Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Buildings. Engineer.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 21st June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Buildings.
A communication from abroad by ISAAC DAVID SMEAD, of Toledo, Lucas County,
State of Ohio, United States of America, Heating and Ventilating Engineer.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
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:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of buildings, as
hereinafter more fully set forth.
In the drawings:-
-
Figure 1 is sectional view of a portion of a building in perspective, showing the
improvements as applied to a building.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of a portion of a building, with the parts enlarged, to
more clearly illustrate the same, and
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate modifications.
This invention is designed for use in the larger class of buildings, such as school
houses, court houses, public halls, churches and the better class of private dwellings,
and it is especially adapted for use in buildings designed to be warmed and ventilated
by the well known Ruttan-Sinead system of warming and ventilation.
In constructing buildings to be warmed and ventilated by this system, it is
customary to take the foul air out of the rooms through openings or screens set in the
base-board (or in the floor, in old buildings) and convey it thence under the floor to a
gathering room located in the basement, from whence it passes, either directly or
through a vault or duct, into an uptake or ventilating shaft which extends above the
roof of the building. Where there are numerous rooms to be ventilated, as is usually
the case, it is frequently necessary to have the outgoing air under the floor travel
crosswise of the floor joists in order to reach the gathering room or ventilating shaft ;
and for that reason it is customary to nail the floor boards to strips resting on, and at
right angles to the floor joists, as shown in the drawings, in which A represents a
portion of one of the vertical walls of the building, J the floor joist, I the transverse
strips, and F the floor.
With this plan of warming and ventilation, it is desirable to prevent the entrance of
air into the rooms at all points, except through the warm air flues, and it is also
desirable to prevent the escape of the foul air from the rooms at all points, except
those specially provided for that purpose, and which are connected by suitable
passages with the ventilating shaft as stated.
Experience shows, that as buildings are ordinarily constructed, especially when
built of brick or stone, large cracks are frequently left under the stone sills, it being
the custom to bed the sill on mortar at its ends only, in order to prevent it from being
cracked or broken by the weight of the walls above, which bear on its ends only.
Through such cracks and other openings a large amount of cold air enters the building,
and where the walls are furred out and lathed and plastered, this cold air passes down
behind the plastering or wainscotting, if any, and generally enters the room at the
bottom of the base-board, between which and the top of the floor there is almost
invariably a crack, owing to the shrinkage of the wood, even if made tight at first.
The cold air which thus enters is deflected in a sheet or current along the floor across
the room, and is specially injurious to school children and others sitting in the room,
as it tends to make their feet cold, and thereby interferes with the proper circulation of
the blood in the extremities.

page_text: In addition to this, these cold currents of air interfere with the operation of
the warming and ventilating system, and are objectionable for that reason also.
In some cases, this cold air passes down between the plastering and outer wall
into the rooms below, or into the basement; and in some cases, where the flooring
does not extend out to the wall so as to make a tight joint all around, and
which is always the case to a greater or less extent this cold air gets under the
floor, and interferes with the draught from the rooms, it taking the place of the
foul warm air which would otherwise be drawn out of the room, and thus inter-
feres with the ventilation. It is to remedy these difficulties, mainly, that the
invention is designed, although it also accomplishes other beneficial results, as will
be hereinafter explained.
The improvement consists of a metallic plate H, shown more clearly in Figure 2,
of a suitable form to be set in the wall and project inward all around, far enough
to form a perfect joint with the floor, and also with the wainscotting when the latter is
used.
