IMPROVEMENTS IN USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL BUILDING MATERIALS AS NEW MANUFACTURES, AND IN BUILDINGS AND BUILDING CON- STRUCTIONS MADE THIEREFROM, AND IN MODES, MEANS, AND PROCESSES CON- NECTED THEREWITH.”
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thaddeus Hyatt, of No. 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde
Park, London, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL BUILDING
MATERIALS AS NEW MANUFACTURES, AND IN BUILDINGS AND BUILDING CON-
STRUCTIONS MADE THIEREFROM, AND IN MODES, MEANS, AND PROCESSES CON-
NECTED THEREWITH.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thaddeus Hyatt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th September 1876
THADDEUS HYATT, of No. GG, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights. "IMPROVEMENTS IN USEFUL
AND ORNAMENTAL BUILDING MATERIALS AS NEW MANUFACTURES, AND IN BUILDINGS
AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS MADE THEREFROM, AND IN MODES, MEANS, AND
PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH."
According to one part of my Invention my improvement consists in the manu-
facture, use, and application of light cast or wrought metal in the form of thin
blades (preferably made of hoop iron), which I term "ceiling holders," made with
notches at the ends so as to be readily slipped on to the flanges of the beams, at
the bottom to hold the ceiling, and at the top to form the floor in some cases.
These blades are placed edgewise, the distance between them about equalling their
depth. The edge which hangs below the beams is preferably perforated. The
length of these blades corresponds to the distance between the beams. Where the
ceiling is not at the bottom of the beams I make short blades for the bottom
flanges In some cases the blade is made in halves, which are slipped on from
opposite sides, and which may break joints with each other; these short blades I
term "tie or flange protectors." In some cases I use the two kinds of blades in
forming ceilings, the short ones being made deeper than the others to hold a greater
thickness of cement directly under the flanges. When I use two layers of blades I
make the ones for the floor stronger than those for the ceiling, the floor being then
hollow.
According to one mode of construction I make use of blades at the ceiling line
sufficiently strong to form the floor upon; this construction I term a load-bearing
ceiling; the top of such a ceiling floor will be below the floor or walking surface
[Price 10d.1

page_text: level. In such case I protect the exposed webs of the beans by a wall, lining, or
coating of cement, in some cases building walls or partitions across between the webs
A part of my Invention consists in some cases in lessening the weight of such
a construction by making the lower or ceiling portion porous by means either
of rico shells, bran, sawdust, "silicated cotton," or other light material.
In applying this method of construction to wood the blades may be either wood
or metal, and I prefer to use porous concrete or cement only so as to secure ample
ventilation to prevent the wood from decay, the concrete or cement being employed
simply to protect the wood against fire, the wood having all the required strength
in itself, a feature or special part of the Invention consisting in the employment
of a porous concrete, cement, or plaster, made porous by an intermixture of sili-
cated cotton, a part of my Invention consisting in moulding and applying porous
concrete and cement in block or moulded form
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of the before-mentioned ceiling holders to form illuminating roofs,
floors, and walking surfaces, the cement or concrete being cast upon them by the aid
of moulds, which form the light openings, which are afterwards closed with glass,
except that in some cases the glasses are placed in position at the time of making
and moulding the plastic. The surfaces of these constructions I also in some cases
ornament with inlays of colored or other ornamenting material or cast in colored
cements.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of the before-mentioned ceiling holders in combination with cement
⚫ or concrete beams oi girders, in which "ties are employed in place of the before-
mentioned "flanges," the ceiling holders for this application being formed at the
ends with holes instead of notches to be strung upon the tics when for making
continuous ceilings, in other cases they are placed across the beams at top, and
carried preferably from beam to beam across the top sections thereof to form
the actual walking surface or floor, which then becomes a top flange to the beams
under it.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
as a new manufacture, and in the use and application thereof, a peculiarly formed
metal plate, which I term a "spur and grating tie bridge," the object of which is to
facilitate and cheapen the making of concrete and cement floor, roof, and walking
surfaces These plates I make preferably of wrought iron and in any convenient
lengths or widths, and of depths or heights proportioned to the work to be done by
them In practice I have made them twelve inches wide and six inches high, of
iron one-sixteenth thick, but these proportions may be varied. The spur-like
character of the plates is given them by leaving the metal, which is cut out to form
openings, attached by one side, the openings being from one to two inches square,
and the metal being bent alternately outwards to either side of the plates. Holes
for the tie rods are formed near the bottom, below which are smaller ones for the
material of the ceiling to key to. Where " ceiling holders" or "tie protectors"
are additionally employed they are strung upon the ties between the "bridges."
