TRANSEPT.
Plate XVIII. Fig 1 is a transverse section of one half of the arched roof of the Transept, taken through the lead flat at the north or south end.
Fig 2 is a transverse section of part of the Transept roof and lead flat over the 72 feet span in centre.
Fig 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the roof, showing one bay supported by a 24 feet cast-iron girder D, and a portion of an adjoining bay, supported on the strong 72 feet truss E.
AA are the strong arched wooden ribs, which form the main support of the roof. BB are lighter intermediate wooden ribs, which are supported by wooden purlins CC.
The ribs A rest upon the columns, with the exception of two which are carried over the nave by the deep 72 feet trusses E.
The intermediate ribs B are placed over the 24 feet cast-iron girders D, and the 72 feet truss e.
The ribs A and B carry the sash-bars F, which are placed in a diagonal position, and fixed to the ridges G.
This diagonal position of the bars is adopted for the purpose of delivering the water in the direction of the flow of the gutters, which are formed on the outer surfaces of the ribs A and B.
The whole roof is strengthened by a system of diagonal bracing HH, consisting of six crosses in each bay. A short pillar, or strut I, made of elm, is placed at the intersection of each cross, to connect the bracing to the purlins.
The space J below the glass roof is fitted with iron louvres, similar to those used in other parts of the building.
Fig 4 is an enlarged section of one of the main ribs A, drawn to a scale of 2 inches to the foot, and Fig 5 is a side view of a portion of the same, and a part of the lead flat, drawn to a scale of ½ inch to a foot. The rib A is formed of three thicknesses of timber cut to the proper curve of 37 feet radius. The angle formed on the interior of the rib by the junction of these pieces is filled by a short piece f, 4 inches thick and 3 feet 4 inches long. To this central piece are spiked two side pieces 2 inches thick and 3 feet 4 inches long. To this central piece are spiked two side pieces 2 inches thick, which are cut out of planks h and I by a curved cut, the radius of which is 37 feet. The position of the two pieces is now reversed by bringing the two straight edges together, as shown in Fig 5. The internal edge is then brought to its proper radius by a very slight amount of trimming. The side pieces h I thus made are placed so as to break joint with the central 4 inch piece e, to which they are firmly nailed or spiked. A piece of timber j, 7 inch wide and 2 inches thick, is nailed or spiked. A piece of timber j, 7 inches wide and 2 inches thick, is nailed to the intrados of the arch thus formed, and two boards, k an l, 1 inch thick and 11 inch wide, are nailed to the extrados. A flat bar of iron, inches wide and 3/8 inches thick, is placed upon these boards, and another bar, 3 ¼ inch wide and 3/8 inch thick, is placed upon the piece j, and 5/8 inch round iron bolts are passed through the whole at intervals of 2 feet, and secured by nuts. The piece j has its corners rounded, so that the intrados of the arched rib corresponds in form with the cast-iron columns. In this way a strong arched rib is formed of a general section of 1 foot 6 inches deep by 8 inches wide, and 74 feet 4 inches diameter on the extrados, and the grain of the wood is at every part in the direction of the strain, or nearly so. The lower ends of the ribs are fitted into the tops of the columns by a wrought-iron strap, 3 inches by ½ inch, passing round the front of the column, as shown in Plate XIX, Fig 1. The ends of the strap terminate in 1 1/8 inch bolts, passing though a timber, where they are secured by nuts. These straps are used for the ribs springing from the columns next to those at the junction of the Nave with the Transept, and also for the ribs nearest the two ends of the Transept, which are marked bb in Fig 2, which is a plan of one-half of the lead-flat; the other ribs, a a are fixed in a similar manner with straps 3 inches by ¼ inch.
