Building construction

Application filed September 22, 1926. Serial No. 137,033.

This invention relates to building construction and has special reference to double walls formed, of concrete blocks, the object being to produce a wall of novel construction which 5 may be hollow or solid, as preferred, and to which plaster or stucco may be easily applied and will be positively anchored.

The invention also has for an object the production of a block of novel form which 10 may be easily laid in courses to produce inner and outer walls without requiring a block in one wall to' be set with special reference to a particular block in the other wall and with which re-enfprcing rods may be easily 15 .assembled in such a.'manner as to insure alignment of the blocks and their proper spacing in the two walls.

Other objects will, appear in the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a wall embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig.. 3 is a perspective view of an outside 25 comer block;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of an inside corner block;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of an intermediate or side block.

Referring particularly, to Fig. 5, there is shown a side block, consisting of a body 1, which is substantially rectangular and of dimensions conforming to standard practice, or to meet special requirements. On one side face, the body is formed with vertical grooves or notches 2 having parallel walls set obliquely with respect to the face of the block so that the grooves or notches will not be merely surface channels but will constitute, in effect, chambers within the body opening.through the side thereof, and each having one overhanging wall. As a result of this formation, when the blocks are built into a wall and a trowel is run over the surface to apply stucco or plaster thereto, the stucco or plaster will be forced into the grooves or notches and thereby firmly anchored or keyed in place. On the opposite face of the blocks are formed . three vertical lugs or tongues 3 and 4, the liigs ₅₀ 4 at the ends or the blocks being each onei half the width of the central lug or tongue 3 whereby, when blocks are superposed in break-joint relation, the spaces 5 between the lugs on all the blocks will be brought into vertical alignment. By this means an ade- 55 quate and full bearing surface is provided for all blocks as they are laid. The opposed side edges or walls of the lugs are formed with vertical grooves 6 where they meet the mam body of the block so that when a con- 60 crete or other plastic filler, as shown at 7 in Fig. 2, is poured into the space between the two walls, the filler will be firmly anchored to the blocks and -a stable strong wall will result. In the top and bottom of all the lugs, 65 grooves 8, preferably semi-cylindrical, extend longitudinally of the block to receive reenforcing rods, as at 9 in Fig. 1, and these grooves are all set at tfiq same distance from faces of the lugs so·· that .when the re-eriforc- 70 ing rods are placed in the grooves the blocks in a course will be aligned end to end and the blocks in superposed courses wilkbe held also . in proper vertical alignment, inasmuch as the rods will, engage in the grooves in the meet- 75 ing faces of the> superimposed blocks, as shown in Fig. 1. i

In the top. and bottom of each block, there are depressions.or clips 10 to receive mortar which will form a key or dowel to bond the 80 blocks together.

Longitudinal grooves 11 are also formed m the top of the main body of the block to receive the ends of tie-rods 12 (see Fig. 1) which extend across the space between the 85 inner and outer walls and engage in like grooves in the two wills to tie the walls together. Preferably, the tie-rods are disposed so. that they will pass across the spaces 5 and will be relatively thin so that they will be 90 covered by the mortar between the courses of blocks.

In Fig. 3 there is shown an outside corner .· block 13 which lias all the structural features of the. side block shown in Fig. 5 and set 95. forth in the foregoing description, except that at one end the lug 4 is Omitted and a branch 14 is substituted therefor, said arm or branch extending laterally from the main body of the block. It will be understood, of 100 course, that while the drawing shows the branch member as formed at a right angle to the main body it may be arranged at a greater or Jess , angle to meet the conditions in any particular building operation. The branch 105 14 is provided at its end· on its inner -face with a lug 15 corresponding in all respects to the end lug 4, except that it is at an angle

1.719,782 to the central lug. The space 16 between the lug 15 and the central lug 3 follows the angle of the block and a plastic filler poured therein will, of course, be keyed to the two branches 5 of the block. The aligning and re-enfprcing rod 9 may be bent, as at 17, if desired, to conform to the angle of the block and thereby aid in maintaining the angle in the wall.

In Fig. 5, an inner corner block is shown. 10 This block 18 differs from the outer corner block in having the recesses or grooves 2 in the sides of its inner angle while the anchoring lugs are formed on the sides of its outer angle. It will also be noted that an angular 15 lug 19 is provided at the outer corner of the block to project from both of the meeting outside faces of the block, and one of the grooves 8 in said lug opens through a side of the lug so that the end of the aligning and .20 re-enforcing rod may be anchored in the plastic filler, as indicated at 20.

In building a wall of these blocks, the blocks are laid in courses with mortar between the courses, the aligning and tie-rods 25 being placed in position as each course is laid, it being understood that the inner and outer walls are erected simultaneously. In laying the courses, the blocks are so.placed that they will break joint and, to this end, 30 the corner blocks are reversed in the alternate courses, having their longer arms or main portions in one side of the wall in one course and in the other side of the wall in the next course. In this method of construc35 tion, so far as the individual blocks are concerned, the impractical features which have characterized many previously- devised concrete blocks systems are eliminated, and each . wall is constructed independently of the 40 other wall. There is no necessity for the blocks in one wall “mating” or having any definite position in reference to those in the other wall. The usual masonry methods and practice are all that is necessary to insure 45 a solid permanent construction.

After the walls have reached a sufficient height, the plastic filler 7 is pouredj if a filler is to be used, and after the building of the wall is completed plaster 21 is applied 50 to the inner surface of the inner wall and stucco 22 to the outer surface of the outer wall. The stucco, however, may be omitted and the outer surface of the outer wall be furnished by the outer faces of the blocks 55 which may be given any desired finish.

A structure built with our blocks under our system, may be rapidly erected at a low cost, and attains maximum strength and durability. Such a structure becomes a homoge60 neous, monolithic mass as soon as the concrete filler has permanently set.

By providing both inside and outside corner blocks the wall corners are sharply defined and the proper relation of the inner and es outer walls is assured. The peculiar form of the grooves in the outer faces of the blocks provides positive and highly efficient anchorage for the stucco or plaster and they are so disposed that proper anchoring of the stucco or plaster cannot be avoided. The form of 70 the retention grooves or spaces in the opposed faces of the blocks produces a very substantial and firm binding between the blocks and the plastic filler. Because of the shapes of the inner and outer corner blocks 75 as well as because of the type of construction a permanent, earthquake-proof structure is attained by this system.

The inner and outer walls may be placed any desired distance apart according to the 80 thickness desired in the finished wall without affecting the manner in which the blocks are to be laid, and the distance apart of the two walls accurately maintained without additional structure by the use of the cross tie- 85 rods 12, xvhich alxvays accurately maintain the proper distance of one xvall from the other.