Improvements in the Construction of Concrete and other Buildings for Permanent or Temporary Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Concrete and other Buildings
for Permanent or Temporary Purposes.
I EDWARD ELLIS ALLEN of 16 Cremorne Road Chelsea in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist in certain special modes of using several well-known
materials in the construction of movable or portable buildings rendering them
more substantial than when used in the ordinary way also more ornamental.
Firstly I construct strong frames or sections of timber usually 8 to 12 feet long
and 2' 6" to 3' 6" or more wide and secure in them either in grooves or otherwise
various materials such as concrete slabs sheets of corrugated galvanized iron or
large roofing slates lapped horizontally also weather boarding tiles over boarding
or other suitable materials as panels slabs of stone slate or marble where easily
procured may be used to form the outer surfaces of the said sections and to the other
or inner side I secure in grooves or otherwise match boarding fibrous slabs thin
concrete slabs single or compound veneers or other suitable materials forming the
lining or internal surfaces of the said sections.
Between these surfaces I place non-conducting materials such as felt mill chips
silicate cotton or other material the whole forming complete and finished sections
several of which are then firmly attached together by screws or bolts so as to form
the sides roofs and floors of buildings. In order to make the joints between such
sections air and water tight I sometimes form grooves in the outside of the said
sections and insert in these tongues of wood or iron and as regards the match lining
I allow the match boarding to overlap one side of the frames and to fall short at
In
the other side so that the joint between any two sections is fairly covered.
certain cases instead of the frames being tongued and grooved and the match
boarding fixed as above described I use covering strips of wood sometimes on one
side only and sometimes on both sides so as to make the joints perfect screwing or
nailing the said covering strips on. In using large roofing slates I form thin sheet
metal hooks or hangers S shape which hang over the top edges of the slates and
sustain the lower edges of the overlapping slates above them and make the joints
good by sufficient overlap and cementing them. When tiles are used they are
attached to rough boarding or laths are fixed to them.
The Shooks may be placed at the extreme edges of the slates and be
housed under the covering strips or placed in the grooves in the insides of the
fraines.
In the case of concrete slabs they may be butt jointed or half lapped horizontally
and cemented but in order to hide these joints if desirable especially when the slabs
are not of uniform thickness after laying or sliding them into the frames above
described I float over the surface a thin layer of cement colored as desired thus
practically forming a complete concrete slab the full size of the section or in other
cases I fix wooden beadings over the horizontal joints and round the edges of the
slabs. These slabs are usually made 3 feet long and 2 feet wide or sometimes one
metre or over a yard square.
The second part of my invention has reference to cases where ordinary studding
is used in which case the position of the vertical studs or standards must correspond
to the joints in the material employed and consists in using covering strips over
such joints whether sheets of corrugated iron concrete slabs or other materials are
used not only for the purpose of making the joints perfect but also as an archi-
tectural feature dividing the surface up into panels the common method of using

page_text: "
these materials being to follow on the iron sheets by lapping and the concrete slabs
by butting them and cementing the joints. Where studs are employed instead of
the frames above described the lining and "filling in cannot be completed until
the building is being erected whereas in my system with frames as described in the
first part of my invention the whole of the work can be done and finished in a
workshop and the sections taken complete to the site upon which the building is to
be erected.
To provide for ready export I sometimes modify this latter arrangement by
forming the studs or standards with grooves on both sides and near both edges and
slide in the concrete slabs on the outside and on the inside a series of match boards
united together at top and bottom by clamps or rails forming large panels
which may be readily packed in bundles as well as the concrete slabs so occupying
little space.
In this case the studs may be deep and narrow forming a thicker wall than usual
and the space filled in or not as desired.
The third part of my invention relates to the top and bottom joints of corrugated
iron sheets and consists in fixing strips of angle iron equal in length to the width
of the sheets one of the flanges of which is made with corrugations similar to those
of the sheets of iron and which can be secured or fastened close to the iron sheets
and so form a good joint the level flange being attached to the wood work at either
end of the sheet.