The two ribs which are supported by the 72 ft. wrought-iron trusses over the nave, cannot, of course, be fixed to the columns. They are, therefore, strengthened at each side by a “T” iron strut z, Figs. 2 and 5, Plate XVIII., 3 ½ in., and 3/8 in., and 3/8 in. thick. The upper end of the strut is thickened by a wrought-iron plate riveted to it, and it is fixed to the strap on the back of the rib by ¾ in. screws. The lower end f the strut is bedded in a wooden block 1 ft. 4 in. wide, and secured by screws.
One of the intermediate ribs is shown in section in Fig. 6. It is 4 in. deep and 3 in. wide, and carries two boards, k l, 11 in. wide and 1 in. thick. Two strips of wood, m m, are attached to the edges of these boards, so as to form the internal gutters for the reception of the condensed moisture from the under surface of the glass. Similar strips of wood are attached to the main ribs, as shown in Fig. 4.
The sash-bars F are notched into the boards l, figs. 4 and 6, and also into the ridge G, fig 4, which is formed of three pieces of wood, each 1 1/8 in. thick, and of the respective widths of 2 in., 3 in., and 4 in. The ridge is secured to the purlins C c2 and c4 at the points marked bbb in Fig. 1, by means of a ½ in. bolt, as shown in fig. 7, and partly shown in fig. 4. A small wrought-iron plate n, 3 ¼ in. long, 1 in. wide, and ¼ in. thick, is let into the top of the ridge G. Two 3/8 in. wrought-iron bolts, with countersunk heads, pass through this plate, and through a similar plate o, ½ in. thick and 1 ¼ in. wide, on the under side of the ridge, where they are secured by two nuts. A ½ in. bolt, p, is passed through a small plate q, which is mortised into the purlin c4, and the end of the bolt is screwed into the plate o, and secured by a washer or set-nut 1/8 in. thick.
The ridge G does not form a complete semicircle, but is divided at the summit of the arch, where a path 2 ft. wide is made and covered with lead, as shown in Fig. 1. The end sash-bars are 3 in. wide and 1 3/8 in. thick, and have only one groove, as shown in the enlarged section, Fig. 8.
The purlins are supported by two cast-iron brackets at each end, bolted to them and to the arched ribs. Fig 9 is a side view of the brackets K k, with portions of the rib A and purlin c. Fig 10 is a front view of the brackets, with a section of the purlin and side view of a portion of the rib A. fig 11 is a plan of the under side of the bracket. The general thickness of metal is 5/8 inch and they are secured to the rib A by two ¾ inch bolts and nuts, which at the same time secure the corresponding bracket ion the opposite side of the rib. Each bracket has a projection 3 inches by 1 inch, which is let into the purlin, which is further secured by a 5/8 inch bolt passing through it and through the two brackets. The brackets are strengthened by being cast with a rib. Wooden blocks or brackets are added under the purlins, as shown in Fig 3. The first purlin c is 8 inches by 6 ¼ inch, and the semicircular arch springs at 2 ¼ inch below its upper surface. The other purlins are all 4 ½ inch thick, but increase in depth towards the crown of the arch. C1 and c2 are 9 inch deep. C3 is 10 inches, C4 is 11 ½ in, C 5 and C6 are 13 ½ in. The light intermediate ribs B are notched into the purlins.
The diagonal bracing H H consists of ¾ in. round rods, each of which is formed with an eye at one end, and is screwed at the other end. The eyes are secured to the main ribs by the same bolts and nuts which fix the brackets for carrying the purlins; and the screwed ends, which are 1 in. diameter, enter a central adjustment – plate L, shown in figs. 12, 13, and 14. Fig. 12 is a side view of the plate L and the elm strut I. fig. 13 is a front view, and Fig. 14 a section, of the plate. The rods h are adjusted in this plate by means of nuts. The plate L and strut I are secured to the purlin by a 5/8 in. bolt passing through them all. The lengths of the struts I diminish as they approach the crown of the arch, the lower one being 9 5/8 in., the middle one 8 5/8in., and the upper one 5 1/8 in. This diminution of length is to allow for the increasing depth of the purlins as they approach the top.