This plate H may be made in various forms in cross section, as shown in
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, but the form shown in Figures 1and 2 is considered preferable,
where wainscotting is to be used. It consists of a web or plate a, which is to be built
into the wall at the proper height, and which has a vertical wing or flange above and
a vertical flange d below, these being opposite each other so as to fit snugly against
the inner face of the wall. The lower flange d has a flange e, which projects
horizontally inward, and which with the prolongation of the plate a, as at a¹ forms a
continuous groove or socket for the reception of the ends of the floor boards F, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Where wainscotting is to be used, as is customary in modern school buildings,
an upturned rib c, is formed along the inner edge of the horizontal extension a¹, its
inner face being bevelled or rounded at its upper edge to make a neat finish, and also
to prevent the lodgment and accumulation of dust thereon. It is obvious that this
rib or lip c, and which is the only part that will show in the room, (aside from the
ventilating screens hereinafter explained) may be made in the form of a fancy
moulding of any desired style, if desired; but for school buildings and the like it is
preferable to make it plain, because it is more easily kept clean. It will be seen that
the space between this ribe and the vertical flange forms a groove for the reception
of the lower end of the wainscotting D, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the space in
rear of the wainscotting being occupied by the plastering.
In cases where it is desired to fur out and lath the outer walls of the building,
the vertical flange & may be set in far enough to allow for the same; and in cases
where the wainscotting is dispensed with, the rib c will take the place of the flange b
as represented in Figure 3.
By this means, not only is the leakage of the air into and out of the rooms
prevented, but in the case of a fire in a building, the walls of which are furred out,
the metal plate forms a cut off at each story, and prevents the fire from creeping
gradually up behind the laths from one story to another. In like manner, it serves
to prevent mice and other vermin from getting in behind the lath and plastering, and
passing up and down from basement to attic, and which not infrequently is a great
nuisance, as when once there, it is almost impossible to get at them or dislodge
them. It will of course be understood that this plate H is to be inserted in the
outer walls of the building all around, it being made in pieces of any suitable
length, for that purpose. So too, where the partition walls are of brick or stone, as
is usually the case in large or public buildings, it may be used in them also, and
thus be placed around the base of each and all the rooms. It is also obvious that
it may be used in partition walls formed with wooden studding, it only being
necessary to form the part a with notches or holes at the points where the studs come,
and which are usually set at uniform distances apart.
At points where the air is to be taken out of the room, the form of the plato
is modified, as shown at C, Figure 1, it being raised and provided with a down-
wardly projecting flange n, as shown, the casting thus forming a box open at front

page_text: and bottom and which projects into a recess in the wall, as shown. The front,
above the floor is covered by a perforated plate L, through which the air can pass
into the box shaped recess, from whence it passes under the floor, as indicated by
the arrows in Figure 1. Any required number of these outlets may be used in a
room, and they may be set along one, two or more sides of the room,
that being
determined at the time the plans for the ventilation are prepared.
It will of course be understood that these ventilating boxes or devices may be
mule of the proper length to be set in between the studding of partition walls, and
thus be used in walls of that character, as well as in brick or stone walls, and that the
front plate or screen L may be made to project slightly as shown, or that it may be
made flat so as to come even with the face of the wall or nearly so, this, together
with the style of the perforations, being matters of choice merely.
It will of course be understood that these box shaped plates C, when set in the
wall, will be made to join or abut against the end of the adjacent plate H on each
side so as to form a continuation thereof, and thus the plates H and C, when properly
set in the wall, form a continuous cut-off between the exterior of the building and
the interior of the room.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A metallic plate adapted to be set in the wall of a building at the floor line
and cut off the passage of air into the rooms from the exterior of the building, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
2. A metallic building plate for insertion in the walls of a building, provided
along its front face with a groove or flange adapted to receive the ends or edge of
the floor boards, substantially as shown and described.
3. A metallic building plate for insertion in the walls of a building provided with
a groove along its top for the reception of the lower end of the wainscotting, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
4. As an improvement in the construction of buildings, the metallic plate inserted
in the wall of the building, and made to project from the inner face of said wall
sufficiently to form a support for the floor boards, substantially as shown and described,
whereby a tight joint is secured at the base of the room..
5. A ventilating box or flue constructed substantially as shown and described,
whereby it is adapted for insertion in the walls of a building, as and for the purpose
set forth.
TUL
ael 1
1 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.