A single beam, a section of a floor, or a whole floor or pavement, or slabs of any
size for footways may be made of them, any number of ties or plates being used,
and of any strength, the exact construction in each case depending on circumstances,
a part of the Invention consisting in some cases in the use of porous cement, plaster,
or concrete as aforesaid in the construction.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of asbestos stone made substantially upon the method set forth in
my Patent, No. 478, 1874, as a beam and flange protector, the same being moulded
and shaped to lie upon the bottom flanges of the beams, but having an under lip or
projection to run or extend under the under face of the flange, at the same time to
protect it against fire. These lipped asbestos slabs may be employed with or with-
out the ceiling blades and flange protectors aforesaid, and serve as a foundation for
the concrete between the beams.

page_text: According to another part of my invention my ****
combinations of fire-clays with Portland or equivalent fire-resisting and water-
setting cements in the construction of floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, that is to
say: According to one part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of the "white clay of Hanover" or equivalent infusorial siliceous
material when combined with Portland or equivalent binding cement in either
moulded or concrete forms in making floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, a part of
the Invention consisting in the use and application of such clay and cement in the
form of mortar or mastic to fireproof ceilings, walls, partitions, and other parts of
buildings, the same being applied to the surface of solid wood by means of
"mushroom hended" nails or other holders, a further part of the Invention
consisting in preparing and putting up the said clay, with or without fibre and
with or without binding cements, in convenient shape for handling, use, and trans-
portation as a new manufacture; and a farther part of the Invention consisting in
the use, application, and sale of the aforesaid clay in the form of crushed or pul-
verized brick, either in combination or not with binding cements as a new manu-
facture.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of "gannister" clay for the purposes of and in manner aforesaid;
also in the use and application of "Dinas" clay for the purposes of and in manner
aforesaid; also in the use and application of "fire-clay" for the purposes of and in
manner aforesaid
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in preparing
as new manufactures and putting up in convenient shape for use and application
fire resisting clays of all kinds suitable for being combined with Portland or equi-
valent comments for the uses and purposes aforesaid and in manner aforesaid.
Organized industries for the manufacture and preparation of iron, wood, stone,
brick, lime, cements, and auxilliary substances as building materials are numerous,
and the market is well served, and "aggregates," such as "Thames ballast," "pit
ballast,"
""sand," "shingle,"
""stone chippings,"
""brick rubbish," and other rubbish
for making concietes exist as "supplies," and may be obtained readily, but no
manufactured aggregates made with special reference to fireproof quality, and of
equal capacity with Portland cement and plaster to resist fire, are to-day to be
found in the markets of the world; he who wishes to make a fireproof construction
must hunt up his materials as best he can. In view then of these facts and of the
constantly recurring desolations of fire all over the world, and as an incentive to
increased fireproof construction, my Invention consists in part in methods and
processes for making and preparing and in the manufacture of fireproof aggregates
as building materials in form, shape, and condition for ready combination with
Portland and other cements, for it cannot be doubted that as ten righteous men
might have saved Sodom, so even ten per cent. of really fireproof buildings
(well distributed through a great city like London might save it from over-
whelming ruin
The fire-resisting clays which I prepare are classed under three heads, viz. :—
First. Dried Clays, Secondly. Baked Clays; and, Thirdly. Burnt Clays, tiles and
bricks pulverized being included under this last head. The dried clays are prepared
by drying, crushing, and grinding the raw clays, and for the most part are intended
to be reduced to a dust condition resembling cement
The baked clays are pre-
pared much after the manner of the brick yard, but preferably rolled out by any
convenient means into thin portable sheets of convenient shape and size so as to be
most expeditiously and cheaply dried, baked, and burnt. When prepared the
materials are put up in bags or otherwise and designated as dust brick, granu-
lated brick, pea brick, and nut brick, according to the respective sizes of the
same, additional titles to designate various combinations with other materials being
employed for the same when made; a part of my Invention consisting in the use
and application of "silicated cotton" in combination with some or all of the
materials herein enumerated, and for the purposes as herein-above set forth.

