(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis 6th

Edition by Aslam Kassimali

Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-analysis-6th-edition-by-aslam-k
assimali/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Structural Analysis-SI Edition Aslam Kassimali - eBook

PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/structural-analysis-si-edition-
ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis, SI Edition 6th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-analysis-si-
edition-6th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis 8th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-analysis-8th-
edition/

(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis 9th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-analysis-9th-
edition/
Structural Analysis 8th Edition by Russell C. Hibbeler
(eBook PDF)

http://ebooksecure.com/product/structural-analysis-8th-edition-
by-russell-c-hibbeler-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis 10th Edition by Russell

C. Hibbeler

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-
analysis-10th-edition-by-russell-c-hibbeler/

(eBook PDF) Fundamentals of Structural Analysis 5th

Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-fundamentals-of-
structural-analysis-5th-edition/

Structural Analysis in SI Units 10th Edition Hibbeler -

eBook PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/structural-analysis-in-si-units-
ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Structural Analysis in SI Units Global

Edition 10th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-structural-analysis-in-
si-units-global-edition-10th-edition/
 , ..,

ASLAM KASSIMALI
~-....
'~ (ENGAGE

Structural Analysis, Sixth Edition © 2020, 2015, 2011 Cengage Learning, Inc.
Aslam Kassimali Unless otherwise noted, all content is© Cengage

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein

Product Director, Global Engineering: may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, except as

Timothy L. Anderson permitted by U.S. copyright law, without the prior written permission of the
copyright owner.
Senior Product Assistant: Alexander Sham

Associate Marketing Manager: Tori Sitcawich

For product information and technology assistance, contact us at
Content Manager: Samantha Gomez Cengage Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706
or support.cengage.com.
IP Analyst: Nancy Dillon

IP Project Manager: Jillian Shafer For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all
request s online at www.cengage.com/permissions.
Pro duction Service: RPK Editorial
Services, Inc.

Compositor: SPi Global Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958091

Senior Designer: Diana Graham

Stu dent Edition:
Cover Image: Felix Lipov/ShutterStock.com
ISBN: 978-1-337-63093-1
Manufacturing Planner: Doug Wilke
Loose-leaf Edition:
ISBN: 978-0-35703096-7

Cengage
20 Channel Center Street
Boston, MA 02210
USA

(engage is a leading provider of customized learning solutions with

employees residing in nearly 40 different countries and sales in more
than 125 countries around the world. Find your local representative at
www.cengage.com.

(engage products are represented in Canada by Nelson Education, Ltd.

To learn more about Cengage platforms and services, register or access

your online learning solution, or purchase materials for your course, visit
www.cengage.com.

Printed in the United States of America

Print N umber: 01 Print Year: 201 8
IN MEMORY OF AMI AND APAJAN
 Contents

Preface xiii
••
About the Author XVII

PART1 INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND LOADS 1

1 Introduction to Structural Analysis 3

1.1 Historical Background 3

1.2 Role of Structural Analysis in Structural Engineering Projects 5
1.3 Classification of Structures 7
1.4 Analytical Models 12
Summary 16

2 Loads on Structures 17

2.1 Structural Systems for Transmitting Loads 18

2.2 Dead Loads 29
2.3 Live Loads 31
2.4 Classification of Buildings for Environmental Loads 34
2.5 Wind Loads 35
2.6 Snow Loads 41
2.7 Earthquake Loads 44
2.8 Hydrostatic and Soil Pressures 45
2.9 Thermal and Other Effects 45
2.10 Load Combinations 46
Summary 46
Problems 48

••
VII
viii Contents

PART2 ANALYSIS OF STATICALLY DETERMINATE STRUCTURES 51

3 Equilibrium and Support Reactions 53

3.1 Equilibrium of Structures 53

3.2 External and Internal Forces 56
3.3 Types of Supports for Plane Structures 56
3.4 Static Determinacy, Indeterminacy, and Instability 58
3.5 Computation of Reactions 69
3.6 Principle of Superposition 85
3.7 Reactions of Simply Supported Structures Using
Proportions 86
Summary 88
Problems 89

