IL93853A - Building block - Google Patents

Description

BUILDING BLOCK BUIIDIG BLOCK This invention relates to novel building elements and to a method, and apparatus, for their manufacture.

The closest prior art known to the applicant is French Patent 560 590.

According to the invention a building element is provided of crank shape in cross section, having identical upper and lower surfaces, the surfaces including a first vertical portion, a first short horizontal portion equal to the width of the first vertical portion, an angled portion, a second short horizontal portion identical with the first short horizontal portion and a second vertical portion identical with the first vertical portion, the top and bottom edges of the element abutting the two short horizontal portions when assembled; the vertical dimension (X) between the uppermost and lowermost levels of the angled portion being dictated by the formula: I X =\|Tc x dw - 3Tc) -3- 93853/2 wherein TW is the overall width of the building element and Tc is the thickness of the vertical portions; the angle 9 of the angled portion being calculable by the formula: Tw - 3Tc tan Θ = and the angled portion including spaced apart orifices for receiving bolts for staggered moulding purposes and for receiving electrical , water and other services when assembled for a building operation.

The terms "horizontal" and "vertical" have been chosen to include portions which are slightly out of the strict horizontal or vertical plane for desired constructional and other advantages.

The cranked zone may comprise or include a non-heat- conducting material which may be pre-formed and inserted into the mould in the desired location and bonded to the vertical portions to avoid thermal bridging.

When assembled, the top horizontal end of an element abuts the lower first horizontal portion of the element above it, and the lower horizontal end of the latter element abuts or rests on the second horizontal portion of the former element. In this way the elements according to the invention may be placed one upon the other to form a wall or other structure.

It will be appreciated that the identity of the top and bottom surfaces of the element permit stacking of the elements for storage in the minimum of space and also for efficient transport.

In a preferred form of the inven ion the angled portion of the element includes one or more orifices adapted to receive electrical , water and other service conduits. The edges of these orifices should be substantially vertical so that the service conduits and the like may be located easily.

Still further according to the invention a second set of elements is provided which are exact halves of the elements of the invention, the division being vertically between the angled portion and the second horizontal portion. These elements may be used to constitute a part of the foundations of a structure and, when inverted, to provide for a ring beam to support a roof. In addition such elements may be used to form openings for windows, doors, air ventilators and the like.

Because of the identity of the top and bottom surfaces of the element, the elements may be very easily moulded by using a plurality of identical metal sheets bent into the shape of the element. These sheets are arranged stepwise and their tops and bottoms include closing horizontal formations in opposite directions.

The angled portions of the sheets may include one or more orifices and spacer members (which are preferably of trapezoidal shape in cross-section and circular or elliptical in plan) are provided for formation of the orifices in the angled portions of the elements referred to above during a moulding procedure.

To complete the multi- arrangement, bolts may be passed through corresponding orifices in the angled portions and are tightened with nuts. Alternatively, or in addition, the spacer members have at least one protrusion on their tipper or lower surfaces and corresponding recess or recesses on the other surface.

The orifices are preferably spaced apart mathematically so that if the elements are staggered by half their length (as with bricks and blocks in conventional construction) , adjacent orifices will correspond vertically.

The orifices are conveniently elliptical in plan.

It will be appreciated that the elements of the invention may be cut into fractions and suitable notches may be included in the moulding sheets to facilitate this operation.

If it is required to provide gaps between adjacent elements to receive grouting, the moulding sheets may be formed to provide dimples, ridges, channels or like formation for such purpose.

The present invention differs from that of Estempes (French Patent 560 590) in that there is no angled portion in the Estempes invention - the portion between the two vertical portions of Estempes is effectively horizontal and this results in the joint on the left hand side of the assembly being lower than the joint on the right hand side. This is aesthetically displeasing. In the present invention the angle of the portion joining the vertical portions results in the joints on either side being the same height.

The two mathematical formulas which enable the angle of the angled portion to be determined for any overall width of building element and any thickness of the two vertical portions have to be satisfied by the present invention.

