GB2179076A

GB2179076A - Improvements in building components

Info

Publication number: GB2179076A
Application number: GB08520406A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ernest George Papper
Original assignee: Redland Bricks Ltd
Current assignee: Redland Bricks Ltd
Priority date: 1985-08-14
Filing date: 1985-08-14
Publication date: 1987-02-25
Also published as: GB2179076B; GB8520406D0

Abstract

A method of capping a wall 1 or the like with a coping arrangement comprising first and second coping units 4 and 5, the first units 4 having recesses 7 in their upper surfaces to accommodate key portions 10 in the lower surfaces of the second units 5. A row of first units is arranged on a layer of mortar overlying the top course of the main portion of the wall such that the recesses therein form a channel extending along the length of the wall. A further layer of mortar is spread in the channel before positioning a row of second units overlying the first units, the key portions of the second units extending into the channel to interlock the first and second units. The method thus provides a largely vandal-proof wall since the two rows of coping units are locked together and are of sufficient weight to reduce the risk of vandalism, and which may be easily laid by any person possessing basic bricklaying skills. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in building components This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to building components and is particularly concerned with capped walls or the like and coping units for capping such walls.

Walls, particularly brick walls, which may be solid or formed with a cavity, suffer from gradual weathering and are quite often vandalised because the capping of the walls is effected by insubstantial coping units which are readily removed.

Some attempts have been made of late to reduce or obviate these problems. However, most of these attempts have employed relatively complex structures and this has been found often to result in an aesthetically unpleasing effect on the finished product. This is because these relatively complex structures require assembling in exactly the intended fashion in order to produce an aesthetically pleasing finished coping for the wall and bricklayers do not always have the dexterity or patience necessary to lay these complex products accurately. In particular, some previously known coping units have required that mortar joints between complementary shapes should also include a damp-proof membrane or that mutually interfitting components should be keyed together.

The present invention provides a method of capping a wall or the like comprising the steps of placing upon the final course of a main portion of the wall a further course of first coping units together defining a channel extending along the upper surface of the further course, upwardly open and including at least an undercut portion; placing mortar in the channel; and placing a further course of second coping units on the first coping units, the second units including a downwardly projecting part which is embedded into the mortar and includes at least an undercut portion so that the mortar, when set, provides an interlock between the undercut portions to restrain the second coping units from being pulled out of the channel.

Preferably the downwardly projecting parts of the second coping units pass freely into the channel. To this end, the maximum transverse dimension of the projecting parts may be less than the minimum transverse dimension of the channel.

A damp-proof membrane may be inserted hetween the first and second coping units or between the main portion of the wall and the first coping units.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of capping a wall or the like comprising the steps of positioning a course of first coping units on top of the wall overlying the mortar layer thereon wherein the upwardly facing surfaces of such units are provided with recesses of dovetail cross-section extending longitudinally therealong, the recesses being arranged in mutual alignment in the longitudinal direction of the wall; placing a further mortar layer over the upwardly facing surfaces of the first coping units and placing second coping units thereover, the arrangement being such that dovetail key portions provided in downwardly facing surfaces of the second coping units extend into the recesses provided in the first coping units: and thereafter tamping the first units to bed into the mortar layer to provide a positive key between the units when set.

The invention further provides a capped wall or the like comprising a main portion of the wall, a course of first coping units together defining a channel extending along the upper surface of the said course, upwardly open and including at least an undercut portion; mortar in the channel: and a further course of second coping units on the first coping units, the second units including a downwardly projecting part which is embedded into the mortar and includes at least an undercut portion so that the mortar, when set, provides an interlock between the undercut portions to restrain the second coping units from being pulled out of the channel.

Preferably the projecting parts and the channel are both of dovetail cross-section and include two undercut portions. The maximum transverse dimension of the projecting parts may be less than the minimum transverse dimension of the channel so that the projecting parts may pass freely into the channel. This is important in allowing the second coping units to be placed into the first coping units from above without the necessity to slide one dovetail into the other.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description by way of example, of a capped wall and a method of capping the wall. The description is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an end section through a wall having a capping arrangement according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first coping unit of the arrangement of Figure 1.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown the upper portion of a wall 1, the upper courses of which comprise bricks 2 laid in lengthwise orientation across the wall. It will be appreciated that in other arrangements, the wall may be made up of bricks laid in other conventional bricklaying configurations with or without a cavity. Normal mortar joints 3 are provided between the upper courses of the wall as shown in the drawings.

The wall 1 is capped by a coping arrangement comprising first and second coping units 4 and 5.

The first coping unit 4 approximates in shape and size to a normal house brick but is provided, in an upper surface 6 of the unit, with a recess 7 which extends from one side face 8 to an opposite side face 9 of the unit.

The recess 7 is of dovetail cross-section (as is shown in Figures 1 and 2) and includes two undercut portions 7a.

The second coping unit 5 is typically about twice the size of the first coping unit 4 (that is, of similar transverse dimension as is shown in figure 1 but approximately twice as long as coping unit 4 in a direction along the wall). The second coping unit 5 includes a downwardly projecting part 10 in the form of a key portion of dovetail cross-section (as is shown in Figure 1). It will be apparent from Figure 1 that the widest part of the portion 10 (that is, its maximum transverse dimension) is somewhat smaller than the narrowest part of the recess 7 (that is, its minimum transverse dimension). The purpose of making the dovetail 10 smaller than the dovetail 7 will be apparent from the following description.

