GB2304745A

GB2304745A - Brick laying frames

Info

Publication number: GB2304745A
Application number: GB9518367A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Maurice Edwin Howard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-09-08
Filing date: 1995-09-08
Publication date: 1997-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-08
Also published as: GB9518367D0; GB2304745B

Abstract

A frame 21 which holds and aligns bricks during bricklaying and becomes incorporated in a completed course of brickwork comprises a base spacer 22 and at least one end spacer 23 which extends perpendicularly from the base spacer. Each spacer 22,23 in use presents a void 30 for receiving mortar applied to cement together adjacent bricks and aligns and holds a brick 20 in position prior to setting of the mortar. The frame also spans gaps between neighbouring bricks on an exposed surface of the brickwork. The frame for one course of bricks has alignment means 32 for aligning another frame when laying a subsequent course of bricks, e.g. a socket in a lower frame may receive a stud in an upper frame to join them together.

Description

Brick Laying Frames The present invention relates to brick laying frames which hold and align bricks during bricklaying and which become incorporated in a completed course of brickwork.

Brick laying is a skilled trade. The mortar must be mixed to the right consistency, and each brick must be laid accurately with respect to surrounding bricks. If the mortar is too loose, the brick may sag, and if it is too dry, it may not adhere well. It also takes skill to point bricks neatly and efficiently.

If brickwork is not laid and pointed with sufficient precision, then the result will at best look unsightly, and at worst may be structurally unsound.

According to the present invention, there is provided a brick laying frame for incorporation in a course of brickwork, comprising a base spacer and at least one end spacer extending from the base spacer, each spacer in use presenting a void for receiving mortar applied to cement together adjacent bricks and at least one alignment face for aligning and holding a brick in position with respect to other bricks in the brickwork prior to setting of the mortar and having at least one spanning face for spanning gaps between neighbouring bricks on an exposed surface of the brickwork, in which the frame for one course of bricks has alignment means for aligning another frame when laying a subsequent course of bricks.

In use, the base spacers will normally be horizontal and the end spacers will be vertical and extend perpendicularly from the base spacer. Also, it is usually the case that the bricks in one course overlap joins between bricks in a previously laid course. Therefore, it is preferred if the alignment means is between an end spacer for a first course of brickwork and a base spacer for a second course of brickwork resting on the first course.

Alternatively, if the bricks do not overlap so that the joins between bricks all aligned, the alignment means could be between and end spacers for a first course of brickwork and an end spacer for a second course of brickwork resting on the first course.

In either case, the weight of the subsequently laid course of bricks may then be borne by the end spacers on the previously laid course of bricks until the mortar is set.

A spacer may have a tab extending from one of the spanning faces for aligning an exposed side of a brick with respect to the faces spanning the gaps between bricks. Exposed sides of the bricks may then conveniently be aligned to be coplanar.

The tab may be used for setting one spacing between the spanning faces and the exposed side of the brick, for example being formed as a protrusion with a right angle bend. A corner of the exposed side of the brick may then be brought into contact with the bend. Alternatively, the tab may be used for setting one of several spacings, for example as a flat tab with marked gradations.

Because the tab may be left protruding in an unsightly manner from an exposed side of the brickwork, the tab may made to be readily detachable from the spacer, for example, by the provision of a weakened join or seem between the tab and the spacer.

It will normally be the case that the base spacer will abut a long side of a brick and the end spacer will abut a short side of a brick. However, the brick frame may be employed to lay bricks oriented on end.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the end spacer is formed from at least one, and preferably a pair of end rails. This pair of end rails preferably has a surface on one of the end rails which is parallel to a surface on the other end rail with at least one of the surfaces being a spanning face.

Similarly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the base spacer is formed from a pair of base rails which are connected together and spaced apart by at least one transverse rail. This pair of base rails preferably has a surface on one of the base rails which is parallel to a surface on the other base rail with at least one of the surfaces being a spanning face.

The transverse rail may not have any surfaces that are alignment faces, in which case the bricks are aligned and held in place only by the base and end rails.

For convenient manufacture a rail may have a constant rectangular cross section, being formed from either an injection moulded or an extruded plastics material.

The frame may be modular in construction and formed from individual rail components. These may then be bonded together, for example by gluing or by ultrasonic or rf welding techniques.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rails have connection means for connecting one rail to another rail.

This allows the frame to be formed on site from compact components as the brickwork is laid. Connection means also allow one frame to be joined to another below or to another at the same level at right angles.

The connection means may comprise a recess on one rail and a stud on another rail which when pushed together snap into engagement.

