US2060361A

US2060361A - Brick

Info

Publication number: US2060361A
Application number: US753436A
Authority: US
Inventors: Moto Ototaro N Yama
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-11-17
Filing date: 1934-11-17
Publication date: 1936-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 1953-11-10

Description

Nov. 10, 1936. Q N. YAMA MOTO 2,060,361

BRICK Filed Nov. 1'7, 1934 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of a load-supporting wall, and a building block or brick from which the wall is constructed. Ordinarily, brick walls are relatively weak under earthquake shocks, as the movements of the building foundation shear the wall in the horizontal planes in which the mortar is laid that connects the rows or tiers of bricks that form the wall. It is believed that such shearing usually occurs between the mortar and the faces of the bricks. In other words, there appears to be a plane of weakness on the face of each brick where the mortar is adhering to it.

The general object of this invention is to provide a wall construction and a brick of a form to overcome this defect.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wall composed of blocks or bricks so constructed as to increase the effectiveness of the bond between the mortar and the face of Vthe brick, and also to provide the bricks with means to cooperate with the mortar in forming this bond in such a way that shearing forces will be effectively resisted by the bond between the bricks and the mortar, regardless of the direction in which the shearing force is applied. In other words, the wall embodying this invention, should resist transverse shearing forces as well as shearing forces in a plane extending longitudinally with the direction of the wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wall having these shear-resisting qualities, but which, in external appearance, will resemble an Ordinary brick Wall.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient brick, and wall construction.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following speciiication, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section showing the end of a wall embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the upper face of a building block or brick embodying my invention, with two diagonally opposite corners of the brick broken away to illustrate the cross section of the brick.

In studying the effects of earthquakes on loadsupporting brick walls, it has been found that such walls afford very little resistance to the horizontal shearing forces which are developed in such walls during an earthquake. This appears to be due to the fact that there is not an effective bond between the face of the mortar and the face of the brick laid on, or under, the mortar. In accordance with my invention I provide a brick having special construction for obtaining a very effective bond between the mortar and the face of the brick. The means for attaining this effect is applied in such a way that shearing forces will be resisted regardless of the direction in which they occur. Furthermore, the building block or brick embodying my invention, is constructed in such a way that the outward appearance of the Wall is substantially the same as an ordinary brick wall.

Referring more particularly to the parts, I indicates a portion of the end of a wall composed of building blocks or bricks 2, laid upon a foundation 3. This wall is formed in the usual manner by laying the bricks in horizontal tiers or rows with mortar 4 between the bedding faces of the brick and on the upper face of the foundation 3. The brick 2 preferably has the dimensions of Va standard brick, and is formed with upper and

lower faces

5 and 6, which are the faces of the largest area, and which I call the ilat faces or sides of the brick. In applying my invention to a brick and wall of this kind, I provide the bedding faces of the bricks with corrugations extending transversely to the brick, and these corrugations are preferably in the form of a single series of shallow V-shaped grooves 1, which extend parallel with each other on each bedding face. These grooves furthermore, preferably extend in an inclined direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the brick and with respect to the side edges of the flat faces of the brick. These grooves preferably do not extend throughout the entire area of the brick, but leave a plain margin 8 extending around the periphery of the brick. By reason of the fact that the grooves 'l extend down into the face of the brick, small faces or shoulders 9 are formed at each end of each groove, and these grooves form pockets into which the mortar is received when the brick is laid into a wall, as indicated in the vertical section of Fig. 1. These end faces 9 produce a bond between the mortar and the brick, which would resist any shearing force acting in a horizontal plane, and substantially parallel with the longitudinal axes of the grooves. It will be evident that any horizontal shearing force acting in any other direction, will be resisted by the grooves or by the ribs III, which are formed between the grooves.

The grooves on one fiat face of the brick extend in an opposite direction to the grooves on the other flat face of the brick. This is indicated by the dotted lines I I in Fig. 2.

In order to increase the bond between the ends of adjacent bricks, I prefer also to provide one end face I2 of each brick with grooves I3, which are similar to the grooves 'I and which extend in an inclined direction, that is to say, these grooves extend along a line inclined to the upper and lower edges of the end face of the brick. Furthermore, one of the edge faces I4 of the brick is provided with similar grooves I5, which also extend in a direction inclined from a vertical line. The grooves I3 and I5 preferably do not extend all the way through the height of the brick, but should leave a plain margin or border around this end face of the brick. This is indicated by the dotted lines I5 in Fig. 1.

In order to enable the wall to have substantially the same external appearance as a wall constructed of ordinary bricks, I preferto provide each brick with a plain end face II and a plain side face or edge face I8. In laying the bricks the face I8 will be placed on the outer face of the wall, and when the bricks are being laid at the end of the wall as indicated in Fig. 1, the plain faces I'I of the bricks are laid so that they align with the end face of the wall. In this way a wall can be constructed in which there is a very effective bond between the mortar and the bricks, but at the same time, the wall has the appearance of an ordinary brick wall. 'Ihe use of plain faces on the exterior of the wall has another advantage in addition to the better appearance of the wall, because by having plain faces on the exterior, there are no grooves exposed which could accumulate dirt.

It will be evident that a wall constructed as described, will be very highly resistant to horizontal shearing forces such as are developed during earthquakes.

What I claim is:

l. A load-supporting wall Composed of bricks laid in a plurality of substantially horizontal rows, said bricks having transverse grooves on their horizontal faces extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axes of the bricks with mortar laid between said rows of bricks and extending into said grooves.

2. A load-supporting wall composed of bricks laid in a plurality of substantially horizontal rows, said bricks having transverse grooves on their horizontal faces extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axes of the bricks, with mortar laid between said rows of bricks and extending into said grooves, said bricks also having end faces with grooves extending in a direction inclined to a vertical line on said end faces,

and mortar laid in the spaces between the adjacent end faces of said bricks and extending into said last named grooves.

3. A load-supporting wall composed of bricks laid in a plurality of substantially horizontal rows, said bricks having their horizontal faces substantially covered with substantially parallel grooves extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axes of the bricks with mortar laid between said rows of bricks and extending into said grooves, said bricks also having end faces with substantially parallel grooves extending in a direction inclined to a vertical line on said end faces, and mortar laid in the spaces between the adjacent end faces of said bricks and extending into said last named grooves, the exposed outer faces of the bricks in the wall being plain faces.

4. A wall construction composed of bricks laid in a plurality of substantially horizontal rows, the horizontal faces of said bricks being substantially covered with substantially parallel grooves extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axes of the bricks, with mortar laid between said rows of bricks and extending into said grooves, said bricks also having end faces with substantially parallel grooves extending in a direction inclined to a vertical line on said end faces, and mortar filling the spaces between the adjacent end faces of said bricks and extending into said last named grooves, said bricks at the end of the wall having plain faces on the exposed end of the wall.

5. A brick for constructing a wall having its upper and lower bedding faces substantially covered with substantially parallel transverse grooves of substantially equal depth extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the brick, and with the grooves in the upper face inclined in an opposite direction to the grooves in the lower face.

6. A brick for constructing a wall, having a single series of substantially parallel adjacent transverse grooves on each of its bedding faces, said faces having the greatest area of al1 the faces of the brick, said grooves extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the brick, said brick having grooves in one of its longitudinal edge faces extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal edges of the brick.

7. A brick for constructing a wall, having a single series of substantially parallel and adjacent transverse grooves on each of its bedding faces, said bedding faces having the greatest area of all the faces of said brick, said grooves extending in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the brick, said brick also having an end face with transverse grooves extending in a direction inclined to the edges of the said end face.

OTOTARO N. YAMA MOTO.