IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METALLIC AND OTHER BUILDINGS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Porter at the
Petition, on the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
2nd December 1867.
I. ROBERT PORTER, of Birmingham. in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METALLIC AND OTHER BUILDINGS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has reference principally to buildings constructed mainly of
metal, and consists, firstly, of the following method of constructing the walls
of the said buildings. I make the said walls of corrugated sheeting, either of
iron or zinc, the corrugations being situated vertically, and I support and
strengthen the said walls by means of standards made of metal rolled or
otherwise formed into a trough-like figure. The said standards are fixed
against the corrugated walls in such a position that the edges of the said
trough-like standards fall into and fit against the bottoms of the corrugations
if the walls. The standards may be made of a width proper to include two.
three, or more corrigations. Along the interior of the walls and nearly mid-
way between the floor and roof fix horizontal rails, which may be of wood
[Price 8d.]

page_text: or iron, or of both combined. The said horizontal rails are supported in brackets
connected with the standards, the connection between the said standards and
brackets being effected through holes in the corrugated walls. Horizontal
rails of the kind described may also be fixed in a similar manner at any other
required height inside the building. The standards may be fixed inside the
building, and the horizontal rails outside where required. The walls may be
lined internally with a cheap description of paper board. such as millboards.
. straw boards, and the like. I attach the said lining by making it in sheets or
panels, which are inserted in rebates or grooves of wood or metal fixed to the
walls, or to the horizontal rails described.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following method of attaching the
ridge caps on the roofs of metallic buildings, and other buildings having
corrugated metallic roofs. On the summit of each side of the roof I fix a
strip of hoop iron which has been corrugated with corrugations similar to
those of the roof plates. The said strips of corrugated hoop iron are so fixed.
on the summits of the sides of the roof that the concavities in the said strips
are opposed to the concavities in the roof plates, and there is thus formed a
series of nearly circular spaces or openings. The ridge caps are fixed upon
the said corrugated strips of hoop iron. There is thus left a series of nearly
circular openings along the whole length of the ridge of the roof, by means of
which the ventilation of the building is effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Porter in the Great Seal Patent Office on, the
30th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
PORTER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria. by Her Letters
Pateni, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Porter, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Porter,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Robert
Porter, 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

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF METALLIC AND OTHER BUILDINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Porter, 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 Robert Porter, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
My Invention has reference principally to buildings constructed mainly of
metal, and consists, firstly, of the following method of constructing the walls
of the said buildings. I make the said walls of corrugated sheeting either of
iron or zinc, the corrugations being situated vertically, and 1 support and
strengthen the said walls by means of standards made of metal rolled or
otherwise formed into a trough-like figure. The said standards are fixed
against the corrugated walls in such a position that the edges of the said
trough-like standards fall into and fit against the bottoms of the corrugations
in the walls. The standards may be made of a width proper to include two,
three, or more corrugations; along the interior of the walls and nearly
midway between the floor and roof I fix horizontal rails which may be made
of wood, or iron, or of both combined. The said horizonial rails are supported
in brackets connected with the standards, the connection between the said
standards and brackets being effected through holes in the corrugated walls.
Horizontal rails of the kind described may also be fixed in a similar manner
at any required height inside the building. The standards may be fixed
inside the building and the horizontal rails outside where required; the walls
may be lined internally with a cheap description of paper board, such as mill-
boards, straw boards, and the like. I attach the said lining by making it in
sheets or panels which are inserted in rebates or grooves of wood or metal
fixed to the walls or to the horizontal rails.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following method of attaching the
ridge caps on the roofs of metallic buildings, and other buildings having
corrugated metallic roofs. On the summit of each side of the roof I fix a
strip of hoop iron which has been corrugated with corrugations similar to
those of the roof plates; the said strips of corrugated hoop iron are so fixed