For increased strength, it may be desirable to lay a double thickness course of brickwork. The connection means may then be used to join together two parallel and coplanar pairs of base rails. The connection means may then additionally comprise a transverse tie rail for connecting together and spacing apart the pairs of base rails.

Also according to the invention there is provided a course of brickwork incorporating a brick laying frame, in which the brick laying frame comprises a base spacer and at least one end spacer extending from the base spacer, each spacer in use presenting a void for receiving mortar applied to cement together adjacent bricks and at least one alignment face for aligning and holding a brick in position with respect to other bricks in the brickwork prior to setting of the mortar and having at least one spanning face for spanning gaps between neighbouring bricks on an exposed surface of the brickwork, in which the frame for one course of bricks has alignment means for aligning another frame when laying a subsequent course of bricks.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of three courses of conventionally laid brickwork; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a brick laying frame according to a first aspect of the present invention for laying one of the courses of brickwork shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross section view of a brick laying frame according to a second aspect of the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross section view of a brick laying frame according to a third aspect of the present invention; and Figure 5 is a front view of a section of brickwork incorporating a brick laying frame according to a fourth aspect of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a section of brickwork 1 with three courses 2,3,4 of parallel and non-overlapping bricks laid about a right angle corner 11. Mortar holds the brickwork together, and has been neatly pointed in the gaps 5-10 between the bricks. Because the bricks are laid directly on top of one another, rather than staggered or overlapped, such a section of brickwork will not have a great deal of strength, because vertical cracks could develop in the straight vertical gaps 5,6,7. However, such brickwork is commonly used for decorative internal walls, or for internal or external low non-load-bearing walls.

Figure 2 shows a brick laying frame 21 suitable for laying a course of brickwork corresponding to the central course of bricks 3 from Figure 1. The frame shown has spaces for four bricks in a line, one of which 20 is shown in dashed outline, and at least one further parallel brick in a line extending at right angles to the first line of four bricks from a corner 31 of the frame.

The frame consists of a number of base spacers 22 and end spacers 23. Each base spacer consists of a pair of parallel base rails 24 which are spaced apart at both ends by transverse rails 25. Also at the ends of the base rails are pairs of end rails 26,27 which extend perpendicularly from the base rails 24.

Figure 2 also shows one brick 28 in solid outline that would correspond to one of the bricks from the lowermost course of bricks 4 shown in Figure 1. The brick 28 has a recess 29, which serves to reduce the weight of the brick and to provide a good key for mortar within the brickwork. Because of the construction of the base spacers 22 from pairs of base rails 24 and transverse rails 25, there is a channel or a void 30 in each base spacer 22 through which mortar may be applied to a brick 28 belonging to a previously laid course of brickwork. Similarly, there is a channel or a void 32 for mortar at the end of each brick 20 formed by the pair of parallel end rails 23 and one of the transverse rails 25.

Although only one brick laying frame 21 for one course 3 of brickwork is shown in Figure 2, the frame 21 would be connected to other brick laying frames for previous and subsequent courses 4,2 of brickwork. Once a course of brickwork has been completed, the frame for a subsequent course can be laid on top of the previous course, and aligned and connected to the previous course. To this end, the frame is provided with connection means in the form of a recess 32 on the top of each end rail 26,27 and a matching stud (not shown) in line with each end rail and directly underneath the base rail. A frame may then be placed over and connected to a frame from a previously laid course of brickwork by engaging the studs in the matching recesses.

Because it may be impractical or inconvenient to manufacture the brick laying frame 21 as a single item, it is envisaged that the bricklaying frame will in most cases be supplied in a modular form, and assembled as required by the bricklayer.

Examples of modular brick laying frames are therefore illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

Figure 3 shows a cross section through transverse and end rails of a brick laying frame 33. Two parallel bricks 34,35 can be seen end-on, forming part of a double thickness brick wall which, for the sake of clarity, is illustrated without any mortar between the bricks. One of the bricks 35 is only partly illustrated, being cut away.

The brick laying frame 33 comprises two parallel pairs of base rails 36,37. The rails in each pair are spaced apart and held together by transverse rails 41,42 and similarly the pairs of base rails 36,37 are spaced apart and held together by a transverse tie rail .38. Pairs of parallel end rails 39,40 extend perpendicularly from the base rails 36,37.

All the rail components 36-42 are individually formed in a durable plastics material and each has either a recess 43,45 or a stud 44,46 for connection to another rail. Each stud has an outwardly projecting shoulder 47 which seats against a matching lip 48 within the recess in one-way push-fit engagement.

