US1719749A - Composite unit wall - Google Patents

Description

July 2, 192 9. P. BERMAN 1.719.749

COMPOSITE UNIT WALL Filed NOV, 3, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fzy- 3 INVENTOR I FH/L lP BER/WAN ATTORN EY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 2, 1929. P. BERMAN COMPOSITE UNIT WALL Filed Nov. 3, 1928 PH/L/P BER/WAN BY 2 a 4 ATTORNEY Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED sures PHILIP BERMAN, or new YORK, n. 3?.

commits UNIT WALL.

Application filed November 3, 192'8. Serial "No. "317,061;

This invention relates to an improved form.

oi hollow building block especially adapted for use in the construction of celliilar unitwalls for buildings.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved form of hollow building block having a plurality of means for preventing seepage of moisture from one side of the Wall to the other.

Another object of this invention is to pro vi'de a system of construction for building Walls-composed of a plurality of hollow composite unit-blo'cl rs having front and rear bod;- se'ctions which jointly comprise the full vall thickness, the design of the unit-wall-blocks being such as to interlock with each other and eliininate the need of expert masons.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide e. hollow unit-blo'ckof iull Wall thickness for ventilated unit-walls, each block having; Vertical air passages therethrough, adapted to communicate with similar air passages in other blocks superimposed thereon as Well as those'loc'ated below, these air passages being separated from each other by cross-webs formed integrally with the front and rear sections of the blocks but of a height less than the heights of thh flOFilTfi-Iid rear sections of the blocks, thereby lorn'ii'ng cross-passages at the top and bottoi'n of the crosswebs and permitting a cross-circulation of air from one vertical an passage to another.

Another object of this iiive'ntion to Provide ventilated hollow unit-Wall construction of low cost, of relatively low unit weight, and wl'iich possesses the necessary thermal insulating properties and is of rugged construction. I

It is well known that solid masonry walls Without a continuous internal air space collec't dampness. Hollow building blocks may made moisture-proof but the mortar joints between the blocks can not; as they pe'rmit dampness and inoistillfe to go through to, the iiiiier surface of the wall by capillary action, thus inakirig it necessary in order to thoroughly protect the inner face of the wall, to provide lath or other means for separating the plaster on the iniier face of the will from the inner surface of the blocks.

It is hecessary to break the cohtinuityot the nib'rtar layer'sbetween the inner and outer faces oli the wall and this invention meets this isqui'rmeiie It. is possible to apply the plaster directly to the inner surface of my hollow nnit-blocks without any danger of hai ing the plaster d scolored by moisture.

Leterenc'e will now be had to the diawing's, wherein hire numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views in which:

Figure 1 is "a perspective View of a hollow unit-walhblock built in accordance with the sub ect matter of this invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a base for a composite unit-wall; The base has a recess at its upper front face, the recess extending all around the top edge of the base.

to -me 3 IS a perspective view of a com posnehollow Unit-wall constrlict'ed in accordance with the subject matter of this invention.

Figure 4 is a plan View of a composite unit- Wall. I

Figure 5 is a tr'oht elevation or the unitwall, with the upper layer of blocks in section along the line 03-01: of Figure 4.

As shown in Figure 1, 1 indicates the unit- 'block which is of rectangular oiit'line and has a frontho'dy section 2 and rear body section 3, which are uhit'ed by cross-webs 4, 4L he crossw'cbs act late-rzil brhcing and serve to make the block suf'liciently ugged to withstand crushing strziins incidental to such structures. At the from fiice o'lj the wall and integral with the froilt section 2, there is provided a face plate 5, which is substantially ot'the same from face dimensions asthe front semen of the block but is located thereon in oli'set relation so that there is formed one flange 6 projecting downwardly, one flange 7 projecting lengthwise, a'hd a doivnii 'a'rdl extending recess 8 at the top of the block and a recess 9 at one side of the bloclt. .At the interior face of the wall on body section 3 there able base preferably of concrete, on which the wall of the building is supported. The base is provided with a downwardly extending recess 13 at the upper edge of the front face.

Referring to Figure 3, 12 indicates the base; 14 and 15 are the corner blocks, all the other blocks being the same as shown in Figure '1.

In constructing a wall as shown in Figure 3, one course 19, of blocks 14, 1, etc. is first laid on the base 12, and then a superimposed course 20, of blocks 15, 1, etc. is built thereon, but with the blocks in joint breaking relation. so that the blocks will be set mediall v over the vertical junctions 16, of the lower course and so on throughout the wall. The faces of the blocks are intended to stand up in vertical alignment in one plane when the blocks are laid up in a wall so that the ducts are over ducts and the cross-webs are over cross-webs and the load is carried upon a line of continuous vertical members.

The blocks are bedded in motar both horizontally and vertically, but the duct spaces are left open. The central duct 10 of each block is in vertical alignment with the duct between the adjacent blocks in the next course above and below, thus forming a series of dryair chambers extending vertically the entire height of the wall, as best shown in Figure 4. The side walls of the block at the rear section 3 are parallel while the side walls at the front section 2 taper towards the front face and when two blocks are laid up in any horizontal course of a wall, the vertical front edges of the block abut and the rear edges are spaced apart, and this leaves a tapering wedge-like layer of mortar at the front section and a parallel layer of mortar 17 at the rear section.

