Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a building brick and more
particularly it relates to an improved self aligning building
brick.
This invention has been devised to provide a self
aligning build:ing brick which will be easy to place and which
will have a strong structural joint between adjoining bricks.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a building
brick usable for constructing a wall of the like which will
have a uniform and pleasing appearance. It is also an object
of this invention to provide a building brick which is
easy to manufacture and robust in use.
With the foregoing and other objects in view this
invention resides broadly and a building brick having
(a) first and second major contact faces forming
the upper and lower surfaces of said brick,
(b) first and second end faces,
(c) first and second side faces,
(d) said first major contact face having a pair
of parallel upstanding ridges on adjacent each
side of said brick and each ridge extending
substantially the entire length of said brick,
said first face having a first recessed portion
between said ridges, and said first recessed
portion extending substantially the entire
length of said brick,
(e) said second major contact face having a pair of
depressed surfaces one at each side of said
brick and extending substantial:ly the entire
length of said brick, and a raised portion
; 30 between said depressed surfaces,
'~
~o~;s~s~
(f) said depressed surfaces and ridyes and said
raised and recessed portions being complementary
in height and location so that when one brick
is placed atop another, said ridges interlock
in and lie sealingly against said depressed sur-
faces to align said side faces of said bricks
and to restrain sideways movement of one of
said bricks relative to the other,
(g) the projection of said ridges beyond said first
recessed portion being at least .3 cm greater
: than the projection of said raised portion
beyond said depressed surfaces, to provide a
horizontal space at least .3 cm high between
successive rows of said bricks for bonding
material, the maximum width of said space being
at least 40 percent of the width of said bricks,
(h) said first end face having a pair of projecting
vertical edge portions, one adjacent each edge
of said brick and extending substantially the
entire height of said brick, and having a
second recessed portion between said edge
portions, said second recessed portion extending
substantially the entire height of said
brick, said first end surface defining with
: said second end surface of another said brickagainst which it is placed a vertical space
: extending the entire height of said bricks
for containing bonding material, said vertical
space being at least .3 cm thick and the edges
iO~;Sl~
t}l~reof being sealed by contact of said
edge portions against said second end surface
of such other brick, so that when said bricks
are assembled into a wall, flowable bonding
material may be poured into one of said vertical
spaces for filling other said vertical and
horizontal spaces between bricks in said wall.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of bricks
shown ~n spaced apart relationship one above the other;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of either brick illustrated
in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is an end view of a pair of bricks in operative
relation one above the other;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modification of the
brick of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a plan view of two of the bricks of Fig. 4
in end to end relation;
Fig. 6 is an end view of two of the bricks of Fig. 4 in
operative relation one above the other;
Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a corner brick
of the invention;
Fig. 8 is a bottom perspective view of a corner brick
of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the corner brick of
~, Fig. 7;
Fig. 10 is a top plan view of a left hand corner brick
of the invention;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a corner of a wall
made from bricks of the invention;
-- 4 --
10~i5~S~
Fig. 12 is a side sectional view of a wall made
from bricks of the invention;
Fig. 13 is an end view of two modified bricks of
the invention in operative relation one above the other;
Fig. 14 is an end view of two further modified bricks
of the invention in operative relation one above the other;
Fig. 15 is an end view of two still further modified
bricks of the invention in operative relation one above the
other;
Figs. 16 and 17 are perspective views of a modified
corner brick;
Figs. 18 and 19 are perspectiveviews of a pillar
brick according to the invention;
Fig. 20 is a top plan view of the pillar brick of
Figs. 18 and 19; and
Fig. 21 is an end view of an assembly of the pillar
bricks of Figs. 18 to 20.
Reference is first made to Figs. 1 to 3, which show
a building brick 10 having an upper major contact face 12, a
lower major contact face 14, side faces 16 and 18, and end
faces 20, 22. These faces are all substantially rectangular,
except for the interlocking features to be described.
The upper face 12 has a pair of longitudinally
extending engagement ridges 24 which extend the entire
length of the brick, one at each side of the brick. The
ridges 24 are triangular in shape and define between them a
flat recessed area 26~
The lower face 14 has a pair of depressed surfaces 28,
one at each side of the brick and each also extending the
entire length of the brick. Located between the depressed
~o~s~s'~
surfaces 28 is a raised or projecting portion 30 having a
flat lower surface 32 and sides 33 which slope at the same
arlgle as the angle of the intericr sides of the ridges 24.
As shown in Fig. 3, the ridges 24 and depressed surfaces
28 are complementary. When one brick 10 is placed atop
another, the ridges 24 of the lower brick engage within the
depressed surfaces 28 of the upper brick. The sides 33 of the
raised portion 30 lie against the inner surfaces 34 of the
ridges 24 and the flat depressed surfaces 28 rest and are
supported on the tips of the ridges 24. This aligns the side
faces of the bricks and prevents sideways movement of one
brick relative to the other. In addition, the forces exerted
by one brick on another are substantially purely compressive.