4 Plane and Space Trusses 97

4.1 Assumptions for Analysis of Trusses 99

4.2 Arrangement of Members of Plane Trusses Internal
Stability 103
4.3 Equations of Condition for Plane Trusses 107
4.4 Static Determinacy, Indeterminacy, and Instability of Plane
Trusses 107
4.5 Analysis of Plane Trusses by the Method of Joints 113
4.6 Analysis of Plane Trusses by the Method of Sections 126
4.7 Analysis of Compound Trusses 132
4.8 Complex Trusses 137
4.9 Space Trusses 138
Summary 147
Problems 148

5 Beams and Frames: Shear and Bending Moment 161

5.1 Axial Force, Shear, and Bending Moment 161

5.2 Shear and Bending Moment Diagrams 168
5.3 Qualitative Deflected Shapes 172
5.4 Relationships between Loads, Shears, and Bending Moments 173
5.5 Static Determinacy, Indeterminacy, and Instability of Plane
Frames 192
5.6 Analysis of Plane Frames 200
Summary 213
Problems 215
 •
Contents IX

6 Deflections of Beams: Geometric Methods 224

6.1 Differential Equation for Beam Deflection 225

6.2 Direct Integration Method 227
6.3 Superposition Method 231
6.4 Moment-Area Method 231
6.5 Bending Moment Diagrams by Parts 243
6.6 Conjugate-Beam Method 247
Summary 262
Problems 262

7 Deflections of Trusses, Beams, and Frames: Work-Energy Methods 268

7.1 Work 268

7.2 Principle of Virtual Work 270
7.3 Deflections of Trusses by the Virtual Work Method 274
7.4 Deflections of Beams by the Virtual Work Method 283
7.5 Deflections of Frames by the Virtual Work Method 295
7.6 Conservation of Energy and Strain Energy 306
7.7 Castigliano's Second Theorem 309
7.8 Betti's Law and Maxwell's Law of Reciprocal Deflections 317
Summary 319
Problems 320

8 Influence Lines 329

8.1 Influence Lines for Beams and Frames by Equilibrium

Method 330
8.2 Miiller-Breslau's Principle and Qualitative Influence Lines 344
8.3 Influence Lines for Girders with Floor Systems 356
8.4 Influence Lines for Trusses 366
8.5 Influence Lines for Deflections 377
Summary 380
Problems 380

9 Application of Influence Lines 387

9.1 Response at a Particular Location Due to a Single Moving Concen-

trated Load 387
9.2 Response at a Particular Location Due to a Uniformly Distributed
Live Load 389
x Contents

9.3 Response at a Particular Location Due to a Series of Moving

Concentrated Loads 393
9.4 Absolute Maximum Response 400
Summary 405
Problems 406

1O Analysis of Symmetric Structures 408

10.1 Symmetric Structures 408

10.2 Symmetric and Antisymmetric Components of Loadings 414
10.3 Behavior of Symmetric Structures under Symmetric
and Antisymmetric Loadings 424
10.4 Procedure for Analysis of Symmetric Structures 428
Summary 435
Problems 436

PART3 ANALYSIS OF STATICALLY INDETERMINATE STRUCTURES 439

11 Introduction to Statically Indeterminate Structures 441

11.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Indeterminate Structures 442

11.2 Analysis of Indeterminate Structures 445
Summary 449

12 Approximate Analysis of Rectangular Building Frames 450

12.1 Assumptions for Approximate Analysis 451

12.2 Analysis for Vertical Loads 454
12.3 Analysis for Lateral Loads Portal Method 458
12.4 Analysis for Lateral Loads Cantilever Method 473
Summary 480
Problems 480

13 Method of Consistent Deformations Force Method 483

13.1 Structures with a Single Degree of Indeterminacy 484

13.2 Internal Forces and Moments as Redundants 504
13.3 Structures with Multiple Degrees of Indeterminacy 515
13.4 Support Settlements, Temperature Changes, and Fabrication
Errors 537
13.5 Method of Least Work 545
Summary 551
Problems 552
 •
Contents XI

14 Influence Lines for Statically Indeterminate Structures 559

14.1 Influence Lines for Beams and Trusses 560

14.2 Qualitative Influence Lines by Mtiller-Breslau's Principle 575
Summary 579
Problems 580

15 Slope-Deflection Method 583

15.1 Slope-Deflection Equations 584

15.2 Basic Concept of the Slope-Deflection Method 591
15.3 Analysis of Continuous Beams 598
15.4 Analysis of Frames without Sides way 617
15.5 Analysis of Frames with Sides way 625
Summary 643
Problems 643

