IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND IN TILES FOR FACING SUCH BUILDINGS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Drake, of No. 6, Sibella Road, Clapham, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE
BUILDINGS AND IN TILES FOR FACING SUCH BUILDINGS."
Sealed the 2nd March 1877, and dated the 24th October 1876.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Drake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th October 1876.
CHARLES DRAKE, of No. 6, Sibella Road, Clapham, in the County of Surrey,
IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND IN TILES FOR FACING SUCH
BUILDINGS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in concrete buildings, and in tiles
for facing such buildings.
The methods hitherto employed in the erection of concrete buildings have
been,―
First. To mould the walls, &c, in situ by placing the moist concrete into tem-
porary moulds, which are removed when the concrete has hardened.
Second. To mould the concrete into blocks, either solid or hollow, and to build
these up with mortar or cement joints in the same manner as stone or brick
building.
Third. Concrete has been used to a small extent as a filling between outer casings
of stone, or solid or hollow bricks, or tiles.
In working these methods numerous disadvantages have been found unavoidable.
By the first or "Monolithic" method some of the disadvantages are the costly
and necessarily complicated nature even of the most simple apparatus or appliances
that could be used for this purpose; the necessity of applying an expensive finish
upon the surfaces after being built because of its inevitably rough, patchy, coloured,
crude appearance, and because cementing is in many cases necessary to keep out
wet, and the difficulty of obtaining any satisfactory architectural treatment for
cemented or plastered buildings.
The disadvantages of the second or "block" method are the increased cost of
setting by skilled workmen, the necessity of moulding the blocks to the size
required for thickness of wall, so that various thicknesses of wall can only be built
by blocks specially made for each different thickness, and the mortar or cement
joints that are unavoidable with block building.
The chief disadvantages of the third or "casing" method as hitherto practised,
are the great cost of setting the faces byskilled labour, and the difficulty except

page_text: by use of costly apparatus of keeping the casing in its true position while the
concrete is being placed and until it gets hard enough to be self-supporting.
By my new method the disadvantages of each of the former methods are avoided,
while the advantages of each method are retained and many new advantages are
gained. I first make thin facings or tiles of terra cotta, fire-clay, stoneware, tile, or
brick clay, or of Portland or other cement, or lime combined with sand or other
aggregate. These facings have moulded, rebated, or dowelled universally fitting
joints at all edges to ensure perfectly straight, true, and even surfaces, and to lock
together the whole surface of wall, ceiling, or soffit, of which they form part, and
have holes, slots, inserted or projecting eyes, or metal staples, or dovetail indents at
back or inner faces to adinit of being fixed or held together by tie bars or wall
gauges of any length, thus allowing the tiles or facings to be used for various
thicknesses of walls as may be required.
The tie bars or wall gauges are made separately, and may be of iron, or other
metal, or of wood, or of similar material to the facings; or they may be made
together with and permanently fixed to the facings when it is not desired to use
the facings for various thicknesses of walling.
In proceeding to build with the facings and ties separately made, I set them
together and fix them with Portland cement or other adhesive strongly binding
material, and then having placed them in correct permanent position I fill the
interior space with concrete, thus the tiles or facings form the mould in which the
walls are cast (instead of the expensive moulding apparatus or appliances now in
use), and they remain permanently fixed forming the finished faces of the structure
and making both exterior and interior plastering unnecessary.
Facings, such as above described, may also be made with holes through from
their outer faces to admit of being screwed or nailed to wood or metal upright ribs,
held together and at correct distances required for thickness of wall by cross ties
fastened to the ribs. The interior space thus formed to be filled with concrete, as
before described.
I use similar facings for ceilings, stairs, soffits, and for forming the inside finished
surfaces of flat, curved, or sloping roofs. The facings being attached or fixed to the
structural wood or iron work of floors, stairs, or roofs. I then fill in concrete upon
the facings to the depth or thickness required.
I make the facings either plain or with any kind of ornamental design upon the
surfaces, or of any shape to suit every kind of projection either in plan or elevation
as required by the architectural design for the building, as, for example, for pro-
jecting plinths or string courses and for cornices or such like; and in making the
cement or lime concrete facings I sometimes cast them in moulds with faces
upwards, so as to admit of any kind of manipulation of surface; and sometimes
with faces downwards, when fine or coloured material may be first placed into the
mould; or I may set first into the mould designs in coloured gravel, stones, glass,
tiles, or other material, and then pour in cement which when set fixes the ornamental
design first put in making it the permanent face of the slab or facing; or I may
make the bottom or sides of the mould of any curved, moulded, or ornamental
design, and produce duplicates of the ornament upon the facings; or I may make
the facings with scratched or slightly roughened faces to take a finishing coat of
plaster work, as may sometimes be desired, for interior walls or ceilings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Charles Drake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd April 1877.
