Excerpt from The Design of Masonry Structures and Foundations Due to investigations, both analytical and experimental, that have been made in recent years of the properties of masonry materials, the forces to which masonry structures are subjected, and the behavior of such structures, masonry design and construction have largely passed from the status of an art to that of a science, much as did bridge design after the invention of methods for calculating stresses in truss members. The extensive use of concrete with the studies that have been made to improve its quality and to secure economy in its use, and the development of reinforced concrete, a masonry material capable of sustaining tensile strains and requiring a stress analysis in order to proportion the steel, have contributed largely to this changed status in the design of masonry structures. This scientific understanding of masonry design has widened the use of masonry to include many structures for which other materials formerly were used exclusively, although for the most part, notwithstanding their diversity, these structures can be grouped about a comparatively few representative types. The soft and pleasing hues and outlines of masonry structures as well as their durability have appealed to builders from time immemorial, and masonry still offers the best means of building artistically and strongly with the economy that results from permanence. Moreover, there is an increasing demand in the design of engineering structures to secure not only stability and economy but something of elegance, grace and beauty in addition. Since good architectural treatment can be secured with but slight if any increase in the cost, it is appropriate that this phase of design should be given special attention in planning masonry structures. The present volume was prepared with a view to furnishing a textbook embodying these ideas. An attempt has been made to offer a mode of analyzing forces and calculating resulting stresses and to indicate an acceptable method of design. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.