Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
t'~4L
Building components, especial~ for wall construction, and
bricks which are semi-finished means for manufacturing the
same
The invention relates to the manufacture of brick walls
and the like, especially in the form of prefabricated
components or panels, with or without insulation, and in
which the layer or layers of briclc can be of small thick-
ness.
Brick is a material which is especially durable and has
a number of advantages, sl~ch as hiyh resistance to moisture
and frèezing, dcnsity, color fastness -to light, good
appearance, especially with age, etc~ Although a brick wall
has unequaled advantages, the high costs of building on
site and the appearance of modern competitive insula-ting
materials such as fiberglass and mineral-wool mats have
resulted in a sharp decrease in the use of masonry brick
walls.
The purpose of the invention was to achieve a brick wall
which would meet the re~uirements of prefabrication or the
like and good insulation, combined with the known advantages
of brick walls.
An initial problem which arises is that one must be
able to make thinner bricks. More specifically, it is very
difficult to manufacture bricks in the form of thin plates,
~5 since under normal drying and firing conditions they tend to
warp .So, even if it is possible in principle to manufacture
~ ,,
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such bricks, the percentage oE discards for defects is unaccept-
ably high.
In making prefabricated or movable panels of masonry
brick, a second problem presents itself, namely the tensile
strength of both the bricks and the masonry joints is insufficient.
A prefabricated panel or other component must be capable of being
transported long distances, be lifted into place and anchored etc.,
and therefore it requires greater strength than that required in a
wall which is built up in place. Not even in walls which are built
in place with thin bricks can this problem be considered as solved
in a way which fulfills those strength requirements which are
desirable.
Therefore, it is desirable in walls comprising thin
bricks to be able to increase the tensile strength by laying in
reinforcement~
The invention provides a brick for use in manufacturing
a building component which on at least one outer side has the
appearance of an array of bricks interconnected by mortar joints,
said brick having outer dimensions that orm a parallelepiped, and
having wide long sides between which is a preformed slot, extending
along the longitudinal axis of the brick and penetrating through
the brick, said brick including two transverse slots, stemming from
the first-mentioned slot and extending from the longitudinal axis
of the brick approximately half-way towards the respective long
side of the brick, whereby the brick can be split along the longi-
tudinal slot to make split bricks for use in the building component,
the transverse slots remaining in the brick sections after split-
ting being adapted to receive reinforcement means in the form of
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wires ox rods.
The effect of this is especially advantageous if the
transverse slots intended for the reinforcement rods are sufficient-
ly deep so that the rods will be at or near the middle of the
bricks and thus near the neutral axis of the panel made of brick
and mortar. A greatly increased tensile strength in one direction
is the result. If one wishes to achieve a corresponding effect in
a direction perpendicular thereto, reinforcement ~an also be laid
into the hori20ntal joints which are perpendicular to the reinforce-
ment rods, either by laying down a metal net or the like or by
using fiber-mixed mortar.
Splitting of bricks has been known for a long time. To
facilitate splitting, fractural indications of different types have
been made as the bricks are manufactured, such as grooves on the
outside of the brick or channels on the inside. Examples of this
are given in Swedish Patent Specification 34 808, C. J. Gustafsson,
January, 1910, German Patent Specification 808 379, Boger & Co.,
12 July, 1951r Swedish Patent Specification 171 603, AB Bygg-Zata,
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June, 1960, Danish Patent Specification 50 163 Tegelbruks AB Walla-Katrineholm,
23 April, 1935, and Ge-rman Patent Specification 622 414, Schroder, Nov., 1935.
In many of these cases the fractural indications are combined with, or
alternatively can function as, holes for reducing weight and increasing
insulating capacity.
It is also known to arrange brick walls with reinforcing rods, as
described in Sandberg Norwegian Patent Specification 36 509, Jan., 1923.
