Improvements in Materials and Methods for Erecting Buildings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 16th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 27th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Materials and Methods for Erecting Buildings.
JOHN DOUGAN, 13 Leven Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow, Engineer, JAMES
MCMILLAN, Scott Street, Port Dundas, Glasgow, Engineer, and JAMES LAW
CRAWFORD, 146 West Regent Street, Glasgow, Solicitor, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved methods for erecting dwelling houses and
other buildings, or parts thereof, and particularly for buildings of a moveable or
temporary kind, and for the combination and manufacture of materials for such
erections.
The materials used in the construction of the walls, floors, roofs, or other parts of
buildings, either permanent or temporary may consist of slabs or plates formed of
all, or any one or more of the following substances either singly or in combination
viz.-lime, arden lime, Portland cement, Roman cement, or mortars made from all
or any of these limes or cements, mixed with sand, gravel, broken granite, iron
oxide, puzzolanos or other material in combination with asbestoes, silicate wool or
other fibrous substance. Colouring matter may be added to give the slabs or plates
the desired tint. The framework of the building may consist of checked, mortised,
dove-tailed, or braced framing of wood or iron work or other material of the desired
shape, fixed into a suitable foundation, with divisions, partitions, rafters, couplings,
and other necessary requirements. The plates or slabs may be fastened or pinned
to the framework by means of pins, screws, bolts, or other fastenings. The joints
between the plates may be made tight by means of white or red lead, mastic,
boiled oil, cement or other suitable composition. Thick plates may be used for the
floors and sides of the house, and thinner plates for the roof and inside partitions.
In forming the plates or slabs the materials may be made into a mortar with
water or other liquid, and thereafter moulded to the required shape, or worked by
templates, or pressed by hydraulic pressure or train of rolls, or other mechanism
into plates or slabs, mouldings, frames, ornaments, and other parts of buildings
hitherto constructed of stone, wood, stucco, plaster or slates. A groove, check,
half check, feather or splay may be formed at the edge of the plates or slabs to
admit of one plate being firmly fastened to another, and to preserve an even surface.
After the plate or slab is set it may be placed in water to harden. A proportion
of silicate wool, asbestoes, or other fibrous mineral substance may be used as a layer
on the inner surface of the block, or to form part of its bulk, for the purpose of
making the slab or plate a better non-conductor of heat and sound. The plates or
slabs may be strengthened by having sheets or strips of metal or wire netting or
expansion metal imbedded in them or fastened to their surface.
The plates or slabs may be moulded to the required shapes, and thereafter fixed
in their respective positions on the framework, in such a way that the building after
erection may be taken to pieces and re-erected if necessary without injury to the
plates. The plates or slabs may be used in combination with stone or any other
building material. They may also be used instead of lath and plaster and for
forming cornices and other ornamental decorations in relief.
Dated this 16th day of June 1892.
JOHN DOUGAN.
JAMES MCMILLAN.
J. LAW CRAWFORD.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Materials and Methods for Erecting Buildings.
We, JOHN DOUGAN, 13 Leven Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow, Engineer,
JAMES MCMILLAN, Scott Street, Port Dundas, Glasgow, Engineer, and JAMES
LAW CRAWFORD, 146 West Regent Street, Glasgow, Solicitor, do hereby declare
the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing,
that is to say:-
This invention relates to improved methods for erecting dwelling houses and
other buildings, or parts thereof, and particularly for buildings of a movable or
temporary kind and for the combination and manufacture of materials for such
erections.
The materials used in the construction of the walls, roofs, or other like parts of
buildings, either permanent or temporary, may consist of slabs or plates formed of
all or any one or more of the following substances either singly or in combination,
viz. lime, arden lime, hydraulic lime or mortars made from all or any of these
limes mixed with sand, gravel, broken granite, iron oxide, puzzolanos or other
material, and asbestos, silicate wool or other fibrous substances may be used if so
desired. Colouring matter may be added to give the slabs or plates the desired
tint. The framework of the building may consist of checked, mortised, dovetailed
or braced framing of wood or ironwork or other material of the desired shape, fixed
into a suitable foundation, with divisions, partitions, rafters, couplings, and other
necessary requirements. The plates or slabs may be fastened or pinned to the
framework by means of pins, screws, bolts, or other fastenings. The joints between
the plates may be made tight by means of white cr red lead, mastic, boiled oil,
cement or other suitable composition. Thick plates may be used for the sides of
the house and thinner plates for the ceilings and roofs and inside partitions.
