Mounting Pavement Prisms by Arched Arrangement of the Sections.
Year: 1897

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Mounting Pavement Prisms by Arched Arrangement of the Sections.
I, JOHN MEIGGS EWEN, of No. 1129, The Rookery, Chicago, County of Cook,
State of Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to improvements in mounting prism tiles, and its particular
object is to produce what I have called a combination prism tile to furnish a new
and larger unit for the construction of prism pavements.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a plan view of a prism tile composed of nine prism tiles.
Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and
Figure 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1;
Figure 5 is a view of a single prism tile.
Figure 6 is a cross-section of a modified electro-prism tile.
Figure 7 is a view of a modification of the net in which the warps running
one way are composed of flat strips, and those running the other way are composed
of wires.
Figure 71 is a cross-section through Figure 7.
Figure 8 is a view of the modified prism tile used with the modified net of
Fig. 7.
Figure 9 is a view of a prism pavement composed of prism tiles.
To illustrate the invention more fully, I have exaggerated the angles and the
inclinations of the several parts, but in practice of course these angles and inclina-
tions would be greatly varied, and indeed the illustration here is to be taken as
little more than diagrammatic. It is merely to suggest the construction which
will be readily applied to the circumstances of each case by any person skilled
in the art.
Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.
A is the central or key prism tile; B B the corner prism tiles, and C C the inter-
mediate side prism tiles. These nine tiles are intended to be united together,
and in such manner as to form an arch, the object being to present the greatest
possible surface of glass or transparency and the least surface of supporting metal.
In ordinary vault lights, the area of opaque substance, whether metal, concrete
or other supporting and framing material, is very large, and hence a comparatively
small amount of light is introduced.
These tiles, arranged preferably in groups of nine (though of course groups of
other numbers could be employed) are gathered within a frame, preferably a
relatively light steel or iron frame, and they are supported in such frame first

page_text: by the fact that they are shaped or placed with reference to each other so as to form
an arch; and secondly, because they are supported by the net or grid.
For example, the warps or long members of the net D D are placed in position
and similar warps or short ties E Eare placed between the prism tiles running
in the opposite direction. The overhanging Key pieces G G serve to keep the
members of the net together. Similar warps or ties may be put around the edge,
but I prefer as here shown to use only the light sumounding frame. The whole
may then be placed in the electrolytic bath and treated preferably until the union
of the several parts is complete and the prism tiles are united by means of the
net and frame into one water- and air-tight prism tile plate. In Fig. 7 the features
of the net are shown as consisting of flat strips H with holes I and transverse rods J
passed through the holes. The prism tiles are in this case grooved as at K for
the reception of the rods or wires J. L. is a surrounding frame which holds the
several prism tiles together to form the prism pavement. There may be other
modifications. These prism tiles can then be used in suitable metal or other
frames to form a prism pavement in the usual manner in the formation of such,
pavements.
I have proceeded with this explanation of the invention without regard to the
particular formation of the separate tiles. It is possible to use the ordinary
tiles without material change in their forms or sizes, but to get the arched effect
it would be necessary to incline them more or less and the result would be a some-
what irregular surface. I think the surface of the key tile would be perhaps a
quarter of an inch above the outer frame, while the outer edges of the prism tile CC
would be about an eighth of an inch. This irregularity, however, can be obviated
by making the tiles of suitable shape so as to form the flat arch illustrated in Fig. 6,
or in any other of the forms well known and in use for making flat arches from
tiles in architectural work.
.
Briefly stated, the essential features of this invention are the following: a
series of tiles are gathered together, being shaped and arranged so as to form an
arch. This arch is preferably so formed as to be practically a dome like structure.
The several parts are held together so as to be weather-proof, preferably by the
electro-glazing process, and such, compound electro-glazed tile arch- or dome-
shaped is then inserted in its proper place in the pavement or frame so that the
several sections of the compound tile are kept in position not by the strength
of the frame which immediately surrounds them, but by the exterior frame and
the arch effect above described. The result is to give an enormously increased
translucent surface for pavement work, and particularly to give an enormously
increased interior prism surface. These separate tile pieces and the compound tile
could be shaped otherwise than here indicated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a pavement, the combination of the pavement frame with, a series of com-
bination tiles consisting each of several tiles arranged so as to form an arch and
adapted to be received in and be supported by the pavement frame.
2. In a prism pavement, the combination of the pavement frame with a series
of combination prism tiles consisting each of several prism tiles arranged so as to
form an arch and adapted to be received in and by supported by the pavement
frame.
. IF
3. As a new article of manufacture, a combination tile consisting of a series of
tiles shaped so as to form an arch in combination with a supporting and surround-
ing frame to hold them together.
∙10
4. As a new article of manufacture, a prism tile comprising a series of prism
tiles shaped so as to form an arch, a surrounding frame to take the stress received
b the arch, and an intermediate filling between the prism tiles.
5. Increasing the transparent area in a prism pavement by uniting several

page_text: prism sections together so as to form an arch or dome, the several sections being
united by slight sealing pieces between them and held together by the surround-
ing rigid supporting frame, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 15th day of July 1897.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.