Improvements in Roadways, Footways, Flooring, Bridging, Stairways, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roadways, Footways, Flooring, Bridging, Stairways,
and the like.
We, ROBERT YOUNG ARDAGH, No. 6 Britannia Square, Worcester, Timber
Factor, and CHARLES JOHN Moss of Peel Buildings, Lower Temple Street,
Birmingham, Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
-
Our invention consists of an improved system of making suspended roadways and
pavements, bridging over subways or channelling under streets and like situations
and is applicable to much flooring in general whereby small rectangular squares or
blocks of wood or other material used for paving of sufficient component strength
may be used and connected together to form a firm compact pavement, footway or
floor without the blocks being supported from the bottom or undersides except say
at the extremities, where they rest or lie upon the girder or base, or where a cross
or intermediate girder, stay rod, or bearing may be necessary, that is to say blocks
of Wood or other suitable paving material of sufficient strength and thickness of
rectangular shape may be so grooved or moulded on their sides about midway
between the top and bottom surfaces as to correspond with and receive the half
side section of steel or iron rail bars preferably, of double headed rail or H section,
such rails acting as joists and keys, and being embedded between the blocks when
they are clamped up (similar to hoop: iron tongue in grooved floor boards) they are
of sufficient strength to carry the weight required. The strength of this light
section of steel rail-keys is enhanced because they are embedded in the practically
solid blocks, and as the blocks would only be a few inches apart, they would form
a strong embedded steel or iron grating covered with a suitable material for
pavement.
We do not confine ourselves to this particular or any definite section.
Such floors or pavements so formed may be clamped and tightened up with
straps, stays or end girder plates or be retained within iron frames when used.
for manhole covers and like purposes as may be most applicable to the respective
Bituations.
'
When making stair treads of prismatic wood paving blocks after keying the
required number of blocks together, the whole may be strapped with an iron band
or frame to keep same clamped and in position.
i
In constructing ordinary wood block roadways when extending over gas, water
or electric mains a portion of paving constructed on this our principle is laid with
the joist ends resting on the concrete foundation or wall at side, and only requires
wedging up tight when laid down and securely sealing with melted pitch, cement,
and sand grouting to make watertight.
By this means blocks of wood presenting the end grain uppermost as street
paving blocks and particularly prismatic blocks may be utilized for making durable
non-slippery bridge floorings, and cavities or trenches in roadways in which pipes
are laid may be suitably bridged over with removable paving, requiring only a base
for the edges.
A combination of different kinds of wood blocks might be used where effect
is desired, or two or more different materials used in case of flooring for buildings
if required.

page_text: In making a wood block roadway over channels for pipes or mains and to
facilitate the removal of sections of same for repairs or other purposes, we may
employ small loose picces, that is unkeyed blocks to act as removable wedges at the
extremities or end of joists, which pieces would rest upon the base or concrete
foundation, and at certain intervals, say about every yard in lengthways of the
channel we may omit the keyed joist and insert an extra strong steel or iron joist
or rail preferably of girder section which would take its bearing on the foundation
and would form a base upon which similar pieces of removable wood acting as
wedges would rest. Thus it would be only necessary to prise up and remove the
small pieces described as wedges to admit of the keyed portion of wood block
roadway being removed and replaced intact.
Dated this 18th day of December 1894.
HENRY F. TALBOT,
7 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
i
Improvements in Roadways, Footways, Flooring, Bridging, Stairways,
and the like.'*
We, ROBERT YOUNG ARDAGH, of 6 Britannia Square, Worcester, Timber
Factor, and CHARLES JOHN Moss, of Peel Buildings, Lower Temple Street,
Birmingham, Timber Merchant, 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 :-.
Our invention consists of an improved system of making suspended roadways
and pavements, bridging over subways, or channelling under streets and like
situations and is applicable to much flooring in general whereby small rectangular
squares or blocks of wood, or other material used for paving of sufficient. com-
ponent strength may be used and connected together to form a firm compact
pavement, footway or floor without the blocks being supported from the bottom
or undersides except say at the extremities where they rest or lie upon the
girder or base, or where a cross or intermediate girder, stay rod or bearing may
be necessary, that is to say, blocks of wood or any other suitable paving
material of sufficient strength and thickness of rectangular shape may be: so
grooved or moulded at their sides about midway between their top and bottom
surfaces as to correspond and receive the half-side section of steel or iron rail
bars preferably of double headed rail or I section such rails acting as joists and
keys and being embedded-between the blocks. When they are clamped up
(similar to hoop iron tongue in grooved floor boards) they are of sufficient
strength to carry the weight required. The strength of this light section of
steel rail keys is enhanced because they are embedded in the practically solid
blocks.
"
'
-"
1 13" 1.
We do not confine ourselves to this or any other suitable section of joist.
Such floors or pavements so formed may be clamped and tightened up with
straps, stays or end girder plates or be retained within iron frames when used
for manhole covers and-like purposes as may be most applicable to the respective
situations.
***
*
ir: :
When making stair treads of prismatic wood paving blocks after keying the
required number of blocks together, the whole may be strapped with an iron sband
or frame to keep same clamped and in position.
25;1
ווד ! . .'
In constructing ordinary wood block roadways when extending over gas, water,
or electric mains, a portion of paving constructed on this our principle is laid with
the joist ends resting on the concrete foundation or walls at sides and only requires

