IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Potter, of Alresford, in the County of
Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING
CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES."
Sealed the 3rd February 1875, and dated the 16th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Potter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th November 1874.
I, THOMAS POTTER, of Alresford, in the County of Hants, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for use in constructing
the walls of buildings, tanks, and other structures in concrete.
The apparatus consists of T iron uprights of any required length, and
provided with a projecting shoe or foot at bottom by which the uprights
are bolted or otherwise secured to stakes driven into the ground, or to
pill pieces, floor joists, or otherwise, as the building progresses. These

page_text: uprights are placed in pairs, one on either side of the intended wall, and
connected together at suitable intervals in their length by flat iron bars
having a shoulder or lug at one end and a series of holes about an inch
or so apart at the other. These tie bars are passed through correspond-
ing mortices made in the flange and web of the T uprights, and are
secured by pins or bolts passed through holes in the web of the uprights
and through one or other of the holes in the tie bars, according to the
desired thickness of the wall, which can thus be regulated as required.
Flat iron bars are rivetted to the T iron uprights, one on either side of
the web, said bars being of greater width than the web, so as to
strengthen the uprights and leave a groove in the edge for inserting
plate irons for projecting panels and other similar purposes. Common
rough boards are placed against the flanges of the T uprights to form
the mould into which the concrete is filled to form the wall, said boards
being retained in position by wall ties consisting of smaller T iron bars
placed against the boards and connected by tie bars made adjustable by
means of pins or bolts as before described. Angles of walls are formed
' by boards crossed with iron bands at top and bottom. End irons
⚫ fastened to the wood panels, and having bolt holes corresponding with
the holes in the T iron uprights are connected thereto by bolts and nuts.
Pieces of angle iron connect the two sides of wood angles together by
bolts and nuts. These wood angles serve also as filling-in pieces for the
spaces opposite all cross walls or walls at right angles. Piers, counter-
forts, and chimney projections are formed by side pieces of wood with
iron bands secured to the T iron uprights with piers and mortices, and
interlocking at the outer angles with iron collars and pins.
In constructing circular tanks I use ✓ iron and T iron ribs bolted
together in sections, which then form the inner line of the tank or well
and the concrete is kept in place by rough boards placed in the recesses
of the T and L iron ribs. These ribs can be placed any convenient
distance apart, and when the bolts connecting them are withdrawn the
framework is liberated. Oval or egg shaped tanks, whose lesser diameter
is the same as the diameter of the circular tank, but whose greater
diameter may exceed the diameter of the circular tank to any required
extent, can be constructed by using extra straight lengths of framework
iron connected to the semicircular ends of bolts and nuts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Potter in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 15th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
POTTER, of Alresford, in the County of Hants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Potter, Her special licence,
that I, the said Thomas Potter, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Potter, 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
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ircland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED Apparatus
FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Potter, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, 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 Thomas Potter, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the three Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked
thcrcon (that is to say): :-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for use in constructing
the walls of buildings, tanks, and other structures of concrete, and it
consists in improved means for temporarily connecting together rough
boards to form the mould for the concrete, and more particularly in
using the rough boards without fixing them in any way to the uprights

page_text: or standards so that the boards may be adjusted to any inclination or
form required; also in the employment for that purpose of flat iron bars
connected adjustably to uprights on opposite sides of the wall by pins in
lieu of screw bolts or screw connections of any kind; also in the form of
the guides or uprights used, whereby strength and lightness are com-
bined; also in the use of connecting bars of iron which can be affixed to
boards of any required dimensions for constructing angles, breast piers,
counterforts, and such like parts of walls; also in providing the main
uprights or standards with a projecting foot at bottom for securing the
same in the required position; also in the method of connecting together
T and L iron bent to any required form or curve, and combining the
same with rough boards (so as to admit of their being afterwards removed)
for constructing underground tanks or reservoirs, all as herein-after more
fully set forth.
And in order that my Invention may be more readily understood I
will proceed to more fully describe the same with reference to the
accompanying Drawings in which I have illustrated my improvements.
Figure 1 shows an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a portion of the
improved concrete building apparatus as fixed for use. The other
Figures show details of the various parts of the same apparatus drawn
full size, but it will be understood that the dimensions of the various
parts of the apparatus may be varied according to the degrees of strength
required.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the main uprights or standards,
and Figure 4 is a cross section of same.
Figure 5 shows back, side, and face elevations of one of the wall ties
for retaining the boards in position against the main uprights.
Figure 6 is a plan showing a T iron upright and wall tic as fixed.
Figure 7 is a plan showing the method of forming external and
internal wall angles.
Figure 8 shows a portion of elevation, and Figure 9 a plan of an
angle piece used as a filling-in panel opposite a cross wall.
Figure 10 is an elevation, and Figure 11 a plan of the apparatus used
for constructing a pier such as that shown at × on Figure 2.
Figure 12 is a plan on a small scale of T and L iron ribs for con-
structing a circular tank, and Figures 13 and 14 are details of the

