US2144823A - Reinforced interlocking building block - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 24, 1939. Jj A` WHl-rE Y 2,144,823

REINFOHCED INTERLOCKING BUILDING BLOCK Filed De. 3l, 1937 G 'ola IN V EN TOR.

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PatentedwJan. 24, 1939 REINFORCED INTERLOCKING BILDING BLOCK Joseph A. White, Berkeley, Calif.

Application December 31, 1937, Serial No. 182,736

7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in a reinforced interlocking building block, and it consists of the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a reinforced interlocking building block, which is an improvement over the building block shown in my Patent No. 1,451,000, issued April 10, 1923. In the patent I show a building block formed from concrete and designed to be arranged in courses for forming a wall. Novel means was employed for securing the courses of blocks together and for attaching the interior finish to the wall.

In the present form of the device, I show a building block so designed that adjacent blocks in a row Will interlock and the courses of blocks may be secured together by vertical reinforcing rods that are disposed in aligned openings that extend vertically through the courses. The 'blocks themselves, are reinforced with wire and the ends of certain of these wires are formed into circles that are arranged concentric with the axes with the Vertical recesses or openings in the blocks. These circular portions of the reinforcing Wires will therefore enclose the vertical reinforcing wires placed in the aligned openings with the result that the complete wall structure will be provided with a fabrication of steel so connected that it will withstand earthquake shocks and the like.

The blocks of concrete are so designed that they will provide the desired exterior finish to the wall. The vertical steel reinforcing wires used for connecting the rows 0f blocks together may extend into the foundation and thus anchor the wall to the concrete foundation or to a supporting girder. Each block is provided with a recess and the aligned recesses in adjacent blocks will form dead air spaces in the completed wall. These spaces will act as an insulation for the wall and will therefore be heat and cold resisting. This makes the walls damp proof and in addition the spaces can be used for receiving pipes, conduits, wires, etc.

The block is also so designed that it may form corners in the building without the necessity of providing special blocks for this purpose. Certain blocks may be altered slightly in shape to form the sides of doors and windows in the completed building. The wall constructed from the block will be lire proof, termite proof and substantially earthquake proof. It is possible to build the wall of two rows of blocks in each course, these blocks facing each other so that their combined recesses will form a wall with a hollow (Cl. 'i2-40) interior. With this arrangement, the wall will have a finished appearance on the outside as well as on the inside.

The block has nailing members preferably made of wood and embedded in the block. To these members, the interior wall construction may be fastened. Since the block is precasted, it will eliminate the costly form Work which is now necessary in constructing a concrete building. rIhe construction costs are therefore reduced to a minimum. 'Ihe completed structure provides a homogeneous, thermal wall of precast reinforced concrete blocks, and the structure may be used as a retaining wall, an abutment, a buttress, a culvert, a cellar, etc.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the device will bey particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, in which- Figure l is a plan view of two of the blocks arranged in an overlapping relation to form a portion of a wall; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure l, showing the interior of the wall.

The block is shownat A in Figures l and 2 and it comprises a central portion I formed of concrete and two end portions 2 and 3. It will be noted from Figure 2 thatA the height of the portion i is twice that of the end portions 2 and 3 and that the portion 2 has its upper surface 4 flush with the upper surface 5 of the block, while the portion 3 has its lower surface 6 flush with the lower surface 'I of the block. The undersurface 8 of the portion 2 lies in the same plane as the upper surface 9 of the portion 3 and this structure permits the blocks in the same row to partially overlap each other.

rihe portions 2 and 3 are provided with central openings I0 and Il which I prefer to call grout chambers. When the blocks in one row are placed so that the upper portion 2 of one block will overlie the lower portion 3 of the adjacent block, then the opening Ill in the portion 2 of the rst block will be aligned with the opening Il in the portion 3 of the second block. The next course of blocks disposed on tcp of the rst course, will also be so arranged that the openings in the portions 2 and 3 will align with similiar openings in the lower course of blocks. In this way the entire wall can be built so that the openings |0 and Il will form grout chambers that extend throughout the entire height of the wall.

'Ihe openings I0 and I I are designed to receive vertical reinforcing rods I2. These rods may extend'throughout the entire height of the wall or they may be made shorter in length so as to extend through two or more courses of blocks. A cementitious grout I2 is poured into the aligned openings and when set will provide reinforced columns that will connect adjacent blocks in the same course together and that will also connect superimposed blocks in adjacent courses together. In this way the blocks in the entire wall are secured to each other` in a novel manner.

As a further means of linking the blocks together, I provide reinforcing rods I3, I4 and I5 in the block A. These rods not only reinforce the concrete in the block, but in addition are provided with circular ends that enclose the openings I and II. I'he reinforcing wire I3, for example has a circular end I that encloses the opening I in the portion 2. 'Ihe wire I4 has two circular ends I1 and I8 and these ends enclose the openings IIJ and II in the portions 2 and 3 respectively. The wire I5 has a circular portion I9 that encloses the opening II. The arrangement is such that should the wall be severely shaken by an earthquake or the like, the reinforcing wires I3, I4 and I5 in adjacent blocks would engage with the vertical reinforcing rods I2 and would prevent any of the blocks from being shaken loose from the wall. The wall when completed, is a homogeneous structure because of the connection of the wires I3, I4 and I5 with the vertical wires I2, and the concrete columns I2 extending through the aligned openings I0 and II of overlapping blocks.