16 Moment-Distribution Method 648

16.1 Definitions and Terminology 649

16.2 Basic Concept of the Moment-Distribution Method 657
16.3 Analysis of Continuous Beams 665
16.4 Analysis of Frames without Sidesway 678
16.5 Analysis of Frames with Sidesway 681
Summary 696
Problems 697

17 Introduction to Matrix Structural Analysis 702

17.1 Analytical Model 703

17.2 Member Stiffness Relations in Local Coordinates 707
17.3 Coordinate Transformations 714
17.4 Member Stiffness Relations in Global Coordinates 719
17.5 Structure Stiffness Relations 721
17.6 Procedure for Analysis 728
Summary 745
Problems 745

APPENDIX A Areas and Centroids of Geometric Shapes 747

xii Contents

APPENDIX B Review of Matrix Algebra 7 49

B.1 Definition of a Matrix 749

B.2 Types of Matrices 750
B.3 Matrix Operations 752
B.4 Solution of Simultaneous Equations by the Gauss-Jordan
Method 758
Problems 762

APPENDIX C Computer Software 763

C.1 Starting the Computer Software 763

C.2 Inputting Data 763
C.3 Results of the Analysis 769
Problems 774

APPENDIX D Three-Moment Equation 775

D.1 Derivation of Three-Moment Equation 77 5

D.2 Application of Three-Moment Equation 780
Summary 786
Problems 787

Bibliography 789
Answers to Selected Problems 791
Index 799
Preface

The objective of this book is to develop an understanding of the basic

principles of structural analysis. Emphasizing the intuitive classical approach,
Structural Analysis covers the analysis of statically determinate and
indeterminate beams, trusses, and rigid frames . It also presents an introduction
to the matrix analysis of structures.
The book is divided into three parts. Part One presents a general intro-
duction to the subject of structural engineering. It includes a chapter devoted
entirely to the topic of loads because attention to this important topic is gen-
erally lacking in many civil engineering curricula. Part Two, consisting of
Chapters 3 through 10, covers the analysis of statically determinate beams,
trusses, and rigid frames. The chapters on deflections (Chapters 6 and 7) are
placed before those on influence lines (Chapters 8 and 9) so that influence
lines for deflections can be included in the latter chapters. This part also
contains a chapter on the analysis of symmetric structures (Chapter 10).
Part Three of the book, Chapters 11 through 17, covers the analysis of
statically indeterminate structures. The format of the book is flexible to
enable instructors to emphasize topics that are consistent with the goals of
the course.
Each chapter of the book begins with an introductory section defining its
objective and ends with a summary section outlining its salient features . An
important general feature of the book is the inclusion of step-by-step proce-
dures for analysis to enable students to make an easier transition from theory
to problem solving. Numerous solved examples are provided to illustrate the
application of the fundamental concepts.
A computer program for analyzing plane framed structures is available
on the publisher's website at https://login.cengage.com. It is also available at
https://www.cengage.com/engineering/kassimali/software. This interactive
software can be used to simulate a variety of structural and loading configu-
rations and to determine cause versus effect relationships between loading and
various structural parameters, thereby enhancing the students' understanding
of the behavior of structures. The software shows deflected shapes of struc-
tures to enhance students' understanding of structural response due to vari-
ous types of loadings. It can also include the effects of support settlements,

•••
XIII
xiv Preface

temperature changes, and fabrication errors in the analysis. A solutions man-

ual, containing complete solutions to over 600 text exercises, is also available
for the instructor.

Building upon the original theme of this book, which is that detailed explanations
of concepts provide the most effective means of teaching structural analysis, the
following improvements and changes have been made in this sixth edition:

• Over 20 percent of the problems from the previous edition have been
replaced with new ones.

• The chapter on loads has been revised to meet the provisions

of the ASCE/SEI 7- 16 Standard and the latest AASHTO-LRFD
Specifications.

• The content of the chapter on the application of influence lines has

been updated to incorporate the current HL-93 truck/tandem loadings
as per AASHTO-LRFD Specifications.

