Abstract:
Used tires are cut or shredded. Boxes are built. Vapor barriers are mounted in the boxes. Beams are fastened inside the boxes. Cut or shredded tires are added to the box. Force on a lid compresses the tires before the lid is fastened. Faces are offset to form linking tongues and grooves. Exposed portions are connected with fasteners to build walls and barriers. A tornado resistant structure based on the foregoing structural materials is formed to provide superior performance for resisting high winds over traditional framing methods or brick construction.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/872,683, filed Apr. 29, 2013, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/726,682, filed Nov. 15, 2012, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems exist of accumulating piles of used tires having no value with little incentive to reduce the mass of waste. 
     Building materials are increasingly expensive. Insulation loses R value when wetted. Creating strong structures and strong building blocks with light materials has been impossible. 
     Need exists for strong inexpensive structural materials that have water resistance, ballistic resistance, mold and mildew resistance, and which provide insulation which remains effective even if wetted. 
     Need exists for an above ground tornado resistant structure based on the foregoing structural materials that provide superior performance for resisting high winds over traditional framing methods or brick construction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides strong inexpensive structural materials having water resistance and ballistic resistance, mold and mildew resistance, and which provide high R factors of insulation even when wet. The present invention further provides above ground tornado resistant structures based on the foregoing structural materials that provide superior performance for resisting high wind over traditional framing methods or brick construction. 
     Insulating panels have opposite plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sides, and studs are arranged as a frame at edges. Parts of quartered, shredded, flaked, chopped or ground automobile and truck tires are flattened and compressed in an interior of plywood or OSB sides. Waterproof sheeting is folded under edges of the shredded tire treads and sidewall portions and along the opposite edge of the first plywood or OSB sheet before the second plywood or OSB lid or side is fastened to the surrounding studs to complete the insulated panel. 
     Pulverized used tires with adhesive mix such as polyurethane may be filled preformed sections in walls and ceilings as insulation against heat transfer or sound conduction. 
     The panels may also be filled with flaked, chopped or ground used tire bits. Loose fibers may be interposed with the ground tire bits to lighten the panels. 
     Five-panel boxes are formed from ½ inch thick exterior plywood, OSB, metal or plastic panels. A vapor barrier is placed on one panel and pressed and folded along adjacent interior surfaces. Inside corners of the boxes are reinforced with 2×4&#39;s or square tubes or extruded shapes. The box is substantially filled with shredded or other forms of waste tire parts or particles. A lid is placed to complete the box. Force is applied to the lid to compress the tire parts, and the lid is secured to the box to form a block. Tongues are extended from panels to fit in grooves of adjacent boxes when the blocks are stacked and juxtaposed. 
     Edge portions of side walls of the boxes remain exposed as the lids are pressed inward to compress the tire parts. For fences, barriers, shields or building walls the extended edge portions of adjacent boxes are joined by fasteners. The extended edge portions of the boxes provide voids in inner surfaces of the blocks in which utilities may be mounted. Foam fills the voids, and interior walls such as sheet rock are mounted on edges of the extended side wall edge portions. 
     The structural exterior walls are formed by aligned outer surfaces of the boxes. At the four corners of adjacent boxes, bridging plates are mounted. Screws extend through the plates and the exterior walls and into the internal beams that support the blocks. 
     The assembled blocks are useful as barrier walls, fences and protective shields, as well as building walls and panels. 
     These and further and other objects and features of the invention are apparent in the disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing written specification, with the claims and the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building block. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the block shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation of the block shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a detail of a corner taken at B of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a detail of a corner taken at C of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  shows the block box with the felt vapor barrier in place and a vertical beam and horizontal beams. 
         FIG. 8  is a detail of the block lid. 
         FIG. 9  is a detail of a footer with wood beams on opposite sides of the top, a lag bolt extending through the beams and footer and a block building wall on top of the footer. 
