IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULTS OR ARCHES, AND IN THE METHOD OR MEANS OF VENTILATING AND HEATING THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULTS OR ARCHES, AND IN THE METHOD OR MEANS OF
VENTILATING AND HEATING THE SAME." A communication from abroad by
Edouard Henri de la Bonnimière, Vicomte de Beaumont, of Rodez, in the
Republic of France
Sealed the 20th February 1877, and dated the 1st September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st September 1876
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULTS OR ARCHES, AND
IN THE METHOD OR MEANS OF VENTILATING AND HEATING THE SAME" A com-
munication from abroad by Edouard Henri de la Bonninière, Vicomte de Beaumont,
of Rodez, in the Republic of France."
This Invention consists in constructing vaults or arches of hollow ventilating
bucks or blocks with or without an arrangement for heating, whereby important
improvements may be effected in building constructions consisting chiefly in the
ventilation and heating of the vaulted apartments.
It is well known that the chief inconvenience in chambers constructel with
vaulted roofs results from the moisture which is condensed along the sides of the
vaults.
By adopting vaults constructed according to this Invention with hollow bricks
suitably arranged sufficient ventilation is obtained, and the inconvenience due to the
cause before mentioned is avoided. Moreover, as these vaults or arches are of less
weight than those constructed solid, the liability to the bulging of the lateral walls
which frequently takes place when ordinary bricks are employed is obviated.
The distinguishing characteristic of the vaults constructed of hollow bricks
according to this Invention consists essentially in the peculiar description of bricks
employed as well as in the arrangement and combination of the said bricks which
are disposed in the building, so as to obtain a series of horizontal passages or
flues running parallel with the axis of the arch. The bricks are also provided with
Price Gdl

page_text: lateral perforations forming cross channels inclined or curved as the shape of the
arch renders necessary
These hollow bricks or blocks which may be of any material, say for example,
clay, cement, and the like are made in the shape of keystones, and in some cases
they are perforated in the direction of their thickness or their height with one or
more cylindrical or other shaped holes for the purpose of establishing a slight
current of air from the lower to the higher part of the vault. The cuirent of air is
for the purpose of preventing the dampness of the vaulted chamber and renewing
the vitiated air in the same when required. This damp or vitiated air escapes at
each side of the vault through a tube of any suitable material arranged horizontally
at the extremities of the vault against the adjacent wall in such a manner as to
admit of its being conducted to the exterior. A. cock similar to those adopted for
gas pipes will serve to moderate or to stop the current of air at will. This air may
also be utilized for promoting combustion in the fire-place of the room above
The heat from the fire-place of one vault may be employed for heating the
chamber situate above, and so on in succession if there are several stories of vaulted
chambers arranged one over the other This result is obtained by providing within
the vertical flue of the chimney a pipe or tube of cast iron or other suitable material,
communicating at its base with a small metal box or chamber in the form of a
trapezium or rectangular of the same width as the bottom of the chimney of the
vaulted chamber, and of the same thickness as the pipe before mentioned This
pipe is bent at a right angle and bifurcated at the level of the key brick which it
enters, the bifurcated part rests in the thickness of the sides of the chimney so as
not to obstruct the passage
The apparatus being thus arranged it will be sufficient to provide a heat outlet
in the crown of the vault, in order to distribute the heat in the room over the vault.
or allow it to escape into the open air by means of a tube placed horizontally
between the extremity of the vault and the adjacent wall, according as the heat
outlet is maintained open or closed
One or more heat outlets may be arranged either at the extremities of the vault
or at any other convenient. part of the crown. The hot air issuing from this
conduit may likewise find an outlet in the hearth of the room above if considered
desirable.
The hollows may be made of a trapezoidal shape at the lower part and tubular at
the upper part, or in some cases, as for example, in the key of the arch the
trapezoidal opening alone may be sufficient. The side bricks may be made deeper
than the central ones so as to obtain increased height in the channels of the
narrower bricks. Two hollows may be provided in each brick, such hollows being
arranged one above the other and separated by a division.
The angles of the vault may also be filled up with hollow communicating
rectangular bricks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, 4
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULTS OR ARCHES, AND
IN THE METHOD OR MEANS OF VENTILATING AND HEATING THE SAME." A com-
munication from abroad by Edouard Henri de la Bonninière, Vicomte de Beaumont,
of Rodez, in the Republic of France.