• Throughout the book, there are numerous other revisions to enhance

clarity and reinforce concepts. These include several new and
upgraded examples in Chapters 3, 5, 10, 13, 15, 16 and in Appendix C,
as well as an expanded discussion of the analysis of plane frames via
classical versus matrix methods (Chapter 17).
• Some photographs have been replaced with new ones, and the page
layout has been redesigned to enhance clarity.
• Finally, the computer software has been upgraded and recompiled to
make it compatible with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows.

Ancillaries for the Sixth Edition

Worked-out solutions to all end-of-chapter problems are provided in the
Instructors Solutions Manual and are available digitally to registered instruc-
tors on the instructor resources web site. Image Banks containing every figure
in the book are also available at https://login.cengage.com. The computer pro-
gram for analyzing plane framed structures is available for both students and
instructors through either https://login.cengage.com or https://www.cengage
.com/engineering/kassimali/ software.

I wish to express my thanks to Timothy Anderson, Mona Zeftel, and Alexander

Sham of Cengage Leaming for their constant support and encouragement
throughout this project, and to Rose Kernan for all her help during the
 Preface xv

production phase. The comments and suggestions for improvement from

colleagues and students who have used previous editions are gratefully
acknowledged. All of their suggestions were carefully considered, and
implemented whenever possible. Thanks are due to the following reviewers
for their careful reviews of the manuscripts of the various editions, and for
their constructive suggestions:

AyoAbatan George Kostyrko

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and California State University
State University E. W. Larson
Riyad S. Aboutaha California State University/
Syracuse University Northridge
Osama Abudayyeh Yue Li
Western Michigan University Michigan Technological
Thomas T. Baber University
University of Virginia Roberto Lopez-Anido
Gordon B. Batson University of Maine
Clarkson University Eugene B. Loverich
George E. Blandford Northern Arizona University
University of Kentucky Lee L. Lowery, Jr.
Ramon F. Borges Texas A&M University
Penn State/Altoona College Eric M . Lui
Kenneth E. Buttry Syracuse University
University of Wisconsin L. D. Lutes
Steve C. S. Cai Texas A&M University
Louisiana State University David Mazurek
William F. Carroll US Coast Guard Academy
University of Central Florida Ghyslaine McClure
Malcolm A . Cutchins McGill University
Auburn University Ahmad N amini
Jack H. Emanuel University of Miami
University of Missouri- Rolla Farhad Reza
Fouad Fanous Minnesota State University,
Iowa State University Mankato
Leon Feign Dominik Schillinger
Fairfield University University of Minnesota
Robert Fleischman Arturo E. Schultz
University of Notre Dame North Carolina State University
Ahmed Ibrahim Jason Stewart
University of Idaho Arkansas State University
Robert I. Johnson Elaina J. Sutley
Colorado State University University of Kansas
Changhong Ke Kassim Tarhini
SUNY, Binghamton Valparaiso University
xvi Preface

Robert Taylor Nicholas Willems

Northeastern University University of Kansas
Jale Tezcan John Zachar
Southern Illinois University Milwaukee School of
C. C. Tung Engineering
North Carolina State Mannocherh Zoghi
University University of Dayton

Finally, I would like to express my loving appreciation to my wife,

Maureen, for her constant encouragement and help in preparing this manu-
script, and to my sons, Jamil and Nadim, for their love, understanding, and
patience.

Aslam Kassimali
About the Author

Aslam Kassimali was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He received his Bachelor

