GB2201437A

GB2201437A - A building brick with spacing ridges

Info

Publication number: GB2201437A
Application number: GB08704455A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Walker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-02-25
Filing date: 1987-02-25
Publication date: 1988-09-01
Also published as: GB8704455D0

Abstract

A brick with two narrow ridges formed at right angles to its length on its base, one ridge set in a short distance at either end, and projecting downwards facilitates production of an even joint of similar thickness to the ridges and enables presentable and sound brickwork to be produced with ease. <IMAGE>

Description

A BUILDING BRICK SUITABLE FOR USE BY BRICKLAYERS & AMATEURS This invention relates to a brick suitable for using by amateurs as well as skilled tradesmen.

Bricks are used in the erection of most buildings. The variety and sizes of bricks may vary slightly but overall they are generally of a similar size, rectangular in shape, and made from a block of moulded clay or a composition of sand and cement or other substances. The top and bottom sides of bricks vary to a great extent. Some bricks have hollows in these sides called frogs. Some have them in both top and bottom. Some have only a frog in the topside, others are entirely flat on both the top and the bottom.

Some bricks have holes that pass entirely through them from the topside to the bottom. Due to the va-riety of bricks produced and the different nature of the materials they are made from, as well as the different weathers in which they have to be laid, much skill has to be acquired before the ability to lay them correctly is obtained. The laying of bricks depends on an even depth of joint being maintained throughout, and as there is nothing to control this, but the skill of the bricklayer, bricklaying is very difficult for the inexperienced person and almost impossible for a layman.

The employment of skilled bricklayers is expensive and because laymen find such skills are beyond their capacity, substitutes for brickwork are often used when the use of brickwork would be more satisfactory.

According to the present invention, in the process of manufacture the bottom side of a brick is formed with two or more ridges at right angles to the length of the brick and extending across its width. One ridge is formed at each end of the brick and they are both set in a short distance from the end of the brick. These two ridges are narrow in width and no thicker in depth than the thickness of the customary joint between courses of brickwork. Such bricks, when pressed upon the mortar that has been laid to form the bed or joint, will cause surplus mortar, over and above that which is required to form the necessary equal joint, between it and the solid brickwork or surface below to be forced out.The repeating of this pressing down of each brick upon the mortar laid on the existing level brickwork or level surface beneath it, will when laying it, enable a uniform joint to be maintained and good brickwork to be produced by laymen and bricklayers alike. If the brickwork is required to be pointed, as most face brickwork is, the ridges would be made somewhat shorter to allow for the mortar to cover up the ends of the ridges.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the front and end elevation of a brick showing both the length of the ridges and also their depth and width.

Figure 2 shows the front and end elevation of a particular brick in which the ridges are made shorter in length so that they can be covered by mortar.

Figure 3 is an isometric drawing of a similar brick to that shown in Figure 2 with the base uppermost, so that details of its particular shape can be seen more clearly Referring to the drawings, the brick, as shown in Figure 1, has two ridges projecting from its bottom bed. They are the same thickness as the joint which is indicated by No.4.

No. 5 shows the ridge on the end of the brick extending the full width of the brick.

No 6 indicates the position of the ridges showing the distance they are from the ends of the-brick. Such bricks c, - would show the ends of the ridges on the face of the brickwork and be suitable for use in common brickwork where Xthe external appearanceywas not of importance.

When the appearance of the brickwork is of more importance, a similar brick to that in Figure 1 would be used, but the ridges would be made slightly shorter in length to allow the mortar to cover the end of the ridges. This is shown in the end elevation on drawing Figure 2 and is indicated by the arrows from No 7. In the same drawing the lines from No 8 indicate the thickness of the mortar before the brick has been pressed down upon it.

The isometric drawing in Figure 3 shows the base of a brick turned upside down for purposes of clarity. The drawing shows the ridges more clearly. It will be noticed that the ridges are set in from the ends of the brick the same distance as in Figure 1 and Figure 2 but are shorter in length those in Figure 1. When such a brick as is shown in drawing Figure 3 is used, the ends of the ridges would not show when the surplus mortar was removed. Such brickwork could be pointed.

Claims

1. A brick with at 2 narrow ridges formed on its base at right angles to the length of the brick, one close to each end of it and extending across the full width of the base of the brick. These ridges project donwards from the base for a distance that is equal to the thickness of the customary joint between bricks.

2. A brick as in Claim 1 wherein he tips of the ridges are so shaped and are sufficiently narrow in width to allow the brick to be pressed down through the mortar without retaining mortar beneath them and so allow evenly thick joints to be formed under each brick when it is pressed down to the solid material beneath.

3. A brick as in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the ridges, which correspond in thickness to the joint in the brickwork, are of a shorter length than in the ridges in Claim 1, which allows the ends of the ridges to remain covered by mortar when the surplus mortar has been removed.

4. A brick substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A brick substantially as described herein which could have more than two ridges formed across its base.