The portions 2 and 3 are so designed that the blocks may form corners in the building. It will be noted from Figure 1 that the portions 2 and 3 are square and this permits the block A, for example, to be lined up with the block B, as illustrated, or the block A may be turned at right angles to the block B. AIn this case the end wall 20 of the portion 2 will lie flush with the outer surface 2I of the block B. The outer surface 22 of the block A will extend at right angles to the outer surface 2|. The arrangement of the portion 2 in each block, at a higher elevation than the portion 3, will permit the blocks to be disposed at right angles to each other to form the corners of the buildings and also to overlap each other.

It is also possible for the blocks to form the sides of doors and windows. The block B shown in Figure 2 is of the type that is used to form a side of a window frame or a door frame. Instead of the end portion 2 being provided on the block B, and end portion 2a is provided and this portion extends throughout the entire height of the block. The edge 20a of the portion 2a forms Y the side of the door or window. The reinforcing Wires I3a and I 4a in block B are the same as the wires I3 and I4 in the block A. The wire l5a, however, is provided with a circular end 23 that is concentric with the opening Illa in the portion 2a. As many blocks B as necessary are disposed one above the other to provide the sides for a door or a window of the necessary height. It is also possible to form the lintels and head blocks in the same manner as the block A, except that these blocks will be made long enough to extend across the openings.

The block A is provided with a nailing member 24 in the portion 2 and a nailing member 25 in the portion 3. Figure 1 shows the members 24 and 25 as being wedge-shaped with the Widest portion of the wedges disposed adjacent to the openings I0 and II. The members 24 and 25 are preferably made of wood or other material that will receive a. nail and the faces of the members lie flush with the inner sides 26 and 21 of the portions 2 and 3. Figures 1 and 2 also show a furring strip 28 secured to the member 25. In like manner furring strips can be attached to the other members and they will form a base for laths or other interior wall finish. In this way the interior nish of the wall may be secured to the blocks.

The block A is also provided with a recess 29 formed between the portions 2 and 3 and when this recess is covered by the interior of the wall, it will form a dead air space that will act as an insulation for the building. The insulating given for the dead air space will keep the building warmer in winter and cooler in summer. The recess can also be used for receiving pipes, conduits, wiring and other fixtures that are necessary to form a completed building.

It ispossible to place two of the blocks A so that their recesses will face each other and a wall constructed in this manner will have a hollow interior for insulating purposes and the exterior surfaces of the blocks will provide a finished outer surface for the wall and a finished inner surface. With this arrangement it is unnecessary to use the members 24 and 25.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A concrete block having an outer face, and a recessed inner face, said block having cubeshaped integral portions disposed at the ends of the block, the under surface of one of the cubes lying in the same plane as the upper surface of the other cube, the outer face of the block lying flush with two of the faces of the cubes.

2.V A concrete block having an outer face, and a recessed inner face, said block having cubeshaped integral portions disposed at the ends of the block, the under surface of one of the cubes lying in the same plane as the upper surface of the other cube, the outer face of the block lying flush with two of the faces of the cubes, the cube portions of the block having vertical openings therein adapted to align with similar openings in adjacent blocks when the two or more blocks are arranged with their cube portions in overlapping relation.

3. A concreterblock having an outer face, and a recessed inner face, said block having cubeshaped integral portions disposed at the ends of the block, the under surface of one of the cubes lying in the same plane as the upper surface of the other cube, the outer face of the block lying flush with two of the faces of the cubes, the cube portions having vertical openings therein, and reinforcing wires embedded in the block and having circular ends paralleling the circular walls of the openings.

4. A concrete block having an outer face, and a recessed inner face, said block having cubeshaped integral portions disposed at the ends of the block, the under surface of one of the cubes lying in the same plane as the upper surface of the other cube, the outer face of the block lying ush with two of the faces of the cubes, and nailing members embedded in the cube portions of the block and projecting through the faces of the cubes that are disposed on the same side of the block as the recess.

5. A reinforced concrete wall formed from concrete blocks, each block having end portions of less height than the height of the block, one end portion being disposed at the top of the block at one end, and the other end portion being disposed at the other end and at the bottom of the block, the end of each block overlapping with the end of an adjacent block, the block ends having openings that align with each other when the blocks are arranged in overlapping position, reinforcing rods placed in the aligned openings and concrete disposed-in the openings for coacting With the rods for providing reinforced concrete columns securing the blocks together.

6. A reinforced concrete wall formed from concrete blocks, each block having end portions of less height than the height of the block, one end portion being disposed at the top ofthe block at one end, and the other end portion being disposed at the other end and at the bottom of the block, the end of each block overlapping with the end of an adjacent block, the block ends having openings that align with each other when the blocks are arranged in overlapping position, reinforcing rods placed in the aligned openings and concrete disposed in the openings for coacting with the rods for providing reinforced concrete columns securing the blocks together, and reinforcing wires embedded in the blocks and having circular ends surrounding the openings.

'1. A concrete block having a recessed inner wall, one end of the block having an integral cube-shaped portion with one wall lying flush with the outer block wail, the other end of the block having a portion square in cross-section and extending the full height of the block.

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