In forming the plates or slabs the materials may be made into a mortar with
water or other liquid and thereafter moulded to the required shape, or worked by
templates, or pressed by hydraulic pressure or train of rolls or other mechanism
into plain plates or slabs, frames, ornaments, and other parts of buildings hitherto
constructed of stone, wood, stucco, plaster or slates. A groove, check, half check,
feather or splay may be formed at the edges of the plates or slabs, to admit of one
plate being firmly fastened to another, and to the framing of the house, and to
preserve an even surface. After the plate or slab is set it may be placed in water
to harden. A proportion of silicate wool, asbestoes, or other fibrous mineral
substance may be used as a layer on the inner surface of the block, or to form
part of its bulk, for the purpose of making the slab or plate a better non-
conductor of heat and sound. The plates or slabs may be strengthened by having
sheets or strips of metal or wire netting imbedded in the material.
The plates or slabs may be moulded to the required shapes, and thereafter fixed
in their respective positions on or to the framework, in such a way that the building
after erection may be taken to pieces and re-erected if necessary without injury to
the plates. The plates or slabs may be used in combination with stone or any
other building material. They may also be used instead of lath and plaster walls
and ceilings.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 is a front view; and Figure 2 a sectional plan of a hollow wall W,
showing one mode of securing and erecting the slabs or plates A, A', on the inside
and outside facings of the walls of a building and as screwed or secured at their

page_text: vertical joint end edges a to wooden posts or vertical frames B, by rows of
screws c in each slab; and Figure 2 shows each adjacent joint of the slabs in
horizontal section to a large scale.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan showing a slightly different mode of securing the
slabs A' on the outside of the posts or frames B by dovetail joints C at their
vertical ends; and Figure 34 shows a horizontal section to a large scale of those
means of securing the slabs. And Figure 4 is a corresponding sectional plan
showing the inside slabs A with an overlapping angled checked joint C' at their
edges as secured by one vertical row of screws c for the adjacent spliced end edges
of the adjacent slabs. While the outer facing slabs A', are here shown as inserted
and secured in checked grooves C2; and Figure 4^ shows in horizontal section this
mode of securing the ends of the slabs.
Figures 5 and 6 show an elevation and horizontal section of a wall W in which
the inner facing slabs A are half plain checked at their inner vertical edges, and
secured by one row of screws c, analogous to that shown at C' in Figure 4, but
with a flat half check C. While the vertical edges of the outer slabs A¹, are
shown as secured to their posts B, by a vertical lath C³ of wood or other equivalent
over the adjacent vertical edges of the slabs, with one row of screws c passed
through the joint between the edges. And Figure 6A is a horizontal section
showing this mode to a large scale. And Figure 7 is a vertical edge view
corresponding to Figures 1 and 5.
In all these modifications and arrangements the slabs A, A', are formed as
hereinbefore described of any of the ground arden or other limes, or mixtures of
these with granular or fibrous material, and a due proportion of water, and then
compressed into slabs of uniform thickness by hydraulic presses in flat plate
moulds, and edge case frames which would form their edges in any of the plain,
dovetail, or spliced joints, as shown for securing them to their posts or frames B.
And having sets of piercing punches which would be brought down into the moulds
to form the holes in the cement while in a plastic state, the material being left in
the moulds until it became hard enough for removal without bending or breakage.
In all these arrangements so far described, the framing posts B, of the walls of
the building, are shown as made of wood, and the slabs are built over each other
with their flat horizontal joint edges a¹ resting on each other, and their vertical
joints a in line over each other in the centre of the posts B; and all these joints
may be put together and screwed preferably with a thin layer of cement or other
equivalent between them, the heads of the screws c being sufficiently sunk to have
cement also filled up over them flush with the surface of the slabs.
Figures 8 and 9 are an elevation and horizontal section showing the slabs A
and A', as secured at their adjacent joint corners a" by a species of dovetail joints
and recesses formed in the slabs taken on to a corresponding projecting dovetailed
plate D inserted into these recesses of the lower row of slabs as built up and then
nailed, as shown at d, to the wooden posts B when the upper set of slabs are
then laid and fitted on to the lower slabs and projecting dovetail parts of the
plate D, thus enabling the adjacent corners of four slabs to be secured by one
dovetail plate on either side of the wall.
