improvements in Building Bricks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 11th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 24th May, 1895
improvements in Building Bricks.
I, GEORGE ST. CLAIR BALSLEY, of 85. Fifteenth Street, Detroit, Michigan,
United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 relates to an improved building material for hollow walls and
consists in the peculiar construction of building bricks adapted to be used in
building hollow walls, whereby a saving in brick is effected, with an increase of
strength, all as more fully hereinafter described.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a hollow wall embodying bricks of
my improved construction.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly different arrangement of bricks.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the various shapes and sizes of bricks which I
employ, and
Fig. 4 is a cross section on line x Fig. 3.
A are bricks of standard dimensions, that is the width of a brick is one half
that of its length as in the ordinary size, which is eight inches by four inches so
that if a brick is divided as shown by the dotted line c in Fig. 3, the two halves
are both like squares.
The upper side of each brick centrally of the squares is provided with pyramidal
frustum shaped projections or lugs B, having rounded edges as shown. On the
bottom side and directly beneath these lugs, are similarly shaped sockets or
depressions B slightly larger than the lugs.
C are bonding bricks integrally formed of two square end sections ef having
central projections on top and depressions on the bottom as described for the
standard brick with an additional intervening bridge section D of a length
corresponding to the hollow space desired in the wall.
E are half bricks corresponding in shape and construction to
brick A.
one half the
To construct a hollow wall, I lay with the bricks A the usual number of
courses F, G, of stretchers separated the desired distance apart to form the hollow
wall, and then whenever a bonding course is required I use the bricks C as
"headers" alternating with the half bricks E, as shown in Fig. 1, or by using
the bricks C in pairs, as headers alternately with bricks A as stretchers, as shown
in Fig. 2. In this manner the bricks will interlock, and the joints will be broken,
while at the same time the continuity of the air space is obtained through the
entire wall.
•
The interlocking portions serve as a guide in laying the brick, and by tying the
bricks together naturally strengthen the wall, but in connection with this invention

page_text: they have the two-fold purpose, first, to compel the workman to use the bonding
brick for the headers, as without their use, he could not build the wall with the
bricks A alone, and, second, to compel him to dip his bricks into the cement or
mortar before laying, instead of spreading the mortar with his trowel upon the
laid bricks, this latter practice leading invariably to the choking up of the air
space by the surplus mortar, no matter how careful the workmen are, and
nothing but the physical impossibility will compel the workman to resort to
dipping.
This construction of bricks enable me to build a hollow bonded wall ten inches
thick with a two inch air space, while the building of a hollow wall with standard
bricks alone requires that it be at least fourteen inches thick, one wall being eight
inches and the other four inches, and in such constructions the bonding bricks can
overlap at one end but two inches which detracts from its strength.
Thus in building such a wall, I not only save four inches in space, but also save
four inches of solid brick work, and produce a ten inch wall of at least the same
strength as a fourteen standard brick wall.
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 :
The building brick for manufacturing hollow walls as herein shown and
described.
Dated the 25th day of March 1895.
GEORGE ST. CLAIR BALSLEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.