IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR BRICKS FOR BONDING. HOLLOW WALLS.
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah George Jennings, of Holland Street, Black--
friars, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR BRICKS FOR BONDING.
HOLLOW WALLS.".
Sealed the 31st December 1858, and dated the 3rd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah George Jennings.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd July 1858.
I JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS, of Holland Street, Blackfriars, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR BRICKS, AND
IN BRICKS FOR BONDING HOLLOW WALLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in air bricks and in bricks
for bonding hollow walls. In manufacturing air bricks, in place of using cast
iron as heretofore, clay or brick earth is employed, and the bricks are formed
by expressing the clay, when in a plastic state, through moulding orifices or
dies. Numerous air passages being made through each brick horizontally,
and such passages may be arranged according to an ornamental device or
simply in parallel directions, or large openings may be formed in each brick
which may afterwards be filled in with an ornamental device in clay or
metal. These air bricks are made to correspond in dimensions with the bricks
used in constructing the other parts of a building, the air bricks, however,
when desired, may be made of various lengths, and of a thickness corresponding
with one or more courses of brickwork. In the making of bricks to bond
walls which are built hollow, the bricks are made by expressing clay or brick
earth through moulding dies or orifices. Each brick is made with vertical
passages through it, and each brick is formed of a length corresponding with

page_text: the thickness of the intended hollow wall in which it is to be used, except
where the wall is to consist of three parts, then each brick is made of a length
equal to the thickness of two parts of the wall and the space between them.
The sides of each brick are made with projections and grooves, and the
bedding faces of the brick have hollows sunk so as to prevent any moisture
from flowing from the external to the internal wall; the edges of each end of
the brick are jagged so as to hold, when laid, the external and internal walls
more firmly together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Josiah George Jennings in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAII
GEORGE JENNINGS, of Holland Street, Blackfriars, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Josiah George Jennings, Her special licence that I, the said Josiah George
Jennings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Josiah George Jennings, 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, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR BRICKS AND IN BRICKS FOR BONDING HOLLOW
WALLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Josiah George
Jennings, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Josiah George Jennings, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: In manufacturing air bricks in place of using cast iron, as heretofore, clay
or brick earth is employed, and the bricks are formed by expressing the clay,
when in a plastic state, through moulding orifices or dies, numerous air
passages being made through each brick horizontally, and such passages may
be arranged according to an ornamental device or simply in parallel directions,
or large openings may be formed in each brick which may afterwards be filled
in with an ornamental device in clay or metal. These air bricks are made to
correspond in dimensions with the bricks used in constructing the other parts
of a building; the air bricks, however, when desired, may be made of various
lengths, and of a thickness corresponding with one or more courses of brick-
work. In the making of bricks to bond walls, which are built hollow, the
bricks are made by expressing clay or brick earth through moulding dies or
orifices. Each brick is made with vertical passages through it, and each
brick is formed of a length corresponding with the thickness of the intended
hollow wall in which it is to be used, except where the wall is to consist of
three parts, then each brick is made of a length equal to the thickness of two
parts of the wall and the space between them. The sides of each brick are
made with projections and grooves, and the bedding faces of the brick have
hollows sunk so as to prevent any moisture from flowing from the external to
the internal wall; the edges of each end of the brick are jagged so as
to hold, when laid, the external and internal walls more firmly together.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In the construction of air bricks as heretofore practised, the same have
been made of cast iron, they have been hollow at the back, and they have had
their front surfaces perforated or reticulated; now, by my Invention, air bricks
are made by expressing clay or brick earth (preferring such as is used in the
manufacture of pottery ware) through moulding orifices, having cores therein
corresponding with the form of air passages desired to be produced, which may
be of a more or less ornamental character, according to the wish of the parties
for whom they are made. And such clay air bricks in place of being hollow
at the back, as has heretofore been the case in respect to the cast-iron air
bricks bitherto used, are made with the backs corresponding with the fronts.
The air bricks according to my Invention are made to correspond in dimen-
sions in all directions with the bricks with which they are to be used, and so as
to bond in as "stretchers" with the other bricks; but, if desired, they may be
made to correspond in dimensions with two courses of bricks in thickness;
and of a greater length than that of an ordinary brick.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a front view of an air brick made of clay or brick earth
according to my Invention. The pattern or device of air passages which are
made horizontally through the brick from front to back thereof may be varied
in form from that shown. I would remark that I am aware that it is not
new to make bricks for building purposes with vertical perforations through
them with a view to their being more readily dried and more fully burned,
and also with a view to their receiving into such perforations the mortar
or cement by which they are held together; I do not therefore claim the
making of bricks with vertical perforations, this part of my Invention con-
sisting in the making of air bricks of clay or brick earth with horizontal air
passages in a direction from front to back, these bricks being of such dimen-
sions as to bond in with the ordinary bricks with which they are used.
Figure 2 shows a plan, and Figure 3 a side view of a bonding brick made of
clay or brick earth according to my Invention, such bricks being made by
forcing clay or brick earth through moulding orifices or dies, having therein
suitable cores to produce vertical passages through them in the form shown or
according to any other desired device. These bonding bricks are to be made
of a length corresponding with the distance apart of the two outer surfaces of
the two parallel walls which the bricks are to bond; this, however, is only
essential when the bonding bricks are to come to and be flush with the two outer
surfaces of such two walls. The bonding brick, according to my Invention,
may, when desired, only bond in with the brickwork of the two walls to a
certain distance and the two outer faces of the two walls may be completed
with other or ordinary bricks; by the use of these bonding bricks, hollow
walls may be more advantageously built than heretofore, each consisting of
two parallel walls of any desired thickness, and at such a distance apart as may
be required, the bonding bricks being made of a suitable length in each case,
and used at such intervals as may be required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah George Jennings, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS. (L.S.)