page_text: According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in washing,
cleansing, drying, and compressing plasterers' hair into small bundles for cheapness
of transportation and for convenience of use as a new manufacture, a part of the
Invention consisting in some cases in improving the strength of the same by an
intermixture of cut Manilla grass or equivalent fibre equally imperishable in lime
mortar.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in preparing
and mixing Manilla grass or equivalent fibre cut to different lengths for more perfect
distribution and combination with mortars, and in putting up the same in small
bundles, as aforesaid
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in cutting
Manilla grass or equivalent fibre into short stuff, in some cases not longer than one
quarter of an inch, as a new manufacture, which I term pluff, and in the use and
application of the sane as an aggregate in cement for making concretes elastic
and light for ceiling purposes, and warm, light, and non-conducting for flooring
purposes, and in putting up the same in convenient form for sale and use, as afore-
said.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the
manufacture of a metallic fibre for use in strengthening concretes by cutting or
snipping the same from sheets of thin metal by any convenient means, such metallic
shreds being in lengths of from one to three or six inches or more, and in putting
up the same in convenient parcels for use, sale, and transportation as a new manu-
facture, a part of my Invention consisting in making a metallic fibre by means of a
steam or air blast acting upon a flowing sheet of molten metal, much after the
manner of the manufacture of "silicated cotton," my Invention being in the nature
of a metallic wool.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
beans, slabs, floors, roofs, and walking surfaces of cement or concrete upon a metal
frame or foundation composed of relatively thin plates or sheets arranged in pairs
o packs, the leaves of metal being placed edgewise, and so near to each other as to
form a species of grating of parallel plates, which thus holds and gives support to
the mass of cement or concrete resting upon and passing through the openings of
the same, the said leaves being preferably crossed by one or more layers or anges
of wires or rods at suitable distances apart to form an entanglement for the concrete,
a part of the Juvention in some cases consisting in combining either curved, bent,
or straight tie rods with the same, and a part of the Invention consisting in some
cases in using the tie iron in the form of flat bars placed edgewise between the
leaves, and preferably threaded loosely upon rods 1unning through and across both
bars and leaves, the leaves also of preference being innde sufficiently deep below the
ties to be there perforated to give additional holding to the ceiling This laminated
concrete and metal may extend from wall to wall, from girder to girder, or from
beam to beam, and in single or double tier In the latter, forming hollow floors, the
leaves may be placed loosely, and supported only by the concrete; or at their ends
they may be attached to a wall plate of metal in one case, and in the other be
fastened to the girders, beams, or joists. Where this method of fastening the ends
is adopted rods in place of leaves may as a substitute be employed, and with a
wattling of hoop ion if desired, one method of construction as a part of my
Invention, where either the leaves or rods aforesaid are fastened as aforesaid, con-
sisting in springing the concrete mass from footings upon the walls, girders, or
beams, so as to form a double construction of arch and flat floor, the main portion
of the arch being lost within the thickness of the floor The arch may thus be
considered as upheld and sustained by the floor, the floor at the same time receiving
the value of the arch
Where the floor or beam construction is one of bent ties in place of straight, a
part of my Invention consists in the employment of temporary struts to hold the
straining posts or plates, and to strain the ties upon until the setting of the concrete
when the struts are removed.

page_text: A farther part of my Invention consists, according to another method of con-
struction, in the employment of rods or leaves, as herein-above mentioned, fastened
to the webs of beams having no top flange, such leaves or rods when filled with
concrete, as already described, making a top flange in fact to the beams, and at the
same time forming the actual floor or walking surface.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
light or hollow floors of cement or concrete by means of pots, boxes, forms, arches,
or other hollow shapes moulded from plaster, cement, or concrete, or, if solid, made
of porous plaster or cement, or made hollow from thin light wood, the same being
left in the work as a part of the permanent construction, a part of the Invention in
some cases consisting in the employment of silicated cotton in mass or body within
the concrete to lighten it.
According to another part of my Invention ny improvement consists in inaking
roofing tiles of water setting, file, and waterproof cements, the same being combined
with "pluff," or inado upon an interior web or net of calico or its equivalent.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
unfired tiles, slabs, and bricks of prepared clay and Portland cement, a part of the
Invention consisting in putting a mosaic face upon the same by means of indenting
lines and filling, a part of the Invention also consisting in making the same of
colored materials, a further part of the Invention in some cases consisting in orna-
menting the same by means of inlays, and in other cases in making the same
illuminating by making them with apertures set with glass
.
According to another part of any Invention my improvement consists in making
ornamental inlaid paving brick and ornamental inlaid artificial stone, such as
Ranson's and the Victoria stone, the same being moulded with indents to receive
encaustic or colored tiles, tesserae, slips, or equivalent inlays, or being moulded upon
them, such inlays in some cases representing letters, words, and figures, for illumi-
nating purposes, the same being made in the form of gratings and set with glass.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in an
improved mode of setting wall tiles by the insertion of slips into the plastic backing
to obtain a deep hold on the cement, such slips being so arranged as to form recesses
or seats for the tiles or inlays.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in forming
illuminating gratings of metal, or of the aforesaid materials, with light holes made
5 with straight or practically straight sides and without ledges or seats, the depth
of the holes in proportion to their diameter being sufficient to hold the glasses
securely when the same are set with Portland or other suitable cement; a part of
the Invention consisting, in some cases, in setting the same with glasses of sufficient
height to stand above the grating, so as to form channels or indents which are then
O inlaid with ornmenting material.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making.