         FIG. 10  is a detail of a footer, wood beams and building exterior wall portion. 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the footer, wood beam and building exterior wall shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a detail of a footer wood beams and building interior wall portion. 
         FIG. 13  is an inside elevation of the footer, wood beam, blocks assembled in a partial wall showing utilities in voids, spray foam filling voids and interior sheet rock. 
         FIG. 14  is a side view of the footer and building wall portion shown in  FIGS. 9-13 . 
         FIG. 15  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 16  is a detail of  FIG. 15  showing the lapping joint plate fastened to corners of the blocks with wood screws extending through the plate, through the block outer walls and into the interior vertical beams and into ends of the horizontal beams. 
         FIG. 17  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 18  is a detail of  FIG. 17  showing inward extending sides of the building blocks joined by fasteners. 
         FIG. 19  is a building formed from concrete foundation, building blocks, roof trusses, and roof secured by straps. 
         FIG. 21  is a second view of the building shown in  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 22  is a side view of the building shown in  FIG. 19 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building block  10  formed of a box  3  and a lid  5 . The secured block has sides  11  and an inner surface  15  formed by a lid  5  with flanges  17  secured to edge portions  12  of side  11  with screws  19 . 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the block  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . Lid  5  has recesses  16  which receive ends of internal beams  33 . Shredded tires  20  are placed in box  3 . Lid  5  is positioned with a force  21  of about 2 to 3 psi for compressing the shredded tires  20 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation of the block  10  shown in  FIG. 1  showing sides  11 , fastener screws  19  and outer wall  7 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 . An internal beam  31  is shown within the compressed shredded tires  23 . Outer wall  7  is offset to form a tongue  53  and a groove  55 . A felt vapor barrier  50  is shown inside the wall  7 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are details of corners taken at B and C of  FIG. 4 . Outer wall  7  is offset for form an overhang or tongue  53  and for an overlap in groove  55  in adjacent blocks. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , vapor barrier  50  has a flat portion  57  against an inside of wall  7  and upward side portions  51  along sides  11 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the block box  3  with the felt vapor barrier  50  in place and a vertical beam  31  and horizontal beams  33  before box  3  is filled with shredded tires  20 . 
       FIG. 8  is a detail of the block lid  5  showing recesses  16  and flanges  17 . 
       FIG. 9  is a detail of a footer  60  with wood beams  70  on opposite sides of the top, a lag bolt  79  extending through the beams  70  and footer  60 . A partially built block building wall  80  is mounted on top of the footer  60 . 
       FIG. 10  is a detail of a footer  60 , wood beams  70  and an outer side  81  of building exterior wall portion  80 . 
       FIG. 11  is a front view of the footer  60 , wood beam  70  and building exterior wall  80  shown in  FIG. 10 . 
       FIG. 12  is a detail of a footer  60 , wood beams  70  and building interior wall portion  83 .  FIG. 12  shows the inner surfaces  15  with side extensions  12  and utilities  91  which are placed before foam  93  and sheet rock  95  are added. 
       FIG. 13  is an inside elevation of the footer  60 , wood beam  70 , blocks assembled in a partial wall  80  showing utilities  91  in voids  92 , spray foam  93  filling voids and interior sheet rock  95  fastened to edges of the sides. 
       FIG. 14  is a side view of the footer  60  and building wall portion  80  shown in  FIGS. 9-13 . Outer walls  7  of blocks  10  form the outer wall of the building wall  80 . Sheet rock  95  is shown forming the inner wall 
       FIG. 15  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 10  showing footer  60 , wood beams  70  and lag bolts  79  reinforcing the footer  60 . Blocks  10  form the building wall  80 . 
       FIG. 16  is a detail of  FIG. 15  showing the lapping joint plate  100  fastened to corners of the blocks with wood screws  109  extending through the plate  100  and through the block outer walls  7  and into the interior vertical beams  31  and into ends of the horizontal beams  33 . 
