IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PAVEMENTS, AND IN BLOCKS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PAVEMENTS, AND IN BLOCKS FOR
THE SAME." A communication from abroad by Donald McLean, of the City
and State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd June 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION or
PAVEMENTS, AND IN BLOCKS FOR THE SAME." [A communication from abroad
by Donald McLean, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in the, construction of pavements for
streets and other places. It comprises improved forms of blocks and a special
manner of arranging the same with relation to each other and to the service to be
performed.
The objects of the said Invention are to provide a pavement containing a base
or foundation and a pavement proper, both of which may be removed or replaced
readily for repairs, or to obtain access to water or gas pipes and sewers without
injury to adjacent portions of the pavement, and to provide reversible blocks
having the edges of their upper and lower faces bevelled, as hereinafter set forth.
According to the said Invention I provide paving blocks of concrete, each made
in the form of a right angled parallelopiped, having each of its upper and lower
longitudinal and transverse edges bevelled and adapted to be readily reversed and
present a new side as one becomes worn. I also provide a foundation made of
blocks of beton or conerete of right angled parallelogram form, laid in such a
manner as to break joints, that is to say, the first row of blocks are laid so that
their faces form an angle of 45 degrees from the line of the curb, the corner of
each block impinging thereon, and each block abutting against the adjacent block,
TD 077

page_text: and the second row of blocks similarly arranged with relation to each other, but
each block placed at a right angle (90°) with the adjacent blocks of the first row,
and so on until the space between the curbs is filled. It will be understood that
the triangular spaces left next to each curb are filled with proper blocks of same
material. The pavement is constructed or laid as hereinafter described.
In carrying the said Invention into practice for the construction of a pavement
or roadway the natural road bed is properly rolled and sanded for the reception of the
foundation of rectangular concrete blocks herein before mentioned, which are properly
laid to break joints as above stated.
After the foundation has been properly laid a layer composed of silicious sand is
applied, and the paving blocks made according to my Invention, as above described,
are laid, but according to a different arrangement from that of the foundation
blocks. The latter are laid in rows, each row parallel with the line of the curb;
but each block is laid at an angle of forty five degrees from said curb, and the
rows alternately arranged at such angle, while the paving blocks are laid at a
right angle with the plane of the curb, each block bearing upon three or more
(according to the size of said block) of the foundation blocks.
The paving blocks proper have each of their upper and lower longitudinal and
transverse edges bevelled. This construction gives the upper surface of the pave-
ment when laid a series of V-shaped channels running at right angles to each
other, and affords a serviceable foot-hold for draught-animals, and prevents sliding
or falling of animals employed in lighter and quicker service.
By bevelling each and every of the upper and lower edges of the paving blocks
they may be readily turned to present a new surface as soon as the surface in use
has been worn down, and this feature has peculiar efficiency in places where frequent
and heavy loads are passing, i.c., at railway stations, in front of wholesale ware-
houses, and the like.
It will further be obvious that the bevel upon opposite sides of the paving
blocks may be of different pitches, that is to say, the incline upon one side may be
greater than that upon the other, and this difference may be utilized in adapting
the blocks for different uses, such as carriage drives, and heavy draught streets,
and also affords a choice of sides upon any given street to suit different
exigencies.
The beton for both or either the foundation or paving blocks may be of any
desired description or material, constructed by moulding and heavy pressure, but
this Invention is especially designed to be used in connection with the beton or
concrete compounds composed of broken stone or gravel, hydraulic lime of tiel,
terra alba, hydraulic lime or cement, or any similar cement, and silicious sand,
oxide of iron, and a chloride either of iron manganese or calcium, or other materials
adapted for this purpose; or both or either of the blocks may be formed of the
combination of pure asphalt or bitumen, silicious sand, carbonate of lime, or the
specified equivalent, talcose silicate, coal ashes, and a metallic oxide and chloride,
which compound is preferred for certain climates and conditions.
Various inodifications may be made in the manner of laying the foundation
blocks without sacrificing the advantages of my Invention, the essential feature of
which, so far as relates to the foundation blocks, consists in having three or more of
the said blocks furnish bearing for each of the paving or surface blocks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Harris Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st December 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm: of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents;
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
PAVEMENTS, AND IN BLOCKS FOR THE SAME:" A communication from abroad
by Donald McLean, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of pavements for
streets and other places, and comprises improved forms of blocks and a special
manner of arranging the same with relation to each other and to the service to be
perforined, as hereinafter set forth.
The objects of the said Invention are to provide a pavement consisting of a base
or foundation and a pavement proper, both of which may be readily removed or
replaced for repairs or to obtain access to water or gas pipes and sewers without
injury to adjacent portions of the pavement, and to provide reversible blocks
having the edges of their upper and lower faces bevelled, as hereinafter set forth.