page_text: same, full size, being respectively sections of L and T iron ribs and
boards as fixed.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures
wherever they recur.
A are T iron uprights of any required length placed face to face in
pairs one on either side of the intended wall, and connected together at
suitable intervals in their length by flat iron bars B passing through
corresponding mortices made in the flange and web of the T uprights.
Flat iron bars a are rivetted to the T iron uprights A, one on either side
of the web, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, said bars being of greater
width than the web so as to strengthen the upright and leave a groove
in the edge for inserting angle iron stay bars, as at C, Figure 3, or plate
irons for projecting panels, as in Figure 11, and for other similar
purposes. The tie bars B have a shoulder or lug b at one end and a pin
c passing through holes in the plates a of the upright and through a
hole in the bar B, and at the other end there is a similar pin c passing
also through holes in the plates A and through one or other of a row of
holes b¹ in bar B, according to the intended thickness of the wall, which
can thus be regulated as required, the uprights A being thus secured
and held rigidly at the required distance apart. The uprights A are
provided with a shoe or foot A' at bottom by which they are bolted or
otherwise secured to stakes driven into the ground or to sill pieces, floor
joists, or otherwise, as the building progresses. D are common rough
boards placed against the flanges of the uprights A, as shown, to form a
mould for the concrete, said boards being clamped against the uprights
and thus retained in position without being attached thereto by wall ties
E consisting also of T iron bars, but smaller that those A placed against
the boards D on the outside and united by tie bars connected adjustably
thereto by pins, the said wall ties E and their connections being
constructed precisely like the uprights A and their connections above
described.
Figure 7 shows the method of forming the external and internal wall
angles. F are boards placed vertically, having iron bars fixed to their
edges by which they are secured on one side to the T iron uprights A by
screw bolts passing through holes provided for the purpose in the ears fi
and in the upright A, and on the other side to a vertical angle iron
G which connects the two boards or panels F together and forms the

page_text: external angle. The boards F are, when required, crossed top and
bottom by iron bands f. The internal angle is formed by a piece of
timber M of suitable shape retained between two adjacent uprights A
suitably placed as shown. The boards F also serve as filling in panels
opposite a cross wall. In this case they are secured between two
uprights A by pins c³, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Piers, counterforts,
and chimney breasts are constructed by means of front and side pieces
H, I, of wood, the former braced with iron bands and secured by pins
c in the groove between, the bands a of the uprights A, as before
mentioned, the latter being also braced with iron bands i and connected
to the side pieces H by pins K passing through cars or sockets & bolted
to the front and side picces.
In constructing circular tanks I use L iron ribs at top and bottom, as
shown in Figure 13, and intermediate ribs of T iron, as in Figure 14.
The ribs are placed horizontally and at any convenient heights or
distances apart, according to the length of the boards. The ribs are
formed in a number of lengthis or sections having return ends by which
they are bolted together, as shown full size, Figure 15. Rough boards D
are placed vertically against the outside of the flanges to keep the
concrete in place, and form the inner face of the wall of the tank or
well. The ribs being inside the boards retain the same firmly in position,
and when the bolts connecting the several lengths together aro with-
drawn the whole of the framework is liberated.
Oval or egg shaped tanks (whose lesser diameter is the same as the
diameter of the circular tank, and whose greater diameter may be of any
required length) can be constructed by using extra straight lengths of
Land T iron ribs inserted between and bolted to semicircular lengths
which form the ends of the oval tank.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to bo
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The employment as and for the purpose herein described of
uprights or standards constructed of anglo iron, substantially as herein
shown and described.
2nd. Forming a mould for the concrete by the employment of rough a
boards clamped against the flanges of the main uprights by wall ties,
talke na and for the ANANA

page_text: 3rd. The employment of flat tie bars connecting the uprights and tie
bars on opposite sides of the apparatus and made adjustable by means of
pins and holes as specified.
4th. The method of connecting the parts of the apparatus used in
constructing angles, breasts, piers, counterforts, and such like parts
of walls, substantially as herein shown and described.
5th. The employment in combination of L and T iron ribs with rough
boards placed against their flanges to form the inner face of the walls of
a tank, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Potter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
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