626

THEORY or AUCHITFXTUIIE.
Book 1
1.
be slunji; for increasing tlie stiHiicss
of llie tie beam ad infinitum in theory,
but not in practice, because theconi-
pressibility of the fibres of timber is
considerable in lines perpendicular
to their direction, and the contraction
and expansion of metal places a limit
to its. use. This compression of tim-
FiR. GS3.
Fig. 68).
ber deserves great attention on the part of the architect. We may lay down as a rula
in respect to it that the more the weights or pressures act in the direction of the fibres,
the less will be the compiession.
2033. To exemplify this,
fig.
684. shows in No. 1. the principal rafters of a rool
butting in an ordinary roof, against
the slioulders AB, CD of the king-
post, whose fibres, being vertical, are
compressed by the pressure against it,
on each side of the rafters, wliereby
tliey a])proach each other, causing
the whole figure of the roof to suffer
a change. For by the action of coin-
])ression and its conse(iuence the kingpost must descend, and with it, consequently, the tie
beam which is slung up to it. To remedy the inconvenience in roofs constructed of fir, the
kingpost is often made of oak, which is less comjiressible, a practice which should
be
ol)served in all roofs of consequence. But cast iron kingposts are the best substitute where
the expense can be justified. In No. 2. the end is accomjjlished mucli more economi-
cally by Uonsing the rafters in the head of the kingpost at the angle in which the rafters
meet, by which tlie fibres of the rafters butt against each other, bringing the compression
nearer to that which takes place in a post according as the rafters are less inclined to each
oilier, and tlie beam is then literally suspended from the vertical planes of the rafters at
their junction.
2034. When a roof
(_^^.
685. ) is trussed by two upright suspending posts, which bft-
come necessary in increased spans,
such j)osts, AB, CD, are called queen-
posts, and the piece between them,
BD, is called a collar, which acts as
a straining piece to prevent the heads
of the queen-posts moving out of
tiieir places towards each other. It
will on mere inspection be seen that
this roof has tliree points of supjjort, B, K, and D; for by means of the struts AE, EC, a
new suspending point is gained from E for sustaining the tie beam between the points A
and C. It is also to be observed that the collar or straining jiiece BD jierforms in this
assemblage an office exactly the reverse of that which it does
\nfig.
681.
20"5. The Mansard roof, so called from its inventor's name, and witii us called a Curh
roof, f're(iuently used for the purpose of keeping down the Iieiglit of a building, and at
the same time of obtaining sleeping or other rooms in it, is shown in
figs.
686 and 687. It
may be considered as primarily
,;
consisting of four pieces of timber
connected by liinges at the points
ABCDE. If these be inverted,
they will arrange themselves Iiy
their gravity in such a manner that
when returned to their first position
they remain in a state of equili-
brium, which, however, in practice
is but a tottering one, and requires
additional expedients to jirevent
the whole assemblage thrusting out
the walls; and, moreover, to pre-
vent the upper rafters from acting
by their thrust to displace the lower
ones. To obtain these ends the
first object is to introduce the tie
'^'" ''^*'-
^'^
*'^^-
AE
;
and, secondly, the tie BD. It is to l)e understood that means are to be used, when
needed from their lengtii, to prevent these beams from bending, similar to those already
directed in the cases of simple
trusses. Fig. 686 is an exainjjle seKcted from Kralli,
(^Art. de la Charpente, fol.
1805), having an arched ceiling to give additional height to