IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERIC WILKINS of 55 Poland Street London in the County of Middlesex
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN ASPHALT PAVEMENT to be as follows:-
I combine or incorporate a certain amount of iron or steel, or, as scraps, wire or
rods, with the asphalt so that certain parts thereof shall be at the surface or slightly
projecting, so as to give a better foothold for horses than a plain surface would
do-for this purpose the wires or rods may be twisted or interwoven like network
Bo as to form spaces like the meshes of network, or otherwise, the asphalt and the
metal forming one mass or slab (like a concrete of asphalt and wire net) the
prominent parts of the iron reaching to the upper surface of the asphalt.
In some cases also combine scraps of metal, nails, bolts, or rivets the ends of
which are at the surface of the asphalt and in some cases I use small broken slag,
clinkers or granite or other hard stone mixed with the asphalt and filling in the
spaces between the metal rods or wires before described-This mixture may also
be used without any iron or steel rods.
In some cases I corrugate or make small grooves on the surface of the com-
binations before described.
These combinations may be laid in streets in the usual way but for the con-
venience of opening the roadway I recommend that blocks or slabs of any
convenient size and shape should be previously made in moulds and then be fitted
together (like the slabs of ordinary foot pavement) so that any one or more slabs
may be taken up without having to cut the said metal rods-The iron recommended
for this purpose should preferably be "chilled" or case hardened to increase its
durability.
This combined asphalt and metal or asphalt and stone is to be laid on the usual
foundation of concrete and the blocks may be cemented together or may be fitted
into each other by rebating or otherwise so as not to require any cement between
the joints.

page_text: .
COMILMIL
DIECIFICATION
I, FREDERIC WILKINS, late of 55 Poland Street, London, but now of 266 Mary-
lebone Road, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPHALTE PAVEMENT," and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
I combine or incorporate a certain amount of iron or steel as scraps, or wire, or
rods, with the asphalte so that certain parts thereof shall be at the surface or
slightly projecting so as to give a better foot-hold for horses than a plain surface
would do, for this purpose the rods or wires may be twisted, or interwoven like
network so as to form spaces like the meshes of net work, or otherwise, the asphalte
and the metal forming one mass, or slab, (like a concrete of asphalte and wire-net)
the prominent parts of the iron reaching to the upper surface of the asphalte. In
some cases I also combine scraps of metal, nails, bolts or rivets the ends of which
are at the surface of the asphalte and in some cases I add small broken slag,
clinkers, or granite, or other hard stone, mixed with the asphalte and filling in the
spaces between the metal rods or wires before described. This mixture may also
be used without any iron or steel rods. In some cases I corrugate or make small
grooves on the surface of the combinations before described.
These combinations may be laid in streets in the usual way of laying asphalte
but for the convenience of opening the roadway, I recommend that blocks or slabs,
of any convenient size and shape, should be previously made, in moulds, and then
be fitted together (like the slabs of ordinary foot pavements) so that any one, or
more slabs may be taken up, without having to cut the said metal rods.
The iron recommended for this purpose should, preferably, be "chilled" or case-
hardened to increase its durability.
This combined asphalte and metal, or asphalte and stone is to be laid, on the
usual foundation of concrete, and the blocks may be cemented together, or may be
fitted into each other, by rabbeting, or otherwise, so as not to require any cement
between the joints.
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
The various combinations of materials substantially as described, and the
manufacture of slabs of the said combined materials.