IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOSITE BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph John Lish, of Scottish Chambers, Grainger Street
West, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOSITE BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING
PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph John Lish at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th June 1877.
JOSEPH JOHN LISH, of Scottish Chambers, Grainger Street West, Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOSITE
BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to the manufacture of composite blocks and slabs for
building purposes in such a manner as to secure for such blocks and slabs a fair and
durable face, and to the formation and uniting of the blocks in such a manner as to
produce strong, light, and impervious structure.
.
For this purpose I provide moulds shaped to the desired form and profile of the
blocks to be manufactured, which moulds may be of metal cast from a pattern, and
may be chilled if required for great durability. I prepare sheets of fibrous fabric or
netting by soaking them in semi-fluid cementitious material, or coating them there-
with, and lay the sheets so prepared into the moulds against those portions thereof
which are intended to mould the faces of the blocks. I then fill in the moulds
with a comparatively rough and cheap material, such as concrete, and subject, the
whole to pressure, so as to cause the facing sheets to take the form of the interior
of the mould. When the material in the mould is sufficiently pressed I remove it
and allow it to fully. set and harden, when it will form a block fitted for building
with a comparatively smooth and coherent face. This face may be varied in surface
and colour by applying sand or other pulverulent material to the cement coating of
the fabric before it sets.
When it is desired to produce blocks or slabs impervious to moisture, fabric,
waterproofed by bituminous or other suitable matter, may be used to form.the
facing, or the coating of the fabric may be of waterproof material.

page_text: In some cases where both sides of the block have to be faced I not only place
prepared fabric in the mould, as above described, but also on the concrete material
after the mould has been charged therewith, and before the pressure is applied.
It is generally preferable to apply the pressure by plungers which are not flat on
the face, but are rounded so as to produce a more spreading pressure on the
materials in the mould. I take advantage of this to produce blocks with trough-
like cavities, so that when the blocks are united in a structure there are presented
hollows therein which render the structure inore light, and which, if continuous,
allow circulation of air within the body of the structure.
Blocks manufactured as above described may be made in various forms, such as
that of a T or L, for bonding, I prefer however to make them in the form of a Z or
H, the two parallel limbs of which form the opposite faces of a wall, while the
joining limb forms a bond between those faces. When a number of such blocks are
placed abutting on one another they present' between them a series of hollows or
flues, rendering the structure very light, and at the same time strong and impervious
to damp.
In forming a lintel or girder for spanning an opening a number of such blocks
may be put together with one or more tie bolts or bands along the row, by which
they are drawn tightly together, the joints being cemented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph John Lish in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
December 1877.
JOSEPH JOHN LISH, of Scottish Chambers, Grainger Street West, Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOSITE
BLOCKS AND SLABS FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to the manufacture of composite blocks and slabs. for
building purposes, in such a manner as to secure for such blocks and slabs a fair
and durable face, and to the formation and uniting of the blocks in such a manner
as to produce strong, light, and impervious structure.
For this purpose I provide moulds shaped to the desired form and profile of the
blocks to be manufactured, which moulds may be of metal cast from a pattern, and
may be chilled if required for greater durability. I prepare sheets of fibrous fabric.
or netting by soaking them in semi-fluid cementitious material, or coating
them therewith, and lay the sheets so prepared into the moulds against those
portions thereof which are intended to inould the faces of the blocks. I then fill in
the moulds with a comparatively rough and cheap material, such as concrete, and
subject the whole to pressure so as to cause the facing sheets to take the form of
the interior of the mould. When the material in the mould is sufficiently pressed
I remove it and allow it to fully set and harden, when it will form a block fitted
for building, with a comparatively smooth and coherent face. This face may be
varied in surface and colour by applying sand or other pulverulent material to the
'cement conting of the fibre before it sets.
When it is desired to produce blocks or slabs impervious to moisture, fabric,
waterproofed by bituminous or other suitable matter, may be used to form the
facing, or the coating of the fabric may be of waterproof material.

page_text: In some cases where both sides of the block have to be faced I not only place
prepared fabric in the mould, as above described, but also on the concrete material
after the mould has been charged therewith, and before the pressure is applied.
It is generally preferable to apply the pressure by plungers, which are not flat on
the face, but are rounded so as to produce a more spreading pressure on the materials
in the mould. I take advantage of this to produce blocks with trough-like cavities,
Bo that when the blocks are united in a structure there are presented hollows
therein, which render the structure more light, and which, if continuous, allow circu-
lation of air within the body of the structure.
Blocks manufactured as above described may be made in various forms, such as
that of a T or L for bonding, I prefer however to make them in the form of a Z or
H, the two parallel limbs of which form the opposite faces of a wall, while the
joining limb forms a bond between those faces. When a number of such blocks are
placed abutting on one another they present between them a series of hollows or
flues, rendering the structure very light, and at the same time strong and
impervious to damp.
In forming a lintel or girder for spanning an opening a number of such blocks
may be put together with one or more tie bolts or bands along the row, by which
they are drawn tightly together, the joints-being cemented.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim, the manufacture of composite blocks or slabs for
building purposes, consisting of concrete with a facing of prepared fabric, sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph John Lish, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JOSEPH J. LISH. (L.S.)