Improvements in the Construction of Ceilings and Floors.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 27th -May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Ceilings and Floors.
I, FERDINAND HOLZER, of Mödling, near Vienna, Austria, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to a construction of ceilings made of cast mortar material
which require no casings or other supports to be subsequently removed.
In place of these, which cause considerably increased expense in the construction
of such ceilings there are employed according to this invention skeleton frames of
round or profile bars and tubes or round and profile bars and laths, which when
the mortar or cement is run in, form part and parcel of the cast ceiling. In place
of round or profile bars can be employed tubes or pipes such as gas pipes.
In addition to the arrangement of these essential skeleton parts permanently
combined with the cast ceilings, this invention relates to arrangements by means
of which cast ceilings or floors can be made of a less depth than was heretofore
possible. This is effected by the formation within the cast mass of hollow.spaces,
so that the weight of the ceiling or floor is decreased, whereby ceiling or floor
joists of a less depth can be employed.
The improved construction of ceilings or floors is shewn on the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a cross section through the skeleton frame of profile bars and tubes
for the ceiling.
Fig. 2 shews a section on line X Y Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. I in which in place of tubes laths are
employed.
Fig. 4 shews a plan of a construction of ceiling or floor with large sized tubes
serving to form hollow spaces in the ceiling or floor. Fig. 5 shews. a section
through the same.
The skeleton frame consists firstly of bars B of any desired solid or hollow
profiled section, (in the drawing an I section is shewn). of comparatively small
height, which rest with their ends upon the flanges of the ceiling. or floor joists A
at right angles thereto and at suitable distances apart, and secondly of tubes or
laths C or C which are fixed to the undersides of the bars B parallel to the joists A,
and consequently at right angles to the bars B.
If tubes are employed, these are united to the bars B by binding. with. wire at
suitable intervals.
In order to prevent such wires from cutting into the tubes when drawn tight, it
is advisable to provide below the tubes, at every bar B a thin iron rod E wbich is
embraced by the binding wire F as shewn at Figs. 1 and 2.
Also when using laths, as at Fig. 3, which may also be tied together, or be left
separate, the use of the thin iron rods is advantageous, as by this means not only
can the number of bindings with wire be reduced, but these can be made.at any
desired point.
If straight profile bars are employed, then in order that the tube covering may
lie about in the same plane with the lower surfaces of the main joists (which may
also be covered in with the tubes) there will be required two or more layers of the
tubes, as shewn at the right hand side of Fig. 5.
According to circumstances the thickness of the layers attached to the profile
bars might be increased by the interposition of laths.
It is more advantageous however in many cases to crank the ends of the profile
bars, as at Fig. 1 and the left hand side of Fig. 5, in order to bring the bottoms

page_text: thereof level with the undersides of the joists, so that a single layer of tubes or
Jaths can be employed throughout.
Upon the spans of skeleton framing between the joists is then run in from above
the mortar compound J composed of lime, gypsum or cement mixtures with suitable
substances of light specific gravity such as blast furnace slag, cork, sawdust &c.,
so as to lighten the weight of the ceiling as much as possible. This mortar
mixture penetrates between the interstices of the layer of tubes or laths, and forms
together with these when hardened the completed ceiling, which is finished off on
the underside with plaster or other suitable material in the usual manner.
In order to lighten as much as possible the weight of such cast ceilings or floors
made of the full depth of the joists, and thereby to enable them to be made of a
reduced depth, large sized tubes G are introduced into the same so as to form
hollow spaces therein.
Such large sized tubes or drums are made in the simplest manner by covering
discs of wood, paste-board, cork &c., placed at suitable distances apart with a
cylindrical casing of a material that will prevent the penetration of the mortar
into the interior. For this purpose strong paper, paste board, sackcloth or other
cheap fabric may be used. The drums shewn at Figs. 4 and 5 possess great strength
and lightness; they are composed of canes secured round circular wooden discs.
In place of canes strips of wood or wood laths may be used.
If the hollow drums G are placed parallel to the main joists A, as at the left
hand side of Figs. 4 and 5, they can be placed directly upon the profile bars B in
a transverse direction.
If however it be preferred to place the drums parallel with the profile bars,
there may be first placed transversely over the latter laths H upon which the drums
rest, so as not to lie upon the layer of tubes.
When constructing ceilings or floors of the full depth of the joists, the mortar
casting is run or filled in after the drums G have been placed in position.
It will be evident that arched ceilings or floors can be made in the same way, by
imparting to the profile bars B, or the round iron or tubes replacing the same, to
which the layer of tubes or laths are secured, the requisite arched form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Constructing flat or arched ceilings of a skeleton framework to be carried
upon main joists A and consisting of profile or round bars or tubes, such as B to
which are secured a layer of tubes or laths such as C C¹, the said skeleton frame
being filled in from above with a mortar compound and coated on the underside
with plaster or other suitable material, substantially as described.
2. In skeleton frames of the kind referred to in the first claim, the use in
combination with the layer of tubes or laths of thin iron rods E round which the
binding-wire F is passed in order to prevent this from cutting into the tubes, and
to enable the binding to be effected at any desired points, substantially as
described.
3. The use in combination with ceilings or floors of the kind referred to in the
preceding claims, of large sized cylinders or drums of light material so as to
produce cavities in the ceiling or floor for the purpose of lightening its weight,
substantially as described.
4. Constructing the large sized cylinders or drums referred to in the preceding
claim of a series of discs of wood or other light material, placed at certain
distances apart and covered with an envelope of paper, pasteboard, woven fabric,
cane, or wood strips or laths, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of April 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.