CHARLES DRAKE, of No. 6, Sibella Road, Clapham, in the County of Surrey. 50
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND IN TILES FOR FACING SUCH
BUILDINGS."

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in concrete buildings, and in tiles
for facing such buildings.
The methods hitherto employed in the erection of concrete buildings have
been,―
First. To mould the walls, &c., in situ by placing the moist concrete into tem-
porary moulds, which are removed when the concrete has hardened.
Second. To mould the concrete into blocks, either solid or hollow, and to build
these up with mortar or cement joints in the same manner as stone or brick
building.
Third. Concrete has been used to a small extent as a filling between outer
casings of stone, or solid or hollow bricks, or tiles.
In working these methods numerous disadvantages have been found unavoidable.
By the first or "Monolithic" method some of the disadvantages are the costly
and necessarily complicated nature even of the most simple apparatus or appliances
that could be used for this purpose; the necessity of applying an expensive finish
upon the surfaces after being built because of its inevitably rough, patchy, coloured,
crude appearance, and because cementing is in many cases necessary to keep out
wet, and the difficulty of obtaining any satisfactory architectural treatment for
cemented or plastered buildings.
The disadvantages of the second or "block" method are the increased cost of
setting by skilled workmen, the necessity of moulding the blocks to the size
required for thickness of wall, so that various thicknesses of wall can only be built
by blocks specially made for each different thickness, and the mortar or cement
joints that are unavoidable with block building.
The chief disadvantages of the third or "casing " method, as hitherto practised,
are the great cost of setting the faces by skilled labour, and the difficulty, except
by use of costly apparatus, of keeping the casing in its true position while the
concrete is being placed and until it gets hard enough to be self-supporting.
By my new method the disadvantages of each of the former methods are avoided,
while the advantages of each method are retained and many new advantages are
gained. I first make thin facings or tiles of terra cotta, fire-clay, stoneware, tile,
or brick clay, or of Portland or other cement, or lime combined with sand or other
aggregate. These facings have moulded, rebated, or dowelled universally fitting
joints at all edges to ensure perfectly, straight, true, and even surfaces, and to lock
together the whole surface of wall, ceiling, or soffit, of which they form part, and
have holes, slots, inserted or projecting eyes, or metal staples, or dovetail indents
at back of inner faces to admit of being fixed or held together by tic bars or wall
gauges of any length, thus allowing the tiles or facings to be used for various
thicknesses of walls as may be required.
The tie bars or wall gauges are made separately, and may be of iron, or other
metal, or of wood, or of similar material to the facings; or they may be made
together with and permanently fixed to the facings when it is not desired to use
the facings for various thicknesses of walling.
In proceeding to build with the facings and ties separately made, I set them
together and fix them with Portland cement or other adhesive strongly binding
material, and then having placed them in correct permanent position I fill the
interior space with concrete, thus the tiles or facings form the mould in which the
walls are cast (instead of the expensive moulding apparatus or appliances now in
use) and they remain permanently fixed, forming the finished faces of the structure
and making both exterior and interior plastering unnecessary.
Facings, such as above described, may also be made with holes through from their
outer faces to admit of being screwed or nailed to wood or metal upright ribs, held
together and at correct distances required for thickness of wall by cross ties
fastened to the ribs. The interior space thus formed to be filled with concrete, as
before described.
I use similar facings for ceilings, stairs, soffits, and for forming the inside finished
surfaces of flat, curved, or sloping roofs. The facings being attached or fixed to the

page_text: structural wood or iron work of floors, stairs, or roofs. I then fill in concrete upon
the facings to the depth or thickness required.
I make the facings either plain or with any kind of ornamental design upon the
surfaces, or of any shape, to suit every kind of projection either in plan or elevation
as required by the architectural design for the building, as, for example, for pro-
jecting plinths or string courses and for cornices or such like.
When making the facings of cement or lime concrete I sometimes cast them in
moulds with faces upwards, so as to admit of any kind of manipulation of surface;
and sometimes with faces downwards, when fine or coloured material may be first
placed into the mould; or I may set first into the mould designs in coloured gravel,
stones, glass, tiles, or other material, and then pour in cement which when set fixes
the ornamental design first put in, making it the permanent face of the slab or
facing; or I may make the bottom or sides of the mould of any carved, moulded,
or ornamental design, and produce duplicates of the ornament upon the facings;
or I may make the facings with scratched or slightly roughened faces to take a
finishing coat of plaster work, as may sometimes be desired, for interior walls or
ceilings.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I have in the Drawings hereunto annexed shown a variety of illustrations of
the ways above described of forming concrete buildings.
