Improvements in Building Construction.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Building Construction.
I, DAVID SWANSON, of 221, Kensington High Street, W., in the County of
London, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in building construction has for its object to
enable the plastering of walls and ceilings to be completed in one operation
during or immediately after erection and to construct the walls of buildings
of concrete, or of brick and concrete combined, of a thoroughly fireproof charac-
ter and finished throughout in one operation.
In plastering a wall according to this invention screwed bolts with flattened
shanks are built into the wall at suitable distances apart and their ends split
centrally and bent over on the side of the wall opposite to that which is to be
covered, the screwed ends projecting a suitable distance from the inside face
of the wall, or bolts with short flattened shanks each connected by two pieces of
hoop iron to the outside of the wall may be substituted for the bolts with long
shanks. Sheets composed of plaster of Paris, cement, lime or other plastic
material, on a backing of hair felt or other similar material, or wire netting
and felt combined, are placed lengthwise against the projecting bolts and secured
by strong boards and upright binding pieces behind, the said boards and binders
being bored to admit short ferrules or sockets screwthreaded internally to screw
on to the beforementioned bolt ends and externally to receive nuts and washers
to effectually screw up the boards and binders.
The first sheet being thus secured the space between it and the wall is filled
in with the composition to be used as coarse stuff, the next sheet is fixed, another
set of boards put up and another binder, locking into the first is screwed on and
the filling in process continued.
This operation is repeated until the wall is covered, the sheets being of uniform
thickness and the edges true the jointing is very simple and the joints barely
perceptible.
The felt backing ensures complete cohesion between the plaster and coarse
At the same
stuff and provides for contraction and expansion should such occur.
time, in the event of there being unusual shrinkage in the coarse stuff during the
process of setting, the boards may be further screwed up before removal.
When the screws binders and boards are removed there will be only the small
screw holes in the plaster to make good.
In the construction of concrete buildings according to this invention, the work,
as regards the inside, is proceeded with as already described, and for the outside
face a composition of Portland cement and sand on a backing of hair, felt, or other
similar substance is used, prepared in sheets or slabs and secured by boards and
binding pieces, as in the case of the plaster sheets, and screwed into position by
bolts and nuts, the space between the plaster and the cement sheets, which is
filled in with concrete, being regulated by the thickness of wall required. The
composite buildings are constructed of brick facings filled in behind with concrete.
In preparing the facing sheets the cement or plaster as the case may be, with

page_text: the proper quantity of water added for use, is spread upon sheets of hair felt and
during the process of setting is acted upon by heavy rollers and finished at a
uniformit thickness and with a polished surface and true edges
T
LT
1
£ 1000
Improvements in Building Construction.
1, DAVID SWANSON, of 221, Kensington High Street, W., in the County of
London, Builder, 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 for improvements in building construction has for its object to
enable the plastering of walls and ceilings to be completed in one operation
during or immediately after erection and to construct the walls of buildings
of concrete, or of brick and concrete combined, of a thoroughly fireproof charac-
ter and finished throughout in one operation.
In plastering a wall according to this invention screwed bolts with flattened
shanks are built into the wall at suitable distances apart and their ends split
centrally and bent over on the side of the wall opposite to that which is to be
covered, the screwed ends projecting a suitable distance from the inside face
of the wall, or bolts with short flattened shanks each connected by two pieces of
hoop iron to the outside of the wall may be substituted for the bolts with long
shanks. Sheets composed of plaster of Paris, cement, lime, or other plastic
material on a backing of hair felt or other similar material, or wire netting
and felt combined, are placed lengthwise against the projecting bolts and secured
by strong boards and upright binding pieces behind, the said boards and binders
being bored to admit short ferrules or sockets screwthreaded internally to screw
on to the beforementioned bolt ends, and externally, to receive nuts and washers
to effectually screw up the boards and binders.
J
The first sheet being thus secured the space between it and the wall is filled in
with the composition to be used as coarse stuff, the next sheet is fixed, another
set of boards put up and another binder, locking into the first is screwed on and
the filling in process continued.
This operation is repeated until the wall is covered the sheets being of uniform
thickness and the edges true the jointing is very simple and the joints barely
perceptible.
The felt backing ensures complete cohesion between the plaster and coarse stuff
and provides for contraction and expansion should such occur.
At the same
time, in the event of there being unusual shrinkage in the coarse stuff during
the process of setting, the boards may be further screwed up before removal.
When the screws, binders and boards are removed there will be only the
small screw holes in the plaster to make good.
In the construction of concrete buildings according to this invention, the work,
as regards the inside, is proceeded with as already described, and for the outside
face a composition of Portland cement and sand on a backing of hair felt or other
similar substance is used; prepared in sheets or slabs and secured by. boards and
binding pieces, as in the case of the plaster sheets, and screwed into position by
bolts and nuts, the space between the plaster and the cement sheets, which is
filled in with concrete being regulated by the thickness of wall required.

page_text: In preparing the facing sheets the cement or plaster as the case may be, with
the proper quantity of water added for use, is spread upon sheets of hair felt and
during the process of setting is acted upon by heavy rollers and finished at a
uniform thickness and with a polished surface and true edges. This process may
be reversed by spreading the plaster upon a perfectly level and smooth (non-
porous) bed surrounded by a frame giving the exact thickness required and then
immediately afterwards the felt is acted upon by rollers to press it into the plaster.
The sheets would not be more than one quarter inch to three eighths inch or
about one third the thickness of the whole of the composition on the wall.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings:-Fig. 1 is an outside
elevation of a wall built according to this invention and Fig. 2 is a section and
Fig. 3 an inside elevation of the same showing the temporary structures in place.
Fig. 4 is a detail section through a bolt. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the bolt.
Fig. 6 is a section of the inside retaining boards.
The screw studs a having elongated eyelet holes bare built in the wall with
their screwed ends slightly projecting from the inside of the wall. The studs a
are tied to the wall by hoop iron c secured in the eyelet holes and having the
ends i bent down over the outer face of the wall as clearly shown. Short removable
ferrules are then screwed on to the studs a. The facing sheets c are then placed
in position with a hole for the ferrule & against each of the studs a the boards f
and the upright binders h each with corresponding holes are put up and the
ferrules or socket pieces are passed through the binders, boards and plaster, and
screwed upon the studs a, and outside, the binder is screwed up by washer and nut g.
The space between the facing sheets e and the inside face of the wall is filled with
coarse stuff.
The wall is built in sections from below upwards, the first section
being completed before the next is commenced.
When the wall is completed the nuts, binders and boards are removed, the
ferrules d are unscrewed and the holes so left in the plaster, filled up. The ends i
of the hoop iron on the outer face of the wall are broken by bending and
unbending, the broken ends being completely hidden when the wall is pointed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improved facing sheets for walls consisting of a plaster facing and a
hair felt or other similar non-vegetable fibre backing.
2. The process of building and finishing a wall at one operation consisting in
building the wall and applying the face or faces substantially in the manner
described.
3. The improved method of fixing a face on to a wall consisting in building
bolts with removable ends into the wall, in applying the faces in sheets to the
wall, in fixing the faces in position during building by the bolts and removable
backing, in filling up the space between the face and the wall, and in finally re-
moving the bolt ends and backing and filling up the holes.
4. A wall or structure built substantially as described with reference to the
5 drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.