of Engineering (B.E.) degree in civil engineering from the University of
Karachi (N.E.D. College) in Pakistan in 1969. In 1971, he earned a Master
of Engineering (M.E.) degree in civil engineering from Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa, USA. After completing further studies and research at the
University of Missouri at Columbia in the USA, he received Master of Science
(M.S.) and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering in 1974 and 1976, respectively.
His practical experience includes work as a Structural Design Engineer
for Lutz, Daily and Brain, Consulting Engineers, Shawnee Mission, Kansas
(USA), from January to July 1973, and as a Structural Engineering Specialist
and Analyst for Sargent & Lundy Engineers in Chicago, Illinois (USA) from
1978 to 1980. He joined Southern Illinois University Carbondale (USA) as an
Assistant Professor in 1980, and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1993.
Consistently recognized for teaching excellence, Dr. Kassimali has received
over 20 awards for outstanding teaching at Southern Illinois University-
Carbondale, and was awarded the title of Distinguished Teacher in 2004. He
is currently a Professor and Distinguished Teacher in the Department of Civil
& Environmental Engineering at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale,
Illinois (USA). He has authored and co-authored four textbooks on structural
analysis and mechanics, and has published a number of papers in the area of
nonlinear structural analysis.
Dr. Kassimali is a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) and has served on the ASCE Structural Division Committees on Shock
and Vibratory Effects, Special Structures, and Methods of Analysis.

••
XVII
xviii

Available via our digital subscription service, Cengage Unlimited, MindTap Reader is Cengage's next-generation eBook
for enginee1ing students.
The MindTap Reader provides more than just text learning for the student. It offers a variety of tools to help our future
engineers learn chapter concepts in a way that resonates with their workflow and learning styles.

• Personalize their experience

2.2
Within the MindTap Reader, students can high-
light key concepts, add notes, and bookmark
pages. These are collected in My Notes, ensur-
ing they will have their own study guide when it
comes time to study for exams.
Dead Loads
Dend fonds are gravity loads of constant magni tucies and fixed positions that ac
pennanently on the structure. Such loads consist of the weights of the structural
itself and of all other ma terial and equipment permanently attached to the struc
systen1. For example, the dead loads for a building structure include the weights
framing and bracing systems, floors, roofs, ceilings, walls, stairways. healing an
conditioning systems, plun1bing, electrical systems, and so forth.

The weight of the structure is not known in advance of design and is usually assumed based
on past experience. After the structure has been analyzed and the me1nber sizes determined,
the actual weight is computed by using the member sizes and the unit weights of materials.
The actual weight is then compared to the ass inned weight, and the design Is revised if
necessary. The unit weights of some common construction materials are given in Table 2. l.
111e weights of permanent service equipment, such as heating and air-conditioning syste1ns,
are usua.lly obtained fron1 the 1nanufacturer.

• Flexibility at their fingertips

With access to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
Cha •tr Eqllllitbtlum IICl ppor; Rt•~ ns •
•
and the book's internal glossary, students can -1ot19 J Fl4PC.d

personalize their study experience by creating

and collating their own custom flashcards. The
Readspeaker feature reads text aloud to students,
so they can learn on the go- wherever they are.
Exte,--na lf o,·ces Nrxt c ~,d

.
Introduction to Structural
Analysis and Loads
 Introduction to Structural
Analysis
1.1 Historical Background
1.2 Role of Structural Analysis in Structural Engineering Projects
1.3 Classification of Structures
1.4 Analytical Models
Summary

Marina City District, Chicago

Hisham Ibrahim/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images

Structural analysis is the prediction o.f the performance of a given structure

under prescribed loads and/or other external effects, such as support move-
ments and temperature changes. The performance characteristics commonly
of interest in the design of structures are (1) stresses or stress resultants, such
as axial forces, shear forces, and bending moments; (2) deflections; and
(3) support reactions. Thus, the analysis of a structure usually involves deter-
mination of these quantities as caused by a given loading condition. The objec-
tive of this text is to present the methods for the analysis of structures in static
equilibrium.
This chapter provides a general introduction to the subject of structural
analysis. We first give a brief histo1ical background, including names of people
whose work is important in the field. Then we discuss the role of structural
analysis in structural engineering projects. We describe the five common types
of structures: tension and compression structures, trusses, and shear and bend-
ing structures. Finally, we consider the development of the simplified n1odels
of real structures for the purpose of analysis.

Since the dawn of history, structural engineering has been an essential part
of human endeavor. However, it was not until about the middle of the seven-
teenth century that engineers began applying the knowledge of mechanics

3
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Moxon's
mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2)
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Moxon's mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2)

The doctrine of handy-works applied to the art of printing

Annotator: Theodore Low De Vinne

Author: Joseph Moxon

Release date: November 24, 2023 [eBook #72217]

Language: English

Original publication: New York: The Typothetæ of the city of New

York, 1896

Credits: deaurider, Brian Wilsden and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOXON'S

MECHANICK EXERCISES, VOLUME 1 (OF 2) ***
This certifies that four hundred and fifty
copies only, all on hand-made Holland
paper and printed from types, of this
edition of Moxon’s “Mechanick
Exercises,” in two volumes, were
completed in August, 1896, and that the
types have been distributed.