As disclosed in this patent specification, reinforcing rods are placed in
projections ;n each brick. These T-shaped bricks thus have a shape which
makes them difficult to fire, as well as stack, transport and handle. The
shape shown and described should not lead the person skilled in the art to the
idea that the bricks for reinforced masonry walls should be made by splitting,
after firing, of bricks which are better suited to firing.
An especially advantageous application of the invention presents
itself if the prefabrication of sections is organized in such a way that
reinforcement wires are arranged with suitable spacing so as to resemble the
warp in a woven fabric. In place of the warp we have the rows of bricks made
according to the principles of the invention and possibly reinforcements laid
in the horizontal joints, which can be of wire, net or even fibers in the
mortar. This provides satisfactory tensile strength in two orthogonal directions.
The bricks used for implementing the invention are first made in the
form of whole bricks with essentially parallel-epipedic exterior shape. In the
same manner as clay is injected moulded to produce so-called hollow brick, at
least one slot opening is arranged along the longitudinal axis of the parallel-
epiped, with at least two cross slots branching off therefrom, which extend
from said first-mentioned slot outwards in either direction, essentially half-way
to each side surface. The brick is then quite easily split, into two halves for
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example, and the cross slots can hold ~he reinforcement which is already in
place.
As is evident from the embodiments described below, it is possibl0
to split the present brick and obtain otller
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shapes~ allowing one half to remain together with a portion
of the other half. The complete system, which is suitably
based on the new module dimension of 10 cm and multiples
thereof, can preferably also include one or more auxiliary
~shapes in addition to a normal brick, from which the ma]or
proportion~of ~ricks are made by splitting. Certain of the
brick types obtained by splitting are also sui-table for
making corners.
Although the splitting of the bricks can be done as
usual by hand, it i5 more efficient to do it by machine,
using a devlce operating on the same well-known principle
as a log splitter.
Although the invention was made primarily to solve the
problem of ~aking flat wall panels for building construc-
tion, it is easy to see that it can be used in manydifferent ways. For example, the intended wall can be used
in a chimney construction. The invention can be of great
practical value in other masonry applications, suc~ as brick
Eurnace lining for metallurgical uses etc. where the low
tensile strength of ordinary brick lining is a disadvantage.
It will be understood t:hat the reinforcemell~ mn~ b~ e ~E
a rnaterial which can withstalld the intended ~eml~erature and
still haye an appropriate coefficient of expansion, or -that
the re;nforcement must be placed so that it is securely
protected from heat.
The invention will now be described in more detail with
reference to a pair of examples which are shown in the
figures.
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a whole brick, in
principle corresponding to a three-module normaL brick in
the system.
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a brick in an
auxiliary shape with a two-module lenyth.
Figs, 3 A-G shows examples of bricks obtained by
splittingO
Fig. 4 shows an example of a façade section as seen from
the front.
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Fig. 5 shows three courses in the sec-tion in Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 shows a brick course in a square chimney built
according to the principles o~ the invention.
The brick shown in Fig. 1 is provided with two
longitudinal slots 1, from which cross or branch slots 2
extend half-way to the long sides. In addition to these
cross-shaped configurations there are holes 3 of conventional
type in the brick arranged along the length of the brick.
These holes 3 have no connection with the invention. They
are designed to improve the insulating properties of the
brick, reduce weight and also facilitate drying and firing
of the brick during manufacture This brick has a length of
three modules with the assumed module length of 10 cm.
The brick shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that in E`ig. 1
bu~ has a shorter length. This brick has an auxiliary shape
from which bricks with essentially 2/3 of the ordinary
length can be split. tIt is known that a three-module
brick must be one joint width shorter than thx-ee module
lengths and a two-module brick one joint width shorter than
~ 20 two modules.)
~ ricks are now manufactured, as the per~on skilled in
the art knows, almost exclusively ~y e~tl`ud` ~ clay through
a suitabLy shaped die, and cutting off the clay column
into bricks, which are then dried and fire~l. To~obtain
bricks like those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 th~ die opening
is provided with portions corresponding to the cross-shaped
configura-tions .
