Building-block.

Application filed August 18,1902. Serial Ko. 120,103. (Ho model.) l To all whom it may concern:

Beitknownthatl, Benjamin F. VanCamp, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State 5 of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a building-block from plastic material of such ία internal construction that when a wall is produced by a plurality of superimposed blocks a plurality of vertically-disposed ventilatingshafts are formed between the outer and inner faces of the wall, which shafts are trans15 versely connected.

A further object of my invention is to form in my blocks connected bonding-grooves which shall extend around the inner faces of the block adjacent the outer or exposed faces 20 in such manner that when a plurality of such blocks are associated to form a wall the bonding material will fill mating bonding-grooves in such manner as to break the joint to prevent moisture from passing through the joints 25 from one face of the wall to the other.

A further object of my invention is to form one or more of my improved blocks with transverse ventilating-openings which will pass from one of the exposed faces of the block 30 toward the interior and connect with one of . the vertical air-shafts in such manner as to form a ventilating-opening from one or the other of the exposed faces of the wall into the interior vertical air-shaft.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a corner of joining walls formed with my improved block. Fig. 2 is a perspective view 40 of a general form which my block assumes for ordinary straight-wall construction. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a straight-wall block provided with one of the transverse ventilating-openings. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a 45 corner-block, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a plurality of superimposed blocks.

Myimproved block is intended tobeformed of any suitable plastic material which when hardened will possess the requisite strength— 50 such, for instance, as a mixture of Portland or other cement with sand aud water in proper proportions.

Formed through the block are one or more vertical openings or shafts 10, as many as may be desired being formed in the block 55 and a half-shaft being preferably formed at each end of the block, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.. Connecting each vertical shaft with the adjacent vertical shaft is a transverse conhecting-groove 11, formed in the upper 60 and lower faces of the block, so that when two blocks are superposed a transverse connecting tube or shaft is formed between vertical shafts, as shown in Fig. 5. Formedin the upper and lower faces and the two end 65 faces of the block shown in Fig. 2 are bonding-grooves 12, which are located between the vertical shafts 10 and the exposed faces of the block and are preferably connected as shown in the drawings. In order to con- 70 nect the vertical shafts of one wall with the vertical shafts of a connecting-wall extending therefrom at an angle, I provide the cornerblocks shown in Fig. 4, in which one of the half-shafts 10 is formed in one of the vertical 75 faces of the block instead of in the end. In this case the bonding-grooves 12 are arranged as shown in Fig. 4.

In order that the vertical shafts 10 maybe connected with the exterior of the wall in or- 80 der to provide a draft through the interior of the wall, I provide a special block, such as shown in Fig. 3, which block may be placed as desired in the wall during the course of construction. This special block is provided 85 with vertical shafts 10, connecting transverse shafts 11, and bonding-grooves 12, as in the Other blocks; but leading from one or more of the vertical shafts 10 through the block to one exposed face or the other is a transverse ven- 90 tilating shaft or tube 13, which thus forms a connection between the vertical shafts 10 and the exterior or inner face w'hen the wall is constructed. This opening may be left unclosed or an adjusting-cap 14 placed therein, 95 as may be desired.

The blocks described are formed in molds of a special construction, which molds form the subject-matter of a companion application. After the blocks have been formed 100 and sufficiently set they may be built into the wall in a usual manner, bonding material being placed between the coaeting faces and in the bonding-grooves 12, so as to form the

β...... 738.G13 bar or rib 15, extending entirely around each block and embedded between the conjoining faces of the several blocks between the exposed faces of the blocks and the intermedi5 ate vertical air-shafts 10, thus forming a break in the joint between adjacent blocks and serving as a stop for any moisture which might tend to creep through the joints from one face of the wall or the other. The vertijo cal shafts 10 are preferably so arranged in the V blocks that continuous air-shafts extend from /\ the bottom to top of the wall when the blocks ' ' are associated together, and by the proper introduction of the special block shown in Fig. 15 3 any desired number of external connections through the shafts 13 may be formed with the external face, either, on the outside face of the wall, or preferably from the inside face, so as to thus form a ventilating-opening for 20 any room. By means of the transverse shafts 11 all of the vertical shafts 10 are connected together so that, in effect, a continuous airshaft is formed from bottom to top through the entire length of the wall, and these 25 grooves 11 will prevent any moisture from creeping from one face of the wall to the other in ease such moisture should get past the bonding-ribs 15.