US1526667A - Mold for casting blocks - Google Patents

Description

` S. FLAM MOLD FOR. CASTING BLOCKS Filed Allg. 23 1922 BY jv m v TTORNEY ".To all whom t may concern:

Paiented v17, 19625.A jUNlTED STATES f STEPHEN FLAI, OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

MOLD FOB CASTING BLOCKS. v

Be it known that I, STEPHEN FLAM, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Glendale, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California am the inventor of certain new and useful Improvements in Molds for Casting Blocks, of which f .e the following is a/specication.

' My invention relates to the `casting of blocks in collapsible molds from plastic materials, such. as concrete. More articula'rly `in Kinvention relates to a multiple collapsi le mold, arranged to be taken apart after the product is suiciently hardened so that it does notU require further support.4

Collapsible molds ofnthis character may be poured quite rapidly from such material aswet concrete. fter the blocks are cast it isI necessary to allow them to set for a relatively long period, such as a half day 4 or a whole day. To accommodate all these blocks while they are being ldried a oomparatively large space is required. ,The more eflicient the plant is as regards speed ofcasting the more important it is to acqu-ire more and more space for accommodating 'the drying product. The problem of providing suicient space is still more acute i ltiple collapsible mold so arranged that al where kiln drying is used. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a mulminimum of space is required for its accommodation both before and, after pouring.

'It is customer to assemble the multiple mold upon the at top of a movable car, which may be positioned below the discharging spout of a concrete mixer. vIt is possible with the aid of my invention to utilize most economically the top surface ofthe car; that is, it is possible to cast a greatmany more'v blocks on one car with the aid of my invention that has been done heretofore.

I quite considerably for wallsthat are pziered on the inside, as in ordinary dwe Another important result that I accomplish with the aid of my invention is that the product is more homogeneous and-is v generally of a better grade.

. Blocks of plastic material are now used When blocks asl heretofore manufactured are used, it is essential to providea coating `of laster before lapplying the paper, due tot e irregularity of the b ook surface.

` With the Aaid of my invention, this irregularit is obviated entirel and it is quite feasi le tov apply the w paper directly to ings.-

i the' block surface without the necessity of using a coating of plaster.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a collapsible mold that may be very quickly assembled.

My invention possesses other advantageous features which vwill be pointed out in the following description, and' claimed specificallylin the appended claims. Although I have shown in the drawings but one embodiment of my\invention, it. is evident that it ma take many forms, and I do not desire to e limited to the form shown.

In the drawings: i

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a mold as assembled andready for pouring,except that only a few of the cores are shown;

Fig. 2 is a detail'view illustrating 4the manner of assembling theparts of the mold;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a core which may be used in the mold;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wedge forholding the core in place and for expanding it so that it fits the apertures provided for it snugly; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a block as manufactured by the mold.

The mold may be used either with or without cores, but in the present instance the cores are shown for completeness. The. mold is assembled on a flat bottom plate 11 which'may be the top surface of a car. In general the mold includes a series of flat parallel members 12 'and 13, and a series of' flat parallel separating plates 14 having their planes substantia ly perpendicular to those of members 12 and 13. The plateale are rovidedwithiiaps or projections 15 whic are adapted to4 enter into appropriate narrow slots or apertures 16 in the members 12 and 13.' These plates may readily be formed by stamping from flat sheets of steel or iron or the like. By the aid of the projections 15, the s`u orted between the members 12, 13.

ose flat lmer'nbersl which do not form plates 14 are properly the outer plates of the series are preferably spondin clearly shown in Fig. 2. Theend members 12 may be each formed of a single thin plate as indicatedon the drawing.

In the present instance two projections are shown on each edge of a separating plate 14,

but it is ,of course evident that as many off the projection may be used as is necessary' plastic material is made to have a maximum depth inl the mold. Sincefthis vertical dilau mension may be somewhat large, the projections 15 are purposely made numerous enough or long enough to perform their fuctions properly. The support ofA the plates 14 isdue solely to the engagement of these projections in the slots 16. It is not essential that these plates 14 form continuvous lines as shown, but it is preferable to place them that way for the sake of uniformity.

The casting of the product with example, the quality of the blocks is greatly improved, due to the action of gravity upon thematerial while itis still plastic. Furthermore all 'shrinkage in the process oi setting is taken up 1n the length of the lblock, and the width or'thickness is main tained uniform. In prior systems thshrinkage is taken up in oney of the othe dimensions with the result that uniformity 'n the wall thickness could not be obtained.

