US2261011A - Building block - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1941. o; w. WILEY BUILDING BLOCK Filed June 29, 1939 INVENTOR leg 5. Q. 1 AT TORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1941 UNITED STATE 2,261,011 BUILDING BLOCK Otis W. WileyyPort Allegany, Pa.,

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation,

County, Pa., a corpor assignor to Allegheny ation, of Pennsylvania Application June 29, 1939, Serial No. 281,815

1 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of block and it has particular relation to internally screened hollow blocks.

One object of the'invention is to provide an improved hollow block of vitreous or other fusible material and having light difiusing structure therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved glass building block having fusbile diffusing or screening medium disposed therein.

In one form of the invention, companion sections of fusible material which can be cupped or otherwise shaped, are manufacturedlby molding them in conventional types of molds and their edges are subjected to fusing heat by means of suitable burners or other heating medium. A transparent or translucent sheet of fusible material serving as an interior partial or total screening medium is disposed between the edges of the sections which are then brought together while remaining at fusing temperature and the edges of the sections,-together with the sheet are fused into an integral or bonded seam or connection. The screen remains traversing the interior of the block thus formed and provides for difiusing or screening light rays, or decorating the interior portions of the block.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a pair of block sections held in an apparatus for assembling them, portions of the apparatus being shown in cross section; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a completed hollow block; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of another form of block; Fig. 4 is a plan of a sheet of screening material employed in making the blocks; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a building block similar to that shown in Fig. 2, and in which another form of screenin is employed.

In practicing the invention, a pair of cupshaped block sections Ill and II which are assembled to form a hollow block l2, are molded or otherwise formed in a conventional manner and their rims r marginal edges l4 and I are adapted to be aligned in opposed registering relation. The lower section II is centered in a predetermined position by means of raised abutments I1 rigidly mounted upon a supporting platform 20 upon which the lower section rests.

The upper block section In is supported by means of a holder 22 having resilient hooked portions 23 which engage corners of the upper block section. This holder is rigidly mounted upon the lower end of a plunger 25 which includes a piston 26 carried upon its upper end. A suitable fluid containing cylinder 21 receives the piston slidably therein and is mounted upon an-overhead support 28. Fluid under pressure can be supplied into the cylinder alternately on opposite sides of the piston through conduits 30 and 3| for the purpose of vertically operating the plunger and'thereby bringing the edges or rims l4 and I5 together in registering relation. I

It is to be understood that this apparatus is merely an illustrative example and that other apparatus can be employed for bringin the sections H) and II together; for example, an apparatus such as the type shown in United States Patent No. 2,034,925, issued March 24, 1936.

A gas supplying conduit 35 having a swivel connection 36 therein is supported upon the platform 20 and is provided with a gas burner 31 in whicha series of openings 38 are distributed along areas facing the areas of the opposed rims l4 and I 5 of the block sections. The burners are so arranged that jets of flame can be played upon the rims of both'sections until they are heated to fusing temperature. The burner can then be swung about the swivel connection 36 away from the block sections to the broken line position shown in Fig. 1. Then a screen or sheet of fusible material 40, such as glass wool, a series of vitreous strands, glass fabric, or the like, is placed between the fusing rims l4 and I5. This screen can be in the form of matted or woven fibers, or the fibers can be treated with a binder to cause them to adhere to one another, or they may be subjected to partial preliminary fusing to hold them in m'atted form. As shown in Fig. 1, the screen can be placed and supported upon the lower rim l5, and the plunger is then operated to press the rims l4 and I5 toward each other against the screen which is fused therebetween. During this operation the edges of the screens are burned off about the outer edges of the rims and form with the latter a relatively uniform seam 42 (Fig. 2) which extends peripherally around the block to define the junction of the sections 14 and I5 and to provide the completed hollow block l2.

The supply of fluid through the conduits 30 and 3| can be so controlled as to arrest movement of the upper section I I just prior to contact of the rims and thus permit heated air from the interior of the sections to escape and to prevent building up pressure in the entrapped air which expands when subjected to heat. If the rims were brought together rapidly, the heating and expanding air would not be permitted to escape sufficiently fast to prevent objectionable pressure. If desired the edge of one of the rims l4 and Hi can be notched to insure proper vent ing of air which might otherwise be entrapped under pressure between the sections until the edges are fully pressed against each other, at the completion of which the notch is closed.

If the screen 40 were subjected to fusing temperature under ordinary conditions, it should be expected that marring thereof would result, but experiments have shown that the screen 40 is not marred by the method of operation described Vention is not so limited, but that various changes and that a clear and unmarred screen or partition is fused and held in the seam 42 in proper position transversely of the chamber inside the hollow block. 1 i

Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to assemble the screen directly with only one of the sections of the block I2. For example, one

section can be omitted and the screen fused to the rim I4 to provide a fibrous wallon one side of the single section block. This type of assembly can be used as a unit or assembled with like blocks to form units having partitions.

In the form of block shown in Fig. 3, the assembly of sections 52 and 53 can be accomplished in substantially the same manner as'that described above. In this arrangement only one hollow section 52 is provided and the section 53 can be composed of a flat'plate or slab which has its marginal 0r rim portions 54 fused together with the fibrous screen 55 disposed upon marginal rim portions 56 of the section 52 to form an integral peripheral seam 57 extending entirely around the block. 1

Referring to Fig. 5, a fusible block l2 comprises cupped sections formed in the same manner as those shown in Figs. 1 and 2. However, the screen or partition 40 shown in Fig. 5 is in the form of a fusible fabric, or plurality of interwoven strands 60 of fusible or vitreous material. It is to be understood that the matter of whether the weave of the fabric is relatively open or fine is one of can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building block comprising a hollow, insulating, light transmitting cell, having opposed light penetratable faces rigidly connected by a continuous rim forming a hermetically sealed air pocket, a series of spaced strands, and a second series of spaced strands transversely contacting the first series of strands and forming therewith a screen permanently confined within said block and spaced from the interior surface of at least one face of the block, each strand comprising glass fibers solidified with the rim of the block around the edges of the screen formed by said strands. V

2. A building block comprising a hollow, insulating, light transmitting cell, having opposed light penetratable faces rigidly connected by a continuous rim forming a hermetically sealed air pocket, a series of spaced strands of one color, and a second series of spaced strands of a different color interwoven with the first series of strands and forming therewith a screen permanently confined within said block and spaced from the interior surface of at least one face of the block, each strand comprising glass fibers solidified with the rim of the block around the edges of the'screen formed by said strands.

OTI S W. WILEY.

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