It should be noted that it is also possible to use bricks
without the holes 3 or with corresponding holcs of another
shape and/or configuration. The essential ~e~ r-es are,
~irstly, that there are slots corresponding L~ Lhe slots 1,
to facilitate splitting, and secondly, slots 2 which are
suited for holding reinforcement. It is intended that
conceivable modifications, which are large in number, shall
be encompassed by the invention. For example, it is
conceivable to have yrooves or slots to Eacilitate splitting
on the outside of the brick as well tnot shown)~
Figs. 3A-G show several different forms of bricksy which
can be split from the bricks shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with
whole top views being shown in Figs. 3A and 3D. The points
labelled 5 are the points where reinforcement can be placed
S ~ith advantage.
Figs. 4~and 5 illustrate how a thin, reinforced
component can be built with the aid of bricks as shown in
Fig. 3A and a few smaller sized bricks. The reinforcement
rods S can be fixed at the ends of the wall in a suitable
manner, e.g. bending them over the bottom and top courses,
if they are not to be used for anchorlng or transporting
the panel.
Another example of a use for the invention is a square
chimney, of which one course is shown in Fig~ 6. In such a
chimney, starting from the inside, there is a refractory
brick lining 60, which can be made of whole bricks according
to the invention, an insulating layer 61 filled with in-
sulating agent, and a surrounding casing in the form of a
brick shell 62. ~y virtue of the fact that the outer shell
is made according to the invention~, it is reinforced so that
it can absorb tensile forces wllich-or~lnary m~sonry shells
cannot. In the present construction Ll~e bricks in the outer
shell are provided with inwardly directed projections with
essentially the same thickness as the Lnsulation layer, but
these projections are not mortared to the interior lining,
so that said lining can move in relation to the outer shell,
e.g. through expansion when the chimney is heated by flue
gases. The projections on the bricks prevent the insulating
layer 61 from being reduced in thickness by stresses or
otherwise. With the construction according to the invention,
where the brickwork is able to absorb tensile stresses, the
cross section of the chimney can be reduced appreciably
while retaining its strèngth against wind forces, for
example. It should be noted that only the surrounding shell
62 contains reinforcement rods (S), which are insula~ed
against heating from flue gases by the inner refractory
brick lining 60 (completely free of reinforcement rods) and
by the insulating layer 61.
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;37~'l
The person skilled in the art will understand that the
- bricks in the inner lining can be made withou~ ~he cross-
shaped slots 2 (Figs. l and 2) but that the longitudinal
slots 1 according to the invention are advantageous with
`~ respect to insulation.
The placement of the reinforcement rods (S) shown in
Fig. 6 is only one example~ especially applicable to
chimneys. There is nothing to prevent placing additional
reinEorcement rods in the cross-shaped slots in the shell
62, especially when making flat or cornerea wall co~ponents
with intermediate insulating material, as the invention
intends.
The chimney example also shows how bricks split in
various ways can be used to make a re`inforced brick structure
with corners. The person skilled in the art will be able to
calculate how the subse~uent courses should be laid for
brickwork of different types, which, as seen from the
outside, can look exactly like ordinary brickwork~ Although
in the chimney example the outer wall is not cemented to the
inner wall, it is clear that the same construction with
projections in spaces bridged by bricks, can be used to
cement together two bxick shells on either sidR of an
insulating material, e.g. roc~wool.
The variations of the possible applications of the
invention are practically unlimited/ and it is clearly
within the capacity of the person skilled in the art, with
the aid of the above description of a pair of illustrative
examples, to solve various building problems and the like by
combining split bricks via the slo-ts using a reinforcemenk
means suited to the conditions. The arrangement of the
manufacture of buildiny components between brickworks~
prefabrication plants and building sites is also considered
to be a question of suitablility determined by local and
o;tller conditions
