US1832836A

US1832836A - Flanged strip for terrazzo floors

Info

Publication number: US1832836A
Application number: US486165A
Authority: US
Inventors: Galassi Pasquale
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-10-03
Filing date: 1930-10-03
Publication date: 1931-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 1948-11-17

Description

NOV. 17, 1931. GALASSl FLANGED STRIP FOR TERRAZZO FLOORS Filed Oct. 5, 1930 3g 2 t EM 11. u l asqlmle alas si.

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Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PASQUALE GALASSI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. c

FLANGE!) STRIP FOE- TERRAZZO FLOORS Application filed October 3, 1980. Serial No. 486,165.

This inventionrelates to improvements in the construction of terrazzo and similar floors and more particularly refers to a new type of dividing strip adapted for use in connection with such floors.

Terrazzo, granolithic and similar floors generally comprise a lower or foundation bed made of concrete or cement or mortar or other suitable material and an upper or finishing layer generally consisting of a mixture of marble chips and cement, providing a good durable surface, and aifording the possibility of producing design and color effects of a practically unlimited variety.

In the construction of this type of floors, the foundation layer is first laid and allowed to harden to a suflicient degree of consistency. Dividing strips are then placed on or through the foundation layer, so as to outline a predetermined design, and the upper layer is then laid in position. As a result, the floor which is ground and polished after the upper layer has become hard will appear as a combination of panels together forming the floor design, said panels being separated from one another by the dividing strips.

The strips employed are generally made of relatively soft metal such as brass for instance, but are also at times made of different materials according to the ornamental requirements of the design and color scheme to be produced.

As a rule however, the metal employed is apt to be considerably more expensive than steel, and therefore it is desirable to substitute steel or some other inexpensive material for the part of the strip which is embedded into the floor material and which is not likely to show even after the floor has been sub jected to considerable wear, 7

In a patent entitled Dividing strip, granted to me May 28, 1929, #1,715,193, I have described and claimed a strip composed oftwo sections interlocking with each other by means of male and female joints formed by their inner edge portions. Furthermore, in a copending application entitled, Terrazzo floor strips, Ser. No. 37 6,809, I have described and claimed a somewhat similar strip in which the joint portions of the strip extend laterally at one side thereof, this construction tending to lncrease the rigidity of the structure and dolng away with the necessity of providing additional anchoring and posi' laterally extending flange, the inner edge portion of the other section having parts abutting against the surface of the other section opposite'that from which said laterally extending flange extends, said other section having laterally extending lugs embracing and retaining said laterally extending flange.

In connection with the strip forming the subject of the last mentioned application, I have found that it is usually necessary for the flanged section to be the upper section of the strip, because the laterally extending lugs embracing-and retaining the flange extending laterally of said upper section are off-set from the body of the lower section where it is not necessary to maintain the continuity of the metal section throughout the length of the strip.

While the provision of aflange extending laterally of the strip throughout its entire length is a very desirable feature, because the flange serves themanifold purpose of increasing the rigidity of the strip, providing a gauge for determining the depth at which the strip is to be inserted in the lower layer, providing a leveling means insuring the vertical alignment of the strip, and providing an efficient means foranchoring thestrip in position, I have found in practice that when the flange is made integral with the upper section of the strip, the cost of production is materially increased, because as stated, the upper section is generally made of'brass or some other expensive metal.

Bymy present invention I have sought to retain all the advantages pertaining to a bimetallic strip formed with a continuous longitudinal flange, at the same time reducing to a minimum its cost of productionk I have therefore devised a new construction of strip composed of two sections in which the lower section is made integral with a longitudinal continuous laterally extending flange, said lower section being furthermore formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced up-- turned tongues or lugs adapted to be connected to or to interlock with the upper section.

By virtue of this construction, all the bent portions of the strip are preferably obtained from the lower section and therefore no eX- cess metal is required for the upper section.

The primary object of this invention is accordingly to provide a dividing strip-for terrazzo and like floors, of a rigid and relatively inexpensive construction, said strip being formed out of two sections, the lower one of which is provided with a longitudinal continuous flange laterally extending from the body thereof.

Another object is to provide a bimeta lic floor strip of relatively simple and strong construction entailing for its production the use of a minimum quantity of metal for its upper section, the two sections composing said strip being securely joined to each other by operations requiring a relatively small expenditure of labor.

