enormously to the strength and safety of many a beam, if it could be
introduced.

Of course a reinforcing rod in a concrete beam receives its stress by
increments imparted by the grip of the concrete; but these increments
can only be imparted where the tendency of the concrete is to stretch.
This tendency is greatest near the bottom of the beam, and when the rod
is bent up to the top of the beam, it is taken out of the region where
the concrete has the greatest tendency to stretch. The function of this
rod, as reinforcement of the bottom flange of the beam, is interfered
with by bending it up in this manner, as the beam is left without
bottom-flange reinforcement, as far as that rod is concerned, from the
point of bend to the support.

It is true that there is a shear or a diagonal tension in the beam, and
the diagonal portion of the rod is apparently in a position to take this
tension. This is just such a force as the truss-rod in a queen-post
truss must take. Is this reinforcing rod equipped to perform this
office? The beam is apt to fail in the line, _A B_. In fact, it is apt
to crack from shrinkage on this or almost any other line, and to leave
the strength dependent on the reinforcing steel. Suppose such a crack
should occur. The entire strength of the beam would be dependent on the
grip of the short end of Rod 3 to the right of the line, _A B_. The grip
of this short piece of rod is so small and precarious, considering the
important duty it has to perform, that it is astounding that designers,
having any care for the permanence of their structures, should consider
for an instant such features of design, much less incorporate them in a
building in which life and property depend on them.

The third point to which attention is called, is the feature of design