GB2285462A - Brick - Google Patents

Abstract

A brick (B1 or B2), which is made of traditional brick material, is formed with two pairs of opposed side walls (1a, 1b or 21a, 21b) defining at least one hollow section (5 or 24) which extends over substantially the entire height of the brick. The hollow section(s) occupy substantially the entire horizontal cross-sectional area of the brick apart from the material forming the side walls. In one embodiment, the brick (B1) is square and reinforcement members (2, 3) define with the side walls (1a, 1b) four hollow sections (5). In another embodiment, the brick (B2) is rectangular and defines a single hollow section (24). In either case, the hollow section(s) may be provided with insulation members, e.g. in the form of polystyrene, or shaped inserts. <IMAGE>

Description

BRICK This invention relates to a brick.

Bricks are traditionally solid building elements made from materials such as fired clay, bonded aggregates or combinations of materials. Bricks are made in standard sizes, with different countries having different standard sizes, the standard British brick being 225 mm x 112 mm x 65 mm. In use, bricks are laid one upon another, and are bonded together by horizontal and vertical mortar bed joints. Traditional bricks are quite different from breezeblocks, which are lightweight building blocks - typically made of breeze (small cinders) mixed with sand and cement.

The traditional brick has a number of disadvantages.

In particular, because bricks are usually used for building load-bearing walls, they have to be solid and heavy. In modern buildings, however, bricks are also used as cladding walls which are either non-loaded or self-loaded. Thus, modern construction techniques call for buildings whose outer walls are cavity walls constituted by inner, loadbearing walls and outer cladding walls. The traditional brick has the ideal strength for the inner walls and the ideal appearance for the outer cladding walls. It is, however, over-specified for the outer cladding walls, and its appearance is not important for the inner walls.

The traditional brick also has the disadvantage of requiring a thick mortar horizontal bed joint, which allows for a percentage of the water in the mortar mix to be taken up hydroscopically by the adjacent bricks, leaving enough water behind for the necessary chemical action of the cement.

Another disadvantage of traditional bricks is their high thermal transmittance value. They do not, therefore, make a significant contribution to increasing the insulation properties of buildings with which they are built.

Another problem with traditional bricks is that, in order to resist shearing stresses, they must be bonded to one another by mortar (or other bonding agent) which extends over the whole base of the brick, and this makes it extremely difficult to part such bricks, without breaking, for re-use when demolition occurs.

The present invention provides a brick made of brick material, the brick being formed with two pairs of opposed side walls defining at least one hollow section which extends over substantially the entire height of the brick, wherein the hollow section(s) occupy substantially the entire horizontal cross-sectional area of the brick apart from the material forming the side walls.

Preferably, the brick is formed with internal reinforcement members. These reinforcement members increase the strength of the brick so that it can be used for building load-bearing walls.

In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement members are constituted by vertical ribs formed on the internal surfaces of the side walls of the first pair of side walls.

In this case, the brick may have a rectangular horizontal cross-section, and be formed with a single hollow section.

Alternatively, the reinforcement members are constituted by a plurality of webs defining a plurality of hollow sections. In this case, a first pair of parallel webs may extend between the side walls of the second pair of side walls, and a respective second web may extend between a respective first web and the adjacent first side wall, the first webs being parallel to the first side walls, and the second webs being at right-angles thereto.

The side walls may have a thickness lying in the range of from 10 mm to 40 mm, and preferably in the range of from 15 mm to 25 mm. More preferably, the side walls have a thickness of substantially 20 mm.

The brick may further comprise a base. The base may a thickness lying in the range of from 5 mm to 30 mm, and preferably in the range of from 5 mm to 10 mm.

Preferably, the brick further comprises a respective mortar support member provided within the or each hollow section. Advantageously, the or each mortar support member is positioned within its hollow section so as to leave a small gap (preferably substantially 5 mm) at the top of that hollow section. In use, mortar fills this gap, and provides an anti-shearing function to help prevent the brick from being moved transversely relative to another brick in an adjacent layer of bricks.