Joseph J. Little.
S. P. Avery.
Walter Gilliss.
Douglas Taylor.
Theo. L. DeVinne.
David Williams.
W. W. Pasko.
Committee of the
Typothetæ.
 MOXON’S

MECHANICK EXERCISES
 The true Effigies of Laurenz Ians Kofter
Delineated from his Monumentall Stone Statue, Erected at
Harlem.
 The true Effigies of Iohn Guttemberg
Delineated from the Original Painting at Mentz in Germanie.

MOXON’S
MECHANICK EXERCISES

OR THE DOCTRINE OF HANDY-WORKS

APPLIED TO THE ART OF

PRINTING
A LITERAL REPRINT IN TWO VOLUMES OF
THE FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED IN THE YEAR 1683

WITH PREFACE AND NOTES BY

THEO. L. DE VINNE

VOLUME I

NEW-YORK
THE TYPOTHETÆ OF THE CITY OF NEW-YORK
MDCCCLXXXXVI
 PREFACE
JOSEPH MOXON was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, England,
August 8, 1627. There is no published record of his parentage or his
early education. His first business was that of a maker and vender of
mathematical instruments, in which industry he earned a memorable
reputation between the years 1659 and 1683. He was not content
with this work, for he had leanings to other branches of the mechanic
arts, and especially toward the designing of letters and the making of
printing-types.
In 1669 he published a sheet in folio under the heading of “Prooves
of the Several Sorts of Letters Cast by Joseph Moxon.” The imprint
is “Westminster, Printed by Joseph Moxon, in Russell street, at the
Sign of the Atlas, 1669.” This specimen of types seems to have been
printed, not to show his dexterity as a type-founder, but to advertise
himself as a dealer in mathematical and scientific instruments. The
reading matter of the sheet describes “Globes Celestial and
Terrestrial, Large Maps of the World, A Tutor to Astronomie and to
Geographie”—all of his own production. Reed flouts the typography
of this sheet: “It is a sorry performance. Only one fount, the Pica, has
any pretensions to elegance or regularity. The others are so clumsily
cut or badly cast, and so wretchedly printed, as here and there to be
almost undecipherable.”[1] The rude workmanship of these early
types proves, as he afterward admitted, that he had never been
properly taught the art of type-founding; that he had learned it, as he
said others had, “of his own genuine inclination.”
It was then a difficult task to learn any valuable trade. The Star
Chamber decree of 1637 ordained that there should be but four type-
founders for the kingdom of Great Britain, and the number of their
apprentices was restricted. When the Long Parliament met in 1640,
the decrees of the Star Chamber were practically dead letters, and
for a few years there was free trade in typography. In 1644 the Star
Chamber regulations were reimposed; in 1662 they were made more
rigorous than ever. The importation of types from abroad without the
consent of the Stationers’ Company was prohibited. British printers
were compelled to buy the inferior types of English founders, who,
secure in their monopoly, did but little for the improvement of
printing.[2]
It is probable that the attention of Moxon was first drawn to type-
founding by the founders themselves, who had to employ mechanics
of skill for the making of their molds and other implements of type-
casting. In this manner he could have obtained an insight into the
mysteries of the art that had been carefully concealed. He did not
learn type-making or printing in the usual routine. The records of the
Company of Stationers do not show that he was ever made a
freeman of that guild, yet he openly carried on the two distinct
businesses of type-founding and printing after 1669. It is probable
that he had a special permit from a higher authority, for in 1665 he
had been appointed hydrographer to the king, and a good salary was
given with the office. He was then devoted to the practical side of
scientific pursuits, and was deferred to as a man of ability.
He published several mathematical treatises between the years
1658 and 1687; one, called “Compendium Euclidis Curiosi,” was
translated by him from Dutch into English, and printed in London in
1677. Mores supposes that he had acquired a knowledge of Dutch
by residence in Holland, but intimates that he was not proficient in its
grammar.[3]
In 1676 he published a book on the shapes of letters, with this
formidable title: “Regulæ Trium Ordinum Literarum
Typographicarum; or the Rules of the Three Orders of Print Letters,
viz: the Roman, Italick, English—Capitals and Small; showing how
they are Compounded of Geometrick Figures, and mostly made by
Rule and Compass. Useful for Writing Masters, Painters, Carvers,
Masons and others that are Lovers of Curiosity. By Joseph Moxon,
Hydrographer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty. Printed for
Joseph Moxon on Ludgate Hill, at the Sign of Atlas, 1676.” He then
