Title: Building Elements Description of Invention The present invention relates to a building elements, in particular to a plurality of sets of ground covering building elements such as paving blocks.
When laying paving blocks in a predetermined pattern such as a herringbone pattern over a relatively large area such as a town square, rather than laying the blocks one by one, it is known to lay a plurality of blocks all together. Typically, a plurality of blocks are arranged in the predetermined pattern into a set, a plurality of such sets are assembled, and the blocks laid, a set at a time.
The sets are typically assembled at a site remote from the site on which they are to be laid (hereinafter referred to as the paving site), at the place of manufacture of the blocks for example, and are transported to the paving site in sets. Thus the time spent at the paving site may be minimised, which can be particularly important when the paving work is being carried out on a public site. The sets are typically loaded onto a lorry or other such vehicle with a plurality of sets in a stack on a pallet. The pallets are then unloaded onto the paving site. In order to move each set from the pallet to the place in which it is to be laid, a vehicle with a specially adapted lifting arm is used.The lifting arm is provided with a grabber device which is adapted to clamp two opposite sides of a set of paving blocks so that the entire set may be lifted from the stack and placed on the ground without any support from below.
In order to maintain the integrity of the set during the lifting and placing procedure, i.e. to prevent any individual paving blocks from falling from the set, it is known to insert half blocks into the set at appropriate places to ensure that the blocks remain interlocked when grabbed. Once the set has been placed in the required position on the ground, the half blocks are removed manually and discarded.
Alternatively, it is known to use a grabber device which is specially adapted for laying paving blocks in a herringbone pattern and which clamps the set along all four sides.
According to first aspect of the invention we provide a plurality of sets of substantially identical building elements, the building elements in each set being arranged in the same predetermined pattern, wherein at least two adjacent building elements are joined or integral with one another to form a compound building element, the or each compound building element maintaining the integrity of the set when the set is lifted with no support from below.
Thus, by virtue of the invention, the need for half blocks is avoided, and thus the wastage is minimised, without the need to use a grabber device which is specially modified for use with paving blocks in a herringbone pattern. Moreover, the step of removing the half blocks from each set is avoided, and the time taken to lay sets may thus be reduced.
Preferably the building elements are paving blocks.
Preferably the building elements are generally rectangular.
In this case, preferably at least two adjacent building elements are joined or integral with one another to form a substantially Z-shaped compound building element. Alternatively or additionally at least two adjacent building elements may be joined or integral with one another to form a substantially Lshaped compound building element.
Preferably the building elements are arranged in a herringbone pattern.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is an illustration of a prior art set of building elements, Figure 2 is an illustration of a set of building elements according to the invention, Figure 3 is an illustration of a plurality of sets of building elements arranged to form a continuous regular pattern.
Referring now to the Figure 1, there is shown a prior art set 10 of building elements 12 which in this example are generally rectangular paving blocks. The blocks 12 are arranged in a herringbone pattern, and the set 10 comprises sixty two blocks 12 arranged in a rectangular array.
Since it is not possible to divide a herringbone array of rectangular blocks into perfectly rectangular portions, each side of the set 12 includes two half-block sized spaces 13 into which blocks which extend between and interlock the blocks of adjacent rectangular sets, may be fitted. The spaces 13 on two opposite sides of the set 10 are filled with half blocks 14.
Moreover, two blocks are not in their correct position in the herringbone pattern. In this example, the top left hand block 16 and bottom right hand block 18 are translated by a distance equal to a half block length from their correct position, the top left hand block 16 to the right, and the bottom right hand block 18 to the left.
In order to lay the blocks 12, for example as paving for a street or town square, sets 10 as described above are stacked on pallets, transported to the paving site on a lorry, and the pallets unloaded. The sets 10 are then lifted individually into their desired position on a pre-prepared bed e.g. of sand or mortar, by means of a machine with a lifting arm. The lifting arm is provided with a grabber device which clamps around the set, and permits the set to be lifted unsupported from below. The grabber device includes two elongate clamping elements which bear along the entire length of the two sides of the set 10 which do not include the half blocks, i.e. the vertical sides in Figure 1, the clamping elements exerting opposite forces on the set 10 so that the set 10 is clamped between the two clamping elements.
The half blocks 14 interlock with the whole block of the set and ensure that the integrity of the set 10 is maintained as the set 10 is lifted, and that individual blocks 12 do not fall from the set 10.
Once the set 10 is in position, adjacent sets 10 are placed in position. The half blocks 14 are then removed and discarded, the top left hand block 16 and bottom right hand block 18 are manually moved into their correct positions, and whole blocks are manually inserted into the gaps between adjacent sets 10.
Turning now to the present invention, and referring to Figure 2, there is shown a set 10 of building elements 12, which in this example are substantially rectangular paving blocks. As in the prior art arrangement, the blocks 12 are arranged in a herringbone pattern, but in this case the set 10 comprises forty one blocks 12 arranged in a rectangular array.
As described above, it is not possible to divide a herringbone array of rectangular blocks into perfectly rectangular portions, and in this example the longer edges of the set 10 each include two half block sized spaces 13, and the shorter edges each include one half block sized space 13, into which blocks 12 which extend between adjacent rectangular sets may be fitted. In this case, however, none of the spaces are filled with half blocks 14. Instead, the set 10 is provided with four compound blocks 20, which each comprise two blocks 12 which are either joined together or integral with one another. Two of the compound blocks 20a, 20b each form a generally Zshaped block, whilst the other two 20c, 20d each form a generally L-shaped block, and all are shaped to have the appearance of two adjacent individual blocks 12 in correct positions within the herringbone pattern.
The L-shaped compound blocks 20c, 20d are arranged such that they each form two out of three sides of one of the half-block spaces 13 in the longer edges of the set 10, and the Z-shaped compound blocks 20a, 20b are arranged such that they form two out of three sides of the half-block spaces 13 in the shorter sides of the set 10.
As in the prior art arrangement, two blocks 12 of the set 10 are not in their correct positions in the herringbone pattern. In this example, the top left hand block 16 and bottom right hand block 18 are translated by a distance equal to a half block length from their correct position, the top left hand block 16 to the right, and the bottom right hand block 18 to the left.
In order to lay the blocks 12, for example as paving for a street or town square, sets 10 as described above are stacked on pallets, transported to the paving site on a lorry, and the pallets unloaded. The sets 10 are then lifted individually into their desired position on a pre-prepared bed of e.g. sand or mortar, using a machine with a lifting arm. As in the prior art system, the lifting arm is provided with a grabber device which includes two clamping elements which bear on two opposite sides of the set of the set 10, and thus permits the set 10 to be lifted unsupported from below. In this case, the clamping elements bear upon the longer sides of the set 10.
The compound blocks 20 ensure that the integrity of the set 10 is maintained as the set 10 is lifted, and that individual blocks 12 do not fall from the set 10 during lifting.
Once the set 10 is in position, adjacent sets 10 are dropped into position. The top left hand block 16 and bottom right hand block 18 are manually moved into their correct positions, and whole blocks manually inserted into the gaps between adjacent sets 10. Unlike in the prior art methods, it is not necessary to use a modified grabber device which bears upon all four sides of the set, and there are no half blocks to discard, and thus the time taken to complete the paving process may be reduced, and the amount of waste produced is minimised.
It should be noted that the invention is not restricted to a set containing forty one blocks as described above, and fewer or more blocks may be used, and may be arranged in a generally square set.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.