Year: 1888

page_text: I, LEROY S. BUFFINGTON, of the City of Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin
and State of Minnesota, United States of America, Architect, do hereby declare the
nature of my said 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 fire-proof buildings composed chiefly of iron: and the
objects of the invention are mainly, First, the construction of an iron building in a
manner that will practically obviate undue expansion and contraction during the
extremes of heat and cold; Second, a novel construction and arrangement of the
main structure and of the stairs and elevator shafts whereby there is attained
the necessary strength and stability together with compactness and the utilization of
the space to the best advantage, and Third, an improved plan of floors and means of
bracing the iron beams in fire proof floors in such structure.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts herein-
after fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims; and the improvements
are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-
Fig. 1, is an elevation of a building embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2, is a central vertical sectional elevation of the same, on the plan indicated by
the lines V-V of Fig. 3, 4 and 5; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are plan view on the
lines VV, VV2, and V³-V³, respectively, of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged floor
plan on the line V³ ³ of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 shows, on a still larger scale, the arrange-
ment of stairs and elevators in Fig. 6; Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views of the stairs
on the lines W-W and W W, respectively, of Fig. 7; Fig. 10 is a perspective
view of a portion of the building wall, showing in detail the construction and arrange-
ment of the parts, and also the floor construction; Fig. 11 shows the wall construction
in horizontal section; Figs. 12 and 13 also show the same in vertical sectional and
front views, respectively, and on a larger scale; Fig. 14 is a vertical sectional view
(enlarged) of the floor on the line a-x of Fig. 10; Fig. 15 is a front elevation of a
portion of the wall framing and Fig. 16 shows in elevation one of the interior columns
serving as floor supports. Figs. 17 and 18 are front elevations of two of the posts
and the girts and beams, showing different modes of arranging the parts; Fig. 19 is
a perspective view from the exterior of a portion of a post, the girts, beams, angle
plates and shelf for the veneer; and Fig. 20 is a perspective view (enlarged) of a

page_text: one of the posts showing the manner of securing the plates and breakin
joints.
In the several views A. A. designate laminated framing-posts composed of plates
of iron or steel laid together so as to break joint and secured together by bolts o
rivets a. The plates should be relatively long and those for the lower portion of th
posts of unequal length, so that as other plates are added they may over-lap and brea
joint throughout the entire length of the structure. The posts are made to suitabl
diminish in thickness for the successive stories by omission of an outer plate a, a
proper intervals, so that the central shape of the posts will be tapering from
foundation to roof; and they can of course be constructed in this manner of any
desired height, regard being had to the size and proper proportioning of the plates
in the structure, and thus form, when braced, a continuous skeleton of frame extending
from bottom to top of the structure.
The framing-posts A are braced by diagonal braces B in the bays between the
windows, and by horizontal braces B in the bays in which the windows are placed.
They are also connected at each floor by horizontal girts C which extend entirely
around the structure and are made continuous by connecting their ends by fish plates
or by overlapping and riveting, and are fastened to the posts by angle plates c, and
the framing is further connected and strengthened by a system of horizontal ties, D,
at each floor, which also form a part of the floor support both longitudinally and
transversely. These ties D have one end fastened to the posts A and the other end
fastened to a tie D extending in transverse direction, and a rectangular opening E is
thus formed in the centre of the structure. At the junction of the ties, and at such
other intervals as may be necessary, are columns F extending to and supporting the
ties D of the floor next above.
the ties D to the next floor, and the space between such walls and the outer building
Interior walls or partitions G may be built up from
walls may be divided by partitions H, as shown, or in such other arrangement as
desired.
In the angles of the central space E are arranged the elevators I. Three elevators
may be conveniently arranged in each angle, with their cable i oporating in the
interior space e between the elevator walls and stairs.
, are double pairs of stairs placed at right angles to each other across the space
intermediate of the elevators; the one & leading to a landing midway of the story,
and the other at right angles to the former and leading to the floor above.
The floors L are supported on the iron beams D which rest on the girts Cand
are connected by tie-rods n extending diagonally from the upper and lower portions
of the beam, respectively to the lower and upper portion of the adjacent beams, as
shown in Figs. 10 and 14. An arched formation of Terra Cotta or other fire-proofing
material M is built in between the beams, in the usual way, and the tie-rods prevent
the spreading or twisting of the beams D. The interior of the framing is covered 4
with a fire-proof tiling O or other material, in the ordinary manner.
Around the entire exterior of the framing, except the window spaces, is a
sheathing P of wire-lath or other suitable material for the inner support of a thick
covering of mineral wood or other non-conducting substance, and this is in turn
covered on its exterior surface by a second sheathing P¹ of wire lath or other 4
suitable material.
R is an exterior veneering of stone or other suitable material, supported at each
story (and at closer intervals when necessary) by shelves S that rest upon and are
secured to projecting portions c¹ of the angle-plates c.
at proper points by anchor-rods t that are made fast to the braces B B¹.
And the veneering is secured
my
said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :
1. A building having a continuous skeleton of metal, a covering of vencer, and
non-conducting packing between the skeleton and veneer, for the nurneze
forth.
50

page_text: 2. In a building frame, a continuous diminishing laminated post, formed of layers
of metal plates secured together and arranged to break joint and decreasing in
number towards the top.
3. In iron building construction, the combination with a framing composed of
continuous laminated posts suitably connected by braces and girts of tie-beams
secured theroto and to one another, substantially as set forth.
4. In iron building construction the combination with a framing composed of
continuous laminated framing-posts suitably connected by braces, of an exterior
covering of non-conducting material, for the purpose set forth.
5. In iron building construction the combination with a framing composed of
laminated posts suitably connected by braces and girts, of an exterior covering of
non-conducting materials and a stone or other veneering exterior and supported on
shelves secured to the framing, substantially as set forth.
6. In a frame for a building of two or more stories, a series of tapering posts
extending from base to top of the frame and formed of metal plates in layers secured
with their flat sides together, and arranged to break joint, and braces and girts for
connecting and securing the posts, substantially as set forth.
7. In a building frame, a series of continuous framing posts composed of metal.
plates secured with their flat sides together and breaking joint, in combination with
girts and tie-beams secured thereto at each floor, substantially as set forth..
8. The combination with the laminated plates, of the continuous girts secured
thereto, and the tie-beams also secured thereto, and to one another, substantially as
set forth.
9. The combination with the framing posts and braces, of the wire-lath or other
suitable coverings, the non-conducting packing and the veneering supported by the
shelves and anchor-rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
10. The combination with the building frame composed of the laminated posts,
girts, tie-beams and pillars, arranged to form a central wall, of the elevator shafts and
stairs arranged therein, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination with the building frame constructed with a central well, of
elevator shafts arranged in the corners of such well and flights of stairs rising from
opposite sides of such well to a central landing, and other flights rising from said
landing to the other sides of such well; substantially as set forth.
12. The combination with the posts and girts forming the outer frame, of the
beams having their outer ends resting on the girts and secured to the posts and their
inner ends secured to beams that are transverse to them, the pillars therefrom and the
diagonal tie-rods substantially as set forth.
13. The combination with the posts and girts, of the angle-plates connecting them
and forming supports, for the vencer shelves.
14. The combination with the posts and their braces, of the plates forming the shelf
supports, the shelves, the veneer, and the anchor-rods, substantially as set forth.
Dated this Thirteenth day of April 1888:
LEROY S. BUFFINGTON.