The vertical mortar joints are covered up by the abutting front edges of the blocks and are not visible. The importance of abutting the side wall edges and protecting the mortar joints and preventing the disintegrating action of rain and frost can be noted from the facts that mortar joints are weaker than the blocks which they unite and the failure of a masonry wall usually begins by cracking along these lines and that the strength of block masonry is only about oneforth the compressive strength of an individual block. These flanges 6 and 7 enable the blocks to be laid flush with the front face recess 13 of the base and with the front face recesses 8, 9. of the adjacent blocks. At the rear faces of the blocks there are provided a plurality of grooves 21, 21, in each block. These grooves assist in maintaining the plaster in position.

The cross-webs 4, 4, are-formed integrally with the front and rear sections of the blocks, but of a height less than the heights of the front and rear sections, thereby forming horizontal openings 18, 18, leading from one vertical duct to another and providing a cross-circulation of air from one vertical air duct to another.

Bymeans of the vertical duct-s 10, 11, and the horizontal cross-passages 18, 18, a free circulation of air throughout the wall is permitted and this materially decreases the tendency of the dampness to pass through the wall. The ducts and cross-passages reduce the weight of the blocks considerably and considering the full-wall thickness, these hollow blocks are of low unit weight. Inasmuch as the cross-webs are of less height than the front or rear sections, the continuity of the mortar joints is interrupted by the open spaces, and the possibility of seepage through the whole depth of the mortar joints is pre vented. The abutting side wall edges at the front face of the wall constitutes one check upon moisture seepage and the horizontal openings break the layers of mortar 17 into two and constitute another check upon moisture seepage. The air ducts not only are adapted to cut off the dampness but they also insulate the interior face of the wall from the cold'or heat at the exterior face of the wall.

The two projecting front flanges 6, 7, provide means for more perfectly aligning'the blocks and for interlocking each block laterally with two adjacent blocks, and an external pressure applied horizontally against any block of this wall is resisted by all the blocks of the wall.

In laying the blocks, a layer of mortar is first placed on the top of the course previously laid and the downwardly extending front face flange of the upper block is then pressed against the upper front face recess of the lower course until the front faces are in line with the previously laid course. By this means the block is placed in position quickly and accurately with the front face truly vertical and with its top edge level at the correct course height.

This invention makes possible a more careful alignment of the blocks and provides for definite vertical faces against which the blocks abut and align automatically, accurately and quickly and my pre-formed hollow unit-wall-blocks are so constructed and associated as to greatly minimize the manual labor incident to filling the'mortar joints and assembling such walls.

According to this invention, a wall constructed with my hollow unit-blocks is substantially equal in thickness to the thickness of a single block, with the exception that the wall thickness may be enlarged slightly by the application to the interior surface of one or more coats of plaster.

It will now be seen that in erecting a wall with the hollow unit-blocks built in accordance with the subject matter of this invention that this can be done quicker than casting concrete walls in place as no mold is required,

concrete molds requiring that they be first set up and removed after the concrete is hardened.

These building blocks may be made o t' any composite plastic materials. The blocks may be produced with various kinds of outer face finish such as smooth finish. stone linish and of different colors. and may be of any suitable length and depth. The blocks may also be used as interior tile blocks and for Vtll'ltt other uses. lleams. window sills and changes in the thickness of walls may he made as readily as with bricks. These hollow blocks are preferablymolded with a front face plate of architectural stone finish and with an ordinary rough block body.

It is readily seen that there has been provided a con'iposite unit-wall which meets the demand of the building industry for a wall structure which is immune from moisture seepage.

Having thus described my invention. I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A combined hollow unitwall-bloch comprising front and rear integral body sections of substantially the same size and in the same parallel planes spaced apart by cross-webs of a height than the body sections, the wall face of the front bod section being provided with an offset face plate and forming two elements in different planes stepped relatively to one another both vertically and horizontally, the wall face of the rear body section being provided with grooves for plaster finish the side walls of the block at the rear section being parallel and the side walls of the block at the front section taper towards the fr: at face. one central air space and one open air space at ach side extending vertically bet ween the body sections and crosspassages connecting one vertical air space w t h another. said body sections jointly comprise the full wall thickness.

L. A composite building: wall comprising a ba e having a recess at the upper edge of the front face. a plurality of layers of hollow unit-wail blocks laid horizontally in courses one above another. each hlocl; having front and rear body sections of substantially the same size and in the same parallel planes and which jointly comprise the full wall thicle ness. a plurality of vertical ai'r ducts and cross-webs between the body sections and laid with relation to air ducts and crossovebs in similar blocks in the next upper and lower courses, so that the air ducts and cross-webs are in vertical alignment with the air ducts and crciiso'velas in blocks of adjacent courses, and said cross-webs being of a height less than the body se tions and forming horizontal cross-passages connecting the vertical air ducts. the rear body sections of the blocks bcinn provided with grooves for plaster finish and the said front body sections respectively provided with otfset front face phres which overlap and interlock with the base and with the adj: cent blocks. and mortar joints comprising two separate layers between each horizontal and vertical face of the blocks and the vertical mortar joints comprising covered wedgwshaped layers of mortar substzmtially as described.

PHHQIP HERMAN.

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