Conveniently, a respective insulation member constitutes the or each mortar support member. In a preferred embodiment, the or each insulation member is constituted by a block made of non-hydroscopic material whose cross-sectional area is slightly larger than that of the associated hollow section, the upper surface of the block providing the respective mortar support member.

Preferably, the or each block is made of polystyrene. The or each block may be so sized, and may be so positioned within the respective hollow section, as to leave said small gap at the top of that hollow section, and so as to leave a small gap at the bottom of that hollow section.

Alternatively, the or each insulation member is constituted by an insert made of reflective material, the or each insert having a horizontal portion and at least one vertical portion depending therefrom, the horizontal portion being slightly larger in cross-section than the associated hollow section, the horizontal portion providing the respective mortar support member.

The brick may further comprise a horizontal cut-out formed along one horizontal edge of each of the first side walls, and along each of the second side walls. Preferably, the horizontal cut-outs each have a depth of substantially 10 mm and a height of substantially 2.5 mm. The horizontal cut-outs form thin horizontal bed joints so that, in use, the brick can be bonded to another brick in an adjacent layer of bricks using a thin layer of mortar.

Advantageously, the brick further comprises at least one vertical cut-out formed in each of the first side walls. A vertical cut-out may also be formed in each of the second side walls. Each vertical cut-out may have a depth of 10 mm and a width of 5 mm or 10 mm.

Preferably, the brick further comprises a respective vertical stop member fixed to, and extending the full height of, the outside of each of the second side walls, each stop member being made of non-hydroscopic material.

A respective triangular wedge made of polystyrene may constitute each of the stop members. The stop members help to prevent moisture passing along vertical mortar joints used to bond the brick to adjacent bricks in the same layer.

Two forms of brick, each of which is constructed in accordance with the invention, will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first form of brick; FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1, and shows the first form of brick with a first type of insulation; FIG. 3 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 2, and shows the first form of brick with a second type of insulation; FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-section through part of a wall constructed from a plurality of bricks of the first form with the first type of insulation; FIG. 4a is an enlarged cross-section of a horizontal joint of the wall of Fig. 4;; FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-section through part of a wall constructed from a plurality of bricks of the first form with the second type of insulation; FIG. 6 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 2, and shows a modified version of the first form of brick with the first type of insulation; FIG. 7 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 2, and shows the modified version of the first form of brick with the second type of insulation; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the second form of brick; FIG. 9 is a cross-section taken on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8, and shows the second form of brick with the first type of insulation; FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-section through part of a wall constructed from a plurality of bricks of the second form with the first type of insulation;; FIG. 11 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 9, and shows a modified version of the second form of brick with the second type of insulation; and FIG. 12 is a transverse cross-section through part of a wall constructed from a plurality of bricks of the modified second form with the second type of insulation.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a first form of brick B1 which is made of a traditional brick material such as fired clay. The brick B1 measures 215 mm x 215 mm x 65 mm, and has four side walls constituted by a first pair of opposed side walls la and by a second pair of opposed side walls lb, and by two pairs of webs 2 and 3.

Each of the side walls la and ib measures 215 mm x 65 mm.

The webs 2 are parallel and are spaced apart by 30 mm midway between, and parallel to, the first pair of opposed side walls la. The webs 3 extend respectively between one of the webs 2 and a respective one of the first pair of opposed side walls la. The webs 3 lie at right-angles to the webs 2. All four webs 2 and 3 extend over the full height (65 mm) of the brick B1. The side walls la and ib and the webs 2 and 3 are each 20 mm thick. Consequently, the webs 2 define a slot 4 which is 175 mm x 30 mm. The slot 4 facilitates handling of the brick B1, as it permits a bricklayer to pick up the brick with either his thumb (or his fingers) in the slot, and with his fingers (or thumb) gripping against one of the side walls la.