illuminating walking surfaces by combining any number of small or quarry
gratings, made of brick, stone, or other material, and set with glass upon a
foundation of cast-iron gratings, the openings of which are adapted to the size of
5 the quarries, or upon a frame of parallel bars, or upon an illuminating concrete
foundation or floor made substantially in manner as herein-before described.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
quarry gratings of black or "Stourbridge or Staffordshire clay," the same being,
made of any convenient form, but preferably flat, and formed with knobs or pro-.
tuberances to protect the glasses set in their apertures, a part of the Invention
consisting in forming the same to receive or to be surrounded with ornamenting
inlays, when a number of them are combined to form extended illuminating surfaces
or when formed into coal plates upon an iron framework; a part of the Invention
also consisting in making similar quarries of other brick or stone materials, also in
making tiles and slips with knobs.
•
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
ornamental safe walking surfaces of brick, stone, or otherwise, the same being

page_text: indented or channeled to give secure foothold, my improvement consisting in
forming the bottom of the channels of colored slips or other ornamenting materials,
the same being applicable as coal plates and "treads" in stops.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in a mode
of correcting the variable thickness of baked clay tiles, tesserne, and slips used in
the making of illuminating tesselated pavements The depth of the channels
between the glasses of such pavements being uniform, and the difficulty of setting
the colored tiles around the glasses being great where they are not of uniform
thickness, my improvement consists in airanging any number of such tiles, slips,
or tesserae face downward in a frame or box guaged to the thickness required,
and then pouring upon them enough cement or plaster to make the required
thickness, the mass being afterwards broken apart.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thaddeus Hyatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th March
1877.
THADDEUS HYATT, of No 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights. “IMPROVEMENTS IN USEFUL AND
ORNAMENTAL BUILDING MATERIALS AS NEW MANUFACTURES, AND IN BUILDINGS
AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS MADE THEREFROM, AND IN MODES, MEANS, AND
PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH."
According to one part of my said Invention my improvement consists in the
manufacture, use, and application of light cast or wought metal in the form of thin
blades A, A, as shewn by Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet One of the Drawings.
Figure 1 represents such a blade made from hoop iron, which is a choap and
convenient material for the purpose, and always to be had with but little trouble;
having no flanges I prefer to perforate the blade with the small holes shewn, to give
a better key to the cement or concrete.
Figure 21epresents a blade rolled or cast for the purpose, with flanges, so that
the perforations are unnecessary. These blades, which I call ceiling holders, are
designed to be slipped upon the flanges of the iron beams, and are therefore notched
for this purpose at the ends, as shewn in the Figures referred to by the letters a, a
Figure 3 in section, and Figure 4 in perspective, shew the mode of applying the
blades B, B, B, representing the Joists or iron flanged, beams, and C, C, C, representing
concrete. Figure 3 shows two ranges of blades, one range upon the top flange
forming the floor surface and the other upon the bottom flange forming the ceiling
surface. The blades are placed edgewise and preferably as far apart as the blade is
deep, except that in some cases where fibre is combined with the concrete the blades
may be set farther apart. The length, depth, and thickness of the blades correspond to
the distances between the joists where they are employed. I have employed them
with four-inch iron joists twenty-two inches from centers apart, made from hoop
iron one-eighth of an inch thick and two inches and a half high, the blades being
then placed two inches and a half apart, and between the same joists, when made
of hoop iron, one-sixteenth thick and three inches and a half high, set at three and
a half inches apart. With cocoa-nut fibre mixed through the concrete the two
and a half inch blades may be employed at three and a half inches apart. Figure 4
represents two bays formed by three joists; a single range of blades in one attached
to the lower flanges of the beams, to form a ceiling, and a double layer of blades in
the other, one range attached to the upper flanges and the other attached to the
lower flanges of the joists; the two layers or ranges when concreted forming a
hollow floor, as seen in Figure 3. The single range of blades seen at the left hand
in Figure 4 when concreted, as represented in Figure 7, forms a load bearing ceiling
when sufficiently strong blades are employed, the concrete in such case being
brought up around the beams, as at C¹, C², to protect the webs of the beams, and

page_text: also in some cases carried across, as C, C", in the form of walls or partitions to
stiffen the beams. The actual floor or walking surface may then be made of wood.
