This section is from the book "The English And American Mechanic", by B. Frank Van Cleve. Also available from Amazon: The English And American Mechanic.
Multiply the weight to be supported in pounds by the length of the cylinder in feet; divide the product by .6 of the value of the material, and the cube root of the quotient will give the diameter.
When the cylinder is loaded uniformly throughout its length, the cube root of half the quotient will give the diameter.
What should be the diameter of a cast-iron cylindrical beam, 8 ins. in length, to support 15000 lbs. without permanent injury?
3 ins.=.66 feet; 15000 x. 66 / .6X225 =74.07; and ³√74.07=4.2.
 
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