These strips may be made of maliable cast iron and afterwards galvanized.
Sometimes instead of using concrete slabs made separately the sections are
formed of a frame filled in with wire netting or gause or with rough boarding
perforated with conical or countersunk holes upon which is placed a layer of
concrete having floated over it Portland cement and on the inside match boarding
or fibrous sheets or slabs thus forming a section equal in durability to brick
buildings and yet suitable for removal if required and capable of being readily
erected. The floors and roofs are also formed in similar sections.
The roof sections when of iron are formed of three rafters suitably framed
together the sheets of corrugated iron being lapped horizontally and having their
longitudinal edges flattened out and screwed to the side rafters or inserted in
grooves.
The joints between any two sections is made by a covering strip weathered and
throated screwed or nailed down with felt underneath. Match boarding is placed
if required under the rafters the match boarding being made to cover the joint as
in the case of the side sections and the space between the iron and match lining
may be filled in with mill chips or other non-conducting material as above
described.
The floor sections are made in frames filled in with joists at usual intervals less
in depth than the frames by the thickness of the floor boards the frame being
rebitted on the upper side so as to enable the floor boards to be laid flush with them
across the joists the boards being tongued and grooved or grooved for hoop iron.
The joints between the said sections are tongued and grooved or made good with
hoop iron.
The side sections are secured to the sole or wall plate by screws through the
lower and upper or foot and head rails of the sections."
Dated this 30th day of December 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Concrete and other Buildings
for Permanent or Temporary Purposes.
I EDWARD ELLIS ALLEN of No. 16 Cremorne Road Chelsea in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer--
tained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements consist in certain special modes of using several well known
materials in the construction of movable or portable buildings rendering them more
substantial and ornamental than when used in the ordinary way.
Firstly I construct strong frames or sections of timber shewn in Figs. 1 2 and 3
of accompanying drawing usually 8 to 12 feet long and 2' 6" to 3' 6" or more wide
and secure in them either in grooves or otherwise various materials such as
concrete slabs shewn at A sheets of corrugated iron shewn at D, large roofing
slates, lapped horizontally, weather boards shewn at B and C, tiles over rough
boards, or other suitable materials as panels, also slabs of stone, slate or marble
where easily procured which form the outer surfaces of the side wall sections and
to the other or inner side I secure in grooves or otherwise matched boarding shewn
at F Figs. 2 and 3, fibrous slabs, thin concrete slabs, single or compound veneers or
other suitable materials forming the lining or internal surface of the said sections.
Between these surfaces I place non-conducting materials such as felt, mill chips,
silicate cotton, or other material also shewn in Figs. 2 and 3 the whole forming
complete and finished sections several of which are then firmly attached together
by screws or bolts, so as to form the sides, roofs, or floors of the buildings. In
order to make the joints between such sections air and water tight I sometimes
form grooves in the outside of the said sections and insert in these tongues of wood
or iron and as regards the matched lining I allow the boarding to overlap one side
of the frames and to fall short at the other side so that the joint between any two
frames is fairly covered. In certain cases instead of the frames being tongued and
grooved and the matched boarding fixed as above described I use covering strips
of wood, sometimes on one side and sometimes on both sides, so as to make the
joints perfect screwing or nailing the strips on.
In using large roofing slates I form thin sheet metal S hooks or hangers which
hang over the top edges of the slates and sustain the lower edges of the overlapping
ones above them and make the joint good by sufficient overlap and cementing it.
When tiles are used they are attached to rough boarding or laths fixed to them.
The Shooks may be placed at the extreme ends of the slates and be housed under
the covering strips or placed in the grooves in the insides of the frames. In the
case of concrete slabs they may be butt jointed or half lapped horizontally, and
cemented, but in order to hide these joints, and especially when the slabs are not of
uniform thickness after laying or sliding them into the frames above described, I
float over the surface a thin layer of cement colored, thus practically forming a
complete concrete slab of the full size of the sections, or in other cases I fix wooden
beadings over the horizontal joints and round the edges of the slabs these are made
usually three feet wide and 2 feet deep or sometimes one metre or over a yard
square.