In case of fire the whole wood floor may burn away without injury to the rest, the
load bearing ceiling in such case being sufficiently strong to carry the merchandise
or weight of the floor
Figures 5 and 6 represent a mode of employing the blades to form the floor or
walking surface only, the lower portions of the joists or beams being then guarded
by flange protectors, that is to say, the blades are shaped to protect the web and
bottom flanges, as seen in Figure 6, or duplicate sets of blades are used, the flange
protectors being made separate from the ceiling holders and formed in halves, as
seen at b, b, at Figure 5, so as to be slipped on to the flange from each side; or in
one piece, as seen at 6, 61, Figure 5, to be slipped on at the end of the joist and moved
forward cach one to its place upon the flauge. The dotted lines in 5 and 6 indicate
the exterior of the conciete. To lessen the weight of the concrete I prefer to mix
sawdust or other light granular material. with the part which forms the lower or
ceiling portion; though "silicated cotton," cocoa-nut fibre, or other fibrous material
may be employed for the purpose if desired. In applying this method of construction
to wood structures the blades may be of wood, though I prefer them of metal, and
the concrete I prefer to make as porous as possible to prevent dry lot in the wood
where covered or protected by the concrete I also prefer a construction of wood
and concrete where the function of the latter is mainly to protect the former
against fire
•
Figures 8, 9, and 10 illustrate three modes of employing ceiling holders in
combination with main supports of wood.
In Figure 8 D, D, represents ordinary beams of wood set at the usual distances
apart, the clects c, c, at bottom being nailed on to serve as flanges to hold the metal
blados A, A. The concrete C, C, is filled in between and held by the blades, as in
the metal constructions already described, the plastic filling being brought up against
the sides of the beams, as shewn
Figure 9 represents a construction, whether floor or roof, mades of planks D, D,
to which the blades or ceiling holders are held by means of the hooks d, d, and
rods ff; these planks are placed so near together that the concrete C, C, forms
with them alternate layers. I also make such concrete as porous as possible by
means of sawdust or other light substance, as a means of ventilating the timber, to
prevent dry rot.
Figure 10 shows the supports in the form of massive baulks of timber placed
wide apart, the ceiling holders being held to them by hooks and 1ods, as in Figure 9,
but being correspondingly stronger as the span is greater.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use
and application of the before-mentioned ceiling holders in combination with glass to
form illuminating floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, as illustrated by Figure 11,
g, g, being glasses and h, h, being inlays between the glasses; i, i, i, being the light
holes covered by the glasses. These light holes are formed by suitable moulds or
blocks placed upon the centers, upon the which the cement or concrete C, C, is cast
when the floor or roof is made.
Figure 12 illustrates the use and application of the ceiling holders in combination
with cement or concrete beams or girders, where tie rods take the place of the
flanges of rolled beams. In place of notches the blades for this construction are
formed with holes and are strung upon the rods, as shewn. The section shewn
represents a piece of a hollow floor The full construction is more completely
exhibited on Sheet 2, Figure 3, which shows a building in perspective cut open
so as to display parts of two floors F1 and F, the upper one shewing the blades as
forming a load bearing ceiling, and the lower one shewing the blades as forming
the floor or actual walking surface. The 'construction Figure 3, Sheet 2, is also
designed to shew the use and application of blades of metal nearly the same as the
ceiling holders, but modified as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2, Sheet Two, and
explained hereafter.

page_text: According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in making
as a new manufacture, and in the use and application thereof, a peculiarly formed
motal plate which I term a spur and grating tic bridge, illustrated by Figures 13
and 14, Sheet One; these blades have openings as shown, but the metal instead of
being punched out is cut and bent, as at k, k, liko spurs to catch and hold into the
cement or concrete; they inay be made with notches to be shipped on the flanges of
beams, and so serve as ceiling holders; or with holes to be used with tie rods in
concrete beams and floors as described; or in other concrete walking surfaces; they
may be made of either cast or wrought iron.