page_text: wedging up tight when laid down and securely sealing with melted pitch cement
and sand grouting to make watertight.
.
In making a wood block roadway over channels for pipes or mains and to
facilitate the removal of sections of same for repairs or other purposes we may
employ small loose pieces, that is to say, unkeyed blocks to act as removable wedges
at the ends of the joists or bars, these unkeyed blocks would rest upon the walling
or concrete forming side of trench or channel, and at certain intervals, say about
every yard in lengthways of the channel we may omit the joist for keying the
blocks on both sides thereof and insert a joist keying on one side only or a steel or
iron joist forming a base upon which pieces of tinkeyed (and independent) blocks
acting as wedges, would rest or the ends of each three feet section of keyed blocks
may rest on the steel or iron joist butting against each other without any wedging
blocks. i
...
:
Thus would be only necessary to prise up these lengths of paving at the
unkexed points to admit of the keyed portions being removed and replaced intact.
By these means blocks of wood presenting the end" grain uppermost as street
paving blocks and particularly prismatic blocks may be utilized for making durable
non-slippery bridge flooring.
...
:
Acombination of different kinds of wood blocks might be used where effect is
desired or two or more different materials used in case of flooring. for buildings. if
required.
Referring to the drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a section of wood block flooring on the iron bars.
Fig. 2 shews an arrangement of same when applied as a covering for trenches for
pipes under roadways.
14 ..
1
i..
..
01...
Fig. 3 is an isometrical view shewing a trench bridged over by the blocks.
Fig. 4 shews the blocks bound together to form steps, manhole covers and
the-like.
Similar letters of reference relate to similar parts on the various drawings.
a a are the blocks of wood or other material formed with the grooves b of a
suitable shape each to receive one half of the cross section of the rails or bars c
which are extended from side to side of the space to be covered with the flooring
and rest together with the end blocks on the walls, main girders or other supports.
When desiring to cover subways or trenches for pipes, electric mains and the like
in roads, paved with ordinary wood blocks or otherwise this application of rails or
bars c and grooved blocks a may be made, and in order to enable the paving to be
taken up in sections for exposing the pipes for repairs and the like the independent
blocks a Fig. 3 should be inserted between the ends a¹ of the bars c and the side d
of the trench, these loose blocks a' also acting as wedges, and in order to divide the
paving into lengths suitable for removing of say 3 or 4 feet each, at such distances
half blocks a Fig. 1 are used and an independent bar with half blocks a³ upon it
placed between them so that the straight joints e between the separate sets of
blocks and the blocks on bar c' enables the removal of bar with its blocks a³,
that freeing the adjacent sets of blocks for raising them entire in their 3 feet (or so)
lengths.
Fig. 2 shews another way of effecting this separation consisting of the flanged
piece or girder g taking the place of one of the rods c and formed so that the
blocks aa will rest upon it, the upper portion of the girder 9 causing a straight
joint between them free of one another. This girder causing a wider separation
between the blocks than elsewhere will at once indicate the portions of paving which
may be lifted away.
Fig. 3 shews a portion of an ordinary wood block roadway with our improved
method of bridging over a channel for pipes p. The bars c only extending from c¹
to the whole piece consisting of the five rows of blocks held together may be
removed entire by first prising out the independent blocks a' which act as wedges.
When forming bridging or flooring of buildings the ends of the bars e would be

page_text: allowed to extend outside the blocks so that they might rest on or be attached to
the walling or girders of the structure to which the paving is applied.
When making stair treads, steps, trap doors, manhole covers and the like, we
place the required number of blocks together and strap the whole together with an
iron band or frame Fig. 4 and clamp them together by means of screw nuts as
at m,
this tightening arrangement being recessed in the corner blocks so as to avoid
the projection of those parts. Or other methods of fastening the ends together
may be used.
Fig. 5 illustrates in section the application of our system to arched bridge-ways
in which case the joists c are formed to the required radius of the arch and carry
the blocks upon them in a similar way to that herein before described.
By the herein described arrangement and form of paving blocks and bars or
joists, when the upper surface of the blocks becomes worn they may be reversed
and the underside brought to the wearing face.
And when in constructing the flooring the blocks are slid into position between
the joists they are thereby at once securely and firmly supported without the use
of pins, screws, rivets or other fastenings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :
1. In the construction of suspended roadways, bridging, covering of channelling
under streets, flooring, and such like situations the use and arrangement of blocks
of wood or other suitable material a and bars or joists c substantially as herein
set forth.
2. The banding together of the desired quantity of blocks a carried on joists c in
the formation of steps, manhole covers and the like.
3. Forming the arched flooring for bridges and such like situations of blocks a
and curved joists c as described and illustrated by Fig. 5.
Dated this 18th day of September 1895.
HENRY F. TALBOT,
7 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicants.