Year: 1885

page_text: поверкатор.
I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, of 52 Chancery
Lane, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, which has been communicated to me from abroad by
Charles Carroll Gilman, Manufacturer, of Eldora, Iowa, United States of America,
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 improve the fireproof character of safes, vaults
and similar structures, and it consists in a safe or vault embracing in its con-
struction a porous burned brick material known as porous terra cotta or terra
cotta lumber; it also consists in charging this fireproof material with a liquescent
salt.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification:-
Fig. 1 represents a vertical transverse section on line y, y, Fig. 2, of a safe
embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of the same taken on line x, x, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lining removed from the safe.
Fig. 4 represents the lining shown in Fig. 1 covered by plates of iron or steel.
Referring to the drawings, the body of the safe may be constructed of iron A
and steel B, as illustrated, or in any other approved manner that will insure the
requisite strength. A lining C, consisting of terra cotta lumber or a porous burned
brick material is applied to the interior of the safe to protect the contents thereof
against fire and heat. Said lining is produced in the following manner:-Slabs of
porous terra cotta consisting, preferably, of one part clay and two parts sawdust,
are pressed or moulded into the shape and size desired, before firing, or are sawed
or trimmed with edged tools subsequently. The slabs are preferably made of a
Price 1

page_text: size to form a side, top, or bottom and the pieces are secured together by nails or
other efficient means, but preferably by a dove-tail joint, as illustrated in Fig. 3.
The slabs, if warped, are planed and all edges are trimmed so as to make close
fitting joints. Instead of each side of the box-shaped lining being made in one
piece it may be made in two or more pieces, as indicated by the dotted lines in
Fig. 3. The slabs are made from two to four inches in thickness, preferably not
less than two.
The said material is an excellent non-conductor of heat, is absolutely fireproof,
and will not crack under the action of fire, or of water if it is applied thereto while
it is red hot. This is due to its porous character, and the said material is, therefore,
admirably adapted for the purposes of this invention. Ordinary brick or terra
cotta differs essentially from the porous terra cotta described, for the former is a
good conductor of heat and will readily crack and fall to pieces when subjected
while hot to the action of water. The porous terra cotta possesses the further
advantage that it may be sawed, nailed, and worked with edged tools, thus
enabling separate parts to be accurately fitted together so as to ensure close and
tight joints, and permitting dove-tail joints to be used to secure the parts
together.
In order to further improve the fire proof qualities of the safe described
I impregnate or saturate the porous terra cotta with alum or other liquescent salt
serving the same purpose. I saturate the porous terra cotta in the following
manner I lay the pieces of said material in shallow pans or vessels containing a
strong solution of alum or other liquescent salt, leaving the same therein until
thoroughly saturated with said solution. The depth of the liquid should be
Blightly less than the thickness of the slabs so that the air may escape and permit
the liquid to enter the cells of the material. When the material has become
thoroughly saturated with the liquid it is removed and dried. If the operation is
properly conducted the slabs when dry will weigh nearly one hundred per cent
more than they did previous to treatment. The alum imprisoned in said slabs will
yield nine-tenths of its volume in liquid when exposed to a heat considerably less
than 200° F., and said liquid vaporizing at 212° F. or more will impregnate the
contents of the safe or receptacle to such a degree as to materially assist in resisting
the action of heat. The porous burned brick material, after the alum has abandoned
it, remains unaltered in form and acts as an efficient barrier against the action of
fire. To prevent corrosion of the metal with which the slabs come into contart,
they may be lightly painted.
In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the terra cotta lumber lining applied to the inside
of the safe, while in Fig. 4 said lining is placed between the layers of iron or steel
forming the walls of the safe.
To prevent the box-shaped lining from sliding forward, when used as in Figs. 1
and 2, and in case it should not fit tightly, I screw to the iron of the safe small
angle irons D which project in front of the lining and retain the same in place.
The door of the safe is also lined with the same material held in place by angular
clamping plates E screwed to the metal of the door and overlapping the said lining,
as shown in Fig. 2. When the porous terra cotta is saturated with alum and is
used as a filling I perforate the inner layer of iron or steel in a few places as
indicated at G, in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A fireproof safe, vault, or similar receptacle embracing in its construction a
porous burned brick material, substantially as described.
2. A fireproof safe, vault, or similar receptacle, provided with a lining consisting
of a porous burned brick material, substantially as described.

page_text: 3. A fireproof safe, vault, or similar receptacle embracing in its construction a
porous fireproof material charged with a liquescent salt, substantially as described.
4. A fireproof safe or vault provided with a lining consisting of a porous burned
brick material saturated with alum, substantially as described.
5. A fireproof safe, vault, or similar receptacle, provided with a lining formed
of slabs of a porous burned brick material fastened together, substantially as
described.