US760728A - Vault-light construction. - Google Patents

Description

7 W. L. CALDWELL.

VAULT LIGHT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 17. 1903.

PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

E i ltfi. E

a \Z I 71$ 4 j M 47 Q Qitmwom,

WWW.

UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

WILLIAM LEE CALDWELL, OF WHITESTONE, NEW YORK.

VAULT-LIGHT CONSTRUCTION.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,728, dated May 24, 1904.

I Application filed December 17, 1903, Serial No. 185,490. III!) model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LEE CALD- WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing structions, of which the following is a specificationn Thepresent invention may be considered as an improvement upon the vault-lightconstruction covered in my Patent No. 741,010, granted October 13, 1903. The main object attained by the vault-light construction covered by said patent is the provision of a glass of greater strength and larger light area for a given weight and price of glass than other previously-known forms.

The object of thepresent invention is to further improve the vault-light construction on the same general principles as the construction set forth in said patent. have devised a vault-light glass of arch form with a plurality of depending prism portions of varying size and length and so arranged upon the under side of the glass as to reflect a greater quantity of light. My new form of vault-light glasses are also provided with integral tongues or shoulders upon their supporting base-flanges, which afford means for intimately locking the binding-cement and glasses to prevent lateral separation.

As in the original form of construction as set forth in said patent, the vault-light is built upon a suitable iron or steel framework. In the present case the framework is of pe culiar construction, consisting of longitudinal steel bars and transverse spreader-bars of approximately U -shape cross-section passed through suitable openings formed in the longitudinal bars and secured rigidly therein by soldering or galvanizing. The channel of the U shaped spreader bars is presented upwardly, the supporting-flanges of the glasses resting upon the edges of the spreader-bars, and the binding material or cement completely fills the channel of the spreaderbars, the openings through the longitudinal supporting-bars, and embeds the supporting-flanges framework.

To this end I rial, as hereinafter explained. of the framework 1s such as to form a series of the glasses to securelylock the parts to-f In order that my invention may be fully un-. derstood, I will first describe the .same with reference to the accompanying drawings, and

gether. V

afterward point out the novelty thereof more particularly in the annexed claims.

view showing the steel framework and parts of the completed vault-light construction embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of one of the vault-light glasses. Fig.3 is a detail longitudinal sectionalview showing the arrangement of the improved glasses in the improved supporting- Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of one of the improved prism-glasses looking at it from beneath, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a slightly-modified form of prism-glasses.

In constructing a vault-light in accordance with my present invention I first form a suitable framework of the main longitudinal supporting-bars 1 and the transverse spreaderbars 2. The longitudinal bars 1 are of plate formthat is, without flanges-and have punched or stamped through them at proper intervals in a line midway between their top and bottom edges suitable holes 3 of approximately-semicircular shape. The bars or plates 1 may be supported in any suitable manner at their ends, Fig. 1 representing the bars supported at one end upon a girder 4.

The spreader-bars 2 are of approximately U-shape cross-section, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the channel of the spreader-bars being presented upwardly to receive cement or other suitable binding mate- The structure of rectangular openings. to receive the prismglasses. To prevent relativemovement between the longitudinal bars landspreaderbars 2, I prefer to solder the joints by dipping the frame in a galvanizing-bath, the result of which is the galvanizing of the entire frame to protect it and the formation of a rigid joint between the frame parts.

55 In said drawings, Figure 1 is a detail plan 7 The preferred form of prism-glasses which 1 use in my improved vault-light construction is shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 1 of the drawings. This glass is of arch form, as covered by my above-named patent; but in place of a single prism at one end of the glass in the patented construction I now form a plurality of pendent prisms, all of which project slightly beneath the supporting base-flanges of the glass.

10 is the tread portion or outer surface of the glass, which is preferably of rectangular shape.

11 is the rectagular base or supporting flange, and 12, 13, and 14 are three depending prism portions which project downwardly from the main body of the glass within the supporting or base flange. These prism portions 12, 18, and 14 differ in size, length, and degree of angle of their reflecting-faces, so as to throw the reflected rays of light at slightlydifferent angles into the chamber to be lighted. Each of the prism portions projects beneath the sup1i orting-flange of the glass.

15 and 16 are integral shoulders arranged parallel with the end portions of the baseflange 11 in position to engage the transverse or spreader bars 2 for properly centering the glasses when placed in the frame and preventing their movement longitudinally of the frame.

Each prism-glass is also formed with locking tongues or shoulders 17, separated from the main body of the glass by grooves or channels 18. These tongues or flan ges17 may extend upon all sides of the glass; but it is particularly important that they be formed upon the sides which extend parallel with the longitudinal supporting-bars 1, since separation between the glasses and cement is more likely to occur along those lines.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 3, it will be observed that the glasses are placed in the rectangular openings formed by the supporting-framework, with their base or supporting flanges 11 resting upon the edges of the U- shaped spreader-bars 2, the flanges l5 and 16 also engaging the spreader-bars to prevent movement of the glasses longitudinally of the frame. As the spreader-bars 2 pass through the supporting-bars 1 midway between the top and bottom edges of the supporting-bars, it will be observed that although the prism portions 12, 13, and 14 of the glasses project beneath their supporting-flange, said prism portions will not project beneath the longitudinal bars of the supporting-framework.

When the glasses are in place upon their supporting-frame, the spaces separating the glasses longitudinally and transversely are filled with a suitable binding material 20, preferably cement. The cement 2O fills in the channels of the U-shaped spreader-bars2 and the openings through the longitudinal.

bars 1, thereby securely locking the glasses in place. The formation of the cement around the locking tongues or shoulders 17 and into the grooves 18 prevents the separation of the cement from the glasses, the interlocking ribs orflanges of the glasses and cementeffeetively resisting any tendency to separate laterally. It will of course be understood that the eement surrounding the glasses and embedding them in the supporting-frame is securely packed into place, completely covering the upper parts of the framework. The tread portions or outer plane surfaces of the glasses are then rubbed clean with oakum in the usual manner.

The modified form of prism-glass (shown in Fig. 5) differs from the preferred form in the provision of four small prism portions 21 22 23 24: at one end and a relatively large under surface portion 25 parallel with the outer tread portion 10 to facilitate the passage of direct light-rays therethrough.

While 1 have shown and described the supporting-framework of my vault-like construction as preferably formed with longitudinal bars of plate form and transverse spreaderbars of U shaped cross-section and have claimed this novel preferred structure, I would have it understood that I may employ other forms of supportingfra1ncssuch, for instance, with plate-form spreader-bars mounted in plate-form longitudinal bars.

Having thus fully described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A vault-light glass of arch form constructed with a tread portion, locking tongues or shoulders spaced from the tread portion, a supporting base portion, and a plurality of prism portions projecting beneath the tread portion, the reflectingfaces of the prism portions extending at different angles with relation to the tread-surface, as setforth.

2. A vault-light glass constructed with a tread portion, a supporting base portion, and horizontal grooves providing locking tongues or shoulders adapted to interlock with the binding material, such as cement, as set forth.

3. In a vault-light construction the eombination of a series of longitudinal bars having openings of approximately semicircular shape formed through them, with a series of transverse spreader bars of approximately U- shaped cross-section extending through said approximately semicircular openings of the longitudinal bars, glasses mounted upon said framework, and a binding material molded around said glasses and framework and filling the channels of said spreader-bars and the openings through said longitudinal bars, substantiall y as set forth.

at. In a vault-light construction the combination of a framework formed of longitudinal IIO to prevent the lateral separation of the bind ing material and glasses, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM LEE CALDWELL. Witnesses:

Cum. WM. GRUELEER, WM. P. HAMMOND.

Images