A further object is to provide a bimetallic floor strip composed of an upper and a lower section in which the lower section is formed with a longitudinal continuous laterally extending flange and is adapted to be standardized in a way, yet permitting the use of upper sections of varying character and width.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended. claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of eX ample in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a strip embodying my invention in which the upper section is constituted by a fiat strip of metal, and the lower section is bent to form a longitudinal laterally extending flange, and is formed with upturned lugs interlocking with the upper section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a similar strip in which the upper section is composed of a plurality of flat strips arranged side by side;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a strip similar to that shown in Fig. 1 in which theupper sections consists of a relatively wide bar having a relatively narrow rib portion depending therefrom interlocking with the lugs upwardly projected from the lower section;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspe C... t'ive of a strip of the type shown in Fig. i,

in which the connection between the upper section and the lugs upturned from the lower section is obtained by means of welding or similar operations;

Fig. 5 is a Vertical section of a similar strip in which the upper section is riveted onto the lugs upwardly projecting from the lower section;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a strip embodying my invention in a somewhat diiferent form;

Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary view in perspective of another strip also embodying my invention in a still different form; and

Fig.8 is a fragmentary vertical cross section of a terrazzo floor showing the dividing strip of the type shown in Fig. l in position.

As stated in the premi es, my invention consists essentially in a strip comprising a lower section, having its inner edge bent to form a laterally extending continuous longitudinal flange, and an upper section joined to said lower section to form a unitary strip therewith. in a broad sense a strip answering this description has already been shown and described by me in a copending application entitled Composite floor strips Serial No. 376,808. Some of the constructional features of the present invention however, have not been shown in the said application which is more particularly directed to a strip composed of two sections welded to each other along their inner edges irrespective of the individual outlines of said sections.

Some the figures pertaining to the drawings of said application illustrate a strip in which the lower section has its inner edge bent to form a longitudinally extending flange projecting laterally of the body thereof, and the upper section has its lower edge divi ding i.

portion abutting side by side against the inner edge portion of the lower section, the two abutting portions of said sections being welded to each other at longitudinally spaced intervals.

Since the flange formed in the lower section should preferably be at a distan e from the upper edge of the strip corresponding to the depth of the upper layer of the floor, so that said flange will act not only as anchoring means for the strip but also as positioning means therefor, a construction such as shown in said drawings, makes it necessary for the upper section. to be made out of a strip wider than the depth of the upper layer of the floor. The upper section is generally made of rather expensive metal such as brass. for instance, and therefore the additional amount of metal required by the portion of the upper section overlapping the lower section results in a material increase in the cost of produ tion of the strip.

Therefore, although it very desirable to retain the advantages deriving from the use of a flanged lower section, it is also highly desirable at the same time to reduce to a minwho imum the amount of metal required in order to produce the upper section. In a strip made according to the present lnvention a good surface contact is maintained between of slots or openings 13 arranged at spaced intervals in proximity of its lower or inner edge.

The lower section is preferably formed out of an originally flat strip by bending its inner edge portion at right angles to its body portion 1d so as to form a laterally extending longitudinal flange 15. The body 1a of said lower section is punched at spaced in tervals in proximity of its upper or inner edge to form tongues depending from said upper or inner edge, in correspondence of slots or openings 13 in the upper section.

The tongues thus formed are bent upwardly as shown at 16, their outer portion being bent inwardly as shown at 17, so as to be insertable through slots or openings 13, when the inner or lower edge portion of the up-' per section is placed against the upwardly extending portions 16 of said tongues. The tip end of said tongues is then bent'downwardly against the opposite side of the upper section as shown at 18, so that as a result, the tongues will form hook shaped members inserted through slots or openings 13, securely joining the two sections of the strip to each other.

As stated, the height of the upper section preferably corresponds to the depth of the upper layer of a floor in connection with which the strip is to be used, and therefore the flange 15 will serve both as positioning and anchoring means for the strip.

It will be observed that this construction results in a very rigid strip, easy to place in Y widths,whethe'r said upper sections are composed of a number of units or whether they consist of solid bars drawn or rolled in specially designed shapes.

In Fig. 2 I show a strip embodying my invention in which the upper section is composed of a plurality of units in order to produce a relatively wide or heavy line in the floor design between adjoining panels;

In said strip, the lower section substantially corresponds tothe one described in connection with Fig. 1, comprising a body portion 19, a longitudinal flange 20 laterally extending from the upper or inner edge thereof, and a plurality of upturned inwardly and downwarlly bent tongues such as 21, inserted through corresponding slots or openings 22 provided in the upper section. Said upper section is shown as being composed of three

flat strips

23, 24, 25 arranged side by side, said strips being of the same width and each having an uninterrupted upper edge collectively forming a relatively wide upper edge 26.

in 3, the lower section substantially corrcsponc s to the one in connection with Fig. 1. The upper section comprises a relatively wide head 27, formed with a depending relatively thin rib portion 28, provided with a longitudinal series of slots or openings 29, through which the retaining tongues '30 of the lower section are inserted as explained in connection with the strip of Fig. 1.

It will be observed that the oil-setting of the tongue memberssuch as 16, 21, 30 from the body of the lower section results in said lower section having openings such as 31 at spaced intervals through which the plastic composition of which the floor is composed can penetrate. Said openings will therefore cooperate with the flange in anchoring the strip in position. From the preceding description it is obvious that it is quite possible in practice to standardize the construction of the lower section and use it in connection with upper sections of various widths; this feature is important from the standpoint of economy in manufacture be- V cause mass production methods may be applied in connection with the manufacture of the lower section without affecting the possibility of producing strips having upper edges of different widths.

