This paper describes an investigation into the efrect of "above ground" procedures and equipment involved in the making of the standard penetration test in soil. In the course of the experimental work an ana:qsis of the dynamics of the process was made. Certain conclusions as to the desirability of a truly standardized test were then deduced.

The elastic and plastic behaviour of a wide-flange beam with a large extended opening in the web is investigated theoretically and experimentally for various loading conditions. Two different methods are introduced for calculating the elastic stresses at the boundary of the opening for pure bending and for pure shear. [...]

Several aluminum alloy (Alcan 65S-T) struts of thin-walled open section were tested in compression with concentrically applied loads and using hinged-end supports. The tests were carried out on lipped angles of the same cross-section but of varying length. A range of slenderness ratios from 33.6 to 178.9 was covered and lateral deflections, stresses, and rotations of the struts were measured at intervals in all cases. A comparison was drawn between the experimental results and the failure loads predicted by elastic stability theory. The results were found to be in good general agreement with the computed values for the type of section tested.

It will be readily agreed upon by almost any engineer associated with the structural steel fabricating industry, that one of the most convenient and economical types of structural components in use today is the plate girder. Almost every structure built, which has long spans or has heavy loads to be carried, whether it be a building or a bridge, will have one or several of these most practical members. Until recently, specifications gave sufficiently wide scope to the designer to make these girders applicable in almost any case.

"Soil Mechanics" is the name given to the scientific approach to the understanding of soil action. It may be defined as the science dealing with all phenomena which affect the action of soil in a capacity in any way associated with engineering. It is a pioneer science which has grown very rapidly in the last two decades. Although experimental soil mechanics has been going on ever since man first built structures or tunnelled in the ground, it is the scientific approach to the problem which is only recent.

Almost from the beginning of the use of reinforced concrete as a structural material, attempts were made to improve the quality and strength of the material by applying prestressing forces. In a patent applied for in 1886 entitled "Constructions of Artificial Stone and Concrete Pavements", P. H. Jackson of San Francisco described several methods of applying prestress forces by stretching ties by turnbuckles, screws and nuts and wedges. Later in 1888 C. F. W. Doehring in Germany, and in 1896 J. Mandl in Austria secured patents for applications of steel and concrete that may quite properly be described as prestressed concrete.

Fifteen plate load tests were performed on dry silt (at three different ranges of porosity) using various sizes of model footings. The purpose of these tests was to investigate the compressibility under foundations. After outlining a section of the theory of elasticity, with certain modifications, attempts were made to correlate the experimental results with this theory and to compare them also with previous work carried out in this chapter of soil mechanics. In concluding, recommendations were given as a guide for future research.

Settlement characteristics of silt have been studied in relation to those of sand and clay. This involved investigation of the immediate elastic settlement due to deformation occurring under constant volume, and consolidation as a function of pore pressure dissipation. Oedometer and Triaxial compression tests (undrained and consolidated-undrained) with pore pressure measurements were performed to obtain the values of the parameters my, the modulus of volume change, E, the elastic modulus, and pore pressure coefficient ’A’.

Thin webbed girders have been recognized for a long time as an economical section for taking flexural stress and therefore, are widely used today, not only for stationary structures, but in aircraft and automobile industries as well. However, some restrictions are placed upon the selection of the depth to web thickness (h/t) ratio, in addition to economies.

In view of the apparent conflict of the results obtained by Messrs. R. J. Lindsay and V.A. Vanoni, and especially taking into consideration the probable errors which are relatively large when compared to the variations in turbidity determined, it was concluded that future investigations should be carried out in such a manner as to reduce the probable errors to a minimum. Since the research of R. J. Lindsay was directly concerned with water intakes, and since his conclusions were based on a great many more observations than those of Mr. Vanoni, it may be assumed that his conclusions are more likely to be correct for this specific case, and an attempt should be made to verify them.