IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORS, ROOFS, AND ARCHES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bunnett, of Deptford, in the County of
Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORS,
ROOFS, AND ARCHES."
Sealed the 25th November 1858, and dated the 8th June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bunnett at the
Office of the Commissiouers of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th June 1858.
I, JOSEPH BUNNETT, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare
the nature of the said. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
FLOORS, ROOFS, AND. ARCHES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of floors,
roofs, and archies. For these purposes earthenware or clay blocks, made by
expressing clay through moulding orifices or dies, are used in combination
with tie rods and wall plates, so constructed and arranged that the thrust is
brought in each case to act on the tie rods and the wall plates, the several blocks
being so formed as to over and underlap each other, and mutually to give and
to receive support from neighbouring blocks. The wall plates are by pre-
ference made of angle iron, and they are tied together by the tie rods at
suitable intervals, and it is preferred that the tie rods should pass through the
blocks of clay or earthenware, such blocks being made hollow with that view,
as well as to obtain lightness. Although the form of blocks used may to
some extent be varied, it is preferred to form them in the following manner :-
The interior is made hollow from end to end by the aid of a suitable core or
centre die; the two sides are each composed of two parallel inclines, each
bout half the depth of the block, connected by a horizontal or nearly hori-

page_text: zontal plane, and the two inclines on the one side are parallel with those on
the opposite side, and in cutting off the clay at the ends of the blocks, the
cutter produces the ends of a form corresponding with the two sides, though
this is not essential, so long as the ends of the blocks are made to fit into
each other, and give to as well as receive support from the next blocks. The
upper surface of a floor, roof, or arch, produced by a series of blocks as above
described, is caused to present a somewhat convex curve, and the under sur-
face a corresponding concave curve, the ends of such under curve resting on
the augle iron wall plates. The ties, which by preference pass through the
hollows in the several blocks, being made fast to the wall plates, prevent
their separating by the thrust of the arch of blocks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Bunneti in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BUNNETT, of Deptford, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Bunnett, Her special licence that 1, the said Joseph Bunnett,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Bunnett, 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 Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, au Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORS, ROOFS, AND ARCHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Bunnett, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Oflice within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Bunnett, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of
floors, roofs, and arches. For these purposes, carthenware or clay blocks,
made by expressing clay through moulding orifices or dies, are used in com-
bination with tie rods and wall plates, so constructed and arranged, that the
thrust is brought in each case to act on the tie rods and the wall plates, the
several blocks being so formed as to over and underlap each other, and
mutually to give and to receive support from neighbouring blocks. The wall
plates are, by preference, made of angle iron, and they are tied together by
the tie rods at suitable intervals, and it is preferred that the tie rods should
pass through the blocks of clay or earthenware, such blocks being made hollow
with that view, as well as to obtain lightness. Although the form of blocks
used may to some extent be varied, it is preferred to form them in the
following manner: The interior is made hollow from end to end by the aid of
a suitable core or centre die; the two sides are each composed of two parallel
inclines, each about half the depth of the block, connected by a horizontal or
nearly horizontal plane, and the two inclines on the one side are parallel with
those on the opposite side. And in cutting off the clay at the ends of the
blocks, the cutter produces the ends of a form corresponding with the two
sides, though this is not essential, so long as the ends of the blocks are made
to fit into each other, and give to as well as receive support from the next
blocks. The upper surface of a floor, roof, or arch, produced by a series of
blocks, as above described, is caused to present a somewhat convex curve, and
the under surface a corresponding concave curve; the ends of such under
curve rest on the angle iron wall plates. The ties, which by preference pass
through the hollows in the several blocks, being made fast to the wall plates,
prevent their separating by the thrust of the arch of blocks.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the saine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, show three sections of arched structures made or com-
bined according to my Invention; Figures 4 and 5 show a transverse and
longitudinal section of the hollow blocks used in constructing the arches,
Figures 1 and 2; Figure 6 is a section of one of the blocks used in con-
structing the arch, Figure 3. The hollow blocks A, A, used in carrying out
my Invention are made of clay or brick earth, and are produced by the plastic
earth being forced through dies or moulding orifices, the dies or moulds being

page_text: so formed as to cause each block to be produced with two of its sides of a
suitable form to overlap and he overlapped by the neighbouring blocks; the
form of the overlapping parts a, a, may be varied, but it is believed that the
forms of block shown as being used in the construction of the arches,
Figures 1, 2, and 3, are as convenient as any. In addition to the two sides
of each block, A being made so as to give support to and receive support from
other blocks, the two ends of each block are also so cut as to give and receive
a similar support. In Figure 1 the arch is retained in form by tie rods or
bars B at intervals, which pass through the hollow spaces produced within
the blocks A, whilst the tie rods or bars B used in the arches, Figures 2 and
3, pass below the arches, or in forming the blocks, grooves may be made
therein at the sides, or at their under sides, for receiving the tie or tension rods
or bars. In each case there are angle or suitably shaped iron plates C, to
receive the ends of the arch, and these iron plates are fixed by the ends of the
tie bars or rods B, all which will readily be understood by reference to the
Figures of the Drawing, so that the thrust of the arches is received and
sustained by the rods and plates B, C. The ends of the arches thus produced
may be built into walls, or carried by piers or other supports, according to the
purpose to which an arch so constructed is intended to be applied, whether for
the construction of Hoors or roofs of houses or other buildings, or for bridges
or other like structures. When it is desired to have a flat floor of wood, and
the under side of an arch ceiled, these objects may be accomplished as shown
in Figure 2, or the blocks A may be suitably formed to produce a flat floor on
the upper surface of an arch, as shown in Figure 3.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I wish it to be understood, that what I claim in con-
structing of floors, roofs, and arches, is the combining of parts A, B, and C, as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bunnett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
GEO. PITT.
JOSEPH BUNNETT. (L.S.)