Improvements in and relating to Bricks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bricks.
I, CARL GUCKUCK, of Essen on the Ruhr, in the Province of the Rhine,
German Empire, Municipal Counsellor of Architecture, 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 refers to bricks as used for the building up of the walls for houses;
my improvements in said bricks relate to providing the same with cavities, as more
fully described hereinafter. The purpose of my invention is to lessen the weight
of the bricks without any decrease in the strength of the same, and, first of all, to
let each brick contain and retain a certain quantity of air, that does not (save
through the material forming the bricks) communicate with the air contained and
retained within the cavities of the other bricks.
In order to make my invention more clear, 1 refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a bottom-view of my improved brick ;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 7-8 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows two cross-sections taken on lines 9-10 and 11-12 of Figure 1;
Figure 4 represents a portion of a wall built up of my improved bricks;
Figures 5 & 6 represent two vertical sections through such walls.
Referring to Figs. 1-3, a designates the cavities mentioned in the preamble;
said cavities are, first, arranged in the bottom-surface of the brick; second, as high
as to be safe against being filled up with mortar on the building up of a wall; and,
third, shaped and constructed according to static principles. It results from the
first point, that the air contained within the cavities a is hindered from escaping at
the top and at the sides of the brick; from the second poiut, that said air is
retained within the said cavities, and from the third point, that the strength of the
bricks is in no way decreased, in spite of the formation of the cavities a.
Owing to the special position of the cavities (in the bottom-sides of the bricks),
the air contained and retained in any of them is practically hindered from inter-
communication with the air in any other of said cavities, and all the little quantities
of air contained within a wall are practically notionless; the effect produced by
wall is
the great number of said little quantities of air contained within a
considerably better than if the bricks used up for that wall are arranged so as to
form one or several large air-spaces within the said wall. The drying out of a
fresh wall proceeds very quickly, whereas the compensation of different temperatures
at the two sides of the wall proceeds very slowly.
I wish it to be understood, that the cavities need not indispensably be shaped so,
or employed in a brick in such a manner, as shown in the drawing; one or the other,
or both of said points may be altered; but in either case said cavities must answer
the requirements stated in the paragraph following the short description of the
figures of the drawing, as otherwise the effects stated in the paragraph preceding
the present one cannot be attained.
I am well aware, that coloured, glaced and ornamented bricks, such as used
for facing walls, have been provided with one-sided cavities prior to my invention.
The cavities of said sorts of bricks are, however, extended each nearly about the
whole of the respective surface of the brick, and they are, moreover, very shallow,
so that the mortar can fill up every portion of them. Said large and shallow

page_text: cavities have never been shaped in accordance with static rules, and the special and
only purpose of them is to afford a secure fastening of the bricks in question.
Having now particularly described and ascertained. 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. In a brick for the building up of walls, the arrangement of vault-like cavities
opening only to the bottom-surface of the brick, substantially and for the purpose
as described.
2. Masonry built up of bricks bhaving vault-like cavities opening only to the
bottom-surface of said bricks, substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of
CARL GUCKUCK,
By Geo. Thos. Hyde,
1, Broad Street Buildings, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.