Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fireproof Floors or the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fireproof
Floors or the like.
I, JAMES ROY of 41 North John Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer's Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object a fireproof floor, which will be incombustible and
capable of opposing or resisting the access of fire.
In carrying my invention into effect, the plan I prefer is to construct my floor of
girders and joists and of concrete, together with slabs of fireclay or other fire-
resisting material. These latter are suspended from, or attached to, the flanges of
the joists, by means of hooks, so that they form a centering for the concrete,
allowing the joists to be completely embedded in the concrete, while the concrete
itself is protected from the action of the fire by the fireclay slabs. The slabs are
grooved on the underside as a key for the plaster, and on the upper side as a key
for the concrete. I propose to fill the concrete in to a height of an inch or more
above the top flange of the joists. These fireclay stabs are also applicable for floors
formed with wood joists, in which case fillets of wood or angle iron are nailed or
screwed to the sides of the joists. From these the fireclay slabs are suspended by
hooks, the upper sides of the slabs being treated with a mixture of coarse sand and
cement to a thickness leaving a clear space under the joists.
1 bave described one way in which my invention may be carried into effect, but it
is obvious that instead of suspending the fireclay slabs by hooks, they may be so
formed as to be attached directly to the joists without using hooks at all.
Dated this 7th day of August 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fireproof
Floors or the like.
I, JAMES ROY, of 41, North John Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer's Agent, 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 has for its object a fireproof floor, which will be capable of
opposing or resisting the access of fire.
In carrying my invention into effect the plan I prefer is to construct my floor of
metal joists and concrete together with webbed slabs of fireclay or other fire-
resisting material. These slabs are suspended from or attached to the flanges of
the joists so that they form a centering for the concrete, and with a space between
the underside of joists and the slabs, allowing the joists to be completely embedded
or encased in the concrete, while the concrete itself is protected from the action of

page_text: fire by the fireclay slabs. By this construction the full strength of the various
materials in combination is utilized. The invention will be understood from the
following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in
which,
Figure 1 is a transverse section of the fireclay slabs, showing how they are made
in the form of a rectangular tube and afterwards split into two halves;
Figure 2 a transverse section of my improved fireproof floor;
Figure 3 a longitudinal section thereof; and
Figure 4 a plan.
In these figures, A are the fireproof slabs, B the metal joists of the floor and
C the concrete. The slabs A are made with webs a hollowed out at the ends so as to
suspend from or rest on the lower flanges of the joists B and form a centering for
the concrete. The said slabs also have grooves or dovetails a' on the underside t
form keys for the plaster D, and similar grooves or dovetails on the upper side to
form keys for the concrete C. The webs a in the slabs are preferably thickened
slightly at the top so as to form an additional key for the concrete. The concrete is
filled up to a height of an inch or more above the top flange of the joists B. On
top of the concrete at E the floor may be finished in cement, or asphalt, or boarded
or in any way that may be desired. To enable the fireclay slabs to be made of
adequate sizes and free from twist and unevenness of surface, they are in the first
instance moulded whilst in the plastic state in the form of rectangular tubes
(see Figure 1) with nicks or lines on each side and after being burned, the tubes
are each split into two webbed slabs.
I have described one way in which my invention may be carried into effect, but
it is obvious that instead of supporting the slabs from the metal joists in the manner
described, they may be suspended by hooks or by means of centering under the
slabs. Moreover the fireclay slabs may be used in conjunction with wood floors, in
which case fillets of wood or angle iron are nailed or screwed to the sides of the
wood joists. From these the fireclay slabs are suspended, the upper sides of the
slabs being treated with a mixture of coarse sand and cement to a thickness leaving
a clear space under the joists.
Having now particularly described and ascertamed the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of floors or the like which are required to be fireproof,
of joists and webbed slabs of fireclay or other fire-resisting material, the latter
suspended from or united to the joists, and forming in conjunction with the joists a
continuous centering, said centering being filled with concrete, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
2. In the construction of concrete floors or the like which it is desired shall be
fireproof, the use of slabs A of fireclay or other fire-resisting material, the said
slabs or troughs being so arranged that they can be suspended from or rest on the
joists of the floor, whereby they form a centering for the concrete, allowing the
joists to be completely embedded or encased therein, substantially as described.
3. The improved construction of Hours substantially as set forth, whereby they
are rendered practically fireproof and the carrying powers of the floor are greatly
increased.
Dated this 7th dow of Now 100%
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.