It is within the scope of my invention to effect the connection between the upper section and the tongues upwardly extending from the lower section in ways different from that described in connection with the strips of Figs. l to 3.

For instance, in Fig. 4, I illustrate a strip in which the lower section comprises a body portion 32, a longitudinal flange 33, laterally extending from the upper or inner edge thereof, and a plurality of tongues such as 34; off-set from the body portion 32 and upwardly projecting therefrom at spaced inter vals along its upper or inner edge, said tongues however are not bent inwardly and 4 l, comprising a body portion downwardly as is the case in the strips previously descrioed, but only extend upwardly a distance of about to 5%, enough to offer a surface of abutment for the lower or inner portion of the upper section 35, making it possible to connect said tongues to said upper section in any suitable manner.

F or instance, in said Fig. 4-, I show the upper section joined to said tongues by spot welding as shown at 36. This method of manufacture comes within the scope of my above mentioned patent application #376,808 and may at times be preferable to the method of joining the two sections previously described which is performed by punch and die operations. Various considerations will, of course, enter into play when deciding upon which method of production is to be adopted, these considerations being based on labor, costs and also depending upon the facilities and equipment available.

In F 5, I show a strip in which the lower section is identical to the one shown in Fig. 37, a laterally extending longitudinal flange 38, and a plurality of upwardly projecting tongues 39. In this case also the upper section consists of a strip -l-0 having its lower or inner edge por- Zion abutting against tongues 39, and both said tongues and said upper section are perforated to receive rivets such as 4-1 by means of which the two sections composing the strip are securely joined together.

The strip illustrated in Fi 6 comprises a lower section 42 similar to that shown in connection with Figs. l and 5, provided with upwardly projecting tongues l3. The upper section 44- however, is longitudinally slit at spaced intervals in proximity of its lower or mner edge along two spaced tracts parallel with said edge as shown at 45, 46, so as to isolate bent portions such as 47, which may be oil-set laterally of the body of the upper section so as to form vertical slots through which tongues 43 may be inserted, as shown. The tips of said tongues can then be bent a trifle outwardly, so as to prevent the two sections from once more coming apart.

In Fig. 7, I illustrate a'construction in which the connection between the lower section and the upper section is obtained by nmching out and forcin upwardly tongues sucn as 48 from the flange portion 49 of the lower section 50. The upper section 51 is also punched at spaced intervals along its lower or inner edge to form laterally extending lugs 52, abutting against the inner sides of tongues do. The tip ends of said tongues are then bent over and downwardly against said lugs, forming hook retaining members therefor, such as shown at 53, securing the two sections to each other.

The use of a strip of the type shown in r l g. 1, is illustrated in Fig. 8, where 54 is a floor foundation, 55 is the lower layer of a terrazzo floor and 56 is the upper layer. In the same it will be observed that the lower surface of the flange 15 rests upon the top surface of the lower layer of the floor thus determining the depth at which the strip is to be inserted within theplastic material out of which the lower layer is made.

The remaining portion of the strip upwardly projecting from said lower layer therefore determines the depthof the upper layer, flange 15 also anchoring the strip in position after the upper layer has been laid.

The constructional details of my improved strip may vary from those shown without departing from the inventive idea; the drawings will therefore be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense. Accordingly, I reserve the ri ht to carry my invention into practice, in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections. the lower se tion having at its inner edge an uninterrupted flange extending lateral v of the body thereof, and having a V any of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues, the upper section being connected to said tongues to form aunitary strip with said. lower section.

A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at inner edge an uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having aplurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projectii tongues, theupper section interlocking wi h said tongues to form a unitary strip with said lower section.

3. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge an uninterrupted"flange extending laterally of the bodythereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues, the upper section having a plurality of longitudinally spaced perforations along its inner edge, said tongues being inserted through said perforations and joining said two sections to each other.

l. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge an uninterrupted flange extencing laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the body thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, the inner edge portion of the upper section abutting against said tongues and being connected thereto to form a unitary strip with said lower section.

5. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge an uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a pluralitv of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the body thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, the inner edge portion of the upper section abutting against said tongues and having a plurality of correspondingly spaced perforations along its inner edge, said tongues being inserted through said perforations and joining said two sections to each other.

6. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge an uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced upwardly projecting tongues, the upper section consisting of a plurality of units arranged side by side and interlocking with said tongues to form a unitary strip with said lower section.

7. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge an uninterrupted flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from the body thereof and propeoting upwardly therefrom, the upper section consisting of a plurality of units arranged side by side and having a plurality of correspondingly spaced perforations along its inner edge, said tongues being inserted through said perforations and joining said two sections to each other.

PASQUALE GALASSI.