Improvements in Apparatus for use in the Construction of Concrete Buildings and Structures.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 25th Feb.,
1899
CUMIT DIE DI FUITIATION
Improvements in Apparatus for use in the Construction of Concrete
Buildings and Structures.
I, PHILIPP THEODOR LORENZ TOELPE, of 31, Schleuss-Berg, Neumünster i/H,
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:―
Concrete which consists of a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, broken stone and
the like, has hitherto been mainly adapted for use for making the foundations
of buildings and structures because the concrete must be rammed or stamped
in order to produce a uniform erection or building within a given space.
In the case of foundations it has been necessary either to fill up a trench hewn
out of the rock, or a chamber has been formed in soft ground by means of walls
of sheet piling and which chamber has then been filled up with rammed or
stamped concrete. In all cases however the manufacture of the foundation blocks
from stamped concrete has required walls that were capable of withstanding the
pressure arising from the stamping.
In view of the good qualities of concrete when used as a building material, viz.,
the facility of ready manufacture on the spot where the building operations are
being carried on; its quickness in setting after use, and its great hardness, com-
bined with its capacity for resisting compressive and tensile strains, there has
always been a great tendency to make walls of concrete where great strength was
required, without having to consider the question of cost in the building. It is
also suitable for making walls for fireproof chambers for the storage of valuables,
and so-called strong rooms. But as already mentioned, the cost of making walls
according to the processes heretofore usual, does not allow of any very extended
use of concrete for building large walls and much less entire houses.
The expensiveness of the method of building heretofore employed, lay in the
necessity for making thick solid walls (sheet piling) between which the concrete
can be rammed or stamped.
Now, the essential feature of the present invention consists in being able to
erect a complete building or structure of concrete either in the air or under water
without the necessity of erecting thick solid walls; this is effected with the aid of
a relatively slight iron framework upon which a number of laths are arranged
in a movable manner.
An example of the mode of carrying out this invention is illustrated in the
drawings which show a part of a scaffolding for a building. In these drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section,
T
Wan nantly in section

page_text: Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part of a scaffolding according to this
invention.
Figure 4 is a side elevation illustrating the connection of two parts of a
scaffolding.
As already stated at the commenceinent of this description, the method consists
essentially in dividing the requisite solid walls for stamping the concrete, and in
constructing them in a movable manner so that by means of a solid part of a
wall, there can be built in succession a wall, a series of walls, and finally a house.
In order to effect this, recourse is had to the use of a slight iron framework.
As will be seen from the drawings, the said iron framework consists of iron
girders or beams a of a cross section composed of a T-iron bar and two angle bars,
as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The girders thus consist of a head or top a¹ with a flat back part a. Every
two girders a are connected together at their flat parts at a certain distance apart
by means of flat bars b. This distance depends on the thickness which it is desired
to give to the wall to be built. At the beginning and at the end of the girder a
there are rivetted angles which serve partly for the purpose of erection upon
the foundations, and partly, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, for the purpose
of connecting two girders a together by means of bolts or the like. Every two
girders a which are connected together by means of the flat bars b, constitute an
upright of a width equal to the thickness of the wall. For building a wall of
a house a number of such uprights are required which should be previously cut
to size, and mounted ready for use, in an iron works from the working plans of the
house.
As will be seen from Figure 3 of the drawings, the finished uprights are now
erected upon the top of the foundations & at certain distances apart which depend
upon the circumstances of each particular case. The top of the foundation may
advantageously be made of cement plates or slabs.
The movable wall-parts are then guided by these uprights. The said movable
wall-parts consist of a thick plank of not too small dimensions into which there
are let metal sockets or bushes f of metal, at intervals of distance corresponding
to those of the several parts of the framework. Two such metal sockets f are let
into the plank e in the vertical direction, and keys are carried through these
sockets, (Figures 1 and 2).
i
The keys consist of a uniform metal piece which is guided in the sockets f
and to which there are connected a head h and a turn-pin i. The head h corre-
sponds in cross section to the internal cross section of the head a¹ of the girders;
it is formed with slightly bevelled or inclined upper edges and in its cross section
it conforms on one hand to the width of the "profile slot," and on the other hand
to the shape in profile of the girder head a'.
The thick plank e is then placed against the girders a of the uprights, and the
keys g are brought into the position shown on the right hand of Figure 2, so that
the heads h take into the slots of the girders a If now the keys are turned by
means of the turn-pieces i, through 90°, the said keys will, by reason of their
conical surfaces, draw themselves into the heads a¹ of the girders a, thereby pre-
venting the same from being pulled out, and also producing tight and firm contact
and bearing against the plank e. The method of building now consists substan-
tially in erecting upon the flat upper surface of the foundation, uprights constructed
of girders, said uprights being arranged according to the building plan, at deter-
mined distances apart, corresponding to the thickness of the wall.
The uprights are constructed of determined heights which may if
required be subdivided. The initial height may be about two metres.
To these uprights, that is to say, to the girders
" of the same
there are now fastened by means of the above described keys g. thick planks e of
about 50 centimetres in height, and of a length corresponding to the circum-
stances. The concrete is then introduced between the space formed by the two