Figure A is a plan showing piece of wall built with facings, having interlocking
joints and fixed, as above described, with iron tie bars or wall gauges.
Figure B is an elevation of saine piece of wall showing plain facings, only but
the facings may be made colored or ornamented in any way.
Figure C is a cross section of the samne piece of wall, showing flat iron ties with
right angled bends at their ends hooking over iron staples embedded in facings.
Figure D is a section showing another method of fixing with iron ties, in this case
the ties are made with T heads.
Figure E is a section showing another method of fixing by tie bars, made of
similar material to the facings and secured thereto by cement.
Figure F is a section showing facings and tie bars made permanently together.
Figure G is a plan, showing a method of fixing the facings to wooden battens or
ribs, set up at the distance apart required for the thickness of wall to be made and
secured together by cross ties.
Figure H is a section showing a projecting plinth.
Figure I is a section showing a projecting string course; any other ornamental
design for projecting plinths, strings, cornices, &c., may be made in the same
manner.
:
Figure J is a plan showing projecting quoin and angle of building; any other
design of projecting or ornamental quoin or angle may be formed in same manner,
or angles may be formed with flat or straight facings only.
Figure K is a plan showing projecting architrave and reveal for doors or
windows; any other design of architrave or other vertical projection may be formed
in the same manner. The wood frame is here shown built in without wood fixing
blocks in wall, but reveals may be formed by facings and frame fixed after walls
are built.
Figure L shows a method of holding the facings with tie bars, of concrete or
cement having dovetail ends. A is a wall gauge or tie; B, B, parts of the facings.
If desired, the wall gauge or tie may be strengthened by a small iron rod cast in
while making, as shown in section at Figure M.
Figure N shows a slightly different tie bar and dovetailed fixing of facings.
Figure O is a vertical section of facing, showing locking or universally fitting
joints on a larger scale than at Figures C, E, F, G, Ì, I.
Figure P is a vertical section of facings, showing a weathered locking joint.
Figure Qis a vertical section of facings, showing longitudinal, indented, or rusti-
cated locking joints. Locking joints may also be made V jointed, fluted, reeded,
or any other ornamental joint in same manner.

page_text: Figure R shows an arrangement of T headed iron tie for fixing facings; Figure R¹
is a section taken through the line e, f, and shows how an iron eye to receive the
ends of the tie bar may be imbedded into the facing when it is being cast.
Figure S shows another method of iron tie for fixing facings; Figure S¹ is a
section through the line c, d, and shows iron staple made into facing to suit this
form of tie.
Figure T shows another method for fixing facings with iron ties.
Figure U is a section of upper floor or flat roof, showing method of fixing ceiling
facings to iron girders by bent iron supports A; B is a concrete floor. Facings
made in the manner shown from panelled ceilings. The iron girders may be either
solid or rivetted, those in Drawing are intended to represent rivetted bow girders,
which have not continuous webs but only a few ties from string to bow, thus
allowing the concrete to be continuous and not divided into slabs as by solid
girders.
Figure V shows another section of ceiling facings, also forming panelled ceilings.
The ribs forming panels may be of large or small size, of any moulding or design,
and may have enrichments cast on in making.
Figure W shows another section of ceiling facing with V joints, these are best
for ceilings intended to have a finishing coat of plaster, and are for that purpose
made with slightly scratched or roughened face to give a key to hold plaster.
These facings are also to be secured to the girders by hoop iron or other iron ties.
Figure X is a section showing monolithic staircase with rivetted truss built in
and soffit facings attached by iron ties.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood, that what I claim is,―
First. The construction of monolithic, jointless, concrete walls, with facing tiles or
slabs on either side of the wall and held together by wall gauges, substantially in
the manner herein-before described.
Second. The construction and use in erecting concrete buildings of facing tiles
or slabs, with inserted or projecting metal eyes or staples, indented or projecting
dovetails, slots, or holes, whereby the facings on each side of the wall to be built
may be held together by tie bars, and thus form at once the mould and permanent
facing of the monolithic jointless concrete wall. The said facings having also
moulded universally fitting joints at all edges ensure straight, true, and even
surfaces, require no cement or mortar joints or pointing, and render plastered
surfaces unnecessary.
Third. The construction and use of facings made in pairs together with fixed tie
bars, substantially as described.
Fourth. The construction and use of facings fixed to light frames or ribs, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
Fifth. The improved methods of forming ceilings, stairs, and other soffits, cornices,
architraves, and other ornamental parts of concrete buildings, and of forming reveals
and door and window openings, substantially as herein-before described and illus-
trated in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Drake, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CHARLES DRAKE. (L.S.)