Patents of Interest to Builders

Progress, Volume XII, Issue 11, 1 July 1917, Page 1027

Patents of Interest to Builders

Glazing Roofing Tiles. —A patent, No. 841, lias been taken out by A. F. Echberg, for W. C. Cone and D. H. Bureau of Victoria. To permit the rounded edges to be dusted with glazing powder Before removal from the mould.

the mould box is mounted above the table by means of the pivot 3 and block 5. The box is tilted by the treadleconnected rod 6.

Roofing Tile. —A patent No. 1934 lias been taken out by (4. 0. Hughes and .T. b. Armstrong of Victoria which consists of an interlocking tile which is provided with a plain

upper face 8 sloping upwardly to a plain horizontal nosing 11. Channels 3, 5 drain the joint laterally, and a central reinforcing rib is formed on the under surface. Roofing Tile.— A patent, No. 1,377, lias been taken out by W. McLeod of New Zealand. To serve roofing and wall tiles without the use of wire the upper end of each tile is provided with a pair of bevelled undercut lugs, 3, and the lower end is provided with a single similarly shaped central lug 4. The supporting batten 7 is oovellcd on the top face

to tit the undercut surfaces of the lugs 3. A bevelled batten engages lugs on the ridge tile, and the moulding is secured to the top wall tile by means of a Z-shaped metal plate. For walls and roofs with steel framing, bevelled metal battens are used.

-Spouting.— patent No. 37,372 for roof spotting has been taken out by Alfred Hollobon of Tuam Street, Christchurch. This invention relates to spouting used at the eaves of buildings for catching water flowing from a roof, and provides an improved construction of spouting, and means for fixing the spouting in position. It has been usual to secure galvanised-iron spouting to the fascia of caves by means of metal brackets which pass below the spouting. This invention consists in providing a continuous strip of galvanised iron, which is fixed to the fascia-board or to the ends of rafters, according to the construction of the roof. The bottom edge of the strip is turned to form

a roll, and the spouting is formed with a shoulder or flange, which is clipped by the roll and thus held in position. The upper edge of the spouting is strengthened and supported by metal straps, which have terminations fitting within or upon the roll forming the outer edge of the spouting. The other ends of the straps are secured to the rafters or roofboards. The straps are arranged at any desired intervals apart along the length of the spouting. The straps prevent the shoulder or flange from leaving the roll of the strip. For spouting extending around bay-windows, and other places where it is not necessary to have the straps running to the roof, similar straps are used, having their ends secured to the fascia-board of the eaves. The strap may be used to support galvanised spouting of ordinary pattern —that is to say, without the shoulder or flange before mentioned. In this case the back of the spouting is secured to the strip by clips or the like, which prevent the spouting from getting out of position. The clip is made of galvanised hoop-iron or the like, and has one leg passing into the spouting and the other leg passing behind the strip. Concrete and Plaster Slitted Metal Reinforcement. —A patent, No. 38,439, has been taken out by John Day, builder of “Bonnie Brae,” Gilderthorpe Avenue, Kami wick, Sydney. According to this invention a corrugated sheet of metal—as, for instance, a sheet of ordinary corrugated galvanized ironis slitted transversely of the corrugations at intervals along the ridges and furrows, and the metal intervening between the neighbouring slots is pressed back reversely, preferably in the slitting operation, so as to form tongues or loops in reverse relation to the ridges viewed from either side of the *diect. In some cases these tongues or loops arc twisted in the slitting and forming operation, so that they form lips or shelves well adapted to support vertical weight of plaster or cement when the same is applied to said sheets erected, as for v. all reinforcements, with the corrugations

standing vertically. A tie between adjoining sheet of reinforcement is obtained by interlocking the tongues or loops of one sheet in the tongue or loop slots of the juxta-