       FIG. 17  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 12  showing the voids  12  filled with cut or sprayed foam  93  and covered by sheet rock  95  after utilities  91  are installed through the voids  12 . 
       FIG. 18  is a detail of  FIG. 17  showing inward extending side portions  12  of the building blocks  10  joined by fasteners  119 , which may be wood screws. 
     The boxed  3  and lid  5  are formed of exterior grade ½ inch plywood. A vapor barrier  50  is placed in each box against an inside of outer wall  7  and creased and folded against outer portions of sides  11 . Shredded tires are filled to beyond the widths of flanges  17  so that the flanges extend from the box. A uniform force of about 2-3 psi on the lid  5  compresses the shredded tires  20  into a compressed mass  23 . Fasteners  19  fix the flanges  17  to the sides  11  with even edges. 
     The boxes may be used in the sides of ship hulls in security dividers, sound barriers and in fences, as well as in walls and panels for buildings. 
     The blades have ballistic resilience. Bullets are not able to penetrate blocks with eight inches of thickness. 
     The exterior plywood and structural beams may be replaced by aluminum or sheet metal. Fastening may be by welding. Structural beams may be metal square tubes or extruded shapes or plastic tubes or shapes. The wall structures of the invention are used where heat transfer insulation, impact and water resistant structures and sound barriers are desired. The shredded tires resist mold and mildew and remain fully insulating if wet. 
     Ordinary insulation is shrunk by water and loses insulating properties after becoming wet. 
     The present invention provides high quality, high R value, lower cost building material blocks by efficiently using waste tire materials and available materials to make boxes and lids and strengthening beams, resulting in reduction of moisture damage, mold and mildew when constructing strong structures. 
     Exterior walls of the building will consist mainly of shredded rubber filled building blocks  10  as detailed in  FIGS. 19-21 . Shredded rubber provides substantial weight to weigh down the structure to increase resistance to wind. The weight per cubic foot of shredded rubber is on the order of magnitude higher than that of fiberglass insulation therefore providing substantial more robust, stable and heavy exterior walls. 
     The building blocks  10  will be arranged so that they are securely attached to the foundation, wherein the foundation can be the footer  60  and the beams  70  shown in  FIGS. 9-14 . As previously discussed, the building blocks  10  overlap and attach securely to each other. The sheet metal straps  97 , as shown in  FIGS. 19-21 , are installed so the building blocks  10  forming building wall  80  will be secured to concrete via vertical 11 gauge carbon steel straps or better. The straps  97  secure the building blocks  10  together and to the concrete foundation on the bottom via 4×4 wood studs or wood beams  70  that are anchored to the concrete footer  60  by lag bolts  79 . The straps  97  will also secure the roof trusses  99  and/or roof  103  to the building foundation. The roof trusses  99 , building blocks  10  and concrete foundation will then finally form one continuous connected and extremely heavy exterior structure of the building  101 . 
     Depending on size of building, there could be 50 tons or more of recycled tires used in filling the building blocks. It is noteworthy that the use of shredded tires provides environmental benefits by removing tire piles from the landscape. The cost of shredded tires is approximately $30.00 per ton. Also, synthetic rubber has heat resistant and bullet resistant properties. 
     The building blocks will be built primarily of plywood and lumber and filled with pressed ¼″ shredded recycled tires. The exterior of the building will be first secured by continuous 3″ wide 12 or 11 gauge carbon steel straps, or better, arranged vertically 24″ on center as described in the drawings. Horizontal straps, similar to vertical straps, can be arranged 8′ on center to reinforce the horizontal movement. Siding will be made of fire resistive coating such as stucco or aluminum. The interior of the exterior walls of the building shall have a cavity of about 2″ for installation of utilities and electric wiring. The cavity will be filled with fire rated spray foam insulation before adding sheet rock. Structures based on this system are thought to provide superior performance for resisting high wind than traditional framing methods or brick construction. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, modifications and variations of the invention may be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the following claims.