IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT OF FIREPROOF FLOORS AND CEILINGS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM JOHN TICKELPENNY of 12 Everington Street Fulham in the County
of Middlesex, Contractor's Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT
OF FIREPROOF FLOORS AND CEILINGS to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction and support of fireproof floors and
ceilings and especially to such as are necessary in large buildings such as schools
factories, public halls &c where the division or party walls are at a considerablo
distance apart although the invention is also applicable in the construction of rooms
of the ordinary or more usual size.
According to this invention, when constructing a building with large rooms or
halls, or one in which the division or party walls are at a considerable distance apart
I prefer to support the requisite girders which carry the floor or ceiling by hollow
iron columns, the sections or lengths of which I connect by water tight joints. Said
columns are open at the top and are kept filled with water which may be supplied
from a cistern or other suitable source The object of this-is to prevent any
possibility of the burning of the main supports For wide spans I prefer to use a
hollow or "box" iron or steel girder the joints of which are also made water tight
and such girders are provided with a regulatod water supply and over-flow pipe, tho
latter being provided to prevent any undue water or steam pressure in the girder.
The hollow girder carries the requisite double I cross girders and these in their
turn, the Tor brace pieces all being incased in concrete, having the underside entirely
covered with fireproof.composition of asbestos fibre and alum mixed with portland
cement plaster, stucco, or other suitable material applied by rendering the top
surface of temporary wood moulds or centering supporting the concrete, and the
concreto then filled in upon such rendering while in its wet state, so as to form a
compact with asbestos fibre after removal of temporary centering, the ceiling to be
set only;" the ordinary rendering in hair mortar is dispensed with When the
span is short and the heat of a fire is not likely to have sufficient effect to destroy.
an ordinary solid girder I, for, the sake of economy employ such, but encase it in
concrete and fire proof compositions as just described.
.

page_text: The wooden flooring I prefer to make of unusual thickness, say of two inch planks
and these I bolt together in long lengths or squares as may be required; a
convenient method of bolting these is by means of tie rods provided with screw
threads Said tie rods may be in short lengths, the ends being held together by
screw couplings.
"
The flooring so made is held in position upon and bedded with a fireproof
composition of mountain fire clay, silica, alumina, plaster of Paris and asbestos, and
by means of clips attached thereto, and which engage with the cross girders or it
may be held by screws passing through the floor and into suitable blocks of concrete
or other material not readily effected by heat and which are made to form part of
the structure between, the floor of one room and the ceiling of the room below.
When the floors are made in squares, such squares are subsequently bolted together
The corner squares will then require to be bolted or drawn in two directions and
this I accomplish by one set of bolts which are provided with bevelled projecting
pieces which engage in corresponding bevels formed upon ear pieces secured to the
squares next in order,

page_text: I, WILLIAM JOHN TICKELPENNY of 12 Everington Street, Fulham in the County
of Middlesex Contractors Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT
OF FIREPROOF FLOORS AND CEILINGS, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the construction and support of fireproof floors and
ceilings and especially to such as are necessary in large buildings such as schools
factories, public halls &c where the division or party walls are at a considerable
distance apart although the invention is also applicable in the construction of rooms
of the ordinary or more usual size.
To clearly explain the nature of my invention reference is made to the
accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and in which like
letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in all the figures thereof.
According to this invention when constructing a building with large rooms or
halls or one in which the division or party walls are at a considerable distance apart
I prefer to support the requisite girders A which carry the floor or ceiling by
hollow iron columns the sections or lengths of which I connect by water tight
joints. Said columns are open at the top and are kept filled with water. which
may be supplied from a cistern or other suitable source. The object of this is to
prevent any possibility of the burning of the main supports For wide spans I
prefer to use a hollow or "box" iron or steel girder as shown in Fig 1. the joints of
which are also made water tight and such girders are provided with a regulated
water supply and over flow pipe B, the latter being provided to prevent any undue
water or steam pressure in the girder which may or may not be surrounded by
concrete and fireproof composition as desired. The hollow girder carries the
requisite double I cross girders C and these in their turn, the T or brace pieces D
as shown in Figure 3 all being encased in concrete E having the underside entirely
covered with fireproof composition F (hereafter described) applied by "rendering"
the top surface of temporary wood moulds or centering supporting the concrete and
the concrete then filled in upon such "rendering" while in its wet state, so as to
form a compact with asbestos after removal of temporary "centering," the ceiling to
be "set"only; the ordinary "rendering" in lime and hair mortar being dispensed
with. When the span is short and the heat of a fire is not likely to have sufficient
effect to destroy an ordinary solid girder. I for the sake of economy employ such
as shown in Fig 4 but encase it in concrete and fire proof composition as just
described. The wooden flooring G I prefer to make of unusual thickness say of
two inch planks and these I bolt together in long lengths or squares as may be
required; a convenient method of bolting these is by means of tie rods g provided
with screw threads. Said tie rods may be in short lengths, the ends being held
together by screw couplings h as shown in Fig 8.
15
The flooring so made is bedded with a fireproof composition H of mountain fire
clay (which contains from say 80 to 95 per cent of silicic acid) alum plaster of Paris
and asbestos or slag cotton the proportions being about as follows:-
Man: S
"

page_text: For the ceiling compound F the same proportions may be employed simply
substituting for the Plaster of Paris a like quantity of Portland or other good
cement.
The flooring is securely held by means of clips I attached thereto as clearly
shown in Figs 1, 2 and 3 and which engage with the cross girders C or it may be
held by screws i passing through the floor and into suitable blocks K of concrete or
other material not readily affected by heat and which are made to form part of the
structure between the floor of one room and the ceiling of the room below as shown
in Fig 4. When the floors are made in squares such squares are subsequently bolted
together by means of suitable bolts as shown in Figs 6 and 7. The corner squares
will then require to be bolted or drawn in two directions and this I accomplish by
the tightening of one set of bolts which are provided with bevelled projecting
pieces bas shown in Fig 9. which engage in corresponding bevels formed upon ear
'pieces "a "secured to the squares next in order. The method of securing being
shown in Fig 5 where the squares are represented as broken away in order to clearly
show the bevel and ear pieces. The arrangement will be readily understood therefrom
without further explanation.
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 :-
1st. In the construction and for the support of fire proof floors and ceilings hollow
girders and columns combined or separate provided with water supply substantially
as for the purposes set forth.
2nd. For ceilings and for the bedding of wood floors the fire proof composition
composed of mountain fire clay (containing say from 80 to 95 per cent of silicic
acid) alum, portland or other cement or plaster of Paris and asbestos substantially
as described.
3rd. In the construction of wood flooring squares or lengths bolted and secured
together substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4th. For securing wood flooring to a fireproof or other similar bed without
employing wood joints or strips the improved clips arranged and acting substantially
as described.
TAU