The joins between the rails are not permanent because the plastic is flexible enough to allow the parts to be separated if sufficient force is applied to pull the rails apart. This is not a particular problem, since the strength of the finished structure derives from the mortar and bricks. However, if greater strength is needed, then a suitable glue may be applied to each recess prior to snapping the rails into engagement. The brick laying frame would then provide a significant degree of vertical and horizontal reinforcement to the finished brickwork and help to prevent any cracks due to settlement or other stresses from widening.

Because the rails 36,37 may connect laterally to each other or to another pair through a transverse tie rail 38, each rail has two recesses on opposite sides. The face of the base rail that is exposed at the surface of the brickwork will therefore have a superfluous recess, which for the sake of appearance may be covered over with a cap 49 which engages with the unneeded recess.

As long as the cap 49 is not glued into place, the cap may always be prised off at a later date, with the recess so exposed providing a handy means of extending the brickwork.

Such an extension could, for example, be either the addition of another thickness of bricks, or new courses of brickwork extending at right angles to the original brickwork. For this reason, it may be desirable to provide recesses at convenient intervals along the length of the base rails, and particularly near the mid-points between end rails for laying bricks at right angles.

In use, the studs 44 that project downwardly from the base rails 36,37 could connect into recesses 43 in a frame in the immediately preceding course of brickwork. Alternatively, if the frame 33 is in the first course of brickwork, then these studs could either be cut off, or left to protrude into an underlying foundation layer such as a poured concrete footing. In the latter case, the frame 33 could be placed onto the surface of the concrete before it has set so that the studs become embedded in the concrete to provide a good initial key prior to laying the brickwork.

Figure 3 is described above as illustrating a double thickness wall, with the two bricks 34,35 being parallel.

However, the transverse tie rail 38 as illustrated could equally provide a solution to the problem of joining two bricks at right angles. For example, if the partly illustrated brick 35 were at right angles to the other brick 34, then the transverse tie rail could connect into a recess in the end of a base rail.

Figure 4 shows a brick laying frame 50 for brickwork a single brick thick. Each base rail 51 has a pair of alignment tabs 52 on a face of the rail 53 which spans the gap between neighbouring bricks 54,55. Each tab 52 extends perpendicularly from the spanning face 53 and has a right angle bend in which a corner 54 of an exposed face 55 of the brick may be seated in order to align neighbouring bricks 54,55 to make the exposed brick faces 55,56 coplanar.

The tabs 52 are all joined at an edge of the spanning face 53 via a thin bridge 57 so that the tabs may be snapped off the base rails 51 once the mortar is set.

The brick laying frame 50 shown in Figure 4 has a pair of end rails 59 similar to those 39,40 illustrated in Figure 3.

These end rails 39,40,59 are suitable for connection to a subsequently laid course of brickwork. If there are no further courses, then the brickwork could be capped with a peaked capping brick or stone laid conventionally.

However, if bricks 34,35,54 as illustrated are not capped, then it may be necessary to modify the assembly as illustrated, at least for outdoor structures, in order to prevent ingress of moisture. This could be accomplished by having a filler strip which snaps into the upper recesses of the end rails, or by having shorter terminal end rails so that a transverse rail could bridge the upward facing gaps between bricks. Since such gaps may be exposed to the weather it may additionally be advisable to seal the join between the rail and brickwork with a silicone or other such sealant.

Figure 5 shows a modular brick laying frame 61 for overlapped bricks in order to illustrate the use of the brick laying frame. The brick laying frame 61 connects together in an analogous manner to that described above.

As shown, two bricks 62,63 and a lower brick laying frame 64 of a lower course of brickwork 65 have been already been assembled and laid, and an upper brick laying frame 66 has been assembled and connected to the lower brick laying frame prior to laying an upper course of bricks.

Mortar 67 has been applied in a void between the base and transverse rails 68,69,70 of the upper frame 66, and this mortar has already flowed, as indicated by the arrows, to fill a gap 71 between a pair of end rails 72 in the lower frame 64, and also to partially fill the recesses 73,74 in the two lower bricks 62,63.

An upper brick 75 is then slotted between two pairs of end spacers 76,77 in the upper frame 66 and pushed downward towards the mortar 67, as indicated by the arrows in the drawing. The upper brick also has a recess 78, and once the brick comes into contact with mortar, mortar will fill this recess and then be pushed further into the gap 72 between the two lower bricks 62,63. Any excess mortar will be pushed laterally into the voids 73,74 for adjacent bricks.