Before proceeding to describe the lead flat on each side of the Transept roof, we shall explain the construction of the four wrought-iron trusses which carry the lead flat and arched roof across the Nave.
These trusses are 72 ft. long and 6 ft. deep, and are of two different strengths. The two stronger ones are placed under the arched ribs of the roof, while the two lighter ones are placed under the opposite edges of the lead flats. These trusses are shown in Plates XX. and XXa.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of one-half of one of the strong trusses. The elevation of the light truss is the same, except that there is no provision at its ends for distributing the weight upon two columns, as is the case with the strong trusses.
The top rail G consists of two angle-irons 4 ½ in. deep, 3 ½. Wide, and 3/8 in. thick, with a plate 9 in. wide and 3/8 in. thick, riveted on the top. A space of 2 in. is left between the angle-irons. The angle-irons are in five lengths, and are connected at t t by eight ¾ in. rivets passing through them and through a plate or plates introduced between them.
The top plate is seven lengths, and is connected at u u by twelve ½ in rivets passing through the plate, and also through the two angle-irons, and a 3/8 in. joint-plate 9 in. square, as shown in the enlarged plan, Fig. 2. The top plate is fixed to the angle-irons by ½ in. rivets, of which there are twenty in every 8 ft., and the rivets are countersunk into the top plate.
The bottom rail H consists of two flat wrought-iron bars 6 in. deep, with a space of 2 in. between them. It is in four lengths, joined at ccc, as shown on a larger scale in Figs. 3 and 4. The bars forming the two central lengths are 7/8 in. thick, and those forming the side lengths are 5/8 in. thick. The joint is made by six 1 in. rivets passing through two wrought-iron joint-plates 6 in. by 1 ft. 6 in. and 15/16 in. thick. The space of 2 in. between the bars is filled up by three wrought-iron plates 6 in. by 1 ft. 5 in. Plates of ¼ in. thick are introduced with the 5/8 in. bars, to make up the thickness of the central bars, as shown in Fig. 4.
The end standards A are of cast iron, and are shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. Fig. 5 is a front view. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the side next the column, and Fig. 7 is an elevation of the opposite side, with sections of the top and bottom rails.
These standards are ¾ in. wide, 4 in. deep, and 1 in. thick, of a T from of section, and provided with a rib or chipping-piece ¾ in. wide and ½ in. deep, which comes in contact with the side of the column. Six 1 1/8 in. bolts secure the standard to the column. The standard is 2 in. thick at top and bottom, where it receives the top and bottom rails. The top rail is secured by a 1 3/8 in. rivet and the bottom rail by a 1 3/8 in. bolt and nut. Two sockets are formed in the middle, to receive the diagonals I and J. the diagonal I, being exposed to compression, is not made of flat bars, of four angle-irons 2 ¼ in., and 7/16 in. thick, riveted together in pairs, with ½ in. rivets and small distance-pieces. Portions of this diagonal are shown in figs. 5, 8, and 9. The lower end of the diagonal is secured in the upper socket of the standard A by a 1 1/8 in. rivet, the space between and on each side of the angle-irons being filled up with wrought-iron plates. The upper end of the diagonal enters between the angle-irons of the top rail, where it is secured by three 7/8 in. rivets, the thicknesses being made up by three 3/8 in. plates of the form shown in Fig. 10.
The diagonal J is formed of two bars 4 ½ in. x ½ in., and is secured at each end by a 1 3/8 in. rivet. The ends are thickened by short plates riveted to them at each end by two ¾ in. rivets, by which means the loss of strength in the diagonal is merely that due to a ¾ in. rivet-hole, instead of being that due to the 1 3/8 in. rivet-hole.
The diagonal K is formed of two bars 4 ½ in. deep and 1 in. thick, and is fixed at each end by a 2 in. bolt and nut. The other diagonals, being exposed to much less strain, are formed of single bars 4 ½ in deep and ¼ in. thick, and are secured at each end by a 1 in. rivet. Fig. 11 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the top rail G, with the top of one of the standards B, showing the mode of fixing the diagonals; small square washers, or plates of wrought iron, are introduced to fill up the space of 2 in. between the two bars of the rail. The rivets are each 9 in. from the centre line of the standard.