The second part of my invention has reference to cases in which ordinary
standards are used, in which case the position of the vertical studs or standards
must correspond to the joints in the material employed and consists in using long
covering strips of wood over such joints whether corrugated iron sheets, concrete
slabs, or other materials are used, not only for the purpose of making the joints
perfect but also as an architectural feature, dividing the surface up into panels, the
common method of using the various materials being to follow on the iron sheets by
lapping and the concrete slabs by butting them and cementing the joints. Where

page_text: standards are employed instead of the frames above described the lining and filling
in cannot be completed until the building is being erected where as in my system
with frames described in first part of my invention, the whole of the work can be
done in a work shop and the sections taken complete to the site upon which the
building is to be erected.
To provide for ready export I sometimes modify this latter arrangement by
forming the standards with grooves on both sides and near both edges shewn in
Fig. 4 and slide in the concrete slabs A on the outside and on the inside a series of
matched boards united together at top and bottom by clamps or nails thus forming
large panels G Figs. 4 5 and 6 which may be readily packed in bundles as well as
the concrete slabs and so occupy little space. In this case the standards may be
deep and narrow forming a thicker wall than usual and the space filled in or not as
desired.
The third part of my invention relates to the top and bottom joints of corrugated
iron sheets and consists of fixing strips of angle iron equal in length to the width of
the sheets one of the flanges of which is made with corrugations similar to those of
the sheets of iron and which can be secured or fastened close to the iron sheets and
so form a good joint, the level flange being attached to the wood work at either'end
of the sheet.
These strips may be made of maliable cast iron and afterwards galvanized.
Sometimes instead of using concrete slabs made separately the sections are formed
of a frame filled in with wire netting or gauze or with rough boarding perforated
with conical or countersunk holes upon which is placed a layer of concrete having
floated over it Portland cement and on the inside matched boarding
or fibrous
sheets or slabs thus forming a section equal in durability to brick buildings and yet
suitable for removal if required and capable of being readily erected. The floors
and roofs are also formed in similar sections.
The roof sections, when of iron, are formed of three rafters suitably framed
together the sheets of corrugated iron being lapped horizontally and having their
longitudinal edges flattened out and screwed to the side rafters or inserted in
grooves. The joints between any two sections is made good by a covering strip
weathered and throated screwed or nailed down with felt underneath.
Matched boarding is placed if required under the rafters the matched boarding
being made to cover the joint, as in the case of the side sections, and the space
between the iron and matched lining may be filled in with mill chips or other non-
conducting material as above described.
The floor sections are made in frames filled in with joists at usual intervals less
in depth than the frames by the thickness of the floor boards the frame being
rebitted on the upper side so as to enable the floor boards to be laid flush with them
across the joists the boards being tongued and grooved or grooved for hoop iron.
The joints between the said sections are tongued and grooved or made good with
hoop iron.
The side sections are secured to the sole and wall plates by screws through the
lower or upper or foot and head rails of the sections.
Instead of the matched boarding above described for the lining of the walls and
roof I sometimes employ waterproof mill boards which are made up into sheets the
size of the sections and secured in place by rebitting the standards and fixing the
sheets in by beadings or mouldings.
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 :-
:―
1st. The construction of frames in which the various materials described are
fixed as panels on the one side and matched boarding compound veneers or water-
proof mill boards on the other the space between being filled in with non-conducting
material.
2nd. The construction of portable buildings for export by constructing the

page_text: standards on frames so that both the outer skin and the inner lining can be fixed in
grooves or otherwise at the time of erection thus enabling all the parts to be packed
very closely for shipment.
3rd. The construction of slabs for lining portable buildings either of matched
boarding compound veneers or waterproof mill boards of the full size of the frames
or sections so as to form one piece for easy erection.
11° 200
1
1001
EDWD. E. ALLEN.