Improvements in the Construction of Floors, Ceilings, and Roofs of Buildings, also applicable to the Construction of Side-walks and Pavements.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Floors, Ceilings, and Roofs of
Buildings, also applicable to the Construction of Side-walks and
Pavements.
I GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKER of No. 217 Sansome Street, in the City
and County of San Francisco, State of California, United States of America,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of floors, ceilings and
roofs for buildings; and it has for its object to produce a water-tight and fire-proof
floor or a ceiling or a roof of the same character. The said improvements are
applicable also to side-walks and to coverings over vaults and cellars or sub-ways
extending under the street and to the construction of pavements and road-ways.
The nature of these improvements in constructing roofs, floors and ceilings
consists in setting T-rails or beams of like form in an inverted position in parallel
order and close relation so that the flanges form the ceiling or over-head surface of
the apartment beneath and placing spacing-blocks between the rails and upon the
flanges to hold the rails in line and in upright position and then filling in the space
between the rails and the spacing-blocks with cement concrete or other suitable
substance or composition to produce a hard, smooth and level surface.
In those portions or sections of a floor or roof where light is to be transmitted to
the apartment beneath I substitute plates or slabs of thick glass for the concrete or
cement filling and at such parts of the structure I lay the rails wider apart than in
those parts where an all-cement filling is used between the rails in order to produce
a space or opening between the edges of the rail-flanges for the passage of light.
In some cases I use spacing-blocks of the full height of the web or upright part.
of the rail so that the top face of the block shall come flush with the surface of the
floor and in some cases I again use short blocks of less height than the webs of the
rails and then fill over with cement or lay tiles between the rails and over the top
faces of the blocks to form an ornamental floor.
The edges of the flanges are set quite closely together where a floor surface is
formed of cement-filling alone; but for sky-lights in roofs and for light-openings
in floors the distance between the rails is increased as before mentioned.
In laying down a pavement as well as in forming a side-walk either directly upon
a solid foundation the same construction and arrangement of rails spacing-blocks
and a filling of cement or concrete are followed.
I proceed to apply and carry out my said improvements substantially as explained
in the following description in which reference is had by figures and letters to the
accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification.
Figure 1 represents in perspective a section or portion of a floor and ceiling
constructed according to my said invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken transversely across such a section or portion.
Figure 3 represents in perspective a construction having translucent portions or
sections for the transmission of light to the apartment beneath.
Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section of the same.
AA indicate the rails B B the spacing-blocks and CC the cement concrete or
other substance used for the filling between and over the rails and spacing-blocks.
DD are slabs or plates of glass set between the rails to form a sky-light or a
light-transmitting portion in a roof or a floor or a side-walk.
EE are supports upon which these glass slabs or plates are laid..

page_text: The rails have broad bottom flanges a, a, either flat or arched on the bottom face
and either plain or ornamented with raised or depressed figures which may be
produced if so desired in the operation of rolling the rails at the mill.
The spacing-blocks should fit closely between the rails and rest squarely against
the bottom flanges. They are made the full height of the web or standing portion
of the rail to set flush with the finished surface in which case they furnish suitable
surfaces to nail down a temporary or ornamental flooring of wood over the cement
and rails, or the blocks are made of less height as represented in Figure 2 in order
to allow the cement filling to be carried and laid over the blocks. In the last
mentioned construction the space over the top of the spacing-blocks is filled in flush
with the cement as seen at Cx.
'In forming a section or portion of a floor or a roof to transmit light the rails are
set wider apart to leave open spaces between the flanges, as shown in Figures 3 and 4
and the narrow supports E E are set on the flanges and against the upright bars
or webs of the rails to form ledges for the glass-slabs.
These pieces E can be made of wood and their height will be governed by the
thickness of the slabs which they are to bear as the top surface of the slabs should
set flush with the rails. The joints between the rails and slabs and the supports
are cemented or otherwise made water-tight where the structure is required to turn
water.
All the blocks used in this structure can be made of hard wood without
materially reducing or affecting the fire-proof qualities of the structure as the
blocks are too small and are too greatly isolated to burn even under condition of
exposure to great heat.
Floors of buildings constructed in this manner will be fire-proof and thoroughly
water-tight, while at the same time they will be found to possess advantages over
most of the constructions heretofore employed to obtain fire-proof qualities. There
is also considerable reduction in weight and in cost of material as light rails are
substituted for heavy beams, and the form of the rails and the manner of spacing
and holding them contribute to the strength and stiffness of the structure.
It will be obvious that a pitch roof can be formed in the same manner as an
ordinary flat roof by suitably joining the ends of the rails along the ridge the same
as in a wooden roof also by bending the rails to the required curve an arched or
curved roof can be formed.
When
The bottom flanges furnish all the supporting surface necessary for the filling
between the rails and they form the ceiling of the apartment beneath when a floor
is constructed in this manner. With proper supports for the ends of the rails a
flooring of this character can be carried over a span of considerable width.
the rails are laid directly upon a solid foundation or a continuous support under the
rails is afforded as in constructing street pavements the rails need not be so heavy
as those used for a floor which are supported at the ends alone, and the flanges need
not be ornamented or finished to present an ornamental surface.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A roof floor pavement or similar structure consisting of the rails having
bottom flanges laid in close relation and in spaced rows the spacing blocks and a
filling of cement or concrete or similar substance laid between the rails and between
or over the spacing-blocks substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a roof, floor or similar structure the combination, of the rails having
bottom flanges and laid in spaced rows and close order the spacing-blocks and a
filling of cement or similar substance adapted to form a hard, water-tight surface
laid in between the rails and between the spacing-blocks as described the flanges of
the rails supporting the spacing-blocks and the filling and being finished or
ornamented to form the ceiling of the apartment beneath, as hereinbefore set forth.

page_text: 3. In a roof, floor or similar structure the combination, 'of the rails having
bottom flanges and laid in spaced rows at intervals apart the spacing-blocks, glass-
plates or slabs laid between the rails and the supporting-blocks interposed between
the bottom flanges and the plates or slabs substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 14th day of June 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.