The width of the blocks indthe present sys# temis accurately determined by the spacing of members 12 and 13. When laid in a wal the in ner surface may be maintained true withoutb the necessity of plastering, and the wall paper may be directly applied to the surface.. This results in a great savingin cost. Another advantage is that more blocks may -be accommodated in the .same space, with an attendant saving of car space and kilns. In so f arl as this feature of the invention is concerned. it forms the subject matter of an earlier filed application in my name, Serial Number 463,258. filed April 21, 1921, and entitled Mold for casting blocks. The present application is a continuation in part of this 'e-arlier application. V

It is customary, in order that the blocks' be as light in weight as practicable, to pro(- vide cores for the mold, so that one or more holes 21 may be produced in the block 22 after casting, as shown in Fig. 5. The blocks, if made light enough, or with lar enough holes, may be termed hollow t1 e l products, but herein the term block is used its length, Ivertlcal gives rise to many advantages. lFor to denote anyv form of building material, whether solid or cored. In'my mold I provide appropriate apertures 19 in-'one of the series of parallel members, for example in plates 14, for the reception of cores 20. In

Fig. 1 Ix showk but-'one core 2O in place but it is to be understood vthat before pouring more cores are to be inserted to fill all of the apercore 20 and on opposite sides of the o-verf lapped seam. These depending vanos may be conveniently formed from angle irons. The-free diameterof cores 20 is such that they may be easily inserted in the yapertures 19, and afterward expanded. When the cores are to be removed after the blocks have been poured and they have set suiciently, the wedges 23 are driven out, and the` cores contractxdue -to the resiliencev of the material from which they are made It is then a simple matter to remove the cores.- In .v

order to enable the cores to contract more easily and separate fromthe blocks, I prefer `to`use a plurality of springs 25 at each end of the cores which are placed in tension when the wedges 23 are driven in place, and act yto contract the core. These spri'n linked to each other, and at the end t at is -not linked they are anchored as byl means of the hooks oreyes 26 to the inside of the core 20. These springs are preferably so designed that there is no appreciable tension placed on them when the cores 20 are in their freecondition, but are placed in ten- .'sion assoon as the core is expanded, and act with considerable force to separate the core from the block while the wedges are being driven out.' A pair of springs are placed at each end of the core to secure uniformity in the contraction of the core. vThis spring are construction assists in speeding up the assembly of the mold and separating it from the cast material. Furthermore since it is unnecessary to resort. to hammering or the.

like for removing the cores, these" do not deteriorate appreci ably even after continued use.

In order to facilitate the assembly of the mold, I rovide for a locking arrangement of the p ates 14 in the members 12 and 13. This arrangement in the resent instance is shown as a long rod or wlre 27 having handle portion 28, enga 'n apertures 1n` one of the ila e tion of t e rod 27 makes it vimpossible for the flaps 15 on plates 14 to be pulled out of the slots 16. The rod is.` inserted` by hand into the aperture, of each plate 14 as it is 15 of eac 'p ate 13. Thefinseras well as while Ait is in the s etting7 periodassembled' with the- members 12 and 13, and ordinarily these plates are assembled in succession one behind the 'other in the same row, so that each -of the rods 27 may be inserted through all the flaps which cooperate with it before another rod need be manipulated. i

The manner of use of my invention is readily understood from the foregoing description. Due to the vertical 4`arrangement of the mold compartments, a great vsaving in space is el'ected while pouringthe product,

within the mold. A homogeneous, dense product. is obtained, due to the depth of casting. This is of' especial importance in wet concrete casting, since in the ordinary forms where the concrete has a depth the equivalent of the height of the block, a1r or water holes are apt to occur. With the present larrangement such occurrences substantiallyv never amount to serious defects. Another greatadvantage resides in the possibility ol" obviatinof the need of applying plaster to the inside of the wall before the wall paper is placed thereon;I The' spring 'construction at the endscf the cores 20 blocks from plastic material, a plurality 0% flat parallel plates, a plurality of flat separating plates having a plurality of proJeotions on each edge entering into apertures In the parallel plates, and a plurality of'cores extending through the separating plates, the separating plates and parallel plates having a height corresponding to the length of the block and forming vertical rectangular compartments througbh which the cores extend in a horizontal direction, there being at least two cores in each compartment arranged one above the other.

2. In a collapsible mold yfor forming blocks of plastic material, a series or'l flat parallel lmembers forming `a plurality of rows, and separating plates in the rows, each of the parallel members comprisin a pair of thin plates and spacing strips i tween the plates, whereby projections formed on the edges of the separating plates may enter slots formed in t e thin plates into the space formed between the pair of plates.

3. In a mold :for forming blocks of plastic STEPHEN FLAM.

Images