IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF ROADS, WAYS, AND FLOORS WITH WOOD PAVING
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Syed Smart Copland, of No. 1ª, Duke
Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF ROADS, WAYS, AND
FLOORS WITH WOOD PAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Syed Smart
Copland at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 7th June 1875.
I, HENRY SYED SMART COPLAND, of No. 1*, Duke Street, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF ROADS,
WAYS, AND FLOORS WITH WOOD PAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the formation of roads, ways, and floors in
which wood blocks are superposed upon a bed of concrete, with or
without the interposition of an asphaltic layer.
In the space between each course of main blocks I place intermediate
blocks or fillets arranged at suitable intervals to form a gauge.
In

page_text: course.
making a road or way these intermediate blocks or fillets are placed in
position against each row or course of main blocks so as to form the
gauge against which to place the main blocks composing the adjoining
In some cases I also place fillets at the ends of the blocks, so
that there may be a space all round each main block. These spaces
may be filled for part of the height with a heated asphaltic mixture,
and the remainder closely packed with lime, cement, asphaltic, or
bituminous grouting, or the whole of the spaces between the blocks and
fillets may be grouted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Syed Smart Copland in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
SYED SMART COPLAND, of No. 1°, Duke Street, Adelphi, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Syed Smart Copland, Her
special license, that I, the said Henry Syed Smart Copland, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Syed Smart Copland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF ROADS, WAYS, AND FLOORS
WITH WOOD PAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henry Syed Smart Copland, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Syed Smart Copland,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, and the Sheet
of Drawings therein referred to (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to the formation of roads, ways, and floors in
which wood blocks are superposed upon a bed of concrete, with or
without the interposition of an asphaltic layer.
In the space between each course of main blocks I place intermediate
blocks or fillets arranged at suitable intervals to form a gauge. In
making a road or way these intermediate blocks or fillets are placed in
position against each row or course of main blocks so as to form the
gauge against which to place the main blocks composing the adjoining
course. In some cases I also place fillets at the ends of the blocks so
that there may be a space all round each main block. These spaces
may be filled for part of the height with a heated asphaltic mixture,
and the remainder closely packed with a lime, cement, asphaltic, or
bituminous grouting, or the whole of the spaces between the blocks and
fillets may be grouted.
'
Pavement according to my Invention may be laid rapidly and cheaply
by ordinary laborers, and will afford a good foothold.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings. represents a portion of roadway or way
according to my Invention. In this case the ground having been
excavated to the necessary depth and contour and firmly rammed down
as usual, a layer of concrete a is spread over the entire surface, which
layer is to be finished off smoothly to present the proper contour at its
upper surface, on which is spread a thin layer 6 of asphalte or asphaltic
material, such as a mixture of refined gas tar, chalk, sand, and foreign
bitumen, but I do not confine myself to these materials exclusively.
The layer of asphalte or asphaltic material having been allowed 'to set
(care being taken that its surface shall have the proper contour of the
intended road or way) I lay upon the said surface the wood blocks c
with the end of the grain of the wood upward as is now usual in wood

page_text: paving. I lay the said blocks in courses running across the road or
way, leaving between every two blocks of each course a space in which
I insert fillets or short strips d of wood or other material, or in some
cases the blocks composing a course or row may abut, a space being left
only between every two rows, as herein-after described.
The space between every two courses or rows of blocks I form by
placing against the course or row last laid strips or fillets e of wood or
other material; the strips or fillets thus placed, and whose dimensions
will naturally depend upon the situation, character, position, and
requirements of the intended road or way, will form a gauge against
which to place the wood. blocks to form the succeeding row or course,
and so on. Having thus laid the blocks with the strips or fillets
between them next pour or introduce into the spaces between the
blocks the asphalte or asphaltic material fin a heated state so as to fill
up the said spaces to an extent corresponding to about one-third of the
depth of the blocks c, and thus by enabling the asphalte to entirely
surround the blocks c the penetration of surface water to the foundation
will be practically prevented, and thus the road will be better calculated
to maintain its form than by other plans of paving with wood at a small
first cost. I then fill up the remaining space with a course lime or
cement grout 9 or a grout composed of gravel and heated tar and
asphalte or asphaltic material, or the grouting may be of any other
well-known kind.
I sometimes fill the whole of the space between the blocks c with a
good binding grout instead of filling the lower portion thereof with
asphalte or asphaltic material as herein-before described, and this modi-
fication applies equally to the arrangement herein-after described.
Fig. 2 represents a modification in which the layer 6 of asphalte or
asphaltic material is dispensed with, the blocks c being laid directly
upon the surface of the concrete a, which for this purpose must be very
true. In this modification I interpose short fillets or little blocks e¹
between the courses of blocks, like the fillets used between the ends of
the blocks. Such short fillets or little blocks may obviously be sub-
stituted for the strips e in the arrangement shewn in Fig. 1, and in all
cases these fillets should be placed in such manner that a short fillet
faces the cross joints in the next course of main blocks.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and explained the
manner of carrying it into practical effect, I would have it understood

page_text: that I am aware it is. not new to lay wood blocks directly upon a concrete
foundation, nor is it new to lay wood blocks upon a layer of asphalte
superposed upon a concrete foundation; such an arrangement is
described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me the
27th day of 'December 1872 (No. 3925), I therefore lay no claim to
these features separately considered, nor do I claim per se the use of
strips of wood between blocks of wood; but by the use of small inter-
mediate blocks or fillets between the main blocks of wood according to
my Invention I am enabled to effect considerable economy in the
formation of wood paved roads, ways, or floors, and when fillets are used
between the ends of the main blocks forming a course or row there will
be a considerable saving in timber as compared with the quantity
required for an equal area of road, way, or floor according to ordinary
plans of wood paving.
I claim as my Invention the application and use of intermediate
small blocks or fillets of wood or other material in combination with the
main wood blocks, concrete, and grouting (with or without asphalte or
asphaltic material between the blocks, and with or without an inter-
mediate layer of asphalte or asphaltic material between the concrete and
the blocks) said intermediate small blocks or fillets being applied to
maintain the main blocks at the required distances apart, substantially
as herein-before described.
I also claim the improved roadway or floor shewn in and described
with reference to Fig. 1 of the Drawings.
I also claim the improved roadway or floor shewn in and described
with reference to Fig. 2 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Syed Smart Copland, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Sixth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.