Improvements in or relating to the Protection of Metallic Buildings or Structures in Case of Fire.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897
Improvements in or relating to the Protection of Metallic Buildings
or Structures in Case of Fire.
I, KARL KOLBERG, of 95 Knesebeekstrasse, Berlin, W, Empire of Germany,
Builder., 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:-
In case of big fires, such for instance as in warehouses stores or the like the iron
girders and columns have the drawback of becoming red hot, melting or bending,
in consequence of which they are torn out of their bearings and do great damage
in falling. This drawback inherent to the present method of building is remedied
according to the present invention by using hollow girders and columns which
are connected at their seats with passages or shafts in the masonry-work, and can
be connected with each other by horizontal passages, so that in case of fire either
an air-current or a jet of water or an air-current charged with water can be caused
to pass through them, said current cooling the walls of the girders.
In the accompanying drawing an arrangement according to the present
invention is illustrated by way of example, l'igure 1 being a cross-section through
a building.
The girders a of any desired cross-section are hollow as shown in section in
Figures 2-6 and are arranged on the side-walls of the building in some well-
known manner. These walls are provided with shafts which are either vertical
passages leading from the cellar to the roof or are arranged alternately on each
side for each story as illustrated in the drawing. At the ends of the girders there
may be arranged in the masonry horizontal passages connecting the hollow girders
with one another. The ends of the girders are so connected with these shafts b
that a current of cold air from the cellar can traverse the shafts as well as the
hollow girders a, and also the horizontal passages, if desired.
Instead of air-shafts in the masonry, an iron pipe may be arranged in it con-
nected with the main-cock of a water-pipe so that in case of fire the iron pipe,
girders and supports can be very quickly filled with water. Instead of building
in the iron pipe d in the masonry it can be led through the air-shafts and the
hollow girders a and preferably provided inside the girder with a series of holes c
so that when the main cock is opened, the inner walls of the girders are sprinkled
as with a rose.
The iron-pipe provided with holes e' may be similarly arranged in the hollow
columns fand either connected directly to the hydrant or to the pipe d as shown.
in the drawing.
The method according to the present invention can also be applied to old
columns and girders by scraping off their covering layer of stone, concrete, cement,
etc and providing them with a fire-proof casing, jacket, or sides a', such as, for
instance, Rabitz walls, consisting of a sheet of wire fabric or gauze covered with
cement or mortar, or a series of flat or round iron rods may be used instead of the
wire fabric, in such manner that a hollow space b is formed (Figures 5 and 6)

page_text: whereby it becomes possible to proceed in the same way as for hollow iron girders
and columns, that is to say by establishing a current of cool air or water or an air-
current saturated with water.
The hollow spaces thus formed may be connected, instead of with passages and
shafts in the masonry, with a corresponding system of refractory boxes on the
walls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
A process for preventing iron girders and columns in buildings from getting
out of shape in case of fire characterised by hollow iron girders of any desired
cross-section connected to vertical and horizontal shafts such as passing through
the walls of the building and to hollow columns such as f in such a manner that
a cooling air or water-current or air-current charged with water may be caused
to pass through so as to sprinkle the inner walls of the girders and columns sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 26th day of Anovst 1807