~t will also be seen, as best shown in Fig. 3, that
the projection dl of the portion 30 beyond the depressed sur-
faces 28 is less than the projection d2 of the ridges 24
beyond the recessed surface 26. This provides a space 36
between the bricks. The space 36 helps to prevent small
particles present during the laying of the bricks from causing
rnisalignment of the assembled bricks. For this purpose the
width d3 of the speace 36 is quite large, typically at least
40 percent of the width of the brick. The space 36 is also
useful for containing mortar to bind the bricks together,
and for this purpose the space 36 should be at least .3 cm
deep. Preferably the space 36 is at least .5 cm deep, and
will commonly be .8 cm or more deep.
When the bricks are assembled, a recess 38 is visible
extending along the sides of the bricks at the locations
where they join. The recess 38 is produced by the sloping
outer surface of the ridges 24, which diverge from the flat
depressed surfaces 28. The recess 38 provides an apparent
- 6 -
1~515~
visual gap between the rows of bricks, for decorative
purposes. Mortar or sealant may be inserted into the
re!cess 38 if desired.
As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, one end face 20 may be
f]at and the other end face 22 may be recessed as shown
at: 40, to provide a space for mortar between the ends of
the bricks, to bond the end faces together.
Reference is next made to Figs. 4 to 6, which show
a brick similar to that of Figs. 1 to 3. In Figs. 4 to 6,
primed reference numerals indicate parts corresponding to
those of Figs. 1 to 3. The differences between the brick
10' of Figs. 4 to 6 and the brick 10 of Figs. 1 to 3 are
as follows. Firstly, the recessed area 26' has been
recessed more deeply, so the inner faces 34a' of the
ridges 24' are now longer than the outer faces 34b' of the
ridges. The angles "a" and "b" remain (as in the brick 10)
45 degrees. This provides a deeper space 36' for mortar.
~he outer faces 34b' of the ridges 24' have not been
deepened since too deep a recess 38' is undesirable (typical
dimensions will be given shortly).
Secondly, a ~lat strip 42 is provided at the top of
each ridge 24'. The flat strip 42, although narrow,
reduces the likelihood of chips occurring at the apices of
the ridges 42.
Thirdly, the end faces 20', 22' are now formed almost
exactly like the upper and lower faces 12', 14'. The end
face 22' has a pair of vertical ridges 44 one at each side
thereof, each having a sloping inner surface 46a. The ridges
44 are exactly the same as the ridges 34', except that
their outer surfaces 46b do not slope fully like surfaces
34b', but instead have only a ~evel 48 at their edges.
.
,:
- 7
iOt;Si5~L
Located between ~he ridges 44 is a recessed area 49. The
end face 20' has a pair of vertically oriented depressed
s~lrfaces 50 one at each side thereof, with a projecting
portion 52 therebetween. The end face 20 is exactly like
the lower face 14, except that its side edges are bevelled
ar, indicated at 54. When two bricks lO' are pla~ed end
to end as shown in Fig. 5, the combined width of the two
bevels 48, 54, i5 equal to the depth of the recess 38'.
This provides a recess of uniform width (as viewed from
the side) around each brick in a wall formed from the bricks.
The end faces 20', 22' also define between them a space
56 for mortar. The space 56 has the same cross-sectional
dimensions as the space 36'. It will be seen that since
end face 20' is complementary to top face 12', and end
ace 22' is complementary to bottom face 14', an end face
can be placed against its complementary top or bottom face
while preserving the interloc};ing features of the bricks.
The final difference between the bricks 10, 10' is
that the projecting portion 30' on the bottom face 14' is
divided in two by a transverse valley 58 having sides 60
which slope outwardly and downwardly the same as the side
surfaces ofthe portion 30'. With this feature, one brick
can be placed crosswise atop another brick and will still
interlock therewith. The two parts of the bottom portion
30' are each identical and each have a central vertical axis
of symmetry 61. For slightly curved walls, the two parts
of the bottom portion 30' may be circular, as indicated in
dotted lines 61a.
Typical dimensions for the Figs. ~ to 6 brick are as
follows:
- 8 --
lS~
dl' .7cm
d2' 1.5cm
d2a' 1.0cm
d3 4.5cm
d3a 6.lcm
d4 .8cm
d5 ll.lcm
d6 22.2cm
d7 6.6cm
d8 .8cm
d9 .8cm
It will be appreciated that the above dimensions can
of course be varied, but the feature described above (at
]east .3cm thick spaces 36', 56' or mortar and as wide as
possibe, and wide spacing of the support points at which
one brick rests on another)should be retained. In addition,
the angle b can be varied, although a substantial slope is
preferred, and angles b and bl can also be different (i.e.
angle bl can be less than angle b), if desired.