The side walls la and 1b and the webs 2 and 3 thus define four hollow sections 5 which extend over the entire height of the brick B1, the brick having neither a top or a base. At each corner, the brick B1 is formed with a respective vertical dummy joint 6 extending the full height of the brick and having a depth of 10 mm and a width of 5 mm. The external faces of the second pair of side walls ib are each formed with a dummy vertical joint 7 (only one of which can be seen in Fig. 1) extending the full height of the brick B1 and having a depth of 10 and a width of 5 mm.

A respective horizontal dummy joint 8 is formed at the base of each of the side walls la and ib, the horizontal dummy joints extending over the full length of their side walls and having a depth of 10 mm and a height of 2.5 mm. A respective vertically-extending, triangular wedge 9 made of polystyrene is fixed to the external face of each of the second pair of opposed side walls ib. The wedges 9 extend over the full height of their side walls ib, and are fixed thereto by means of a suitable adhesive.

The purpose of the dummy joints 6, 7 and 8 and the wedges 9 will be described below with reference to Figs. 2 to 7.

The entire brick B1 (apart from the wedges 9) is made in one piece by a moulding technique known per se.

The brick B1 is intended primarily for use in building the cavity walls constituting the outer walls of buildings. In this case, one half of each brick B1 replaces a traditional load-bearing brick and the other half replaces the traditional cladding brick. In this connection, it should be noted that the two halves of the brick B1 are separated by the slot 4 which replaces the cavity or gap between traditional bricks. The webs 2 and 3 increase the stiffness, and hence the load-bearing capacity, of the hollow brick B1 (which otherwise would not have sufficient strength for load-bearing duties). Indeed, although the 'cladding' half of the brick B1 does not need to have load-bearing qualities, it does have these properties.

In order to increase the thermal insulation properties of the brick B1, each of the hollow sections 5 is filled with a respective polystyrene block lo (see Fig.

2). The blocks 10 are made to be slightly larger in crosssection than the hollow sections 5, so that they can be pushed into the hollow sections to be held firmly therein as a friction fit. As shown in Fig. 2, the blocks 10 have a height such that, in use, a gap of 5 mm is left at the tops and the bottoms of the hollow sections 5.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative form of insulation for each of the hollow brick sections 5, this being constituted by respective n-shaped resilient inserts 11 made of a reflective plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride.

Alternatively, the inserts 11 could be made of any other suitable reflective material. Here again, the inserts 11 are slightly oversized with respect to the cross-sections of the hollow sections 5, so that they are a friction fit therewithin.

Fig. 4 shows part of a cavity wall constructed using bricks B1 having insulation of the type shown in Fig. 2. In order to build the wall, a first layer of bricks is laid, with mortar being positioned between the external faces of the adjacent side walls 1b of each pair of adjacent bricks B1. The second layer of bricks is then laid, with mortar 12 being positioned between each brick of the second layer and the existing brickwork of the first layer. In practice, as is usual, each brick of the second layer is off-set by half its length with respect to the bricks of the first layer.

As shown best in Fig. 4a, the mortar layer 12 has thin sections 12a where the side walls la of the two bricks meet, and a thick section 12b which extends over, and is in contact with the blocks 10. This central mortar section 12b thus has shoulders 12c (see Fig. 4a) which abut the upper and lower horizontal edges of the lower and upper bricks respectively. The mortar sections 12b thus substantially reduce the possibility of transverse forces acting on the wall shearing apart the bricks of adjacent layers.

Nevertheless, because the actual horizontal joints between adjacent bricks is made by the mortar sections 12a which are thin, it is relatively easy to separate the bricks, during demolition, for subsequent re-use. This is to be contrasted with traditional solid bricks which require a thick mortar joint covering the entire cross-sectional area of the brick.