dedicated the book to Sir Christopher Wren, “as a lover of rule and
proportion,” or to one who might be pleased with this attempt to
make alphabetical letters conform to geometric rules.
There is no intimation that the book was intended for punch-cutters.
It contains specific directions about the shapes of letters, covering
fifty-two pages, as proper introduction to the thirty-eight pages of
model letters that follow, rudely drawn and printed from copper
plates. Moxon says that these model letters are his copies of the
letters of Christopher Van Dijk, the famous punch-cutter of Holland.
He advises that each letter should be plotted upon a framework of
small squares—forty-two squares in height and of a proportionate
width, as is distinctly shown in the plates of letters in this book.[4]
Upon these squares the draftsman should draw circles, angles, and
straight lines, as are fully set forth in the instructions.
These diagrams, with their accompanying instruction, have afforded
much amusement to type-founders. All of them unite in saying that
the forming of letters by geometrical rule is absurd and
impracticable. This proposition must be conceded without debate,
but the general disparagement of all the letters, in which even Reed
joins, may be safely controverted. It is admitted that the characters
are rudely drawn, and many have faults of disproportion; but it must
not be forgotten that they were designed to meet the most important
requirement of a reader—to be read, and read easily. Here are the
broad hair-line, the stubby serif on the lower-case and the bracketed
serif on the capitals, the thick stem, the strong and low crown on
letters like m and n, with other peculiarities now commended in old-
style faces and often erroneously regarded as the original devices of
the first Caslon. The black-letter has more merit than the roman or
italic. Some of the capitals are really uncouth; but with all their faults
the general effect of a composition in these letters will be found more
satisfactory to the bibliophile as a text-type than any form of pointed
black that has been devised in this century as an improvement.
Moxon confesses no obligation to any one for his geometrical
system, but earlier writers had propounded a similar theory. Books
on the true proportions of letters had been written by Fra Luca
Paccioli, Venice, 1509; Albert Dürer, Nuremberg, 1525; Geofroy Tory,
Paris, 1529; and Yciar, Saragossa, 1548. Nor did the attempt to
make letters conform to geometrical rules end with Moxon. In 1694,
M. Jaugeon, chief of the commission appointed by the Academy of
Sciences of Paris, formulated a system that required a plot of 2304
little squares for the accurate construction of every full-bodied capital
letter. The manuscript and diagrams of the author were never put in
print, but are still preserved in the papers of the Academy.
This essay on the forms of letters seems to have been sent out as
the forerunner of a larger work on the theory and practice of
mechanical arts. Under the general title of “Mechanick Exercises,” in
1677, he began the publication, in fourteen monthly numbers, of
treatises on the trades of the smith, the joiner, the carpenter, and the
turner. These constitute the first volume of the “Mechanick
Exercises.” The book did not find as many buyers as had been
expected. Moxon attributed its slow sale to political excitement, for
the Oates plot put the buying and study of trade books away from
the minds of readers. He had to wait until 1683 before he began the
publication of the second volume, which consists of twenty-four
numbers, and treats of the art of printing only. It is this second
volume that is here reprinted, for the first volume is of slight interest
to the printer or man of letters.
Moxon’s book has the distinction of being not only the first, but the
most complete of the few early manuals of typography. Fournier’s
“Manuel Typographique” of 1764 is the only book that can be
compared with it in minuteness of detail concerning type-making, but
he treats of type-making only. Reed says: “Any one acquainted with
the modern practice of punch-cutting cannot but be struck, on
reading the directions laid down in the ‘Mechanick Exercises,’ with
the slightness of the changes which the manual processes of that art
have undergone during the last two centuries. Indeed, allowing for
improvements in tools, and the greater variety of gauges, we might
almost assert that the punch-cutter of Moxon’s day knew scarcely
less than the punch-cutter of our day, with the accumulated
experience of two hundred years, could teach him.... For almost a
century it remained the only authority on the subject; subsequently it
formed the basis of numerous other treatises both at home and
abroad; and to this day it is quoted and referred to, not only by the