:
The said Invention comprises a paving block constructed of concrete in the form
of a right angled parallelopiped, having each of its upper and lower longitudinal
and transverse edges bevelled and adapted to be readily reversed and present a
new side when one becomes worn. It also comprises a foundation made of blocks
of beton or concrete of a right angled parallelopiped form, laid in such a manner as
to break joint, that is to say, the first row of blocks are so laid that their faces
form an angle of 45 degrees with the plane of the curb, the corner of each block
impinging thereon, and each block abutting against the adjacent block, and the
second row of blocks similarly arranged with relation to each other, but each block
placed at a right angle (90°) with the adjacent blocks of the first row, and so on
until the space between the curbs is filled. It will be understood that the
triangular spaces left next to each curb are filled with suitable blocks of the same
material. It also comprises a pavement laid upon a foundation as above described;
formed of concrete blocks of right angled parallelopiped shape, and having bevelled
upper and lower edges, so as to be readily reversed in case of wear, the said blocks:
being laid at right angles with the plane of the curb and in such a manner that
each block will bear upon three or more of the foundation blocks.
In the accompanying Drawing,―
Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of the said improved pavement, with a
portion of the pavement proper removed to show the foundation.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section, showing the foundation, the surface-
blocks, and an intervening layer of sand; and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the improved surface or paving blocks.
Figure 4 shows in dotted lines the bearing of the paving blocks upon the
foundation blocks.
The
A indicates the natural road-bed, which is suitably rolled and sanded for the
reception of the foundation of rectangular concrete blocks B, which are properly
laid to break joint, as shown. After the foundation has been properly laid a
layer C, composed of silicious sand, is applied, and the paving blocks D are laid,
but according to a different arrangement from that of the foundation blocks.
latter are laid in rows, each row parallel with the line of the curb, but each block
laid at an angle of forty five degrees from the said curb, the rows being alternately
arranged at such an angle, while the paving blocks are laid at a right angle to the
line of the curb, each block bearing upon three or more (according to the size of the
said block) of the foundation-blocks, as shewn in Figure 4.

page_text: .
The paving blocks D have each of their upper and lower longitudinal and
transverse edges bevelled, as shewn at d. This construction gives the upper
surface of the pavement when laid a series of V-shaped channels running at right
angles to each other, and affords a serviceable foot-hold for draught-animals, and
prevents sliding or falling of animals employed in lighter and quicker service.
It will be observed however that by bevelling each and every edge of the upper
and lower surface of the paving blocks they may be readily turned to present a
new surface as soon as the surface in use has been worn down, and this feature
has peculiar efficiency in places where frequent and heavy loads are passing, as for
instance at railway stations, in front of wholesale warehouses, and the like.
It will further be observed that the bevel d' upon opposite sides of the paving
blocks D may be of: different pitches, that is to say, the incline upon one side may
be greater than that upon the other, and this difference may be utilized in adapting
the blocks for different uses, such as carriage drives and heavy draught streets,
and it also affords a choice of sides upon any given street to suit different
exigiencies.
The beton for both or either the foundation or paving blocks may be of any.
desired description or material, and constructed by moulding and heavy pressure,
but this Invention is especially designed to be used in connection with the beton
or concrete compounds composed of broken stone or gravel, hydraulic lime. of tiel,
terra alba, hydraulic lime, cement, or any similar material, and silicious sand, oxide
of iron, and a chloride either of iron,, manganese, or calcium, or other materials:
adapted for this purpose; or both or either of the said blocks may be formed of the
combination of pure asphalt. or bitumen, silicious sand, carbonate of lime, or the.
like talcose silicate, coal-ashes, and a metallic oxide and chloride, which compound
is preferred for certain climates and conditions.
Various modifications may be made in the manner of laying the blocks B without
sacrificing the advantages of my Invention, the essential feature of which consists
in such an arrangement of the blocks B that three or more of the same furnish a
bearing for each of the paving or surface blocks.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. Paving blocks formed of concrete, having their upper and lower longi-
tudinal and transverse edges bevelled, so as to form when laid V-shaped channels
running at right angles to each other, and adapted to be reversed at will, substantially
as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Second. The foundation formed of concrete blocks of right angled parallelopiped.
form, laid with relation to each other in such a manner that each paving block will
bear upon three or more of the said foundation blocks, substantially as above set
forth.
Third. The pavement formed of the paving blocks, having upper and lower
bevelled edges in combination with the foundation formed of the blocks B arranged.
in relation to the said paving blocks in such a manner that each of the latter will
bear upon three or more of. the said foundation blocks, and with an intervening
layer of sand, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have, hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY H. LAKE. (L.S.)