Moreover, because the bricks are substantially filled by the blocks 10, which are made of a nonhydroscopic material, and there is only a very small area of brick in contact with the mortar, thereby reducing the hydroscopic action as compared with traditional bricks and allowing a thinner mortar bed joint can be used. This leads to cost reductions, as there is a saving in the sand and cement used to make the mortar. The reduced hydroscopic action is particularly advantageous in hot, dry climates where the amount of water taken up hydroscopically by traditional bricks can be so high as to reduce the chemical action of the cement to a point where no bond occurs between the mortar and the bricks.

The horizontal dummy joints 8 are provided so that finished brickwork has the appearance of traditional brickwork, that is to say the horizontal bed joints appear to have the standard thickness (lo mm). The dummy vertical joints 7 similarly give a header appearance to a wall face.

The joints 7 also facilitate accurate shearing of the brick B1 into two halves which can be used to form bonds other than stretcher bond. A 6 mm layer of waterproof mastic sealant 13 is applied along each of the horizontal mortar joints. This sealant prevents water being driven into finished brickwork via the horizontal bed joints, and this is particularly advantageous in exposed and wet conditions.

This sealant 13 is applied prior to pointing the joints.

Similarly, a waterproof mastic sealant (not shown) is applied along each of the vertical joints prior to pointing. This sealant also helps to prevent water being driven into the brickwork. The wedges 9, being made of a non-hydroscopic material, complement this 'waterproofing' action by providing barriers to the passage of water between adjacent bricks.

Fig. 5 shows part of a cavity wall constructed using bricks B1 having insulation of the type shown in Fig. 3.

Apart from the replacement of the blocks 10 by the inserts 11, this wall is the same as the wall of Fig. 4, and so it will not be described in detail. Moreover, this wall has all the advantages of the wall of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a modified form of brick B1', this brick being identical to the brick B1, but being formed with a thin (10 mm) base 14 instead of being entirely hollow. Fig. 6 shows the brick B1' with the first form of insulation (the blocks 10), and Fig. 7 shows the brick B1' with the second form of insulation (the inserts 11).

Walls made with the bricks B1' have all the advantages of walls made with the bricks B1, the thin bases 14 of the bricks having a considerably smaller hydroscopic action as compared with traditional, solid bricks.

Fig. 8 shows the second form of brick B2, this brick also being moulded from a traditional brick material such as fired clay. The brick B2 measures 337 mm x 112 mm x 65 mm, and hence has the height and width of traditional bricks, but has a length 14 times that of traditional bricks. The brick B2 has four side walls - constituted by a first pair of opposed side walls 21a and by a second pair of opposed side walls 21b - and a base 22. The side walls 21a and 21b have an average thickness of 21 mm, and the base 22 has a thickness of 10 mm. The side walls 21a and 21b taper slightly, as shown, to facilitate removal of the brick B2 from its mould. The side walls 21a are formed with a pair of internal, vertically-extending ribs 23 each of which measures 30 mm x 20 mm. The ribs 23 are positioned 112 mm from the opposite ends of the walls 21a.The side walls 21a and 21b define a hollow brick interior 24 which extends over the entire height of the brick B2 apart from the 10 mm of the base 22.

Each of the side walls 21a is formed with a dummy vertical joint 25 which extends over the full height of its wall and measures 10 mm x 10 mm. Each dummy vertical joint 25 is positioned 225 mm from one of the vertical edges of its side wall 21a. A respective horizontal dummy joint 26 is formed at the top edge of each of the side walls 21a, the horizontal dummy joints extending over the full length of their side walls and having a depth of 10 mm and a height of 2.5 mm. A respective vertically-extending, triangular wedge 27 made of polystyrene is fixed to the external face of each of the side walls 21b. The wedges 27 extend over the full height of their side walls 21b, and are fixed thereto by means of a suitable adhesive. The horizontal dummy joints 26 and the wedges 27 fulfil the same functions as the joints 8 and the wedges 9 of the brick B1.The vertical dummy joints 25 are positioned for 'alignment' with, and giving the same appearance as, traditional or traditionally-sized bricks. Similarly, the ribs 23 are positioned to align with, and provide support for, the edges of traditional or traditionally-sized bricks. In this connection, it should be appreciated that the brick B2 could be modified to have a length of 225 mm instead of 337 mm.