The said Invention consists in constructing vaults or arches of hollow ventilating 5
bucks or blocks with or without an arrangement for heating, whereby important
improvements may be effected in building constructions, consisting chiefly in the
ventilation and heating of the vaulted apartments.
.

page_text: It is well known that the chief inconvenience in chambers constructed with
vaulted roofs results from the moisture which is condensed along the sides of the
vaults.
By adopting vaults or arches constructed according to the said Invention with
hollow bricks suitably arranged sufficient ventilation is obtained, and the incon-
venience due to the cause before mentioned is avoided. Moreover, as these vaults
or arches are of less weight than those constructed solid, the liability to the bulging
of the lateral walls which frequently takes place when ordinary bricks are employed
is obviated.
The distinguishing characteristic of the vaults or arches constructed of hollow
bricks according to the said Invention consists essentially in the peculiar description
of bricks employed as well as in the arrangement and combination of the said
bricks which are disposed in the building so as to obtain a series of horizontal
passages or flues running parallel with the axis of the arch.
These hollow bricks or blocks which may be of any suitable material say for
example, clay, cement, and the like, are made in the shape of keystones, and of a
radius and dimension suited to the description of edifice in which they are to be
used; they are perforated in the direction of their thickness or their height with
one or more cylindrical or other shaped holes for the purpose of establishing a slight
current of air from the lower to the higher part of the vault; this current of air is
for the purpose of preventing the dampness of the vaulted chamber and renewing
the vitiated air in the same when required. This damp or vitiated air escapes at
each side of the vault through a tube of any suitable material arranged horizontally
at the 'extremities of the vault against the adjacent wall in such a manner as to
admit of such air being conducted to the exterior. A cock, similar to those adopted
for gas pipes and may be employed to regulate or to stop the current of air at will.
This air may also be utilized for promoting combustion in the fire-place of the
room above.
The heat from the fire-place of one vault may be employed for heating the
chamber situate above, and so on in succession if there are several stories of vaulted
chambers arranged one over the other. This result is obtained by providing within
the vertical flue of the chimney a pipe or tube of cast iron or other suitable
material communicating at its base with a small metal box or chamber in the form
of a trapezium or rectangular of the same width as the bottom of the chimney of
the vaulted chamber, and of the same thickness as the pipe before mentioned. This
pipe is bent at a right angle and bifurcated at the level of the key brick which it
enters; the bifurcated part rests in the thickness of the sides of the chimney so as
not to obstruct the passage.
The apparatus being thus arranged it simply remains to provide a heat outlet in
the crown of the vault in order to distribute the heat in the room over the vault,
or allow it to escape into the open air by means of a tube placed horizontally
between the extremity of the vault and the adjacent wall, according as the heat
outlet is maintained open or closed.
One or more heat outlets may also be arranged either at the extremities of the
vault or at any other convenient part of the crown. The hot air issuing from this
conduit may likewise find an outlet in the hearth of the room above if considered
desirable.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of referenco
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
The annexed Drawing represents various examples of the construction of vaults
according to the said Invention, and of the application of the Invention to the
ventilation and heating of vaulted chambers.
As represented in the sectional elevation, Figure 1, the key A of the arch is
formed of a hollow brick of suitable form; the other bricks B, which are also
hollow, are moreover perforated with one or several small round holes shewn in dotted

page_text: lines in the Drawing, and their lateral surfaces are inclined at angles which will
vary according to the dimensions and shape of the vault or arch to be constructed.
These bricks may be of any desired length and width.
In some cases the hollows may be made of a trapezoidal shape at the lower part,
as shewn at H, and tubular at the upper part K, in other cases as in the key A of 5
the arch the trapezoidal opening H is considered sufficient. A tube C is provided,
placed horizontally at each of the extremities of the vault or arch for the purpose
of conducting the air which escapes from the vault at X, either outside the
building or into the chimney of the room above, the floor of which is formed by
the vault itself.
The various passages formed in the bricks for ventilating the vault are shewn in
dotted lines.