Figures 1 and 2, Sheet Two, havo reference to a mode of employing thin blades or
leaves of metal in combination with cements or concretes as a handy and cheap way
of introducing the tensile strength of metal into artificial stone constructions for
supporting weights or moving loads, the purpose being to guarantee the integrity of
the stone and to prevent its sudden rupture, the metal being so disposed as to form a
Bort of grating in effect or mesh to support the coment or concrete in case of fracture
and prevent its falling asunder. According to this part of my Invention my
improvement consists in making beams, slabs, floors, roofs, and walking surfaces of
cement or conciete upon a metal frame or foundation composed of relatively thin
plates or sheets arranged in pairs or packs, the leaves of metal of preference being
placed edgewise and so near to each other as to form an entanglement for the
cement, especially when crossed by rods or wires, as Fig shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
Sheet Two. A part of the Invention consisting in some cases in combining additional
metal with the leaves in curved, bent, or straight form to give additional strength in
the way of bottom flange or tie. This feature is represented by Figure 2, where A, A,
represents the leaves or blades of metal, and T, T, the ties, C, C, being the concrete
A part of the Invention consists in the simple and inexpensive mode of
of attaching the ties, which consists in the employment of flat bar iron punched
with holes of suitable size for receiving cross rods of ¼ or larger wine, these
rods r, r, in Figures 1 and 2, Sheet Two, pass entirely through the leaves, and in
Figure Two also pass through the flat tie bars T, T, the cement of the concrete, so to
speak, welding them in, so that they hold as perfectly as though rivetted to the
blades in the ordinary way; F', F, Figure 3, Sheet Two, illustrates the mode of
using such blades to form floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, the method being
substantially the same as that already described with reference to ceiling holders,
the blades or "packs" here described being merely modifications of the aforesaid
ceiling holders.
According to one method of employing the aforesaid leaves of metal I increase
their power by fastening them at their ends; under such circumstances the
Invention assumes another phase for the leaves may be used in the form of flat bars
placed edgewise, as seen at A, A, A, Figure 1, Sheet Three, where G, G. represent
two girders each eighteen inches deep and placed twelve feet apart. The bars A, A,
as shewn are four inches wide, three-sixteenths to half inch thick according to
strength required, and set four inches apart, and riveted to the girders, as shewn.
The dotted lines around the Figure shew the concrete; A, a, A, a, shew the manner
of employing the bars when placed flatwise; A, b, A, b, represents a variation in the
form of rods of metal with screw threads at the ends, and there secured by means
of nuts. In this method of construction a part of my Invention in some cases
consists in springing the concrete from the bottom flanges of the girders G, G, as
shewn by the dotted lines, thus forming a compound construction of arch and ties,
and securing stiffness and strength. The metal and concrete in the construction
here described forms in fact a top flange to the girders as well as walking surface or
floor, and by suitably proportioning the metal in the girders or beams to that in the
floor portion and to the concrete, it is evident that such a floor instead of being a
dead load is no load at all, but a part of the beam itself, and that such beams cannot
buckle though of great span.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the
mode or method of fixing a metal tie in tension to concreto as a strut. The tie for

page_text: this purpose is first strained by any of the ordinary mechanical methods well
understood upon a bar of wood or metal; this truss is then placed in position, as
many being employed at such distances apart as may be required to form the floor,
roof, or walking surface, and the concrete is then filled in so as to completely imbed
every part of each truss except the bars of wood or metal aforesaid, the setting
and hardening of the concrete forming in a few days' time a sufficient strut to allow
the removal of the bars, the space left by their removal being then filled up by
concrete. Of the two modes of construction F1 and F, Figure 3, Sheet Two, it is
evident that F¹ is not equal to F, the latter is therefore the best for the floors of
warehouses, inills, and other surfaces required to bear great stress, it being easier to
concentrate great strength in a limited area of metal than in one of concrete It is
evident that in F, Figure 3, Sheet Two, the whole floor construction or walking
surface, while in itself and in every part a perfect beam between the concrete girders
or beans, G, G, is also a top flange to G, G, and that by this mode of union
concrete beams of great span may be constructed, it being only necessary to increase
the depth or number of the beams or both and the amount of tie or metal in the
same to obtain a counterpart in tensile power to the compressive forces resident in
the floor portion.
In the method of construction which I have called "laminated," and represented
by Figures 1 and 2, on Sheet Two, tho leaves of metal will represent to a greater or
less degree the tie portion of the beam or the web according as the depth of the
same is less or more in comparison with the height of the beam. Taking the dotted
lines of Figures 1 and 2 to represent the depth or height of the concrete beam, and
comparing the depth of the metal leaves therewith, it is plain that as shewn they
form substantial webs to the beam. Now I find by actual experiment that the less
the depth of such leaves the greater the saving in metal, providing enough be cm-
ployed to secure the requisite grip between the metal and concrete to prevent the
leaves from bursting out when the beam is under stress; consequently the more they
represent tie metal and the less they represent web metal the greater will be the
economy and cheaper the construction. The experiments referred to were as follows,
viz. I made five concrete beams, each six feet long, twelve inches wide, and eight
inches high, each provided with seven leaves of metal one-sixteenth of an inch
in thickness each, one beam having seven leaves each two inches in height,
placed two inches apart and crossed by quarter-inch wires as shewn in Figures
1 and 2; another having the same number, but three inches high; another
with same, four inches high; another, five; and the last with leaves six inches
high; and in the test of these beams by Kirkaldy's testing press the narrowest
or two-inch leaves gave decidedly the best results in proportion to the amount
of metal employed. The cross rods or wires that pass through the pack of
leaves unite them to the concrete in effect as rivets unite the tic to the web in iron
beams, heading the wires being unnecessary,.as concrete beams exhibit no tendency
to buckle.