As with the brick B1 of the first embodiment, the brick B2 could be provided with insulation in the form of a polystyrene block 28 (see Fig. 9) or with a reflective, T-shaped plastic insert 29 (see Fig. 10). The brick B2 could also be modified to have no base, as shown in Fig.

11. The block 28 and the insert 29 fulfil the same functions as the blocks 10 and inserts 11 of the first form of brick B1.

Figs. 10 and 12 show walls made of bricks B2 having insulation respectively in the form of blocks 28 and inserts 29. As with the first embodiment, mortar 30 is used to fix the bricks B2 of one layer to the bricks of the layer immediately underneath. Also, the mortar 30 has thin sections 30a where the side walls 21a of two bricks meet, and a thick section 30b which extends over, and is in contact with, the blocks 28 or the inserts 29. This central mortar section 30b, therefore, has shoulders 30c which abut the adjacent horizontal brick edges to provide an antishearing function. The thin mortar sections 30a also facilitate separation of the bricks B2, during demolition, for subsequent re-use.

As with the first embodiment, a mastic sealant (not shown) can be used on both the horizontal joints and the vertical joints of the walls shown in Figs. 11 and 12. Here again, the mastic sealant significantly reduces the chance of water being driven through the walls along the mortar joints.

When building, using either the brick B1 or the brick B2, under normal weather conditions, the technique is basically the same as that for traditional bricks, except that the horizontal bed joints (defined by the thin mortar sections 8a and 30a) are only 5 mm in depth. When building under wet and/or exposed conditions, the same technique is used with the addition of the use of waterproof mastic sealant (or waterproof mortar) to seal the horizontal and vertical joints.

In hot, dry climates, the building method is the same as for normal conditions, excepting that the bricks would be wetted prior to laying, a quick-drying cement would be used, and horizontal bed runs would be limited to no more than 1 or 2 metres at a time.

It will be apparent that the bricks B1 and B2 have many advantages compared with traditional bricks. In particular, they are hollow and so are light and cheap to make. Such bricks also require less energy to make and to transport. Being hollow, they are naturally more insulative than traditional bricks (air being a good heat insulator).

These good insulation properties are enhanced by the use of the two forms of insulation described. The hollow bricks B1 and B2 have their strength increased - so that they can be used for building load-bearing walls - by means of the webs 2 and 3 or the ribs 23. The dummy horizontal joints 8 and 26 permit the use of thin mortar sections 12a and 30a for actually bonding the bricks together, whilst allowing thicker central mortar sections which provide an antishearing function.

Although the bricks B1 and B2 are intended primarily for buildings which require good insulation properties, they would be used without the insulating blocks or inserts. For example, the hollow bricks B1 or B2 could be used for building external walls such as garden walls.

Garden walls made from traditional bricks are unstable and dangerous as they are subject to high wind loads. By using the hollow bricks of the invention, steel reinforcement rods can be run vertically, from the wall footings, through the aligned hollows of the bricks, which would subsequently be filled with concrete. Similarly, the hollow bricks of the invention could be used for retaining walls, again with steel reinforcement rods and concrete fillings. This would lead to a substantial reduction in the number of bricks needed to make a retaining wall as compared with traditional bricks (which often require the use of a multicolumned wall of echelon formation). Obviously, in either of these cases, the bricks B1 or B2 would be completely hollow, that is to say they would not have bases.

