IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AND SUDRACING OF ROADS AND IN APPARATIS THEREFOR.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Brannon, of 54, Parliament Street, in the
County of Middlesex; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
AND SUDRACING OF ROADS AND IN APPARATIS THEREFOR.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Brannon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1874.
I, PHILIP BRANNON, of 54, Parliament Street, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SURFACING OF ROADS AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR," to be as follows (that is to say):
:―
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction, repair,
and maintenance of roadways, so as to secure greater durability and
better foothold with less noise and concussion from traffic, and consists
in forming the under bed of said roads of a layer of strong fibrous
concrete tied throughout its entire extent by wire or cordage in

page_text: longitudinal and transverse strands, the latter being strawed on each
side to continuous kerb rods, and when there is a subway the under bed
is thickened to form the continuous roof thereto, but in ordinary cases it
is made only of small depth, and preferably laid on a thick formation of
clean sharp shingle or gravel.
To deaden sound and concussion I sometimes employ what I term a
cushion bed of bark or cocoa refuse, sawdust, or other comminuted wood
united with fibre and tarry or bituminous gauging. Upon this cushion
bed or the said under bed I form my surface course or layer, so as to
produce therein an equally wearing strength with a continual alteration
of textural quality, and when desired also a rugation or rippling of
surface.
For textural variations I mingle any bituminous or asphaltic material
or compound usually employed for roads with very hard sharp grit or with
strong fibre, or with fibre and grit, and I dispose these different gaugings
alternately in forming the said surface layer, and then give the rugation
by the setting irons, plates, or rollers having grooved faces. I also vary
the texture of the said surface by sharp fragments or spalls of hard stone
set vertically in the upper bed. I produce also the said textural
alternations, especially the latter variety, by forming the upper bed of
previously pressed blocks or slabs manufactured by laying, ramming, and
compressing the materals in moulds, so as that when layed in the
roadways all the lamination and disposition of the alternate textures,
fibre, and spalls will be vertically edgeways; and to give rugation and
texture to existing asphalt roads, I first soften the road by heat and
loosen its surface, I then dispose sharp hard grit and small hard spalls
thereon with solid mixed gaugings and force them into union with the
old materials, and at the same time rugate the surface with the said
rugated tools or plates heated. I also when required employ rows of
granite or other hard stone pitchers firmly separated with small stones
driven between them at their bases, and the intervals filled with the
above mixtures.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Brannon in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP
BRANNON, of 54, Parliament Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Philip Brannon, Her special licence
that I, the said Philip Brannon, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Philip Brannon, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND SURFACING OF ROADS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Philip Brannon, my executors.
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Philip Brannon, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and the Drawings therein referred to (that is to
say) :-
My Invention has reference to the improvements in the construction,
repairing, and maintenance of roadways, so as to render them durable,
diminish the slipping, and give a better foothold to their surfaces, as also
to deaden the force of percussive and rolling impact and decrease the
noise arising from traffic, and consists in forming upon a bed or.

page_text: foundation of sand, well burnt clay, or ballast, a continuous and unbroken
sheet of fibrous concrete, or fibrous, asphalte, or bituminous material bonded
and sustained throughout by an imbedded open mesh, permeate webbing,
or network of wire or cordage stretched transversly from continuous
selvages or fixed straining rods or plates on each side of the road. I
then give to the said fibrous concreted surface a textural grain to
obviate slipping by gauging the materials to form the face of the work
with hard or sharp or biting grit, or compose the surface of the road
with alternate fibre and grit, facing the same with hard stone, spalls,
pitching, or slab stones set edgeways. I employ for these purposes the
usual hard cements, asphalt, pitch, tars, resins, or compounds thereof,
and when desirable for giving a chalky or dry holding texture in
combination with either of the said mixtures I employ scales and filings
of iron or other ferruginous grits; and in forming roadways altogether of
asphalte, or of cement, or artificial stone, I secure a variable and alternate
textural foothold by a superficial layer of two gaugings, one of fibre and
the other of grit, in transverse strips run in a liquid or semi-fluid state
by means of delivery nozzles or other apparatus, and ripple the surface
with rugate punners, plates, or rollers. I also give to any ordinary
asphalte road in its first formation or when laid or worn smooth a rugate
surface by applying thereto whilst in a soft condition punners, stamps,
or plates aforesaid, grooved or otherwise ridged for producing the
requisite contours of rugation on the surface of the roadway; and for
existing asphaltic or bituminous roadways, after softening the surface I
use facing grit delivered in lines or rows by nozzles or distributers just
before using the said tools, so that the toothing grit shall be forced into
and united with the surfaces of the roadway. I also cut, hack, or
otherwise form in cement, stone, concrete, or asphalte roads, rough
grooves and run into the same a mixture of any herein described foot-
holding asphaltic or bituminous compound.
I form slabs in moulds either of plain surface or with rugations or
channellings, the sufficient gaugings being poured in alternate strips, and
pressure applied by a platten or back mould, giving the under side of the
slab the required surface. I also make slabs in moulds in a vertical
position, each alternate layer or different gauging being poured in narrow
strips and continually rammed with punners, so as to cause a lamellar
arrangement of the fibre and gritty or other materials transversely to the
slab, and vertical when it is laid in the roadways surface.

page_text: In each Figure the same letters of reference denote similar. corre-
sponding parts.
A, A, ballast or foundation bed; B, B, an under bed on my system
with the permeating web or netting; B1 and B2 rods or selvages on which
the same is trained; C, C, asphalic cement or ordinary material;
D, D, fibrous or gritty mixture for roughing the surfaces and giving
increased foothold; E,,E, layers of fibrous or gritty stuff laid on the
ground surface; F, F, cushion wood.
In conclusion to the foregoing description I would here briefly note
that in operating upon old roads for the purpose of rippling or renovating
the surface, I first soften the same by means of steam jets or heating the
rollers, punners, or plates, or by raising fires thereon.
I also further note that the surfaces of the said stamps, punners, or
rugating engine or apparatus may be varied in shape, as required
for producing deep or superficial indentations or rugations as above
described.
And I would lastly note that in some cases I form a bedding sheet of
what I term felt wood or cushion wood, which is composed on my
principle with or without a permeating webbing, and of a mass of
sawdust, cocoa fibre, waste spent bark, or torn wood united by oily
bituminous or resinous materials. I also, for roadways not exposed to
great wear overlay a hard smooth surface with a thin layer of a soft
bituminous or drying oil mixture, and force into and cover it with strong
fibre and grit.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed
and carried into effect, I would have it clearly understood that I do not
by any means intend to confine myself to the precise details herein-
before set forth and described, as the same may be otherwise varied
without departing from the general principle of this my said Invention,
nor do I claim as new and of my said Invention the exclusive.use of the
several parts, combinations, and arrangement hercin-before described
and set forth, except when the same are employed in and for the purposes
of my said Invention which I hereby declare to consist,—
Firstly. In forming roadways with continuous sheeting of cementitious
substances in union with fibre and imbedded framing and wirework or
cordare

page_text: Secondly. In deadening sound and concussion in roadways by the
employment of an under bed of the materials herein called cushion
wood.
Thirdly, and lastly. In giving to road surfaces a textural and
permanent foothold by the employment of fibrous materials or by
combining the same with gritty mixtures in conjunction with rugated
forms in the manner and for the purposes herein-before substantially set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Brannon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
B. F. WEATHERDON,
Law Chambers,
Chancery Lane.
PHILIP BRANNON. (L.S.)