Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fire-resisting Flooring, Decking, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th May, 1890--Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fire-resisting
Flooring, Decking, and the like.
I JOHN WILSON of 13 Abbeville Road North Clapham in the County of Surrey
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The object of my said invention is to provide a simple and economical method of
forming combined metal and concrete flooring decking and the like and in carrying it
into practice I place rolled steel or iron beams or girders of a peculiar section upon
supports in the usual manner and fill in and embed the said beams or girders with
suitable concrete in any well known way, and of suitable composition for the purpose.
I form or roll my beams of a semi-eliptical section with the crown thereof thickened
out or flattened.
At the opposite ends of the semi-ellipse I form flanges projecting on the horizontal
line which are also thickened out.
I place the beams or girders side by side with the flanges abutting to each other or
overlapping if desired and I may or may not secure then by rivets or bolts to each
other or to the supports.
In some cases I may use beams or girders of bulb iron with _ section flanges as
is used for ships decking placed at suitable distances apart and filled in or connected
transversely by corrugated iron or steel plates or by the semi-eliptical sectioned beam
or girder before described resting on the said 1 sectioned flanges the whole being
filled in or surrounded with or embedded in concrete as before described.
In place of the foregoing construction I may place the semi-eliptical beams or
girders at intervals and provide flat blocks of concrete made in suitable moulds and
of such size and shape as to allow half the thickness of the block or thereabouts to
rest upon the projecting flanges of the beams or girders whilst the other half or
portion is held suspended therefrom the edge of the block being toothed or indented
for this purpose.
then insert smaller blocks dovetailing into the ends of the larger
blocks having splayed or sloped ends. The whole is then surrounded with or
embedded in concrete as before or arched or other shaped spaces may be left or
formed in the body of the floor for lessening weight and cost or for deadening
sound, and for readily constructing such arches or spaces without employing centreing,
or the like I may form segmental or arched blocks in moulds or otherwise and form
skew backs or other bearings in the concrete to receive and support them.
Doted this 17th dow of Angust 1880
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
17 & 18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Fire-resisting
Flooring, Decking, and the like.
I JOHN WILSON of 13 Abbeville Road North Clapham in the County of Surrey
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 obiect of my invention is to provide a simple and economical method of

page_text: constructing fire resisting floorings, deckings and the like by the combination of metal
and concrete by placing rolled steel iron or other metallic beams or girders of peculiar
section upon supports in the usual manner and filling in and embedding such beams
or girders with suitable concrete or by supporting on the rolled beams or girders
blocks of concrete already prepared as will be hereafter described, all spaces being
filled in with fine concrete plaster or other similar material as will be well understood.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings
Fig. 1 is a section showing my beams or girders surrounded by concrete and
supported at each end;
Fig. 2 is another method of arranging these;
Fig. 3 shows a combination of beams and girders of different section surrounded
by concrete;
Fig. 4 represents a form of construction combining my special section of girder
with concrete blocks suspended thereon ;
Figs. 5 and 6 show a form of construction by which hollow spaces may be left in
the body of the flooring.
In these several constructions I use beams or girders of a semi-eliptical section
such as A with the crown thickened out or flattened as at A' and having flanges
projecting on the horizontal line B B which may also be thickened.
I place these beams or girders on proper supports such as cross girders or walls
near to each other as in Fig. 1 or with the flanges abutting on each other or over-
lapping as shown in Fig. 2 (and secured together if desired) the whole being
surrounded by and embedded in concrete or suitable composition by means of
centreing in the usual manner.
Or I may use beams or girders of bulb iron D as shown in Fig. 3 with section
flanges at suitable intervals carrying the semi-eliptical girders A thereon or corrugated
iron or steel plates the whole being fitted in with concrete as before.
In Figure 4 I show a method of construction by which I place the semi-eliptical
beams or girders A at intervals and provide blocks of concrete or like material E
made in suitable moulds and shaped as at F so as to allow about half the thickness
of the block to rest upon the projecting flanges of the beams A whilst the other
portion is held suspended therefrom and formed as a skew back or inclined plane other
smaller blocks G shaped so as to fit within the blocks E on opposite flanges of girders A
rest upon them.
The blocks may have hollow spaces such as H for the purpose of lessening the
weight and for assisting in deadening sound. Arched or other spaces may be formed
in any convenient portion of these floors as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and arched blocks
made in suitable moulds may be used for this purpose so as to save expense of
centreing; the whole of before mentioned constructions may be surrounded or
embedded in concrete or coated with plaster or cement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In the construction of fire resisting flooring the employment of girders of semi-
eliptical section with horizontal flanges such as A in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
2. For bridge or pier decking and like constructions the use of beams or girders
such as D supporting other beams or girders such as A substantially as herein described
and as illustrated by Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In the construction of fire resisting flooring the use of partially suspended
blocks of concrete or the like upon which are suspended or dovetailed other blocks of
concrete or the like substantially as herein described and as illustrated in Fig. 4 of
the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. In the construction of fire resisting flooring the use of arched blocks of concrete
or the like formed in suitable moulds substantially as illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. The general arrangement and construction of fire resisting flooring or decking
substantially as herein described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of May 1890.
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
17 & 18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.