This method of brick laying has a number of advantages. As will be appreciated from Figure 5 and the accompanying description, excess mortar 67 may be applied when laying overlapping bricks, since this excess is prevented from migrating to the exposed edges of the brickwork by the base rails 68, and is directed instead by the brick laying frame 61 into an adjacent void 73,74 for a brick. Another is that mortar is applied simultaneously from above to both the lateral 78 and vertical 72 gaps between bricks. Of course, this method of brick laying also ensures regular mortar joint thickness.

Because the mortar and bricks are overlapped, this type of brickwork will have greater strength than the non-overlapped brickwork described above and shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

In general, it is preferred if the brick laying frame is modular. However, a unitary brick laying frame such as that described above and shown in Figure 2 will have greater mechanical integrity in the transverse direction than a modular frame, even one that has been bonded together with glue, and may therefore be preferred to a modular brick laying frame in circumstances where transverse reinforcement is desirable, such as in courses of brickwork where the bricks are not overlapped.

The brick laying frame may, of course also be used with nonstandard size bricks, for example, curved bricks. In this case, the frame itself would have dimensions matched to the bricks, and could be used to build circular or curved structures, such as walls or columns.

When the brickwork incorporating the brick laying frame is in exposed positions, or where frost damage from water ingress may be a concern, it may be desirable to seal all gaps with a silicone sealant. Alternatively, the spanning faces of the frame which close the gaps between neighbouring bricks may be used as the foundation for a skim of fine mortar or grouting compound. This skim could be textured and coloured to achieve the desired appearance. Because the spanning faces would provide a regular surface, such a skim could be applied easily and speedily even by an unskilled worker.

In general, it is envisaged that the present invention will permit many do-it-yourself enthusiasts to achieve a high degree of precision and speed at a job that would otherwise require a fair amount of skill and experience.

Claims

1. A brick laying frame for incorporation in a course of brickwork, comprising a base spacer and at least one end spacer extending from the base spacer, each spacer in use presenting a void for receiving mortar applied to cement together adjacent bricks and at least one alignment face for aligning and holding a brick in position with respect to other bricks in the brickwork prior to setting of the mortar and having at least one spanning face for spanning gaps between neighbouring bricks on an exposed surface of the brickwork, in which the frame for one course of bricks has alignment means for aligning another frame when laying a subsequent course of bricks.

2. A brick frame according to Claim 1, in which the alignment means is between end spacers for a first course of brickwork and a base spacer for a second course of brickwork resting on the first course.

3. A brick laying frame according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the end spacer extends perpendicularly from the base spacer.

4. A brick laying frame according to any preceding claim, in which a spacer has a tab extending from one of the spanning faces for aligning an exposed side of a brick with respect to the spanning face.

5. A brick laying frame according to Claim 4, in which the tab has a weakened portion for detaching the tab from the spacer.

6. A brick laying frame according to any preceding claim, in which the base spacer abuts a long side of a brick and the end spacer abuts a short side of a brick.

7. A brick laying frame according to any preceding claim, in which the end spacer is formed from a pair of end rails.

8. A brick laying frame according to Claim 7 in which a surface on one end rail of the end spacer is parallel to a surface on the other end rail of the end spacer and at least one of the surfaces is a spanning face.

9. A brick laying frame according to any preceding claim, in which the base spacer is formed from a pair of base rails connected together and spaced apart by at least one transverse rail.

10. A brick laying frame according to Claim 9 in which a surface on one base rail of the base spacer is parallel to a surface on the other base rail of the base spacer and at least one of the surfaces is a spanning face.

11. A brick laying frame according to Claim 9 or Claim 10, in which the transverse rail does not have any surfaces that are alignment faces.

12. A brick laying frame according to any one of Claims 7 to 11, in which a rail has a constant rectangular cross section.

13. A brick laying frame according to any one of Claims 7 to 12, in which rails have connection means for connecting one rail to another rail.

14. A bricklaying frame according to Claim 13, in which the connection means comprises a recess on one rail and a stud on another rail which when pushed together snap into engagement.

15. A bricklaying frame according to Claim 13 or 14, in which the connection means may be used to join two pairs of base rails together at right angles.

16. A bricklaying frame according to Claim 13 or 14, in which the connection means may be used to join together two parallel and coplanar pairs of base rails.

17. A bricklaying frame according to Claim 16, in which the connection means comprises a transverse tie rail for connecting together and spacing apart the pairs of base rails.

18. A course of brickwork incorporating a brick laying frame, in which the brick laying frame is as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 17.

19. A brick laying frame substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in any of Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A course of brickwork incorporating a brick laying frame, substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in any of Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.