GB2356411A

GB2356411A - A self bonding building block/brick

Info

Publication number: GB2356411A
Application number: GB9927385A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Francis Llewely Brierley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-11-20
Filing date: 1999-11-20
Publication date: 2001-05-23
Also published as: GB9927385D0

Abstract

A self bonding building block that incorporates a bonding agent so that blocks can be stacked without separate bonding agents needing to be applied. Subsequent to stacking, the bonding agent is activated by some physical or chemical means to attach the blocks together. The blocks can be made of a wide range of conventional building materials such as sand or stone. The binding agent can be, for example, hydraulic cement, epoxies or cellulose glues. If the blocks include, for example, cement as the binding agent, spraying with water after stacking would activate the cement, which would leach between adjacent blocks where it would set and bind the bricks together. The bonding agent can also be applied around the edge of the block, possibly by incorporation into a layer of cloth.

Description

1 2356411 Easy Building system

Description

This invention relates to building system for building civil engineering structures such as walls, houses, bridges, etc. It may be extended to a building system for models, children's toys, or engineering prototypes.

It is necessary in building with bricks to cement them together using some form of mortar, to form a mechanical bond between the bricks so giving structural integrity to the building or construction. The bricks/blocks can be made from a vast range of materials, from fired clay to blast furnace slag or stone. They can also be made in an enormous range of sizes and shapes. Blocks used in a single structure are usually regular and uniform in shape and size (although they do not have to be). The mortar used to cement them is usually made of a mixture of Portland cement sand /gravel, lime and water. (Other cementing agents can also be used such as Gypsum). The mortar is mixed in to past/slurry and applied to the bricks as they are carefully laid on top of one another, often to a string line to ensure they are strait. Brick walls or columns exposed to weather or that must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye must be pointed with mortar. That is mortar between the bricks has to be shaped and finished so that there are no hole's cracks or crevices and that the mortar joints are uniform. The mortar once mixed has a limited time in which it remains workable and only a certain number of courses of bricks can be laid on top of one another before the mortar has to be left to harden before continuing. This process of laying the bricks with mortar is a time consuming and labour intensive process. It is therefore expensive and adds to the time and cost of a building project.

It would therefore be desirable to simplify the process of laying bricks such that they are quicker and easier to lay.

The object of this invention is a building systems in which the building blocks can be simply staked into the required position and induced to cemented together by application of some physical or chemical treatment. Once cemented the blocks would become a firm structure with chemical bonding having occurred between the blocks to give structural integrity to the construction.

It is important to note the following. 1. The blocks would be of a suitable shapes and sizes such that they fit together tightly leaving no gaps. This shape need not be rectangular and could be made with no vertical ends see figure 1 so that the weight I Easy Building system of the structure ensures that all interfaces between blocks are pressed together eliminating / reducing any gaps 2. The blocks may have key ways to fit together and help cementing.

3. The edges of the blocks may be textured such that they key together see figure 2. which shows a saw-tooth section texturing so that the blocks fit together with the largest possible interfacing surface area.

4. Blocks may by slightly soft (particularly at the edges) so that when stacked they deform slightly under the weight of the structure and all gaps are filled with adjacent blocks being pressed tightly together.

5. The blocks could be made of a number of materials however the materials can be divided into three main groups 1) blast/aggregate, 2) Block binding agents, 3) block cementing agents. The blast would be chosen for is mechanical physical and aesthetic properties from a vast number of different materials e.g. sand, stone, and, brick. The block binding material this material is used to bind the blast/aggregate together and give the give the block structural strength. For example brick in which mainly consist of clays that when fired bond together to from macro-molecules and form a hard material with advantageous structural properties. The Block cementing agents could be chosen from a large number of different compounds such as epoxies, cellulose glues (for internal/temporary structures), hydraulic cements, etc. For civil engineering structures the agents are most likely to be, calcium hydroxide, lime, gypsum, aluminium sulphate, various silicates and clays (Similar to the constituents of Portland cement). These could also act as binding agents for the blocks. They would continue to harden with time giving the blocks increased strength.

6. The blocks would be stacked in the required structure and treated to activate the cementing compound. In the case of bricks containing a percentage of Portland cementing they would be wetted with copious amounts of water the, cement would then be activated and leach between adjacent bricks where it will set hard bonding the bricks together.

7. The building system could utilise blocks of different types. Typical one block with cementing properties and one block with plain structural properties. These blocks could be arranged in a structure such that they such that the cementing block would bond between the structural blocks.

8. The blocks do not have to be homogeneous that is made of the same material through out. They could for example be made of brick with a layer of cement and clay found the edge see figure 3. The cementing layer could also be made from a layer of felt /cloth impregnated with Portland cement stuck to blocks where they need to be cemented together see figure 4..

3 Easy Building system A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be detailed.

The building system would consist of regularly shaped blocks of a similar size and shape, that can be stacked together to build the structure.

The block would be shaped to allow a close fit between blocks. The blocks will also have some give (plasticity) in the edges such that as they are stacked their weight would press the blocks together causing them to deform very slightly at the edges, so filling any gaps between blocks. This deformation would ensure that the gaps are filled as completely as possible.

The blocks would be made of a mixture of the following materials. Blast, a bulky material making up most of the brick this would be chosen for it's aesthetic and mechanical properties and would typically be one of the following materials, lime stone, shale, sand, blast furnace slag, aggregate. The ballast would be mixed with a proportion of clay that such that when it was mixed together and fired the clay would bind the aggregate together forming a solid structure. The blocks would also contain a proportion of water hardening cements. These water hardening cements would probably consist of a mixture of calcium hydroxide, lime, alumium, gypsum (calcium sulphate).

The blocks could be built in to the required structure that would be self supporting. The bricks would not be bonded to each other or adjacent surfaces yet so could be moved if required.

The blocks will then be wetted with copious quantities of water the, cement would then be activated and leach between adjacent bricks and surfaces,, where it will set hard bonding the bricks and adjacent surfaces together.

4t I Easy Building system

Claims

Claims.

1. A building system consisting of blocks that will cement together or to other objects (i.e. concrete foundation) when the cement / glue is activated by some physical or chemical means or naturally over time.

2. A building system that would utilise no separately mixed mortar or glue, Except possibly to fill unusually shaped gaps that could not be filled by cut blocks.