US1503327A - Brick, and wall construction - Google Patents

Description

July 29 1924. 1,503,327

G.E.LUCE

BRICKMAND WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed' June '7. 1920 Wbgg 7 j @Mfg Patented July 29, 1924. I

sraras maar? BRICK, AND WALL CONSTRCTION.

Application led June 7,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GRAFTON E. LUCE, a

citizen of the United States,'and resident of -wall section at one face, together with one or more hollow .sections and therefore to combine a solid and hollow building unit.

. The advantages of such a solid and hollow unit are numerous and the wall structure built thereby alsopossesses important' features and advantages. My building unit with a solid mass, preferably for the eX- terior wall face, enables the structure and each brick or unit in the structure, to carry a great load or compressive strain, i. e., a load substantially equivalent to that which solid brick will bear. The hollow space, or hollow spaces, also provide the insulation incident to hollow brick, and' furthermore enable a very great saving in brick material, in weight, in transportation costs and inihandling. Furthermore, the construction of such a building unit enables it to be adapt` ed for aso-called twin wall structure by having the solid portion as one wall section and the hollow portion or one hollow portion as the other wall section. The combination, therefore, of these two elements, i. e., solid wall section and a. hollow section, in a building unit, is, I believe, a distinct -novelty in this art and I therefore wish to claim the same broadly.

A further important featureincident to the present invention is the provision of a plurality of internal vair spaces in the wall structure. 'Such air spaces are preferably made by utilizing one or more open channels centrally' of the brick or approximately in the center of the brick, which channels will interrupt the horizontal mortar course,

thereby Asaving mortar in the wall, prevent- 1920.` Serial No. 387,066.

ing moisture from seeping across from face to face of the wall, and eliminating weight, saving material, etc. Preferably I so arrange these channels in form so as to constitute a central hand-hold for the brick, this constituting a further feature of the invention. IVhile I am aware that the provision of a hand-hold for handling building units is now in use, yet the arrangement of such a hand-hold, which is positioned symmetrically with regard to the center of gravity of the brick, and eccentric with regard to the area, is a distinct novelty, and is an important feature in my present invention. This enables a building .unit with a solid wall section and a hollow wall section, to

nevertheless be handled in; balanced suspension by the mason, because of having the hand-hold concentric with the center of gravity. This eccentric but balanced handhold feature I desire to claim broadly, either in a combined solid and hollow sectioned build-ing unit, or otherwise. v

Thile my improved building unit can be and preferably is of a size adapted for interlocking with and building, interchangeably, with common brick-sized building units and common brick, the unit can be of any suitable size or dimensions. Furthermore, the wall structure built of such building units `presents a solid, lire-resisting, loadbearing, rigid wall face having for the exterior face a solid and hollow wall structure, with central air spaces, or air channels, and hollow wall section on the interior, which can he utilized to receive plaster directly. I-Ieretofore I believe it4 has been necessary to utilize a hollow wall building unit for a backing and a solid brick unit for the facing, in order to build a wall structure of equivalent strength, thickness and advantageous features, to that aiforded by 'my present invention.

If desired'my build-ing unit can be formed with moisture interlocking and mortar receiving recesses in either or both recesses, and in either top or bottom faces, but preferably I employ a mortar retaining and 1nterlocking pair of lugs substantially opposite the recessed channels for the hand-hold. These lugs affording a positive molsturecheck and interlock, also enable me to conserve, to a high degree, the amount of mortar ',The block 1 comprises a saves the mortar from overiiowing or running into the handehold recesses, thus giving a larger .air space in the center of the ,wall and greater moistureproofness and heat and cold insulation.

These buildingv units are formed in the usual brick-making die machines, by continuous process, wire cut in the same manner as common brick, dried and burned, and

may be formed either in duplexor single column.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is 'a perspective view showing a fragment of a wall structure, built of my novel Jform of building unit, illustrating the combined solid and hollow wall sections and also showing the same with mortar interlocking grooves or recesses; f

Fig. 2 is a corresponding fragmentary view of a Wall structure illustrating my preferred form with mortar retaining and interlocking lugs.

Referring to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a building unit of substantially equivalent exterior Adimensions to common brick and adapted for building an eight inch wall and therefore being approximately eight inches in length, and two'and a quarter inches in hei ht, the unit shown at the top of the wall ragment in Fig. 1, constitutes the simplest form. This form, designated generally at l, may be used with the modied forms designated at 2 and 3, Fig. 1, having the mortar interlock, lor with the form designated 4 Fig. 2, in the same wall. air oftwin wall sections 5 and 6, the sectlon 5 being solid i and intended as an exterior face of the wall and the section 6 having a longitudinal hollow recess 7 and intended for the interior face of the wall. These two wall sections are united by a central portion, the latter consisting in a base plate or bottom portion 8, and the hand-hold or central portion 9, the latter preferably being formed with overhanging ed es or rims 10, 10, to facilitate the hand-ho d, and with the central portion spaced from the wall sections forming open channels 11, 11.- I prefer also to have the central portion cored or formed hollow as shown at 12, thus affording a plurality ofhorizontal air spaces 7 and 12 in the block, and a further additional plurality of air spaces 11, 11, in the completed Wall, as well as the space over the central section 9, whichpreferably--is left free of mortar, as indicated at 15.