The solid arch formed by the upper portion of the bricks is lowered or flattened
at the crown as shewn, whilst the lower curve of the arch consists of an arc of a
circle; the shape however of the vault or arch may be varied as required; for ex-
ample, it may be of the form of an arc of a circle, an ellipse or even gothic if
desired, or of any other suitable shape.
In the arrangement of vault or arch shewn in Figure 1º (which represents a
section of the ground floor of a house with arched floors, one story of which is
shewn in Figure 1), the cylindrical hollows in the upper parts of the bricks are dis-
pensed with, and consequently also the various ventilating holes provided in the
preceding arrangement.
Figure 1b illustrates a modification of the arrangement shewn in Figure 1, in
which the arch bricks are formed with two hollows, H, H, one above the other, in
lieu of with one only; the angles or corners of this vault are moreover formed.
of hollow rectangular bricks Z, laid horizontally, and provided with small holes
similar-to the holes in the arch bricks in order to ensure ventilation towards the
point X.
Figure 2 illustrates the arrangement of the conduit for conducting the heat to the
key brick of the arch, and the application of an outlet for heat intended for the
heating of the apartment, the floor of which is formed by the arch. The upper
'part of the Figure represents a plan of the arch which is represented in vertical
section in the lower part of the Figure, as well as the mode of applying the heating
tube.
Figure 3 represents a sectional elevation of the same heating tube arranged inside
the chimney of an apartment. This heating tube marked C¹ commences in the
chimney of the vaulted chainber and enters the first key brick of the vault; it is
bent at Y in the sides of the chimney. To facilitate the operations of the sweeper and
to avoid obstructing the chimney a heat outlet K1, arranged so as to open or close tho
heating tube, is provided at any suitable part of the floor formed by the upper side
of the arch, and serves to allow the hot air to enter the upper chamber It is
simply necessary to close this outlet K³ in order to cause the hot air to escape by
the tube I.
Figure 3 shews in detail the chimney or flue marked A' formed in the thickness
of the wall B¹, B¹, which supports one extremity of the arch In this Figure the
cast-iron tube C¹ is shewn of cylindrical form, it is embedded in the sides of the
chimney which is assumed to be constructed of fire-bricks having their angles or
corners rounded off. If the chimney is of rectangular shape the tube may be of
similar or any other suitable form at the point where it is bifurcated, whence it
enters the hollow in the key brick A of the arch, the hot air escaping at any point
K' where the heat outlet herein-before referred to is situate.
Figure 3 illustrates the arrangement of box A2 in the form of a trapezium
provided at the base of the heating apparatus, and with which the cylindrical
heating tube C¹ communicates.
Figure 4 shews a hollow key brick or block for a vault, provided at its lower
'part with a recess or groove 1 intended to form the summit of a pointed arch.
In order to complete the system of construction for vaults formed with hollows
1

page_text: for ventilation and heating metal abutting girders (also hollow) may be employed
as shewn at H, Figure 5. Each girder is constructed in two parts laid together
and connected at their lower pait by an iron plate, as shewn in the Drawing
It will be observed that various modifications of the hollow bricks which compose
the arches constructed according to the said Invention are shown in the Drawings.
those represented in Figure 1 present the greatest possible lightness, those in Figure
1b would be also useful, or they may be made simply in the form shewn in Figure 1ª.
Any of these patterns of bricks may be adopted as required, according to circum-
stances.
It is obvious that the bricks herein-before described may receive any description
of ornamentation, at the upper or lower part which may be considered suitable.
They inay be employed moreover for the construction of aqueducts, niches, or pigeon
holes, the upper part of windows and doorways, staircases, and be generally
used in all descriptions of structures where a vaulted or arched form is required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or inay be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is,—
1st. The construction of vaults or arches with hollow ventilating bricks or blocks
in combination or not with the employment of apparatus or means of supplying
heat to the centre brick or block, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
2nd The employment of hollow bricks or blocks having transverse and lateral
holes or perforations in order to admit of the circulation of air in the interior of the
vault or arch in such a manner as to prevent any condensation of moisture upon its
sides, substantially as herein-before described.
3rdly. The system or mode of heating through the key or crown of the arch by
means of heated air introduced thereinto from a box and conduit provided in the
interior of the chimney of an apartment, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the First day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
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