Partitions, Roofs, and similar Structures.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1888
Partitions, Roofs, and similar Structures.
I, EMILE DUPONT, of 324 Rogier Road Scharbeeck Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of walls and other partitions, roofs, and
the like, and comprises an improved method of utilizing iron or its derivatives in the
special form of thin laths, (which are generally called hoop-iron in the trade) entwined
on a metallic skeleton in such construction.
The partitions to which this method is applicable can be single or double, internal
or external, they may also be employed for the roofing of buildings. The thin laths
of iron or its derivatives can be employed either in the natural state or covered with
a coating of metal or any other preserving material that is proof against rust.
This method has for its object, to construct with rapidity, buildings, or parts of
buildings, in any season, which can be dismounted when required, are incombustible,
which can be made at a reduced cost, (the expenses for hand work and preparatory
fitting being unimportant), which are strong though light, by reason of the trimming
or joining of the long laths the said building can be occupied almost immediately;
to enable heat non-conducting bodies to be inserted in the walls or other parts that
would be made with double partitions; to permit also the optional employment upon
the internal or external sides of any plastering; coating, or linings of any kind which
would find points of attachment or adherence upon the laths which may be pierced,
or simply upon the sinuosities of the entwined laths.
The laths of iron or its derivatives, rolled into hoop-iron, can be replaced by sheets
of the same metal cut into strips of any width, enabling them to be used by the
same methods as for the hoop-iron, that is to say entwined upon metallic skeletons
as above described, and this variation also enables greater lightness to be obtained,
the number of joints to be diminished, metal strips of smaller thickness and greater
width to be employed. For example sheet iron or steel cut into strips of from oths
ooths millimetres thick and 130 millimetres wide can in this manner be employed,

page_text: which could not be done with hoop iron the latter being commonly made of a
minimum thickness of oths millimetres and of a maximum width of 120 milli-
metres.
This structure can also be applied to any kind of uncovered walls which are
dismountable and transportable, or to other purposes, such as enclosures, parapets,
supports for bossages, fortifications, and the like.
By uncovered walls are understood the structures which have not to support
roofs of buildings.
In this case the system consists in entwining long laths of thin sheets of iron
or its derivatives, made into hoop iron or strips on a skeleton or trussing of the
same metal, composed of bars kept at a proper distance by ties or stays and thus
forming a pannel. According to the strength and the height to be given to the wall,
columns or supports can be placed at some distance from each other, to which the
ties or stays are attached. The walls can also be composed of one or more of these
pannels. In the latter case the pannels can be connected and one secured to the other
by transverse pieces attached to the ties or stays. The mode of entwining may be
varied according to the purpose for which the walls are to be built. The strips can
be superposed and overlap each other to obviate openings at the joints. They can
also be entwined alternatively without one covering the other which imparts greater
strength to the structure.
The dimensions of the strips (thickness, width and length) as well as the size and
profiles of the several parts of the skeleton may be varied. It is likewise the same
as regards the distance at which these parts of the skeleton are placed from each other.
The metallic pannels can be employed without a lining or can be lined with a pro-
tecting metal, painting, plastering, or any other coating constituting a facing which
partly or wholly conceals them.
The mode of placing the pannels may be like that of a grating, by fixing the
columns or supports or the bars of the skeleton upon sunk parts or built in the
ground.
The advantages which the described system present are as follows
1st. A reduction in the cost of manufacture;
2nd. Easy mounting without necessitating the employnient of special workmen ;
3rd. Capability of dismounting constructed walls, for reconstructing them elsewhere
without great cost and without waste;
4th. Great resistance by reason of the solidarity of all the constituative parts;
5th. Capability of constructing walls in any season with rapidity.

page_text: Improvements relating to the Construction of Walls and other
Partitions, Roofs, and similar Structures.
I, EMILE DUPONT, of 324 Rogier Road, Scharbeeck, Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, 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 :—
My invention relates to the construction of walls and other partitions roofs and the
like, and comprises an improved method of utilizing iron or its derivatives in the
special form of thin laths (which are generally called hoop-iron in the trade) entwined
on a metallic skeleton in each construction.
The partitions to which this method is applicable cau be single or double, internal or
external, they may also be employed for the roofing of buildings. The thin laths of
iron or its derivatives can be employed either in the natural state, or covered with a
coating of metal or any other preserving material that is proof against rust.
This method has for its object, to construct with rapidity, buildings, or parts of
buildings, in any season, which can be dismounted when required, are incombustible,
which can be made at a reduced cost, (the expenses for hand work and preparatory
fitting being unimportant), which are strong though light by reason of the trimining
or joining of the long laths; the said building can be occupied almost immediately; to
enable heat non-conducting bodies to be inserted in the walls or other parts that
would be made with double partitions; to permit also the optional employment upon
the internal or external sides of any plastering coating, or linings of any kind which
would find points of attachment or adherence upon the laths which may be pierced, or
simply upon the sinuosities of the entwined laths.
To enable the invention to be better understood, I have represented in the accom-
panying drawings, by way of example, various modes of constructing the thin laths for
employment in the above mentioned method of building.
Figure 1 shows in elevation and horizontal and vertical section a system of panels
entwined crosswise.
Figure 2 shows a panel which is not entwined.
Figure 3 shows a panel having crossed twines mounted between iron girders.
Figure 4 shows a panel having simple twines mounted between iron girders.
Figure 5 shows a wall composed of two panels mounted on iron girders.
Figure 6 shows a wall composed of two panels mounted on beams or joists of wood.
Figures 7 and 8 show panels mounted with covering squares; and
Figures 9 and 10 show panels mounted with corrugated sheet metal.
The laths of iron or its derivatives, rolled into hoop iron, can be replaced by sheets
of the same metal cut into strips of any width, enabling them to be used by the same
methods as for the hoop iron, that is to say, entwined upon metallic skeletons as above
described, and this variation also enables greater lightness to be obtained, the number
of joints to be diminished, metal strips of smaller thickness and greater width to be