My novel form of combined hollow and 4solid brick as just described aords a building unit with the advantages of solid, loadcarrying and fire-resisting face in one wall section, together with air insulation at the center and inner wall sections. Because of the solid wall section 5 being of greater weight than the hollow wall section 6, I prefer to form the central handhold portion 9 eccentric with regard to the surface of the brick, but in balanced relation with the center of gravity, so that the mason will find no diiiiculty in handling the same. In actual practice I find that the solid wall section 5, if of two inches in thickness, affords proper strength for this part of the wall and suitable iire-resisting qualities. The central section or air space 12, may be three inches in length with the handhold'9, approximately two inches, thus affording a good rm handliold and. a seat for the palm of the hand when the mason is settling or positioning the unit onto the mortar courses. This allows the wall section 6 to have the center air space 7 of fully two inches in greatest area and also permits a minimum of one-half inch in thickness for the webs of the walls of the brick surrounding the central air space 12 and the inner space 7. Such a unit can be made easily in the continuous process at present in using in making both brick and hollow tile, will dry quickly and burn evenly to a vitriication.

The form of brick also sho-wn in Fig. 1, and designated as 2, has the solid wall section 20 and the top of the wall section 21, formed with mortar receiving grooves or recesses 22u The block shown at 3 has the wall sections 25 and 26 provided at both top and bottom with mortar receiving and interlocking grooves 27, 27. These forms can be used interchangeable or individually as desired.

Various methods of laying up the mortar courses may be employed. As illustrated in Fig. 1, and between the blocks'l and 2, the horizontal mortar course 30, 31, at the solid or front wall sections and hollow inner wall sections, respectively, are laid to simply cover the portions of the block in vertlcal alinement, leaving the hand-hold recesses 11, 11, free and as open air spaces, in addition to the air spaces 15 above the central handhold section 9. The mortar course v33 and 34, is illustrated as an instance of where the surplus or overiowing mass of mortar, if any, will expand into the hand-hold recesses 11,11, as indicated at 35, 35, and still leaving the central air space 15 open and free. This eectually interrupts the horizontal mortar course, preventing 'moisture from seeping through, providing a pocket for the excess formed solid and hollow respectively, with`4 its central hand-hold portion 42 also in substantially theV same contour, position and spacing as those of the blocks already shown and described, leaving the same hand- hold channels 43, 43. On this block, however, I have added a positive mortar and moisture lug or interlock 44, a pair of these lugs being preferably employed inl alinement to register with a portion of the open handhold channels 43. In laying up the Wall structure with this form of my block, the horizontal mortar course 45, which the niason will lay as a strip, layer or ribbon of mortar on the top-faces of the wall sections, is retained therein by the lugs 44, which interlock a sufficient amount with the channel recesses 43 to practically compress the mortar on the wall sections and retain the same therein, preventing it from flowing downwardly into the recesses, thus still further conserving mortar and affording a rigid, firm, positive interlock. The mortar course illustrated at 46 shows where a surplus of mortar, if extended to ll in the hand-hold recesses or channels 43, as indicated at 50,

afford a further mortar supporting mass for` load-carrying between 'the super-imposed courses of brick, in which the lugs 44 also constitute mortar compressing and interlocking elements.

I consider that these mortar retaining lugs may be of advantage and especially in the manufacturing of this type of channel brick, and also as shown in laying up the mortar course 44, being efiectually a mort-ar retaining check and interlocking means as well as a moisture deflecting element, leaving any moisture which might possibly drive through the outer mortar course to accumulate in the open channel or recess 43.-'

All the foregoing forms can be used interchangeably with each other or with common brick, and will interlock therewith, when made of brick size, as is preferable, at corners, Windows, piers and the like.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. A building unit ,of the kind described, comprising a solid wall section, and a hollow wall section, and having a portion of the block distinct from v the Wall sections, arranged in balanced relation for a hand-hold.

2. A building unit of the kind described, having a solid wall section at one face, ahollow wall section at the opposite face, and an intermediate section defined by open channels, spacing the `intermediate section from the wall sections, said intermediate section being positioned eccentrically with regard to the surface area of the unit, and adapted for the purpose of a balanced hand-hold.

3. A building unit of the kind described, having a solid Wall section at one face, a hollow wall section at the opposite face, and an intermediate section dened by open channels and comprising a hand-hold, spacing the intermediate section from the wall sections, said intermediate section being positioned eccentrically with regard to the surface area of the unit, and one wall section and the intermediate section being cored for lightness.

4. A building unit eccentrically Weighted and having a handheld positioned eccentrically with regard to thevunit, butl directly over its center of gravity.

5. A wall comprising horizontal courses of brick-like units, each unit composed of a plurality of sections, one of ysaid sections, defining the external face of the wall, being solid, and the innermost section, defining the interior face of the Wall, being cored for lightness;

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GRAFTON E. LUCE.

Images