A corner brick 62 is shown in Figs. 7 to 9 for use
with the brick 10. The corner brick 62 is the same as brick
10' except for the following differences. One side ridge
24a'' and one depressed surface 28a'' are extended along one
end face 20'' of the brick. The end face 20 " between the
ridge 24a'' and depressed surface 28a" is flat. In
addition at the other side of the brick, a receiving face
64 is formed in side face 18''. The receiving face 64 is
the same as end face 20' of brick 10l, having a pair of ridges
44'' and a recessed area 49'' therebetween. The receiving
face 64 is therefore complementary to the end face 20' of
_ g _
5~54
brick 10' so that a brick 10l can be laid with its end
face 20' interlocked in the receiving face 64.
The corner brick 62 is a right hand brick (the
rleceiving face 64 opens to the right as viewed looking
toward the flat end face 20'', and left hand corner bricks
66 are also provided, as shown in Fig. 10. The corner
brick 66 is the same as corner brick 62 except that its
receiving face 68 opens to the left as viewed looking
toward the flat end of brick 66.
If desired, a corner brick may also be made having
its receiving face 68 formed exactly like end face 20',
i.e. having aprojecting portion the same as portion 52,pro-
jecting from side face 18'' in placé of the recessed area
49''. However this is less desirable for manufacturing,
shipping and storage purposes.
In use, the corne~ bricks are assembled as shown in
Fig. 11, with left and right hand corner bricks 62, 66
alternating vertically, and with ordinary run bricks 10'
abutting the end faces of each corner brick. A wall shown
at 70 in Fig. 11 is thus formed.
In the construction of a wall such as wall 70, each
brick can be mortared when it is laid. Because the space
36 or 36' is wide, if it is necessary to adjust the height
of the wall under e.g. a windowsill, this can be done by
adding thick mortar in the space 36, 36' to raise the
upper brick slightly. The width of space 36, 36' is
sufficient that enough mortar can be placed in it to support
the weight of the upper brick.
Alternatively a substantia~ portion of a wall can be
assembled (the bricks will hold together since they inter-
lock) and then a low viscosity mortar mixture can be poured
-- 10 --
~Q65ilS4
down one of the spaces 56 between the end faces of two of
the bricks in the wall. As shown in the sectional view of
Fig. 12, all of the vertical spaces 56 and the horizontal
spaces 36' interconnect. Tests have shown that a thin mortar
mixture 72 poured down a vertical space 56 will fill the
horizontal spaces 36', 56 in a large portion of the wall.
If pumped under pressure, the fill range may be extended
further. Thus, a large section of a wall may be assembled
without mortar, and may then be mortared in a single simple
operation. Provided that the bricks are laid tightly together
in end to end relation, little or no mortar will leak out,
because it will be seen that the spaces 36, 36' are sealed
at their sides by engagement of the ridges 24 against the
surfaces of the next brick, and the spaces 56 at the ends of
the bricks are similarly sealed. If no mortar is used, any
water which penetrates the wall will run out of the
interconnecting spaces, so the wall is self-weeping.
Further variations of the brick of the invention are
shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15. In Fig. 13 the recessed portion
100 between the ridges 102 is curved, and the sides of the
raised portion 104 on the lower face of the brick are
similarly curved. In Fig. 14 the bevel 105 to provide an
edge recess is located at the edges of the depressed surfaces
106 instead of at the edges of the ridges 10~. In Fig. lS
the angle "c" of the inner surface of the ridges 110 has
been steepened to increase the width of the space 112 between
the bricks.
Figs 16 and 17 show a corner brick 120 similax to
that of Figs. 7 and 8, the only difference being that the
bevel 122 (which forms the exterior side recess between
lS~
adjacent rows of bricks) is located on the major contact face
which contains the raised portion 12~, instead of being on the
other major contact face 126.
Fiys. 18, 19 and 20 show a pillar brick 130 according
to the invention. The pillar brick 130 is similar to the
brick 10' but is formed so that it can be stacked in pairs
(as shown in Fig. 21) about a pillar 132. The pillar brick
130 has one side face 134 which may be simply flat, and which
contains a semi-circular opening 136 for the pillar 132. The
upper major contact face 138 of brick 130 contains ridges
140 (which are the same as ridges 24' of brick 10') along its
remaining three edges, with a recessed surface 142 between
the ridges~ The lower major contact face 144 of brick 130
contains depressed surfaces 146 along all of its sides,
with raise~ portions 148 within the depressed surfaces 146.
The interlocking fit of the pillar bricks is exactly the
same as that of the bricks 10 previously described, and the
assembly produces a square with the pillar 132 at its centre.
The pillar brick 130 may be used as part of a wall containing
the other bricks of the invention, and its end faces may be
shaped as shown for end faces 20', 22' of Figs. 4 and 5,
so that they will interlock with the end faces of other bricks
in the wall.
- 12 --