Figures 10 and 11 are a side elevation and horizontal section of a double faced
wall W in which the adjacent vertical joint edges a of the inner and outer face
slabs A, A', are secured by one row of screws c, and a light plate of sheet iron C³,
sunk into a check formed into the joint edges of the slabs, with the screw holes
pierced through these plates, or instead of plates strips of wire cloth may be used
and the nails passed through the meshes, to secure the adjacent joint vertical ends a
of the slabs; and cement may be filled into these plate or joint recesses to make
them up flush with the outer face of the wall W and slabs, that is to avoid the
necessity of having a lath projecting beyond the face, as shown at C³, in Figures 5
and 6.
Figures 12 and 13 are a side elevation and horizontal section of a hollow wall W
similar to the others, but shown as secured to cast or rolled iron standards B¹ by

page_text: forming these standards, as shown in enlarged view Figure 134, with flanged recesses
at B2 for receiving the vertical joint ends a of the slabs, as particularly shown in the
enlarged horizontal section Figure 134, the slabs being slightly checked at a² at
their joint edges a to suit the outer flanges B2, and permit these slabs to be flush on
the outer surface with the standards B
Figure 14 is a horizontal section of a wall, as formed with the slabs similar to
that shown in Figures 12 and 13, but showing a pillar B³ with each set of
slabs A or A', suitable for forming either a double open wall with two sets of
slabs, or a thin wall with one set of slabs, that is dispensing with the web B'
between the flanged parts B2 in Figures 13 and 13ª.
Figure 15 shows a horizontal section of a concrete wall W1, faced on the inside
and outside with these new or improved lime slabs A, A' which would be erected
temporarily over each other in vertical planes with outer steadying posts, and
secured by angled dogs or chaplets c', formed of strips of hoop or sheet iron bent
and fixed in the corners of each slab as it is being made, and as indicated at c¹ in
dotted lines in Figures 1 and 7, so that when the facing slabs A, A¹, were erected
and the concrete filled into the space W₁, it would hold the facing slabs A, A',
firmly by the dogs cl, and thus make a solid wall of concrete or rubble W₁ with
double facings of these slabs A, A.'.
In all these arrangements the horizontal edges and joints a' are shown as formed
flat and as merely resting or abutting against each other as in Figure 7, and it might
be with thin cement or putty between them, but they may be formed as in
Figures 16 and 17, which show edge views of two different modes of forming
these joints with recesses a³ in the edges at the joints a', and into which a
long wood lath a would be inserted with cement round it, as shown in Figure 16,
just before fitting on the next row of slabs A or A¹ above the completed under
row; or instead of a wooden lath an iron bar a³ may be similarly inserted on edge
as shown in Figure 17.
Although all these systems of screwing or securing and jointing the adjacent
vertical or transverse edges a of these slabs A, A', have been shown and described
specially for vertical wall facings, it is to be understood that they may also be used
for ceilings, and horizontal or angled roofs. But as indicated in longitudinal
section in Figures 18 and 19, the upper and outer transverse joints a would
preferably be covered in by either a curved sheet metal galvanized plate e having
the nails e inserted through the joint a into the rafters E, as in Figure 18; or as
shown in Figure 19, a segmental or curved lath of wood 2 may be used secured by
screws c through the joint a to allow the rain or water to run off it, and its edges
to bear on the slab A to prevent water getting into the transverse joints a. For
angled roofs as shown in transverse section in Figures 20 and 21, the horizontal
abutting edges and joints a¹ would preferably be made to overlap each other
either in the form of a reverse curved or ogee or it might be a plain checked joint
as shown in Figure 20; or as shown in Figure 21 it might be checked with sunk
gripping and overlapping grooves as shown at aº.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The herein described method of erecting buildings, consisting in using
slabs or plates, formed from limes and sand gravel, or other suitable silicates or
material moulded and compressed together, and screwed or otherwise secured to
plain checked, mortised, dovetailed, braced or other suitable frames to form the
walls, ceilings, and roofs, of the buildings, substantially as and in the manner
berein set forth in reference to and by way of application shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
Second. The forming of slabs, plates, frames, and the like from arden or
other limes, either singly or in combination, and mixed with sand, gravel, or
other suitable silicates or material and moulded and compressed together to form

page_text: the walls or wall facings, ceilings, and roofs of buildings, substantially as and in the
manner set forth.
D 9 M 1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.