Although I speak of the leaves as being "relatively thin," they may be of any
required thickness, for whatever be the actual thickness they will each be relatively
thin to what the same total amount of metal would be if concetrated in one tio
rod, bar, or flange; the gist of the Invention being that having determined the
amount of metal required to give tensile strength to the concrete, I so employ it as
to also guarantee the concrete from falling apart in case of fracture; and by locating
the metal where its tensile power produces the best results I am able to always
employ the metal in sufficient quantity and quality to ensure to concrete con-
structions immunity from falling suddenly asunder under stress, as is the case with
concrete by itself, and stone and cast iron; the concrete constructions made upon
my method bending instead of breaking, and thus giving warning of danger. The
packs of leaves or ties herein described may be connected to the higher portions of
the concrete by vertical strips of metal or hooks as illustrated in my Patents
No 1715, 1874, and No. 2550, 1874, or other wise
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in the use

page_text: I
and application of the "white clay of Hanover," or equivalent infusorial siliceous
materials, when combined with Portland or equivalent binding cement as a concrete
or moulded into blocks, slabs, or bricks, in making floor, roof, wall and walking
surfaces, such material being of little weight and fire-resistant in quality, a part of
the Invention consisting in using and applying the same as a mortar to protect
wood and other surfaces against hire; mushroom head or other nails, materials or
methods of attaching the same well known being employed for the purpose.
am aware that bucks have been made and used from the "white clay of
Hanover My improvement consists in the special use and mode of applying
the same as an aggregate combined with Portland or equivalent cement in the
composition of fireproof floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, as a material superior
to gypsum so extensively employed for such purposes. A part of the Invention
also consists in putting up such clay in convenient form for handling, usc, and
transportation as a suitable aggregate to be employed in combination with Portland
cement for the making of fire-proof structures
"J
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists in a cheap,
regular, systematic, and convenient method of providing reliable fireproof aggregates
for the market as a new manufacture For want of an organised industry of this
kind all sorts of materials are at present employed, and fireproof concrete structures
are frequently quite unreliable. According to my method of manufacture I take
any of the well known clays, selecting such as experience may determine to be
most suitable, and having treated them in the ordinary way to bring them into a
suitable plastic for being handled and shaped, I mould the material into biscuit or
sheet form of different thicknesses according to the quality, that is size it is to be
made into as an aggregate; for example, for an aggregate of "pea" size such sheets
would be made about one-quarter of an inch in thickness; for "nut" size about a half
to three-quarters of an inch in thickness; and in such varying proportions for pro-
ducing producing aggregates of different sizes up to that of an egg or larger Such clay
sheets may be made by hand in any well known way of by machinery, and when
dried and baked or burnt may be easily reduced to fragments of the required size.
Such fragments having been properly assorted are to be then put up in marked bags
for the market, and may be sold and used as a merchantable article
According to another part of my Invention, illustrated by Figure 2 on Sheet
Three, my improvement consists in making illuminating gratings of metal or of the
aforesaid cements or concretes, with straight or practically straight sides, that is to
say, without the ordinary ledges or seats for the glasses to rest upon, relianco being
had upon the holding quality of Portland or equivalent hydraulic cement to support
the glasses by side adhesion or surface adhesion, upon the principle that bricks aro
bonded together, this method of setting glasses being valuable for increasing the
arca of the light opening. a, a, represents the metal grating, which, as shewn, is
coated with cement, but may be used in naked form, except as to cement around
the glasses; g¹, g, represents the glasses, which, as shewn, are thick enough to rise
sufficiently above the top of the grating to form channels for the inlays h, h, when
inlays are combined with the glasses.
