investigation of older structures

huangyhg

investigation of older structures
does anyone know of a reference (book / website) that will assist in determining the age of a structure by the methods and materials used for construction during a given time period?
i.e. there is a rubble foundation so the structure was likely built before the 1940's
or for a much simpler situation there is lvl beams in it so the structure isn't excessively old.
check out our whitepaper library.
i collect old design books by hool & kinne, ketchum, carneige and others that have been extremely helpful evaluating older structures.
look around my website, a good place to start is with the "carnegie pocket companion - 1923" at this link
some old beams and railroad rails have the year of manufacture rolled into them.
look for any arc welding.
if you're dealing with the truly old, ie anything 1920 or older, you will find rabun's "structural analysis of historic buildings" to be an indispensable resource.  isbn # 0-471-31545-1.
i nearly had a heart-attack when i found my copy in the trash at an old workplace... they were moving to smaller accomodation and chucked out hundreds of volumes.  we were given permission to take whatever we wanted and my technical library said thanks...
good luck,
ys
b.eng (carleton)
working in new zealand, thinking of my snow covered home...
kidder parker - architect's and builders handbook is a good one.  try ebay.  got mine for $8.