page_text: employed. For example sheet iron or steel cut into strips of from th to ths of
a millimetre in thickness and 130 millimetres wide can in this manner be employed,
which could not be done with hoop iron the latter being commonly made of
a minimum thickness of 15ths millimetres and of a maximum width of 120
millimetres.
This structure can also be applied to any kind of uncovered walls which are
dismountable and transportable, or to other purposes, such as enclosures, parapets,
supports for bossages fortifications, and the like.
By uncovered walls are understood the structures which have not to support roofs of
buildings.
In this case the system consists in entwining.long laths of thin sheets of iron or its
derivatives, made into hoop iron or strips on a skeleton or trussing of the same metal,
composed of bars kept at a proper distance by ties or stays and thus forming a panel.
According to the strength and the height to be given to the wall, columns or supports
can be placed at some distance from each other, to which the ties or stays are attached.
The walls can also be composed of one or more of those panels. In the latter case
the panels can be connected and one secured to the other by transverse pieces attached
to the ties or stays. The mode of entwining may be varied according to the purpose
for which the walls are to be built. The strips can be superposed and overlap each
other to obviate openings at the joints. They can also be entwined alternately without
one covering the other which inparts greater strength to the structure.
Another arrangement consists in the optional suppression of the partial movement of
the metal strips when those are not alternately crossed at the point of their joint line.
The covering is then put in place on the cross pieces or stays so that all the metal
sheets entwined upon the bars shall be separated from each other by these stays which
serve as a support. These cross pieces can be composed of iron of LT shaped
or other section, or of several bars connected especially of a square of T-iron, upon
one of the branches of which is rivetted another square as shown in Figure 8 of the
drawing.
This improvement enables the entertwined metal strips of small width to be replaced
by broader cut or uncut sheet iron, and the number of joints and the thickness of
these sheets which then have a support to be diminished, as represented in the drawings
showing the mode of operation of the parts.
In short this arrangement consists in that all the strips of sheet iron (or its
derivatives) shall be separated from each other by cross pieces or stays. These lattor
have for their object to keep apart the bars of the metallic frame but they servo
moreover to support the strips entwined upon these bars and also when necessary to
cover the joints in order to prevent the passage of water.
In another arrangement the hoop or sheet iron or its derivativos rolled into plain
strips or sheets is replaced by corrugated hoop or sheet iron as represented in the
accompanying drawings by way of example.
This improvement enables the spacing for certain uses, that is to say, the diminution
of the number of bars on which these strips of sheet metal are entwined, the latter
being strengthened by the corrugations. The mounting of walls, roofs and the like, is
moreover rendered easier in this manner because it permits without trouble the placing
of these bars in the sinuosities of the corrugated sheet metal.
The dimensions of the strips (thickness, width and length) as well as the size and
profiles of the several parts of the skeleton may be varied. It is likewise the same as
regards the distance at which these parts of the skeleton are placed from each other.
The metallic pannels can be employed without a lining or can be lined with a protecting
metal, painting, plastering or any other coating constituting a facing which partly or
wholly conceals them.
The mode of placing the pannels may be like that of a grating by fixing the columns
or supports or the bars of the skeleton upon sunk parts or built in the ground.
The advantages which the described system present are as follows-
1st. A reduction in the cost of manufacture.
2nd. Easy mounting without necessitating the employment of special workmen.

page_text: 3rd. Capability of dismounting constructed walls for reconstructing them elsewhere
without great cost and without waste.
4th. Great resistance by reason of the solidity of all the constitutive parts.
5th. Capability of constructing walls in any season with rapidity.
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 :-
First. In the construction of walls or other partitions roofs and the like, the
employment of iron or its derivatives in the special form of long strips or thin laths,
called hoop iron.
Second. In the construction of walls or other partitions the arrangement of the
strips or laths which consists in the said laths of metal being entwined upon a
metallic skeleton.
Third. The employment of the structure as above described for partitions of buildings
used for habitation or for other objects such as waiting rooms and the like, as well as
for roofing of buildings to replace the slating or tiles, and the like; or as open walls,
enclosures, parapets, supports for bossages and fortifications and the like substantially
as above described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. Substituting strips of iron or its derivatives for hoop iron, in conformity
with the above described conditions of employment or for cases where they are more
suitable.