antiquary, who desires to learn what the art once was, but by the
practical printer, who may still on many subjects gather from it much
advice and information as to what it should still be.”[5]
During his business life, Moxon stood at the head of the trade in
England. He was selected to cut a font of type for an edition of the
New Testament in the Irish language, which font was afterward used
for many other books. He cut also the characters designed by
Bishop John Wilkins for his “Essay towards a Real Character and a
Philosophical Language,” and many mathematical and astronomical
symbols. Rowe Mores, who describes him as an excellent artist and
an admirable mechanic, says that he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society in 1678.[6] There is no known record of the date of his
death. Mores gives the year 1683 as the date of his relinquishment
of the business of type-making, but he was active as a writer and a
publisher for some years after.
The first volume of the “Mechanick Exercises,” concerning carpentry,
etc., went to its third edition in 1703, but the second volume, about
printing, has been neglected for two centuries. During this long
interval many copies of the first small edition of five hundred copies
have been destroyed. A perfect copy is rare, and commands a high
price, for no early book on technical printing is in greater request.[7]
The instruction directly given is of value, but bits of information
indirectly furnished are of greater interest. From no other book can
one glean so many evidences of the poverty of the old printing-
house. Its scant supply of types, its shackly hand-presses, its mean
printing-inks, its paper-windows and awkward methods, when not
specifically confessed, are plainly indicated. The high standard of
proof-reading here exacted may be profitably contrasted with its
sorry performance upon the following pages. The garments worn by
the workmen are shown in the illustrations. Some of the quainter
usages of the trade are told in the “Customs of the Chappel,” and
those of the masters, in the ceremonies of the Stationers’ Company,
and in the festivals in which masters and workmen joined. To the
student of printing a reading of the book is really necessary for a
clear understanding of the mechanical side of the art as practised in
the seventeenth century.
 NOTE BY THE PRINTER
This edition of the “Mechanick Exercises” is a line-for-line and page-for-page reprint of the
original text. The only suppression is that of the repetition of the words “Volume II” in the
running title and the sub-titles, which would unnecessarily mislead the reader, and of the old
signature marks that would confuse the bookbinder. Typographic peculiarities have been
followed, even to the copying of gross faults, like doublets, that will be readily corrected by
the reader. The object of the reprint is not merely to present the thought of the author, but to
illustrate the typographic style of his time with its usual defects. A few deviations from copy
that seemed to be needed for a clearer understanding of the meaning of the author have
been specified at the end of the second volume. The irregular spelling and punctuation of
the copy, its capricious use of capitals and italic, its headings of different sizes of type, have
been repeated. At this point imitation has stopped. Turned and broken letters, wrong font
characters, broken space-lines, and bent rules have not been servilely reproduced. These
blemishes, as well as the frequent “monks” and “friars” in the presswork, were serious
enough to prevent an attempt at a photographic facsimile of the pages.
The two copies of Moxon that have served as “copy” for this reprint show occasional
differences in spelling and punctuation. Changes, possibly made in the correction of batters,
or after the tardy discovery of faults, must have been done while the form was on press and
partly printed. The position of the plates differs seriously in the two copies; they do not
follow each other in the numerical order specified. In this reprint the plates that describe
types and tools have been placed near their verbal descriptions.
The type selected for this work was cast from matrices struck with the punches (made about
1740) of the first Caslon. It is of the same large English body as that of the original, but a
trifle smaller as to face, and not as compressed as the type used by Moxon; but it repeats
many of his peculiarities, and fairly reproduces the more important mannerisms of the
printing of the seventeenth century.
The portraits have been reproduced by the artotype process of Bierstadt; the descriptive
illustrations are from the etched plates of the Hagopian Photo-Engraving Company.
 Joseph Moxon.
Born at Wakefeild August. 8.
Anno 1627.