According to another part of my improvement my Invention consists in making.
illuminating surfaces of the hard black bricks called "Stourbridge," such as are used
for stable floors, such brick approaching iron for hardness. These bricks are moulded
and baked in tile form, say, about one inch thick, and from three to nine inches in
size, and with seven or more small holes for light, preferably about one inch in
diameter, which I set or block with glass, setting the same upon the principle of
side or surface adhesion, as above set forth; a part of the Invention consisting in some
cases in casting or moulding tiles or quarries of analogous character from Portland or
other hydraulic cement or concrete, and setting the same as aforesaid with glasses to
give light, such tiles or quarries in some cases being combined with iron gratings to
produce illuminating surfaces of large area.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement, which has reference
to geometrical and coloured tiles, slips, and dots, consists in forming the same with

page_text: buttons or knobs, so that when combined with glasses the raised portions of the.
ornamenting materials may serve to protect the glasses in the same manner as the
knobs or raised portions of iron gratings protect glasses set in them. Figures 3 and
5, Sheet Three, shew a "slip" in plan and section with this improvement, 8, 8, repre-
senting the body of the slip, and k, k, the knobs, 4 and 6 represent a "dot" made.
with the same sort of device; Figures 7 and 8 represent in plan and section the
manner of combining such ornamental protecting slips and dots with glass, g, g,
being the glasses in making illuminated tesselated gratings.
Figure 9, Sheet Three, represents a concrete slab strengthened by blades of metal,,
as described in a previous part of this Specification.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I.
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. Making thin blades of metal in the shape herein described as " ceiling
holders" for application to the flanges or ties of beams, and applying the same in
combination with concrete to the construction of roofs, floors, and walking surfaces,
substantially as herein described and illustrated by Figures 1 to 12 on Sheet One,
and by Figures 1, 2, and 3, on Sheet Two, and by Figures 1 and 9 on Sheet Three
of my Drawings
"
Second. Making thin plates of metal in the shape herein described as
spur and
grating tie-bridge plates," and applying the same in combination with concrete,
substantially as herein described and illustrated by Figures 13 and 14 of Sheet One
of my Drawings
Third The use and application of wrought metal herein described as "leaves of
metal," in divided or multiplied as opposed to concentrated form, as webs and ties
or webs or ties in combination with cement or concrete material, to form roofs, floors,
and walking surfaces upon the "laminated" pinciple," substantially as herein
described and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, and 3 on Sheet Two, and by Figures 1 and
9 on Sheet Three of my Drawings.
Fourth. The construction of concrete roofs, floors, and walking surfaces by means
of a number of concrete beams laid parallel to each other at suitable distances apart,
the intervening spaces being crossed by floor material in the form of blades, bars, or
rods of metal and concrete crossing, and connected with the material of the beams,
so as to form a substantial part of them and of their strength, as the upper flanges
of iron beams form part of the strength of the beams, substantially as described
herein, and illustrated by Figure 12 of Sheet One, by F, Figure 3, on Sheet Two;
and by Figure 1, Sheet Three, of my Drawings.
Fifth. The construction of concrete fire-proof load bearing ceilings, substantially
as herein described and illustrated by Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 12, on Sheet One, by
Figure 3 on Sheet Two; and by Figure 1 on Sheet Three of my Drawings
Sixth. Combining ceiling holders and concrete with baulks, beams, or planks of
wood to form roofs, floors, and walking surfaces, substantially as herein described
and illustrated by Figures 8, 9, and 10 on Sheet One of my Drawings.
Seventh. Making illuminating roofs, floors, and walking surfaces by combining
glasses with ceiling holders or thin blades of metal and cement or concrete, sub-
stantially as herein described and illustrated by Figure 11 on Sheet One of my
Drawings.
Eighth. The mode or process of uniting ties to cement or concrete beams, floors,
roofs, and walking surfaces by means of horizontal bolts, wires, or rods passed
through tie metal placed edgewise, and formed with holes for the purpose, such tics
being combined with metal webs or not, substantially as herein described and illus-
trated by Figure 2 on Sheet Two of my Drawings.
Ninth. The mode or process for connecting tie metal in tension with coment or
concrete beains, floors, roofs, and walking surfaces, substantially as herein described.
Tenth. Combining the white clay of Hanover or equivalent infusorial siliceous

page_text: material with Portland or equivalent hydraulic coment, substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein set forth.
Eleventh. Treating and preparing clays for conversion into fic-proof aggregates
as a new manufacture, and putting up the same to be used in combination with
Portland or equivalent fire-proof cement, substantially in the manner as herein set
forth.
Twelfth. Making illuminating gratings without seats, and with practically
straight sides, and combining glasses with the same upon the principle of side
adhesion, substantially as herein described and illustrated by Figure 2 on Sheet
Three of my Drawings.
"
Thirteenth. Making illuminating tiles or quarry gratings of black or "Stourbridge"
clay (sometimes known as Staffordshire blue clay "), substantially as and for the
purposes herein described.
Fourteenth. Making coloured tiles, slips, and dots with buttons, knobs, or protu-
berancos upon the faces of the same, and combining them with the glasses of
illuminating gratings as protectors to the glasses, substantially as herein described
and represented by Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 on Sheet Three of my Drawings.
THADDEUS HVATITY
1