Claims (28)

CLAIMS:

1. A brick (B1 or B2) made of brick material, the brick being formed with two pairs of opposed side walls (la, 1b or 21a, 21b) defining at least one hollow section (5 or 24) which extends over substantially the entire height of the brick, wherein the hollow section(s) occupy substantially the entire horizontal cross-sectional area of the brick apart from the material forming the side walls.

2. A brick as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brick (B1 or B2) is formed with internal reinforcement members (2, 3 or 23).

3. A brick as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reinforcement members are constituted by vertical ribs (23) formed on the internal surfaces of the side walls (21a) of the first pair of side walls.

4. A brick as claimed in claim 2, wherein the brick (B2) has a rectangular horizontal cross-section, and is formed with a single hollow section (24).

5. A brick as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reinforcement members are constituted by a plurality of webs (2, 3) defining a plurality of hollow sections (5).

6. A brick as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first pair of parallel webs (2) extend between the side walls (lob) of the second pair of side walls, and a respective second web (3) extends between a respective first web and the adjacent first side wall (la), the first webs being parallel to the first side walls, and the second webs being at right-angles thereto.

7. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a base (14 or 22).

8. A brick as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base has a thickness lying in the range of from 5 mm to 30 mm.

9. A brick as claimed in claim 8, wherein the base has a thickness lying in the range of from 5 mm to 10 mm.

10. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a respective mortar support member (10, 11, 28 or 29) provided within the or each hollow section (5 or 24).

11. A brick as claimed in claim lo, wherein the or each mortar support member (10, 11, 28 or 29) is positioned within its hollow section (5 or 24) so as to leave a small gap at the top of that hollow section.

12. A brick as claimed in claim 11, wherein said gap is substantially 5 mm.

13. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a respective insulation member (10, 11, 28 or 29) constitutes the or each mortar support member.

14. A brick as claimed in claim 13, wherein the or each insulation member is constituted by a block (10 or 28) made of non-hydroscopic material whose cross-sectional area is slightly larger than that of the associated hollow section (5 or 24), the upper surface of the block providing the respective mortar support member.

15. A brick as claimed in claim 14, wherein the or each block (10 or 28) is made of polystyrene.

16. A brick as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the or each block (10 or 28) is so sized, and is so positioned within the respective hollow section (5 or 24), as to leave said small gap at the top of that hollow section, and so as to leave a small gap at the bottom of that hollow section.

17. A brick as claimed in claim 13, wherein the or each insulation member is constituted by an insert (11 or 29) made of reflective material, the or each insert having a horizontal portion and at least one vertical portion depending therefrom, the horizontal portion being slightly larger in cross-section than the associated hollow section (5 or 24), the horizontal portion providing the respective mortar support member.

18. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a horizontal cut-out (8 or 26) formed along one horizontal edge of each of the first side walls (la or 21a).

19. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising a horizontal cut-out (8) formed along one horizontal edge of each of the second side walls.

20. A Brick as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the horizontal cut-outs each have a depth of substantially 10 mm and a height of substantially 2.5 mm

21. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, further comprising at least one vertical cut-out (6 or 25) formed in each of the first side walls (la or 21a).

22. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, further comprising at least one vertical cut-out (7) formed in each of the second side walls (lb).

23. A brick as claimed in claim 21 or claim 22, wherein each vertical cut-out has a depth of 10 mm and a width of 5 mm or 10 mm.

24. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23, further comprising a respective vertical stop member (9 or 27) fixed to, and extending the full height of, the outside of each of the second side walls (lb or 21b), each stop member being made of non-hydroscopic material.

25. A brick as claimed in claim 24, wherein a respective triangular wedge (9 or 27) made of polystyrene constitutes each of the stop members.

26. A brick as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the side walls each have a thickness lying in the range of from 10 mm to 40 mm.

27. A brick as claimed in claim 26, wherein the side walls each have a thickness lying in the range of from 15 mm to 25 mm.

28. A brick as claimed in claim 27, wherein the side walls each have a thickness of substantially 20 mm.