As shown in Figure 1, the second coping unit 5 has chamferred edges at its upper surface 11 to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance in the finished wall. However, the upper surface 11 may have any suitable shape.

The use of the first and second coping units 4 and 5 is as follows. After building a wall 1 in conventional manner using bricks 2 and mortar joints 3, a bricklayer effects the capping of the wall 1 by carrying out the following steps: (a) he provides a layer of mortar 12 overlying the top course of the main portion of the wall 1.This mortar layer 12 may be provided with a damp-proof membrane 13 of any suitable known damp-proof material; (b) the bricklayer then positions a row of first coping units 4 along the wall as shown in Figure 1, the recesses 7 in the coping units together defining a channel extending along the upper surface 6 of the coping units 4 and upwardly open; (c) the bricklayer then provides a layer of mortar 14 over the first coping units 4, the mortar being liberally spread into the recesses 7; (d) the bricklayer next positions second coping units 5 overlying the row of units 4, the key portions 10 of the second coping units extending downwardly into the channel defined by the recesses 7; and (e) the units 5 are then tamped down by the bricklayer'until they are in the position shown in Figure 1.

It will be appreciated that the relative sizes of the key portion 10 and the recess 7 are chosen to allow the key portion 10 to be tamped into the recess 7 as described above rather than having to slide the key portion 10 into the recess 7 as would be the case if the dimensions of the two dovetails were matched. It will further be appreciated that once the mortar in the recesses 7 has set, it provides a key or interlock between the undercut portions 7a of the recesses 7 and the undercut portions 10a of the portion 10. This reduces the risk of the upper coping units 5 being dislodged from the lower coping units 4 either by weathering or by vandalism.

It will be appreciated that the above described arrangement has a number of advantages. These include the following: 1. Only basic bricklaying skills are required to lay the coping units.

2. The coping units may be manufactured by a simple extrusion process and do not require complex moulding.

3. The damp-proof membrane 13 may simply be laid along the top of the wall 1 in known fashion and does not require any complex laying arrangement.

4. The finished wall is rather less susceptible to deleterious weathering than many other arrangements; and 5. The wall is rendered very largely vandal-proof by the fact that the two coping units are firmly interlocked and the composite capping unit is of sufficient weight and bulk to reduce the risk of vandalism.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and various modifications may be made. For example, the lower coping units 4 may be deeper and/or longer than the unit shown in Figure 2. Indeed, the lower coping units may be provided in interlocking parts which when laid together on the wall define the channel 7.

The damp-proof membrane may be provided at some other location in the finished wall, for example, between the first and second coping units 4 and 5. Still further, the damp-proof membrane may not be a separate layer but may be provided as a layer sprayed on to one or other of the coping units.

The coping units may be of brick such as fired clay brick but may also be made of concrete or other suitable material.

Furthermore, the coping units may include aligned bores for the insertion of jointing rods which further reduce the risk of damage to the finished wall by vandals.

Claims

1. A method of capping a wall or the like comprising the steps of placing upon the final course of a main portion of the wall a further course of first coping units together defining a channel extending along the upper surface of the further course, upwardly open and including at least an undercut portion; placing mortar in the channel: and placing a further course of second coping units on the first coping units, the second units including a downwardly projecting part which is embedded into the mortar and includes at least an undercut portion so that the mortar, when set, provides an interlock between the undercut portions to restrain the second coping units from being pulled out of the channel.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 in which the downwardly projecting parts of the second coping units pass freely into the channel, the maximum transverse dimension of said projecting parts being less than the minimum transverse dimension of the channel.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 comprising the further step of inserting a damp-proof membrane between the first and second coping units.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 comprising the further step of inserting a damp-proof membrane between the main portion of the wall and the first coping units.

5. A method of capping a wall or the like comprising the steps of: positioning a course of first coping units on top of the wall overlying the mortar layer thereon wherein the upwardly facing surfaces of such units are provided with recesses of dovetail cross-section extending longitudinally therealong the recesses being arranged in mutual alignment in the longitudinal direction of the wall; placing a further mortar layer over the upwardly facing surfaces of the first coping units and placing second coping units thereover, the arrangement being such that dovetail key portions, provided in downwardly facing surfaces of the second coping units, extend into the recesses provided in the first coping units; and thereafter tamping the first units to bed into the mortar layer to provide a positive key between the units when set.

6. A method of capping a wall or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A capped wall or the like comprising a main portion of the wall, a course of first coping units together defining a channel extending along the upper surface of the said course, upwardly open and including at least an undercut portion; mortar in the channel; and a further course of second coping units on the first coping units, the second units including a downwardly projecting part which is embedded into the mortar and includes at least an undercut portion so that the mortar, when set, provides an interlock between the undercut portions to restrain the second coping units from being pulled out of the channel.

8. A capped wall as claimed in Claim 7 in which the maximum transverse dimension of the projecting'part of the second coping units to less than the minimum transverse dimension of the channel so that the projecting parts may pass freely into the channel.

9. A capped wall as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8 in which the projecting parts and the channel are both of dovetail cross-section and include two undercut portions.

10. A capped wall as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9 further comprising a damp-proof membrane either between the first and second coping units or between the first coping units and the main portion of the wall.

11. A capped wall substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.