Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to the manufacture and composition of weather and fire-
proof plates or blocks which are intended more particularly for building or similar
purposes.
The said invention has for its object to obviate the inconveniences resulting from
the use of similar plates prepared in accordance with the well known method of
"Sorel" which consists, essentially in combining chloride of magnesium with burned
carbonate of magnesia; the said inconveniences being that by reason of the chloride
of magnesium not combining sufficiently with the magnesia, the plates produced
from the said combination will absorb the moisture of the atmosphere and thus be
rendered noxious to the inhabitants of the dwellings built of such plates, and more-
over, the latter will after a certain length of time be softened by the moisture absorbed
and will thereby be destroyed.
According to this invention in order to obviate the above difficulties and to prevent
the chloride of magnesium from exuding from the plates a watery solution is made of
the chloride of magnesium and to this solution is added a sufficient quantity of
vegetable flower such as rye-wheat or any other flour so as to form therewith an
emulsion or thin pasty mass to which the proper proportion of burned carbonate of
magnesia or magnesite is added after the said magnesia or magnesite has been mixed
in a dry state with raw paper stuff, such as saw-dust, triturated straw and the like,
forms a thick paste which is
and the whole mass is then kneaded thoroughly until

page_text: then moulded into plates or blocks and subjected to hydraulic or other
pressure. In
order to strengthen the said plates the paste from which they are moulded may have
textile fabrics or reed-mat inserted in any well-known manner in the said paste before
the moulding is effected. In the case of light-plates the insertion of braided reeds
is preferred the moulded plates in such case need not be subjected to pressure after the
moulding.
In some cases sulphate of magnesia in the form of an aqueous solution with a
sufficient quantity of caustic lime to absorb the greater part of the sulphuric acid of
the said sulphate of magnesia may be substituted for the said chloride of magnesium
and treated in the manner above mentioned and then be combined with the said
carbonate of magnesia or magnesite likewise treated as above described.
In some cases magnesian lime stone or dolomite may be substituted for the carbonate
of magnesia and combined with the said aqueous solution of sulphate of magnesia
which latter in such case will not require the addition of quick-lime as will be readily
understood.
In rare cases where the said carbonate of magnesia may be had in a perfectly pure
state free from any other combinations and where the same is burned to any great
extent, the said magnesia is thoroughly mixed with the paper stuff as above described
and a sufficient quantity of water is added to the mixture and the said mixture of
magnesite and paper stuff is then kneaded to form a thick paste which is afterwards
treated in a similar manner to that above mentioned.
Dated this 9th day of May 1888
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Plates, Slabs, or
Blocks for Building and other Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the manufacture and composition of weather- and fire
proof plates or blocks intended more particularly for building, paving, roofing and
similar or other purposes, and its object is to obviate the inconveniences resulting
from the use of similar plates prepared in accordance with the well-known method of
Sorel which consists essentially in combining chloride of magnesium with burned
carbonate of magnesia, the said inconveniences to be obviated being that by reason of
the chloride of magnesium not combining sufficiently with the magnesia, the plates or
blocks produced out of the said combination absorb the moisture of the atmosphere
and are thus rendered noxious to the inhabitants of the dwellings built with such
plates, and moreover, the latter become after a certain length of time softened by the
moisture absorbed and are thus destroyed.
According to this invention, in order to obviate the above difficulties and to prevent
the chloride of magnesium from exuding from the plates or blocks to be produced,
a water solution is made of the chloride of magnesium, and to 100 parts by weight
of this solution there is added a quantity of 20 to 50 parts by weight (more or less)
of vegetable flour, such as dextrin, potato-starch, rye, wheat or any other suitable
flour, so as to form therewith an emulsion or thin pasty mass to which the proper
proportion (as hereinafter referred to) of burned carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite,
is added after the said magnesia, or magnesite, have been mixed in a dry state with
raw paper stuff, such as saw dust, triturated straw or cork, or with peat or sand, or
the like, in a similar proportion as has been described with reference to the said
solution of chloride of mágnesium and the vegetable flour. The combined mass
thus obtained is then well mixed by means of stirring and thereupon kneaded
thoroughly until it forms a thick paste which then, according to the required form
of the plates or other article to be shaped therefrom, is placed into suitable moulds
and subjected to hydraulic or other pressure.
In order to strengthen the plates to be produced the paste described from which
they are moulded, inay enclose suitable textile fabrics such as sack-cloth and the
like or reed-mnat inserted in the said paste in a well-known manner, before the
moulding.
In the case of light-plates being produced, the insertion of braided reais is
preferred, the moulded plates in such case not being subjected to pressure after the
moulding, and the paste from which they are moulded, may be less thick or dense
than in those cases where pressure is applied to act upon the moulds. It will be
well understood that the relative density of the said paste depends on the proportion
in which the said chloride of magnesium has been mixed with the said vegetable
flour to form therewith an emulsion of a more or less pasty character or on the