posed sheets, and by passing a wire key through the interlocked portions, thereby to secure the juxtaposed sheets together mechanically. The reinforcement may be enclosed in a temporary forme-and-cement cast, or pressed about the same on both sides or on one side only, the sheet being disposed in the slab thus made so as to take maximum advantage of its tensile value and rigidity. In the case of a ceiling of vault-face the sheet is set on suitable centrings or supports, permanent or temporary, and the cement or plaster trowelled over the same so that longues of plaster or concrete will be forced through the slotted depressed portions and thereby lock the mass of plaster to the reinforcement. In the case of wall-construction the sheets are set on a suitable footing with the corrugations standing vertically, and cement is filled in into temporary formes placed at cither side of same or plastered on, according to the necessities of the particular case. The protruding tongues —of cement or plaster from either side become directly bonded with the cement or plaster on the reverse side of the reinforcement, and the vertical weight of the plaster or concrete facing is supported by the protruding tongues or loops, which, as before stated, may be twisted to provide broad landings.

Eave-Gutter Bracket and Overstrap.— A patent, No. 38,533, has been taken out by Win. Henry Watson, plumber of 83 Lymerston Street, St. Peters, Sydney. The cave-gutter brackets in which the present invention consists arc constructed by corrugating or embossing the middle portion

of a flat strip of metal of suitable light gauge, but preferably light-gauge galvanized sheet iron or steel by cold or hot pressing or embossing, and simultaneously bending the strip in the forming operation to the section' of the gutter for which it is to be used; the ends of the strip are left

flat and splayed outward. Similarly, the overstrap is produced by cold or hot pressing or embossing a strip of suitable light-gauge sheet metal from end to end, and simultaneously bending it at either end to set at one end over the rafter ends, and at the other to set against the interned outer flat end of the bracket. One of these flat ends of the bracket is rolled round the gutter-bead to embrace it and secure the gutter in the bracket, and the over-rolled edge may be soldered to the gutter metal to afford better security against accidental displacement. The other flat end may be laid over the top edge of the fascia-boards or over the rafterends, or may be cut off; the bracket is mounted on the front of the fascia-board or on the rafter-ends by nails or screws driven through holes made in the erect portion of the bracket which sets against the said fascia or rafters. The overstrap is nailed to the upper outer end of the rafter, and its free end is secured to the gutter and the rolled end of the bracket by a through-bolt.

Roof Gutter Support. — patent, No. 1,159, has been taken out by W. H. Watson of New South Wales to enable light gauge sheet metal to be used as a support for roof gutters, flat strips are corrugated longitudinally and bent to the shape of the gutter. The corrugations A form a

backing and support to the gutter C and the flat end F is rolled round the gutter bead E. The other end is nailed to the fascia board. The overstrap G is also corrugated and is nailed to the rafter, its free end being bolted to the gutter and bracket.

Longitudinal Concrete Sleeper. A patent No. 2(173 lias been taken out by O. Valeri, Italy. It consists of u sleeper of pentagonal section the smaller face of which rests on a ballast block, the longer upper face being provided with wooden cushions to which the rail is anchored.

The sleepers are connected by longitudinal ties b and transverse gauge bars f which are provided with adjustable rail grips. Roofing Galvanised Iron without the use of Lead Headed Nails— A patent, No. 37,853, has been taken out. by ,T. F. Johnson, plumber of 5(5 Bentley Street, Masterton which consists of a square of metal having two corners removed and raised beads running entirely around arc! parallel with the outer sides, the two upper beads any approved manner. The switch is formed by breaking away a short length of the main rail, and also a short portion of the length of the branch rail, such broken portions being disposed to extend from the point of junction. Two short lengths of rails adapted to respectively fit into the gaps in the main and branch rails are provided, and these are mounted on a horizontally moving bracket, and so disposed with relation to one another and the rails that when the bracket is moved across to one side the length to till the gap in the branch will be in position in such gap so as to form a continuous line with the main, while the portion to fill the gap in the main line will be situated at a distance away therefrom, and when the bracket is moved to the other side the positions will be reversed, the main line being complete and the branch broken.

Timber Colouring Artificially.—A patent, No. 37,134, has been taken cat by Ernest W. Carpenter, ehairmaker of 154 Anderson’s Bay Road, South Dunedin which consists of a solution of copperas and water heated, and then forced into the wood.