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Welded Barges of Cell Type SIMONDS Bk. AUNCHING June 23 of two new steel barges of welded cell design calls attention anew to this sturdy type of angle steel framework for tankers. These two lJaunchings were the twelfth and thir- teenth of the so-called truss-weld barges to be built and are two of three barges built by the United Dry Docks Inc., New York, for the Atlan- tic Gulf & Pacific Co., of the same city. The method of construction, in- vented some years ago by J. Kjek- stad, now welding consultant with the United Dry Docks Inc., perhaps is best compared to the construction of a honeycomb, although the barge cells are rectangular instead of hexa- gonal as in the comb. The cell struc- ture is built up entirely of steel angles joined by lap welds. Some of the advantages claimed for this type of construction are, greater strength, lighter weight per cubic foot of content, easier cleaning and lower cost. The chief difference be- tween the truss-weld construction and the use of transverse or longi- tudinal framing is that all members of the truss-weld framing are com- pression and tension members. Mr. Kjekstad started the cell type of construction in 1927 in the build- ing of several large rectangular gaso- line tanks to withstand high pres- sure. These proved to be so success- ful that he soon applied the same method to barge construction and the record of the barges so far launched has been unusual. Although Subjected to severe treatment, includ- ing collision, grounding and super- Structure fire, no leak whatever has appeared in any one of them and in the case of the one which had the fire, Sasoline in the hold did not take fire. The barges while originally de- signed for transportation of liquids are well suited for carrying heavy deck loads, because the weight of the load is transmitted directly to the bottom plates through the vertical members. The longest barge built by this method was an oil tanker 160 feet long with a capacity of 360,000 gallons. The dimensions of the in- dividual cells and the size of the angles vary with the size and type of barge, but for the last two barges the cells were about 2 feet 6 inches square and 3 feet high, and this spac- ing created about 1000 cells in each barge. The angles were all 2% x 21%4 x 144 inches and the structure as This clearly shows the cell type of construction. MARINE REview—August, 1931 ELL type construction, shown at the left, lends itself readily to division of the hold for the transport of different liquids. Divi- sion plates merely take the place of angle members. In the specimen cell tested to destruction as shown be- low, all welds held without fracture a whole was said to be able to with- stand without distortion a load of 20,000 tons applied diagonally. These last two barges are derrick barges and the other for the Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Co., which was launched May 19 was an oil barge and tender of 33,000 gallons. One of the accompanying illustra- tions shows a typical truss-weld cell tested to destruction under a diagonal load. A load of 10 tons was applied to this single cell before any deflec- tion of the truss members was noted and when the structure finally failed the welds wére still intact. All joints are lap welded 59 se ee