page_text: proportion in which water is added to form the solution of said chloride of magnesium,
or on the proportion in which paper pulp sand or other substance is added to form
the dry mixture with the said burned carbonate of magnesia, which proportions may
be varied readily by the operator according to the special purpose which the plates
or other articles to be produced are intended to serve, and according to the compact-
ness they are desired to possess to be suited best for the said purpose.
In respect of the proper proportion herein before referred to in which the said
emulsion containing the chloride of magnesium is added to the dry mixture containing
the burned carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite, it is to be stated that I have found
that as a rule, 50 parts by weight of molten chloride of magnesium transformed into
an aqueous solution will combine with 100 parts by weight of burned carbonate of
magnesia. But since, in practice, the magnesia is rarely ever burned quite uniformly,
and since, moreover, the native carbonate of magnesia often contains other foreign
matter or substances, it will be necessary to vary, according to the circumstances in
every particular case, the quantity of the chloride of magnesium to be mixed and
combined with the (100 parts of carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite. Thus, for
instance, 100 parts by weight of well burned pure magnesia will form a combination
with 50 to 60 parts by weight of chloride of magnesium dissolved in water, whilst
30 to 40 parts by weight only of said aqueous solution of chloride of magnesium are
required for combining with 100 parts by weight of insufficiently burned magnesia,
or of magnesite containing other component matter or foreign substances.
In some cases I propose to substitute for the chloride of magnesium sulphate of
magnesia as an aqueous solution with a sufficient addition thereto of caustic lime to
absorb the greater part of the sulphuric acid of said sulphate of magnesia. This gives
me a solution consisting of sulphate of lime, some sulphate of inagnesia, and hydrate
of magnesia, an emulsion being produced of said solution as hereinbefore described
with reference to the chloride of magnesium, to form a combination with the said
burned carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite, mixed with raw paper stuff, sand or other
substance.
In some cases I propose to substitute for the carbonate of magnesia magnesian lime
stone or dolomite in a burned state and combine the same with an aqueous solution of
magnesia which sulphate of latter in such case requires no addition of quick-lime as will be
readily understood, considering that dolomite contains in combination with magnesia
a sufficient proportion of lime to allow of dispensing with adding an extra quantity of
the latter.
In some cases, instead of chloride of magnesium, I use an aqueous solution
containing 10 per cent. by weight (more or less) of fluoric silicate to combine with the
carbonate of magnesia. This combination of fluoric silicate and burned carbonate of
magnesia results in the production of silicate of magnesia which will produce a com-
bination harder and more resistible than any of those hereinbefore mentioned, the
proportion used and matter added remaining substantially the same as above described.
In the same manner, the said fluoric silicate will combine with the burned dolomite
which combination will likewise result in a most resistible and weather-proof product
and consist of silicate of magnesia and fluoride of calcium.
In such rare cases where carbonate of magnesia may be had well burned and in a
perfectly pure state free from any other combinations, it will combine with water the
same as hydraulic mortar, and in such case the said burned magnesia in a dry state is
thoroughly mixed with the said paper stuff, peat, sand or other matter as hereinbefore
set forth, and a sufficient quantity of water being added to said mixture, the latter is
kneaded to form a thick or dense paste which is then moulded and treated in the same
manner as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The mode of mauufacturing plates or blocks by combining, with burned
carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite, mixed with raw-paper-stuff, peat, sand and other

page_text: suitable finely divided material, a solution of chloride of magnesium in the form of an
emulsion containing a suitable vegetable flour, substantially as, and for the purposes,
specified.
Second. A block or plate consisting of burned magnesia and raw-paper stuff,.
sand or other finely divided substance, combined with chloride of magnesium and
vegetable flour, substantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
Third. The mode of manufacturing plates or blocks by combining, with burned
carbonate of magnesia, or magnesite, mixed with raw paper-stuff, peat, sand or other
similar material, a solution of sulphate of magnesia with an addition of caustic lime
and preferably in the form of an emulsion containing a suitable vegetable flour,
substantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
Fourth. The mole of manufacturing blocks or plates by combining, with burned
dolomite mixed with raw paper-stuff, sand and other similar material a solution of
sulphate of magnesia preferably in the form of an emulsion containing a suitable
vegetable flour, substantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
Fifth. The mode of manufacturing plates or blocks by combining, with burned
carbonate of magnesia, or burned dolomite, mixed with raw paper-stuff, sand or other
suitable and finely divided material, a solution of fluoric silicate preferably in the form
of an emulsion containing a suitable vegetable flour, substantially as, and for the
purposes, specified.
Sixth. A block or plate consisting of burned magnesia, or of burned dolomite, and
sand, peat or other suitable finely divided material, combined with sulphate of
magnesia, or with fluoric silicate, substantially as, and for the purposes, specified.
Seventh. A plate or block consisting of burned carbonate of magnesia and paper-
stuff, sand, peat or other finely divided material, substantially as, and for the purposes,
specified.
A
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.