IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FLOORS AND CEILINGS AND OTHER PARTS or CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE PROOF BUILDINGS
Year: 1884

page_text: I PETER SCHOLES of 84 King Street Bury in the County of Lancaster Plasterer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
FLOORS AND CEILINGS AND OTHER PARTS or
CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE PROOF
BUILDINGS to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to afford a ready means of constructing fire proof
building without the addition of too great weight thereto.
The invention is designed principally for the construction of fire proof floors and
ceilings but it is also applicable to walls and other parts of buildings required to
be fire proof.
The invention consists principally in the manufacture and use for such purpose
(in the manner hereinafter described) of moulded slabs made of cement concrete or
other similar fire proof material or composition such slabs being formed with lips
or overhanging flanges at the sides to rest upon, and be supported by the wooden
or metal joists, or upon slips or projections fixed thereto or formed thereon. The
slabs may be made of any suitable fireproof material or composition but I prefer
to use for this purpose a concrete or mixture of cement and ground cinders, clinkers
or slag, mixed to the proper consistency with water in a mortar mill and cast in
wooden moulds. For constructing floors with wooden joists I prefer to make the
slabs flat with a projecting lip about half the thickness so that when these slabs
are laid on the joists, one half of their thickness is above the top of the joists and
the other half below the same, and where flooring boards are required to be laid
thereon I make the slabs of such a width that there is a space left between their
adjacent edges above the centre of each joist. In this space I insert a slip of wood
which just fills it and I nail the flooring boards through this slip onto the joists. In
some cases I make the slabs so as to fit in between the joists and come flush with
the upper face thereof and I support the slabs by slips of wood nailed to the sides
of the joists. When iron joists are employed a slight modification will have to
be made to suit the section employed.
For ceilings the slabs are cast or moulded somewhat in a trough shape, so that the
lips at the edges are raised and can rest upon wooden slips or angle irons nailed to
the sides of the wooden joists at or near the lower edge and the under surface of

page_text: the slabs is an inch or so below the under surface of the joists. Moulded slips of
the fire proof concrete or material are inserted in this space beneath the joists
so as to preserve the latter from fire. The ceiling is then "skimmed" over in the
usual manner to conceal the joints. Walls are to be constructed with flat slabs in
a similar way to the floors, the wooden slips or filling pieces between the edges of
the slabs however will be made of a dovetail or other similar section so as to hold
the slabs in place. These slips are nailed through to the woodon studs or quarters
of the wall.

page_text: I PETER SCHOLES of 84 King Street Bury in the County of Lancaster Plasterer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF FLOORS AND CEILINGS AND OTHER PARTS OF
BUILDINGS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to afford a ready means of constructing fire-proof
buildings without the addition of too great weight thereto.
The invention is designed principally for the construction of fire proof floors and
ceilings, but it is also applicable to walls and other parts of buildings required to
be fireproof.
Such being the naturo and object of my said Invention I will now proceed to
describo in detail the manuor in which the same is to be or may be carried into
practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood I have
annexed hereunto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof and have marked the same
with figures and letters of referenco corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
The invention consists principally in the manufacture and use for such purposes,
in the manner hereinafter described of moulded slabs made of cement, concrete or
other similar fireproof material or composition such slabs being formed with lips
or over hanging langes at the sides to rest upon and being supported by the
wooden or metal joints, or upon slips or projections fixed thereto or formed
thereon.
The slabs may be made of any suitable fireproof material or composition but
I prefer to use for this purpose a concrete or mixture of cement and ground cinders,
clinkers or slag, mixed to the proper consistency with water, and cast in wooden or
other moulds.
In constructing floors with wooden joists I prefer to make the slabs a, a flat as
shown at Fig 1. with a projecting lip b, b at each side about half the thickness, so
that when theso slabs are laid on the wooden joists c, c one half of their thickness
is above the top of the joists and the other half below the same, and where flooring
boards d, d are required to be laid thereon as shown at Fig. 2. I make the slabs a, u
of such a width that there is a space left between their adjacent edges above the
centre of each joist, and in this space I insert a slip of wood e, e which just fills it,
and I nail the flooring boards d, d through these slips e, e onto the joists c, c.
In some cases I make the slabs a, a so as to fit in between the joists c, c and
come flush with the upper face thereof, as shown at Figs 3 and 4 and 1 support the
slabs by slips of wood f, f, nailed to the sides of the joists c, c.
Where iron joists g, g are employed as shown at Fig. 5. a slight modification will
have to be made to suit the section employed.
For ceilings the slabs a¹, a' may be cast or moulded flat as shown at Figs 3. and 4
or they may be made somewhat in a trough shape as shown at Figs. 1. 2. 5. and G
so that the lips b', 6' at the edges are raised and can rest upon wooden slips f¹‚ƒ'
nailed to the joists or upon anglo iron nailed thereto (as shown at Fig. 2) at or
near the lower edge, or in the case of an iron joist (as at Fig. 5) upon the lower
flange thereof. Where a ceiling only is required without a floor above it, the lips
or flanges meet above the joists as at Fig 6, and in all cases the lower surface of
the slabs is an inch or so below the under surface of the joists, and this space is
filled up with cement or plaster when finishing the ceiling beneath, as shown at h, k,

page_text: or moulded slips of the fireproof concrete or material are inserted in this space,
beneath the joists so as to preserve the latter from fire, and the ceiling is then
"skimmed "
over in the usual manner to conceal the joints.
Walls are to be constructed with the flat slabs a, a in a similar way to the floors,
the wooden slips or filling pieces e, e between the edges of the slabs however will
be made of a dovetail or other similar section so as to hold the slabs in place.
These slips are nailed through between the slabs into the wooden studs or quarters
of the wall.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is the construction of fireproof floors, ceilings and other parts of buildings
of cast or moulded slabs of cement, concrete, or other similar fireproof material or
composition, such slabs being constructed, fitted and supported substantially as
hereinbefore particularly set forth, and illustrated by the drawings annexed.