Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

A REMARKABLE BRIDGE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE OVER THE RIVER SAMBRE AT NAMUR. (Photo, Messrs. L. G. Mouchel and Partners.) CONSTRUCTION. BY W. NOBLE TWELVETREES, M.Inst.Mech.E. This Article explains, in a simple and lucid manner, the principles of Reinforced Concrete, also called Ferro-Concrete. The advantages of using concrete and steel in scientifically regulated combination have been proved in many branches of architecture and engineering, and we may anticipate a huge development of this peculiarly versatile and wonderful form of construction. IN ordinary buildings of stone and brick, and in many engineering works, the methods employed to-day are not essen- tially different from those practised thousands of years ago. Blocks of stone or bricks are piled one above another and insecurely cemented by mortar, with the result that the stability of structures so erected depends mainly upon the weight and compressive strength of the materials used. It is quite true that by building walls, piers, towers, and other fabrics of sufficient thick- ness, they can be made to stand against any required vertical or horizontal i . „ Development, pressure; but the waste of material and labour is very great. Moreover, this way of going to work often involves the uneconomical appropriation of valuable land, and the troubles du© to the unequal compres- sion of yielding soil under the unnecessarily heavy deadweight of solid masonry. As an alternative to massive stone and