page_text: opposite planks e, and rammed or stamped, and then left alone until it has set,
which takes about a night.
Then the keys g are slacked back, and the planks e are pushed up (Figure 1)
until they cover the layer of concrete which was stamped the day before, only
with a surface of about 3 centimetres in height.
The space which is now formed between the planks e is now again filled with
concrete which is stamped in, and allowed to harden. In the case of smooth walls
this operation is constantly repeated until the desired height has been reached,
which may be made rather great, by lengthening the girders a and making wider
the bands which connect the girders together, for the purpose of imparting
greater stability. If however, windows, doors, or recesses or openings of any
kind are to be provided in the wall, it is merely necessary to insert between the
planks e, suitably covered between-planks which are chosen of a height and width
corresponding to those of the openings to be provided, and which, in the case of
windows and doors, can be made of the usual height and be kept in stock, and
also be provided with easily operated means for attaching the same to the smooth
planks e such as hooks adapted to engage with bolts: screw bolts and the like.
When cornices or other projecting parts are to be provided on the building,
suitably recessed planks e formed with hollow profiles, may be employed; or also
for the purpose of subsequently applying profile-pieces of this kind, there may be
employed internally projecting fillets which produce in the finished wall small
recesses which give the cornice (to be applied subsequently) a stronger hold in or
union with the finished wall surface.
The iron framework or skeleton which remains in the finished wall imparts
considerable strength to the latter, and allows of carrying the building quite
straight up ie., vertically. In the case of walls under water, such as quay walls,
bridges, piers, etc., this method of building will be found of great advantage.
But in erecting buildings in which the inside walls act to stiffen the outer
walls, it is not necessary to utilize the iron framework for the purpose of stiffening
the walls, and it will be of advantage for the sake of economy, to be able to dis-
pense with this iron framework. In order to enable this to be done, the framework
is constructed in the manner illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. These figures show
the girders a without the wide lugs a² of the first described construction, of
U-shape and formed with conically tapering or inclined walls as shown in Figure 6
of the drawings. Instead of the connecting flat bars 6 of iron, solid thick rods b
are employed which effect the connection of two girders a together, by means of
nuts k. The connection of the several girders a is effected by means of suitable
flat angles, which however cannot be removed afterwards. But they are only used
in such small quantities and have such little value that their loss will not be felt.
The removal of the girders a is effected after the nuts k of the connecting
rods have been slacked back. This is done by simply lifting them out, because
the conical or tapering shape of the girders renders their adhesion to the cement
difficult. The connecting rods 61 are knocked out, and, like the iron girders a,
can be used again for other buildings. The thick planks e can be used over again
repeatedly, and thus they constitute only one initial expense to the builder. The
entire construction is very cheap, and is particularly suitable for building simply
arranged buildings, such as villas, sheds, and agricultural and farm buildings and
warehouses, and also especially in the cases of buildings where it is difficult to get
skilled labour, because skilled workmen are only necessary for erecting the frame-
work or scaffolding, whilst the stamping in of the concrete can be readily done by
unskilled labourers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
A framework or scaffolding and a process for the construction of concrete
structures, characterized by the use of iron uprights formed of iron bars of suit.

page_text: able cross sections, maintained at definite distances apart by means of flat iron
bars, bolts, or the like, and upon the outer surface of which by means of keys
there are movably mounted thick planks that can be easily removed, for the pur-
pose of being able to fill up the space formed between the thick planks with
concrete and to stamp the same in.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Associate Agent.
0000
inn or ste nazr