Volume Eleven - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - some more aspects - Large Testing Machines in South Wales, 1829-1906 . . .

Large Testing Machines in South Wales, 1829-1906

By Mr. J Hartley Wicksteed, Past-President, of Leeds.

The Author has on previous occasions contributed to the Proceedings of this Institution Papers on the Single-Lever Vertical Testing Machine of the horizontal type.

There has been installed at Lloyd's Bute Proving House, Cardiff, a 350-ton horizontal machine of the author's design, for the purpose of testing the largest anchors used in the British Navy, or the mercantile marine, with the statutory proof-load, and for ascertaining the breaking load of the largest cables now used.

	Figures 1 and 2 - Large Testing Machine - Tests on  350-ton Horizontal Machine.
	Figure 3 - Large Testing Machine - Tests on  350-ton Horizontal Machine.

No. 12 sample stood 350.0 tons without and sign of defect. These latter three links elongated 2.42 in. at 265.7 tons and 5.7 in. at 350 tons. A similar sample of chains stood 370 tons without showing any signs of defect. These particulars with Figs. 1, 2, and 3, have been contributed to this Paper by Mr. George W. Penn, Superintendent of Lloyd's Bute Proving House. They will enable members to realise at the outset the kind of work which the 350-ton testing-machine is used for.