IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND PARTS OF BUILDINGS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND PARTS OF BUILDINGS."-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th September 1856.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND PARTS OF BUILDINGS,"
communicated to me by Messieurs Charpentier, Brothers, foreigners residing
abroad, to be as follows:-
The object of the present Invention is to provide economical means of con-
structing buildings and parts thereof in iron.
The parts of a building, such as roof girders, &c., are made in pieces, and
so that they may be easily set up, taken down, and carried from place to place.
I form roofs of a cramp or holdfast, placed in and along the walls of a
building, fastened by knee pieces and bolts, space being left in the angles for
the hooks of the rafters. I occasionally strengthen the holdfast by an inside

page_text: arch. I form trussed girders of two bars, bent in an "ogive" or pointed
arch shape, and kept together by knee pieces, leaving a space for the passage
of a standard or post; the arch springs from the level of the wall and
terminates in the brickwork. I sometimes employ two slanting holdfasts,
fitting into a cap at the bottom of the post and coming out at the spring of the
wall;
I guard against pressure on the standard by two horizontal holdfasts,
connected by screw caps to the main holdfast. I make the blocks of the longi-
tudinal rafters of flat iron, of a knee shape on the inner side, and held by
screw bolts; they are recessed to admit of the introduction of a key, and the
end extends beyond such recess to receive the rafter. I make longitudinal
rafters of straight bars, fixed in the angles of the building by screw bolts, and
chamfered off at the ends to take the square shape of the rafters according to
the slope. For certain buildings I make the ridge of a straight beam, with a
frame at each end, and resting on the two gable ends. The frame is made of
rolled iron, fitted on the ridge, and covered with a hinged cap at top and
bottom; it has an orifice at bottom to hold the king post. I make rafters of
Tiron with one leg shorter than the other, and connected to the ridge by
bolts or of an iron bar, having another bar rivetted at each end at right angles,
and held by cramps, in which the ends of the longitudinal rafters are placed.
I make a joist consisting of two bars held together by a clamp; the set of
joists are united by cramps, but are not placed close together. I construct gates
of plates of iron, fixed together by bolts, and held in T iron frames, supported
by other bars, and resting on friction rollers or wheels, held in caps or castors
rolling on a rail at bottom, having also wheels or rollers at top working in
a groove formed by two bars cramped together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patents
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,

page_text: did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Archibald Broeman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 OF BUILDINGS AND PARTS OF BUILDINGS," (a
communication from Mess" Charpentier, Brothers,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
The object of the present Invention is to provide economical means of con-
structing roofs, roof frames, and other buildings or parts of buildings in iron.
The parts are made in pieces, and so that they may be easily set up, taken
down, and carried from place to place. Carcase roofs, or framework for roofs,
are formed of tie beams or wall plates, placed on and along the walls of a
building, and fastened by knee pieces and bolts, spaces being left at the angles
for the rafters to hook in, as shewn at c, Figure 20. The wall plates may be
strengthened by an inside arch or curved ribs. An improved truss is formed
of two bars, bent in an "ogive" or pointed arch shape, and connected to the
ridge piece by knee pieces, leaving a dovetailed space at top for the king post
to pass. The arch springs from the level of the wall, and terminates in a knee
piece built into the brickwork. Another of the improved roofs, especially
adopted for barns, is constructed of two slanting holdfasts or ribs, fitting into a
cap or joggle at the bottom of the king post, and terminating at the beginning
of the wall. To guard against pressure on the king post from outward strain,
two horizontal holdfasts or tie beams are employed, connected by screw ties or
struts to the main tie beam. For boarded buildings the binding is not

page_text: employed, but a tie beam or wall plates are used instead thereof, or inter-
mediate trusses. The king posts are made slanting to support the ridge pieces.
To avoid the outward strain space may be left behind the fastening of the
truss.
The supports of the longitudinal rafters or purlins, shewn in Figure 2, are
of iron, their inner ends being held by screw bolts, and morticed, as at d, for
the insertion of a tightening wedge or key f; the end of the support projects a
little beyond the mortice to receive the end of the rafter. The longitudinal
rafters or purlins (shewn in Figures 18 and 19) consist of straight bars, fixed
in the angle of the building by screw bolts, and chamfered off at the ends to
take the square shape of the rafters, according to the slope; the ends of the
purlins are fastened to the gables, or project beyond, and are supported by a
volute bracket. For certain buildings (Figure 21) the ridge piece is made of
a straight beam or bar, with a "lanterne "knob or turret at each end, resting
on the two gable ends. The "lanterne" (Figures 8 and 9) is made of rolled
iron, fitted in the ridge piece, provided with a cap at top and bottom, and
having an orifice at bottom to receive the king post, and at top for holding a
lightning conductor or weather cock.
The common rafters (Figures 11 and 12) are made of T iron, with one leg
shorter than the other, and are fitted to the ridge piece a, Figure 20, to which
they are fixed, and hook on to the purlins, to which they are bolted (Figure
15). The rafters are formed with holes to receive rods for carrying various
descriptions of roof covering.
The angle or hip rafters, Figures 13, 14, 22, are composed of a bar,
Figure 13, having another bar fixed to it at each end at right angles, and held
by clamps, in which the ends of the purlins are placed.
For flooring, improved joists, Figure 31, are employed, consisting of two
bars held together by a clamp. In introducing the lower bar it expands by
heat, and on cooling down the upper end is stretched. The two bars are
united and held by stirrups, and connected by clamps, which are not placed
close together, so that materials for the flooring may be passed between
them.
Improved gates (Figure 24) are constructed of iron plates, bolted together
and held in Tiron frames, supported by other bars; the doors are made folding,
and closed by an espagnolette, and are fastened by a hook; the gate rests on
friction rollers or wheels i, i, and are held in caps or castor frames, which run
on a rod or rail (Figure 28) at bottom, and being also provided with wheels
or rollers at top, working in a groove formed by two bars clamped together.
The rail is set in a wooden bed let into the earth.

