Figure 4 shews a drawing of an intended substitute for a lodging knee which I call a "Kneeson," and in a vessel of 200 tons burthen, this kneeson in its flat part may be about two feet and a half long, three inches wide, and one inch thick. In its blot part it must be sufficiently long to extend from the hold side surface of the hereinbefore mentioned iron stringers to the outside of the planking, where it is to be clenched upon a metal ring or square plate. The diameter of the bolt part is one inch.
When that kneeson is applied, a seven-eights of an inch hole must be bored through the outside planking abreast of the side of the beam, and also abreast of the opening between the two iron bars which form the iron stringer.
The bolt part of the kneeson is then driven into the hole until the two shoulders of the flat part butt hard against the iron stringers, and then the flat part of the kneeson is bolted to the beam and my hereinafter described clip bolts would answer the purpose -- and when that is done, the end of the kneeson blot is strongly clenched upon a ring or plate on the outside planking.
When kneesons are above the copper line, they would be more securely bolted to the outside plank, if the ring for clenching were placed upon the plank without making any cavity in the plank to receive the ring. This remark may also be applied to the bolts of any knees which are above the copper line -- and in addition to the stronger fastening, the projecting rings protect the plank from chafing.
Frigates and line-of-battle ships, whose sides are materially weakened by the holes for the gun-ports, would be essentially strengthened by the iron stringers and kneesons.
There may be two kneesons to every beam-end, and they will probably be found stronger than lodging knees, because the strain upon the bolt part of the kneeson is kept to a continually straight line from the side of the beam, and consequently the strain is more direct than the throat bolt of any lodging knee. [page 46]
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Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
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Copyright © 1996 Lars Bruzelius