Improvements in Bricks and Building Blocks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bricks and Building Blocks.
THIOMAS HENRY ROBERT GUTTRIDGE, 11, Suffolk Street, Hove, Sussex, Carpenter,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
1
An improvement on the ordinary clump brick, without the aid of burning-
which will also be utilised for making lintles, corbels, stone, steps, &c., and can
be made in any colour.
The above composition is made of ashes & clinkers, sand, beach, & oxide of
iron & cement-the interior of the brick is made of concrete, and the exterior
is made of the above composition, all kind of glazed bricks can be made of the
same material.
1000
I, THOMAS HENRY ROBERT GUTTRIDGE, of 11, Suffolk Street, Hove, in the
County of Sussex, Carpenter, 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:
1
My invention relates to the manufacture of building bricks and of lintels,
corbels, slabs, steps and other blocks for building and other purposes, the chief
object of my invention being to utilize the ashes, clinkers and other refuse of
dust destructors (used by the vestries, municipalities and local authorities) by
mixing the refuse, when properly ground, with cement to cause it to bind
together, and, if desired, adding a greater or lesser quantity of oxide of iron
according to the colour required.
In carrying out my invention I grind or crush the material for instance in a
grinding mill having a perforated pan so that it will pass through a sieve having
a relatively small mesh (say ½ inch mesh) and so that it has the quality which
is known as sharp."
66
In mixing the material from which bricks of dark or slaty colour are formed
I take say half a cubic yard of rubbish ground as before described and one
hundredweight of Portland cement and I place this mass in the hopper of a
mixing machine and allow it to gradually flow into the said mixer whilst at the
same time a quantity of water say about four gallons (with which say one pint

page_text: of fluid silica is mixed) is gradually allowed to fall into the mass so that it will
be thoroughly intermingled therewith and form the desired plastic compound.
Whilst in the plastic condition the material is removed from the mixer and
introduced into moulds of the desired size and shape, and the moulded blocks
are removed and placed in a drying shed where they are allowed to remain for
about three weeks for ordinary bricks and a greater or lesser time for blocks
of larger or smaller size.
When the bricks are required to be of a terra-cotta colour I advantageously
use the following proportions,-half a cubic yard of ground rubbish, one and a
half hundredweight of cement, one hundredweight of oxide of iron and sufficient
water (to which is added say one gallon of fluid silica) to make a mass of the
desired plasticity.
If a very deep shade of terra-cotta is to be obtained a greater amount of oxide
of iron is to be used and if a relatively light shade a lesser amount.
In some cases more or less sand or ground beach shingle may be substituted
for a portion of the ground rubbish.
Bricks made as herein before described may be glazed or have glass faces affixed
thereto and in the latter case I prefer to affix the glass faces with Portland cement
gauged with fluid silica the faces of the bricks to which the glass is to be
affixed and the rear surfaces of the glass facing pieces being suitably roughened
in order to afford a firm hold for the cement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. Bricks, blocks and the like moulded from a compound of ground rubbish or
material and cement, mixed together in substantially the proportions stated,
and rendered plastic by water containing silica, the plastic compound being
shaped in suitable moulds and subsequently dried, substantially as described.
2. Bricks, blocks and the like composed of ground material, cement and oxide
of iron rendered plastic by the addition of water containing fluid silica, the plastic
compound being shaped in suitable moulds and subsequently dried, substantially
as described.
3. The manufacture of bricks, blocks and the like, substantially in the manner
herein before described.
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