US77208A - Improved roadway-pavements - Google Patents

Description

@eine tetes stnt @fitta JOHN T. PARSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Letters ,Patent No. 77,208, dated April 28, 1868; antedated April 18, 1868.

IMPROVED ROADWAY-PAVEMENTS.

TO ALL WHOM I T MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. PAnsoN, of Washington, in the county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roadway-Pavements; and I do hereby declare the following4 f to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in I WlllCh-r- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a section of a street paved with my improved paving-blocks, Figure 2 a portion of street, having dierent forms of paving-blocks, and f Figure 3 a perspective view of a single block, such asis shown in iig. 1. It is well known that a paving-material suitable to withstand the heavy tralic of business in city streets, and at the same time' give perfect satisfaction is a great desideratum. Against every-material hitherto intro# duced, grave objections have been made. Stone is either too rough, or wears (too smooth, is too rigid, and is very costly. Iron is costly and too rigid, and wears too smooth. Wood is costly, and has not sullcient'durability.

Concrete or composition is also wanting in durability. The paving-block which is herein described possesses the requisite qualities for a goodpavement to a greater degree than any material hitherto' in use, and is less liable to the defects above mentioned.

That others may fully understand my invention,v I` will particularly describe it.

The material which I employ is a refractory clay, such as is known to brick-makers -as a strong clay, A

which is dicult to manipulate in tempering, and which, when made into bricks with the ordinary burning, is too hard and refractory for use. This clay, I have discovered to possess the requisite qualities to form a. goodpavement when properly tempered, pressed, and burned. It should be thoroughly ground and mixed together, v without the use of much water, reducing it to the consistency of a still' putty. While in this condition, itis pressed into proper ferm by meansvof machinery of suitable power, and, after slight drying, the blocks so formed are placed in a kiln and burned, a longer time and more intense heat being employed than inthe burn;

ing ot ordinary brick. When this process has been completed, the block-s ready to be laid in the street.

These paving-blocks may be made in the form of a rectangle, circle, or polygon, as may be deemed most desirable, and of such size as may be preferred, but I thinl; the following. form and dimensions willbe found most advantageous, z'. e., the face or end to presentan octagonal figure, with unequal sides of about two and one.-

fourth (2i) inches, and one (l) inch alternately, as shown in iig. 3,' the diameter being nearly four (4) inches. This surface forms the face or exposed end of the paving-block, and it should be supported by a depth of about eight (8) inches, the whole represented in perspective in iig. 3. When forming a pavement o-f these blocks, the bed is prepared in some suitable manner, depending very much upon the natural subsoil of the locality. If the same is soft, a deeper and rmer foundation must be laid than if it is solid and firm naturally. When the bed is properly prepared, the blocks are laid, as shown in iig. l, leaving an interstice, a, of about one (1)*in-ch square between the blocks at each corner. When a considerable space has been laid with the blocks, a square wooden pin of proper size may be driven into the interstices a Q and *thev blocks all keyed firmly. The spaces between the blocks may then be filled with sand or cement, as in the ordinary manner of laying pavements.

The use of the wooden keys is not deemed essential', but useful, especially in pavements required to with; stand a heavy trahie. 1 y

The form and dimensions above mentioned secure the following advantages: The form of the exposed end permits the occurrenceof small holes or openings in the pavement at intervals of about four (4) inches over the entire surface of the pavement. These holes pass through to the foundation, and l'will' therefore be always present. They are ofsuch small size as to alford a convenient and sure holding-place for the calks of the horses shoe, so that there can be no dangerous slipping' upon this pavement, however smooth the surface of the paving-v hlock maybecome. The small diameter of four (4) inches, or thereabouts, brings the joints between the different courses so close that the surface of the pavement will never become perfectly lat and smooth, because the edges Will wear a little faster than the centres of the blocks, and these inequalities will alone afford good footing for the horsesv travelling over it. The octagonal form permits the blocks to be laid so that their longest sides are diagonal to Vthe side of. the street, as `shown in iig. 1, and the wheelsof carriages will thus 'seldom pass length- Ways over any of" the joints, and will therefore tend Vlessl to break theedges down. The whole dimensions of the block will be sucient to 'give it the requisite strength and balance when laid to form a solid `and rm pavement. Thermaterial above mentioned, when prepared as described, is har-der` and; stronger than granite or any other stone hitherto used for pavement, yet itis somewhat porous, and istherefore more elastic and lghter'than stone. Its porosity enables it to absorb water to a'slight degree', `Iand it will therefore require less sprinkling to keep down the dust. It isy not at all friable,`and"its abrasion will be slow, ami in v'ery minute particles, which will be easily removed by washing or sweeping. l y

The small' and regularly-recurring holes a a maybesecured in other forms than octagonal, (see iig. 2,) but it is evident that the octagonalis the most' advantageousffom'. l i

The wooden keys may be saturated with coal-tar, or submitted to any other preservative process, if' desired, before being driven into place. .When it is desirable tol-remove a'vporton of the pavement, to lay down pipo, dac., the Wooden keys maybe displaced b'y driving them into the soil beneath. or otherwise, and then one or more ofthe paving-blocks may be easily removed. p i i i i f Having described my invention, what I claim as new, s l

A paving-b1ock,ha.ving an octagonal-shaped end, composed oclay treated as described, aml for the purpose yset forth. 1

A. paving block of octagonal or other form, designed and arranged so as, when laid, tovleave small holes' at regularly-recurring intervals, for the purpose set'fortb. l Y 4 The herein-described baked or burn'edclay paving-block, as a new article offmanufacture. 4

The combination, to form a roadwaypavem entfef paving-blocks, having an octagonal or other form, designed and arranged so as, when laid, to leave small holes at regularly-recurring intervals, and wooden keys", substan.

tially as described. I u Y JOHN T PARSON "ywitnessesz D. B. VENTRE,

E. J. BROWN.

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