IMPROVED FORMS OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN SIMEON ARMSTRONG of the City of Saint John in the Province of New
Brunswick, Canada, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVED FORMS OF BUILDING MATERIALS to be as follows:-'
The first part of my invention consists in the making and use of building blocks
reversely curved or zig zag in horizontal section, such that they can be laid up
breaking joint, and while they will cover a large surface with a comparatively
small amount of material, (when built together) they give breadth of base sufficient
to render the walls laid up with them as stable as walls built with ordinary brick,
the breadth of base being the same, and the blocks though covering a large area of
wall are comparatively light and are made so that the vertical joints will recur at
corresponding points, other than the points of extreme projection or depression in
the horizontal section of wall.
The second part of my invention relates to the use with the above-mentioned
blocks, of flat slabs passing through the wall, as for instance at the height of each
story to sustain the flooring, and at other points, all the projections of which may
be more or less ornamented as window or door frames string courses or cornices
either inside or out.
The third part of my invention relates to the use of metal tatches in connection
with the said blocks, of such shape that they will temporally or permanently assist
in holding the blocks in place with the least practical amount of cutting of the
blocks and such that when the blocks are used in a temporary building they will
hold the structure together but the whole may be taken apart again with little
injury to the blocks or tatches and as rapidly as it was erected.
They are made preferably like a + with heads or flanges on two of the opposite
arms with a distance between equal to the thickness of the blocks, and with points
turned down at the ends of the other arms, or instead of the arms with heads,
a small tubular piece may project from the under side at the center to fit into a
hollow joint which I propose to use in connecting the blocks in the wall. In a
double wall the tatches may be connected together in pairs by a light bar forming
them into one piece.
The blocks may have plugs of wood or other material cast or set in them for
attaching the tatches or for fastening the furring &c to, or metal or other lathing
or slate or slabs of stone or terra cotta may be cemented directly to the projecting
curvatures or angles so as to make a flat or other desired finish.

page_text: In a double wall the space may be filled in with mineral-wool, sand or other
non-conducting material; or if the double wall is built with what was intended
for the faces of the blocks facing each other, the blocks will fit closely together and
tarred paper or other suitable substance can be set between, rendering the wall
permanently damp proof and air tight; even if otherwise built of porous material 5
such as 'terra-cotta lumber.'
While the 'whole blocks' may retain the same face lines throughout a building
they may be varied in thickness.
In each alternate course they are set with the convex part of the face towards
the right hand, while in the other courses they are set with the convex part of the 1
face to the left and over the other.
In the drawings
Fig. 1 shews (isometrically) the corner of a building made with the blocks a a
with part blocks a, a, to fill out the corners, which may be specially made or cut.
from any of the whole blocks. It also shews part of the wall built double; and 1.
the horizontal blocks or slabs b. b supporting the floor joists jj without cutting
being necessary for building in.
Fig. 2 shews a corner in plan with detached blocks of different thickness.
Tatches are shewn at ca.
Fig. 3 shews a double wall with the blocks face to face.
Fig. 4 shews a double wall with continuous air space with a pair of tatches c₁
coupled.
Fio 5 ahawa totoh a in nlon
20

page_text: I, JOHN SIMEON ARMSTRONG of the City of Saint John in the Province of New
Brunswick in Canada, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENT IN FORMS OF BUILDING MATERIALS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
The first part of my invention consists in the making and use of building blocks
reversely curved or zigzag in horizontal section- such that they can be laid up
breaking joint, and while they will cover or extend over a large surface with a
comparatively small amount of material and when built together they have width
of base sufficient to render the wall as stable as a wall built of ordinary brick with
the same width of base.
The blocks are comparitively light and easily handled and are made so that the
vertical joints will recur at corresponding points, other than the points of extreme
projection or depression in horizontal section of the wall.
The second part of my invention relates to the use with the above mentioned
blocks of part-blocks and of flat slabs passing through the wall as for instance at
the height of each story to sustain the flooring and at other points all the
projections of which either inside or out may be more or less ornamented as window
or door frames, string courses or cornices.
The third part of my invention relates to the use of metal tatches in connection
with the said blocks, of such shape that they will temporally or permanently assist
in holding the blocks in place with the least practicable amount of cutting of the
blocks, and such that when the blocks are used in a temporary building, they will
hold the structure together but the whole thing may be taken apart again with
little injury to the blocks or tatches, and as rapidly as it was erected.
The tatches are made either like a + with heads or flanges on two of the
opposite arms with a distance between equal to the thickness of the blocks and
with points turned down at the ends of the other arms: or the two sets of arms
may be separate (and either or both may be used) those carrying the turned down
points having a small tubular piece projecting downwards from the center to fit
into a hollow joint which I propose to use in connecting the blocks into a wall,
and having a transverse depression or notch for the other set of arms to lie in; the
set of cross arms being formed of a bolt carrying heads fitted to bear against the
surface of the face and back of the wall, and these heads inay be held in place by
screw nuts or keys on or in the ends of the bolt so that the bolt and heads may be
removed when the cementing substance in the joints is hardened.
In a double wall the tatches may be in pairs connected by a light bar and
forming one piece.
The blocks may have plugs of wood or other material cast or set in them for
attaching the tatches or fastening the furring &c to; or metal or other lathing or
alate or slabs of stone or other material may be cemented directly to the projecting
curvatures or angles so as to make a flat or other desired finish.

page_text: In a double wall the space may be filled in with mineral wool, sand or other
non-conducting material, or if the double wall is built with what was intended for
the faces of the blocks facing each other, the blocks will fit closely together, and
tarred paper or other suitable substance can be set between rendering the wall
permanently damp proof and air tight even if otherwise made of porous material.
All the whole blocks may be similar to each other except that in different parts
of a building they may be varied in thickness while at the same time they may
have the same face lines; and they are laid so that in every other course the part
convex on the face is set to the right hand while in the alternate courses the said
part is set to the left and over the same in the other course.
In the drawings Fig. 1 shews (isometrically) the corner of a building made with
the blocks a a with part blocks α, a₁ to fill out the angles &c which may be made
specially or cut from the whole blocks.
It also shews part of the wall built double and the flat blocks or slabs 6 6 lying
horizontally, supporting the floor joists jj without cutting or building-in being
necessary.
Fig. 2 shows a corner in plan and two detached blocks a a of different thickness
though with similar faces.
Tatches are shewn at c a
Fig. 3 shews a double wall with what was intended for the faces of the blocks
turned together.
Fig. 4 shews a double wall with tatches connected by bar at c.
Fig. 5 shows the tach in plan.
Fig. 6 shews the same in elevation with the nearer head removed.
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
:
1st The reversely curved or zigzag forms of building blocks a a substantially as
herein before set forth.
2nd The combination of the whole blocks a a with part-blocks α₁ α in a wall as
described.
3rd The combination of the slabs b b with a wall composed of the blocks a a
substantially as described.
4th A wall composed of the blocks a a united and secured by the tatches cc as
shewn and described.
Dated this 12th day of June 1886.