in the APT Bulletin, "The Technology of EarlyAmerican Building", appeared in Vol. I, No. 1 (then the Newsletter) in April, 1969. A 34-year veteran of the National ParkService, he conceived and implemented The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).Mr. Peterson's contributions to PreservationTechnology are too numerous to list. He lives in Philadelphia and modestly describes himself as "Architectural Historian, Restorationist and Planner." 3 This content downloaded from 128.59.130.200 on Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:52:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions APTVol. XIINo 4 1980 .. ......... MSI... SCRE STE .R ..... SCRE IN .A-ii....T \ ..... i ... II II ? ..:.... t• :: .,? ; ' " ' :I ' "i: -tucedlI?-~~~tLfR~f Idf~~~~~~~~~~~~[-I "--I--- SCREW SIAIRStlIP CRi•.•,Y BRETAC1, 1. A modern drawing of the ship as now docked for historic preservation at Bristol. She has a length of 320 feet and a beam of 51 feet. The Great Britain underwent various alterations in a long, useful life, resting for many years in the Falkland Islands. (From E.C.B. Corlett, "The Steamship Great Britain, Paper No. 1, The Royal Institutionof Naval Architects, Spring Meetings, 1971." Courtesy of the author.) ?... •i,+.,+.+,. _! ; /+, "-+' ' ,,'C ( ;.%<•~r'w' I 'It """ P .,. "7.? >4t twJ\ t, i i +r.-. &,/\, ... .._._..dI~ :9) .....,. clcik... ... i. ?i, ?%•= . .. .f ? t I~i...* -C-.- ..... .? ....?. Ict -.t-?,'-'.tf - ? " ?- 1: . : ' • + ::: -- " ., . -++ .+.. ... .. .:b~d+:+ C: "•- ,+• :: ?>" -• . .., 7.:,. ,,++•. "• .:+..""`• , " " .>.• / ?7 ) ..•• :+ @ •,V -'m..Z.-.,.+...•+ .+• . :,,,•" ,,•...' 2. Cross Section of the engine room of the iron Steamship Great Britain under construction. To engineer/reporter J.R. Hill "the mould lines... appear to be beautiful proportion and harmony... and reflect the greatest credit on the nautical draftsman (I believe Mr. Paterson of Bristol)". The deck beams were a composite of rolled iron shapes rivetted together. (Mechanics' Magazine [Londonl September 10, 1842, p. 219. Courtesy Libraryof Congress.) Plate I The Iron SteamshipGreat Britain(1839-1843) This phenomenal ship was built at Bristolunder the direction of I.K. Brunel, famous engineer of the Great Western Railway. It was the first screw-driven vessel to cross the Atlantic (1845). 4 This content downloaded from 128.59.130.200 on Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:52:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions APTVol. XIIN' 4 1980 The superiorityof a beam rolledall in one piece and strong enoughto supporta floor- if only it could actuallybe done- was clearlyenvisioned by ThomasCubitt, a leading Londonbuilder, duringthe 1845 hearingswhich followedthe collapse of a cotton mill at Oldham. The latter had, unfortunately,relied on the strengthof cast iron. Althoughno subsidyfor researchand de- velopmentwas to be forthcomingfrom Parliament,the structural value of wroughtiron beams and joists was clearly anticipated. Cubitt'sstatement is worthquoting here at length. Much,if not all the riskinvolved in usingiron for beams would be avoided, by the substitutionof wroughtfor cast-iron;but, up to the presenttime, the anxietyfor this change is not widely enough diffused to lead to any immediate practical result in the manufacturingof wrought-ironbeams of suchdimensions as areapplicable to buildingsof the largestsize. And it may be remarked, that the largerthe buildingis, there is generallygreater dangerof failure,with more deplorableresults; conse- 14 quently, the more urgent need there is for increased precaution in providing a correspondingamount of strength,the