page_text: on the summits of the sides of the roof that the concavities in the said strips
are opposed to the concavities in the roof plates, and there is thus formed a
series of nearly circular spaces or openings. The ridge caps are fixed upon
the said corrugated strips of hoop iron. There is thus left a series of nearly
circular openings along the whole length of the ridge of the roof by means of
which the ventilation of the building is effected.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe.
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure represents an elevation of the exterior of a portion of a wall or
side of a metallic building constructed according to my Invention: Figure 2
is an elevation and plan of a portion of the same, the corrugated sheeting
being omitted in the elevation of Figure 2: Figure 3 represents an edge
view of the same combined with a portion of a roof; Figure 4 represents in
edge view elevation of interior and plan of a portion of a wall or side of a
building constructed according to my Invention in which wooden horizontal
rails are employed instead of metal rails as in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The said
Figure 4 also illustrates my method of fixing the linings of buildings;
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. represent parts of my Invention as herein-after
explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
a, a, are the standards or pilasters of the wall or side of the building and
b is the corrugated metal sheeting of the said walls; the corrugations in the
said sheeting being situated vertically as represented, I make the standards or
pilasters a of a trough form in cross section as best seen in Figures 2, 4. 5. 6,
and 7 Figures 5, 6, and 7 representing cross sections of a standard or pilaster
on a larger scale. The open side of the trough is presented to and fixed against
the corrugated sheeting b of the wall in such a position that the edges of the
said trough fall into and bear against the bottoms of the vertical corrugations
in the said sheeting b as best seen in Figures 5 and 6. The standard or
pilaster may be made of a width proper to include two or more corrugations
as may be required. When the standard or pilaster requires to be of great
strength an interna! web as represented in Figure 7 and marked, may be
rivetted to the standard or pilaster along the whole length or greater part of
the length of the said standard or pilaster. By constructing the standards or
pilasters according to my Invention, the corrugated sheets forming the
walls or sides of the building may be perfectly continuous, that is there is no
necessity for the corrugated sheets to be interrupted where the pilasters or
standards are fixed. Along the interior of the walls or sides of the building

page_text: horizontal metallic rails c, c, (Figures 1, 2, and 3) or horizontal wooden rails d
d, (Figure 4) are fixed the said horizontal rails cor d being secured to and
supported by the standards or pilasters a by means of the brackets e rivetted to
the said standards or pilasters as represented in Figure 6. Or instead of brackets
bolts may be employed as represented in Figure 5. In either case the con-
nection between the standards and brackets or bolts is effected through holes in
the corrugated walls or sides b; the rails c or d can thus be made continuous,
being fished at the joints where they occur, without the necessity for any
break at the uprights or pilasters. The standards or pilasters a, a, may be
fixed inside the building and the horizontal rails c or d outside when required.
I line the building constructed according to my Invention, either with lath or
plaster or wood boarding as usual or with paper board, I prefer however to
line the said buildings with sheets or panels of paper board formed of suitable
dimensions, I secure these sheets or panels in grooves or rebates of wood or
metal fixed at the top and bottom of the wall as represented in Figure 4; the
lining of paper board is marked g in Figure 4. The trough-shaped standards
or pilasters described and represented may be used in the construction of
boundary walls and other structures in addition to the walls of buildings, and
although my improved standards or pilasters are particularly suited to be
used with metallic buildings or structures the sides or walls of which are
made of corrugated sheets, yet my improved standards or pilasters may be
used in the construction of metallic and other buildings and structures gene-
rally. My method of attaching the ridge caps on the roofs of metallic and
other buildings having corrugated metallic roofs is illustrated in Figure 3 and
also in Figures 8 and 9, Figure 8 representing a side elevation of the ridge
cap and portion of the corrugated roof represented in Figure 3, and Figure 9
a plan and section of the corrugated strip and roof plate on a larger scale;
are the corrugated metal roof plates, and are the ridge caps. On the
summit of either side of the roof plates a strip of corrugated hoop iron k is
fixed, the corrugations in the said hoop iron being similar to those of the roof
plates h. The said strips are fixed in planes parallel to the roof plates h,
as seen in Figure 3, the concavities in the said strips
to be opposed to the concavities in the roof plates h.
series of nearly circular spaces or openings as represented in Figures 8 and 9.
The ridge caps i are elevated and fixed upon the corrugated strips in the
manner shown in Figure 3; by this method of attaching the ridge caps a
series of nearly circular openings are left along the whole length of the ridge
of the roof by means of which the ventilation of the building is effected.
being so arranged as
There is thus formed a
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention, but 1
claim as my Invention of improvements in the construction of metallic and
other buildings,--
Firstly. The improvements in the construction of the standards or pilasters
for supporting and strengthening the walls or sides of buildings or structures,
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the said standards or pilasters of a trough shape in cross
section, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The improvements, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in supporting the horizontal rails of
the wall or side of the building or structure, and fixing the said rails to the
trough-like standards or pilasters in combination with corrugated metal
sheeting.
Thirdly. Lining the interior of the walls or sides of buildings by means of
sheets or panels of paper board inserted and fixed in rebates or grooves,.
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Lastly. The improvements in attaching the ridge caps on the roofs of
metallic and other buildings having corrugated metal roofs for the purpose of
ventilation herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, attaching the said ridge caps to corrugated strips
fixed at the summit of each side of the corrugated roof plates, the said strips
being arranged on the said roof plates, substantially in the manner described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Porter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness.
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
ROBERT PORTER. (L.S.)