The standards B and C are shown separately in Figs. 12, 13, and 14. Fig. 12 is a front elevation, which is the same for both B and C. Fig. 13 is a side view of the standard B, showing sections of the top and bottom rails and diagonals. Fig. 14 is a similar view of the standard C, which differs from B in being bowed out in the middle to admit of the passage of the strong diagonal K. Each standard consists of four angle-irons 2 ¼ in. by 2 ¼ in thick, riveted together in pairs, and the two pairs riveted together with six small cast-iron distance-pieces between them, one of which is shown separately in Fig. 15. The rivets employed to fix the distance-pieces, and to unite the angle-irons, are ½ in. rivets. Four ¼ in. wrought-iron plates of the form shown in Fig. 16, and two smaller ones 2 ¾ in. square, are introduced at the top of each standard B, to fill up the 2 in. space between the angle-irons of the top rail G, as shown in Fig. 13. Four ¼ in. plates, of the form shown in Fig. 17, are employed at the bottom of the standard B, with two smaller ones, as also shown in fig. 13. Similar plates are ½ in. thick instead of ¼ in., as shown in Fig. 14.
Fig. 18 is a front elevation, and Fig. 19 a side view, of the standard D, which is of cast iron, and over which is placed one of the main arched ribs of the Transept roof. Fig. 20 is a horizontal section at the line c c in Figs. 18 and 19. The width in the centre is 6 in. each way, and the substance of metal is from ¾ in. to 7/8 in. The base, which rests upon the bars of the bottom rail, is 1 ft. 6 in. long by 4 in. wide, and the top is 1 ft. 6 in. by 3 in. Triangular projections 2 in. thick enter the top and bottom rails, where they are secured by 1 in. rivets. In the centre of the standard is a socket ¾ in wide, through which pass the two light diagonals, 4 ½ in. by ¼ in. In the one side of the strut are two 9/16 in. holes for receiving the bolts, by which the 24 ft. wrought-iron trusses are fixed, as will be presently described.
The main strength of the truss consists in the top and bottom rails g and H, the diagonals I J and K, the first wrought-iron standard B, and the cast-iron standards D. These parts alone are sufficient to support the main arched ribs and the 24 ft wrought-iron trusses which rest upon the standards D. The other diagonals and standards serve to support the light intermediate arched ribs, and to preserve the symmetry of the appearance of the truss.
The truss is secured to the column L by six 1 1/8 in. bolts and nuts, but the column is relieved of the whole, or great part, of the weight of the truss by means of the plates M, which transfer the weight to the additional column N. Fig. 21 is a front view, and Fig. 22 a side view, of the plates M, with portions of the truss and columns L N. Fig. 23 is a horizontal section on the line d d in Fig. 21, and Fig. 24 is a section on the line e e in Fig 21. The plates M M are of such a form as to fit the sides of the end standard A, and take a bearing under the socket in the centre. They are fixed to the truss by the 1 3/8 in. bolt, which connects the bottom rail to the standard A, and by two other 1 in. bolts. The plates are 1 in. thick, 1 ft. 5 in. wide at bottom, and 5 in. wide at top; they are 1 ft. high on the side next the truss, and 2 ft. 7 ¾ in. high on the side next the column. The bottom of each plate spreads out into two feet, each of which is 3 3/8 in. by 2 ¾ in. These feet rest on the top of the column N, with the intervention of two pairs of wrought-iron keys, by driving which the weight of the truss is taken off the column L, and transferred to the column N. The two columns are tied together by means of wrought-iron straps i i in. by ½ in., and plates k k, 2 in. by ½ in., which are tightened up by gibs and keys. A wood block is introduced between the two columns, to preserve the proper distance between them. In Fig. 1 is shown the mode of connecting these columns at the lower junctions, on a level with the girders. Fig. 25 is a plan of the connecting plate g. Fig. 26 is a plan of the ornamental octagon bands, and Fig. 27 is a plan of the octagon bases. The plate g, which is ½ in. thick, is secured by the bolts and nuts which unite the columns to their connecting-pieces. The spaces between the octagon bands and bases are filled by blocks of wood, of the forms shown in the Figures.