The third main difference is that the angled portion of the present invention has orifices which serve a two-fold purpose - one to receive bolts for staggered moulding purposes and the other for receiving electrical, water and other services.

An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. -8- 93853/5 In the drawings: Figure 1 is an isomeric view of a building element according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of an assembly of elements of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the elements of Figure 1; Figure 3 (A) is an enlarged view of the circles part of Figure 3; Figure 4 is a sectional side view of a mould unit for the manufacturing the building elements of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a side view of a spacer for use with the mould of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a plan view of an assembly of a plurality of mould units of Figure 4 in use; Figure 6A is an enlarged view of part of Figure 6. and Figures 7 to 10 relate to the derivation of the two mathematical formulas, describing the shape of the building element.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings a building element 10 is crank-shaped in cross section having two vertical parallel portions 12 and 14 which are joined by upper and lower horizontal portions 16, 18 and an angled portion 20. A plurality of elliptical openings 22 are formed in the angled portion 20. These openings have edges which are in the vertical plane.

The assembled elements 10 in Figures 2 and 3 present vertical parallel faces for a wall 24 to be formed. The joins between adjacent elements include a space 25 (created by provision of a ridge 27 which runs along the upper edge of the element) can be filled with mortar or the like. A similar space is created by a similar ridge which runs along the lower edge of the element as shown by reference 29 in Figure 1 and 3. These ridges are formed during molding of elements with recesses 46 being formed by a plate 48 on the upper and lower edges of the molds as illustrated in Figure 6A. The base of the wall 24 has a half element 26 which is otherwise identical to the full elements 10. The openings 22 can be used to pass electrical, water or other service conduits.

Referring to Figures 4 to 6 a mould 28 is of the same shape as the building element 10 except that the parallel vertical portions 12, 14 have upper and lower horizontal footpieces 30 and 32 respectively at their free ends. The footpieces 30 and 32 can be of any convenient length but are of equal length and correspond to the thickness of the element required to be moulded.

Spacers 34 of trapezoid cross-section and elliptical plan are provided with an internal passage 36 through which a bolt 38 can pass, the height of the spacer 34 is such as to allow the footpieces 30, 32 to engage snugly with adjacent moulds and at the same time to create the orifices 22.

A protrusion 42 on the top surface may be provided and this can engage in a recess 44 in the lower surface, the sides of the spacer taper slightly as shown by the continuation dotted lines.

In use a plurality of moulds 28 are assembled in a staggered relationship as seen in the assembly 40. The foot pieces 30 and 32 form steps at the upper and lower ends of the assembly. The bolt secures the moulds to each other. The space between the moulds can be filled with any settable material. -11- 93853 It will be appreciated that the elements of the invention may be extruded by use of suitable extrusion apparatus and the elements may then include useful formation which are not possible to create by a moulding operation.

As mentioned above, the dimensions of the elements of the invention are dictated by mathematical formulas.

Several criteria are essential and these are illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. In Figure 7 (which is a simplified form of Figure 3) the dimensions Tw and Tc are shown. The three distances D are also shown as being equal .

For moulding or stacking (for transport for example) purposes the line A is normal to the surface of the angled portion 20 and the lines B and C must be parallel. The bolts 38 (see Figure 6) will pass through an orifice on line A.

Translating these two f ignores into a more detailed Figure 9, the following criteria must be satisfied: -12- 93853/3 -13- 93853/ 3 TW - 3Tc or tan \| Tex fIW-3Tc) Of course, it will be appreciated that in practice allowance will _ have to be made for the thickness of the metal moulds and a gap for mortar will have to be allowed at E and F and slight slopes for demoulding will also have to be provided. -14- 93853/ 6

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS elements formers of surfaces , a first of first horizontal horizontal identical e vertical lowermost ictated by the first the second r in the of the two formers; calculable 93853/4 - 15 - and a plurality of spacers adapted to be located between adjacent angled portions, the spacers being of predetermined shape to create orifices in the building blocks when moulded. By the Applicants, DR. REINHOLD COHN AND PARTNERS