page_text: The annexed Drawings illustrate the mode of carrying this Invention into
effect. Figure 1 is a sectional view of a roof framing, or carcase roof, con-
structed according to the present Invention. a is the gable lantern or knob;
b, b, are the common rafters; c, purlins; c, c, brackets supporting purlins; d,
simple truss; e, king post; f,f, king post caps or joggles; g, rod or lower
king post; h, wall plate or tie beam; i, struts or screw ties connecting the tie
beam to the truss; I, strut or tie leading to the king post; k, walls; 1, fastenings
of the truss. In Figure 2, c, c, brackets or supports of purlin rafters; d,
mortice into which the end of the purlin takes; f, tightening key. Figures 3
and 4 shew, in plan and section, the threaded strut connecting the tie beam.
to the truss. In Figure 5, a is the connection of the truss; b, king post.
Figure 6 is a plan of the connections of the top of the truss. Figure 7, truss
with holdfast or tie beam, to be used in place of the wall plate h, Figure 1.1
Figures 8 and 9, gable end, ridge lantern, or knob. Figure 10, sectional view.
of hip rafter, uniting in the ridge "lantern" or gable end knob. Figures 11 and
12, common rafters. Figures 13 and 14, hip or corner rafters, in section and
plan. Figure 15, rafter hooks. Figure 16, angle girders for connecting the:
rafters with the ridge piece. Figure 17, corner piece connecting rafters to
ridge piece. Figures 18 and 19, connection of longitudinal rafters for hip
rafters (section and plan). Figure 20, framework or ridge piece. b, purlins;
c, tie beams or wall plates for receiving the ends of the rafters (Figure 23, c) ;.
c, c, arched or curved ribs for solidifying the wall plates; d, knob or gable or
ridge lantern, shewn in Figures 8 and 9; e, e, common rafters (Figures 11.
and 12); f, corner or hip rafters, shewn in Figure 13; g, walls; i, screw strut,
connecting wall plate to the truss (shewn in Figures 3 and 4). Figure 21,
another view of framework. a, ridge piece; b, purlins; c, wall plates to
receive rafters; c, c, hip rafters; d, gable end, turrett, or knob; e, common
rafters (refer to Figures 11 and 12); f, sloping king posts supporting the hips
of the truss; g, walls; I, corner pieces connecting the rafters to ridge piece;
K, volutes, supporting the end of purlins in Swiss structures. Figure 22, hip or
corner rafters; Figure 23, perspective view, shewing corner or hip rafter, with
purlins and common rafters. a, hip rafters; b, purlins; c, wall plates for
receiving the rafters; d, arched ribs for solidifying wall plates; c, c, hooks
and connections connecting purlins with common rafters e, e.
Figure 24 is a view of sliding door, constructed according to this Invention.
a, grooved band at top of the door (Figure 26); b, angle-iron framing.
c, sliding doors, closing with espagnolette; d, hooks for closing on the inside;
e, e, friction rollers running on rail f.
Figure 25, bottom plan, and Figure 26 top plan of door. Figure 27, top

page_text: slides in which the friction rollers run. Figure 28, end view of rail on which
the friction rollers travel. Figure 29 top view, and Figure 30 section, of top
slides and fastening. Figure 31, view of improved flooring and joists. a, walls;
b, joists; c, clamps; d, plaster fillings in; e, braces holding together the two
pieces forming the joist; e, e, stirrups. Figure 32, section of joist held
together by braces. a, truss girder; b, straight girder; c, clamps; e, stays or
struts; e, e, braces. Figure 33 sectional view, and Figure 34 plan of joist ;
e, e, braces of the same.
The roof may be covered with slates, tiles, zinc, or other roofing material.
c, Figure 20, wall plates, consisting of a holdfast resting on the wall forming
the frame of the building, held together and connected with knee picces,
leaving room at the corners for the hooks of the hip rafters, Figure 15.
These wall plates mark the space of the truss and the "dimensions of the
structure, so that roof frames may be prepared beforehand; c, c, (Figure 20,) is
the inside arched rib.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the roofing of buildings in the manner herein-before described.
Second, the improved construction and arrangement of roofs, roof frames,
or carcase roofs, as herein-before described with reference to the Drawings
annexed.
Third, the construction of joists and flooring herein-before described, and
represented in the Drawings annexed.
Fourth, the improved construction of door or gate herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
R. A. DROOMAN. (L.S.)