Improved Manufacture of Casings for Combination with Moulded Structures so as to form an Integral Part thereof.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Manufacture of Casings for Combination with Moulded
Structures so as to form an Integral Part thereof.
I, FERDINAND HOLZER, of 40 Babenberger Strasse, Mödling fear Vienna,
Austria, Engineer, 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 :-
The method heretofore employed for constructing bodies or structures of
materials that are brought in a fluid or semi fluid condition into a mould or casing
in order to harden therein, is subject to a disadvantage that has considerable
influence upon the cost of construction.
The semi liquid or pasty mass requires, in order to give it the required form, to
be confined by a mould or casing which, in the case of hollow structures, requires
to be double, and which after the completion of the construction is in most cases
worthless or only applicable again to a limited extent and with considerable loss,
so that on this account the cost of production of the article is materially increased.
Furthermore, the construction and mounting of the casing or mould also
necessitates, in addition to its cost, a considerable expenditure of time, inasmuch as
it must remain in position for a certain length of time namely until the structure
has sufficiently hardened, so that any further manipulation that requires to be
effected on the structure, such as plastering, ornamentation &c. cannot be carried
out until the casing can be removed.
With works that require to be carried out very rapidly and where consequently
no such loss of time can be afforded, the above mentioned casting or moulding
process can often not be employed notwithstanding that it offers great advantages.
The present invention has for its object to obviate this disadvantage; it consists
in making solid moulds or casings of suitable form which carry or confine the cast
object during the hardening but which are not removed therefrom after the
hardening, inasmuch as they are made to constitute an integral part of the cast or
moulded structure. It will be evident therefore that in calculating the strength of
the cast structure, the strength of these parts constituting the casing can be taken
into consideration, so that the strength of the cast structure can be correspondingly
reduced from that which would be required under the existing system of con-
struction.
The casings, according to the present invention, consist of metal structures of a
form corresponding to that required by the moulded structure, and which may be
advantageously built up of profile bar iron of any kind, which are arranged at
distances apart parallel to each other, and are covered on one side with woven wire
fabric or netting secured thereto. Any number of sections of this structure, which
constitutes the skeleton of the casing, are joined together, by uniting the projecting
contiguous edges of the wire gauze or netting, and on to the side of the ribs which
is not covered by the netting is then laid a layer of semi liquid or plastic substance
that will harden, and which is pressed on so as to penetrate through the meshes of
the wire gauze.
The plastic mass is then smoothed down level with tops of the bars, and when
hardened, it forms. together with the bars and wire fabric the complete casing or
mould for the moulded structure.
According to the nature of the structure to be formed, the casing or mould will
consist of either a single layer of such combined plates, as in the case of floors or
ceilings, or of two or more at certain distances apart, as for vertical walls, hollow
structures &c., upon which or between which the semi fluid or plastic material for

page_text: the moulded structure is pressed. This will, on hardening, form one inseparable
body with the casing, so that the latter constitutes an integral part of the structure,
increasing the strength or carrying power thereof.
The accompanying drawing shews two examples illustrating the mode of carrying
out the said invention.
Figures 1 to 5 shew the construction of a level floor over iron beams, while
Figures 6 to 8 shew the construction of an arched ceiling between such iron.
beams.
In each case the casing is formed of separate parts which I will term
frames."
" casing
A piece of woven wire fabric of fine mesh is cut to the size m n o p Fig. 3, of
which the width n p is equal to the width of the woven fabric and whose length is
equal to the distance between the iron beams A A. On this wire fabric a a, when
laid on a table Fig. 3 are placed, at distances apart, depending upon the strength
of the fabric and which may on an average be about 8 ins. lengths of light profile
iron of any desired sectional form and of a height of about one tenth the
distance apart. These bars are then secured to the wire fabric by binding wire.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew this construction in about full size in longitudinal and transverse
section. The casing frames thus formed are then placed upon the beams A so that,
as shewn at Fig. 2 the bars lie with their ends upon the beams. The separate
frames are then united together side by side by binding together the overlapping
edges of the wire fabric, as shewn at a, Fig. 4, after which a layer of any
suitable semi liquid or plastic material is laid on and pressed slightly through the
meshes. The material is then levelled down to the tops of the bars, and, after
hardening, constitutes a solid plate B supported by the bars, and which constitutes
the casing for the plastic mass C forming the moulded structure. Fig. 2 shews
the construction clearly. In front are shewn some uncovered parts of the front
casing frame, then is shewn the plate B forming the casing for the moulded floor C,
a portion of which is shewn farther back.
If, in place of a level floor an arched floor or ceiling is to be formed between the
beams A as at Figs. 6 to 8, the casing frames are formed as follows: The light
profile bars bb are bent on a bending machine to the radius of the arch to be
formed, and are placed with the concave side upwards at the required distance
apart upon the table, being supported by blocks dd Fig. 8. The wire fabric a a,
of the required size is then laid upon the curved bars and is tied to the latter by
strong binding wire. The casing frames thus formed are then placed in position
between the beams A. A and are joined together, as at Figs. 6 and 7, after which
the stiff plastic material is laid on as above described, so as to form a solid plate B
forming the casing for the moulded arched structure C, Fig. 6.
Broad wedge pieces, D D also of the moulded material are then fitted against
the beams A and as soon as they have hardened sufficiently, the mass C for
forming the arch is laid on, the thrust of which is transmitted to the wedge
pieces D D.
From the above descriptions the practical utility of the new method of
construction will be readily understood, and it will be seen that the structure can
at once be further treated for ornamentation or otherwise. For constructing
hollow bodies, such as tanks, tubes &c. as also vertical walls, which all require a
double casing, the above described method of construction is carried out with
vertically placed casing frames. These are secured together at the edges of the
wire fabric in a vertical direction. In very light structures it is sufficient to use a
single casing and in place of the plastic mass introduced between the frames, &
sufficiently thick coating thereof is applied to one or both sides of the casing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use in the construction of bodies or structures of moulded plastic

page_text: material, of strong metallic casings which confine or support the structure and are
so formed as to constitute an integral part thereof substantially as described.
2. The manufacture of casings such as are referred to in the preceding claim,
consisting of woven wire fabric a a secured to profile bars b b and a layer of plastic
hardening material which is laid upon the wire fabric so as to penetrate through
its meshes, and is made of a thickness about equal to the height of the bars,
substantially as described.
3. The combination of moulded structures with casings such as are referred to
in the preceding claims, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of November 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.