As we have already mentioned, the strong 72 ft. trusses, above described, are placed under the arched ribs of the roof of the Transept, where it crosses the Nave. Other trusses of similar length and depth, but of lighter scantlings, are placed under the opposite edges of the lead flats. The elevation of these trusses is the same as that of the stronger ones, and is shown in Fig. 1, Plate XX.
The top rail G is similar to that of the strong truss, but the angle-irons are only 5/16 in. thick instead of 3/8 in., and the top plate is ¼ in. thick instead of 3/8 in. The two bars of the bottom rail H are each 7/16 in. thick in the middle of the truss, and 5/16 in. thick at the ends, being only one-half the strength of those of the strong truss; 7/8 in. rivets are used at the joints. The diagonal I is of four angle-irons ¼ in. thick. The diagonal J is of two bars, each 5/16 in. thick. The diagonal K is of two bars, each 9/16 in. thick.. The small plates, or washers, used to fill up the space of 2 in. between the bars of the top and bottom rails, consequently vary in thickness, to make up for the reduced thickness of these diagonals. The other diagonals are 4 ½ in. by ¼ in., as in the strong truss, and in other respects the dimensions are the same. The additional columns N, and plates M, are not employed for these trusses.
Fig. 28 is an elevation of one of the 24 ft. wrought-iron trusses, which are supported by the deep 72 ft. trusses. These trusses are 3 ft. deep.
The top rail P consists of two angle-irons 4 in. deep, 2 in. wide, and ¼ in. thick, placed 1 in. apart. The bottom rail Q is in three lengths. The central part consists of two flat bars 4 ½ in. deep, and 3/8 in. thick, placed 1 ¼ in. apart. The ends consist of two flat bars 4 ½ in.. by ¼ in. The diagonals R are of single bars 4 in. by 11/14 in., and are secured by a 1 1/8 in. rivet at each end. The other diagonals are of wood, 4 in. by ½ in., and are secured by 3/8 in. by 3/8 in. rivets. The standards S are of cast-iron, and similar in dimensions and form to those used in the 48ft. trusses, shown in Plate XI. They are secured at each end by 7/8 in. rivets. Fig. 29 is a plan of the junction of the bars of the bottom rail with the diagonals and cast-iron strut. The wrought-iron diagonal R enters between the two ¼ in. bars of the bottom rail, which again enter between the two 3/8 in. bars, forming the central part of the bottom rail, and the 1 1/8 in. rivet unites them all. Two washers 1/8 in. thick are introduced with the strut S between the 3/8 in. bars of the bottom rail, to fill up the space of 1 ¼ in. A washer, or distance-piece, ¾ in. thick, is introduced with the wooden diagonal, and secured by the 3/8 in. rivet. The bottom rail is fixed at each end to the cast-iron standards (D) of the deep 72 ft. trusses, by two ½ in. bolts and nuts. The mode of fixing the top rail to the deep 72 ft. trusses is shown in plan in Fig. 30, and in elevation in Fig. 31. A ½ in. plate, 5 in. by 10 in., is placed on the upper surface of the top rails of both trusses, and two pieces of angle-iron h, of similar strength to those of the top rail (P) of the 24 ft. truss, are placed under it, with the intervention of packing-pieces ½ in. thick. Four 5/8 in. bolts and nuts connect these pieces to the rail p, and two ¾ in. bolts and nuts connect them to the rail G. Two 9/16 in. bolt-holes are made in the top rail P, over each strut *, as shown in Fig. 30, for the reception of the ½ in. bolts which connect this top rail with the timbers of the lead flat.