US2411477A - Wall construction - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1946. Mxr. STRAIGHT 2,411,477

.WALL CONS TRUCT ION Filed Feb. 21, 1944 Mario may/n LL 6y 7 WI,

Patented Nov. 19, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

i anic 1 WALL CONSTRUCTION Merton 1. Straight, Des Moines,Iowa Application February 21, 1944, Serial No. 523,326

5 Cla ms... (Cl. 72127) 1. This invention relates to a Wall construction and in particular to a wall construction of the type comprised .ofhorizontal .rows of blocks, arranged in tiers. and secured together by mortar;

Itis anbbject of this invention to provide anirnproved wall constructiom l Another object of this invention is to improve the. ;th erma1.insulating. properties of a brick wall const uction. .i U l Agufurther. objectotthis. invention is to provide inia brickwall construction, means adapted to economize .on. the amount of mortar used inthe ,wall and to increase the thermal insulating properties, of thewall, without impairing the strength of thewalli Yet another object oitthis inventionisto provide, inna; brickwall construction means preventingl moisture. passing through. the mortar fromoneside of the wall to the other.

A still. further object of this invention isto provide in awalbconstruction comprised of an inner wall and an outerlwall, means for preventing the inner. and outer wallsbeing in a thermal exchange relation. i

Aieature. of this invention is found in' the provision of a block wall construction havinga space therein extendedl longitudinally of the Wall between the sides thereof adapted to receive in wedged engagement an elongated flexible tuberesistant to water. Mortar for holding the blocks together is confined by the tube to each side of such-;space so that. the tube prevents moisture passing through :the mortarafrom one the wall construction to the other 1 Another feature .of this =inventionis found 'in the provision,in a wall construction comprised of an inner wall and .an outer wall spaced apart from each other, of; elongated flexible tubes wedged in the, space. between the walls and arranged longitudinally of the walls. The tubes divide the walLspace intoa plurality of separate dead air side of passages. so as to prevent aoirculation of air,

by convection, across the adjacent sides of the inner and outer walls wherebyto improve the thermal insulating characteristics of the Wall constructionw Further objects, features "and advantages of tiles or blocks arranged "in tiers having mor'' tar, indicated at H), for holding thejblocks together in a usual manner. "An outer or veneer Wall I21aterally spaced from the inner walllii is formed of bricks I'll-also arranged in hori' zontalrows tiered oneabove the otherand see cured together by mortar Ill. The innerwall l9 and outer wall l2 are connected together by hooks l l eXtended between the walls and anchored at its ends in the mortarbetween adjacent rows of blocks H and bricks E4 in the walls It and I-Z, respectively. As thus far described the wall construction isofa type well know the prior art.

In walls of thisbonstruction the outer 'sur faces of the blocks H and bricks it are usually glazed, or the blocks and bricks are composed of a hardmaterialsoas to be substantially im-f pervious to water. "Ihe motar l5, however, is of a ratherlose consistenc'yso that even afterit becomes hardened moisture is able to pass therethrough b-y capillary action. l6 between the walls iii and l2 is relatively small the mortar [5, which overruns each wall, extends into the space I6 so that mortar from'the Walls is in contacting engagement, or at least" in an overhanging relation within the space It. As a result moisture from the mortar in the outer wall l2'is able to pass tc the mortar in the inner wall H3 and drains outwardly from the "side I! of theinner wall. "This passage of moisture through the wallis, of course, objectionable because of the resulting dampness" in the space adjacent the side ll-of the inner'wall H! and L a the possibility of resultantinjury to material. 16-" this invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figxl is a plan perspective view of one form of wall construction of this invention comprising an inner wall and an outer wall;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an elongated flexcatedin such space. I 1

A further objection to this prior art wall' construction is foundinthe fact that the wall readily conducts heat from one side to the other so as to be a relativelydnefiicient thermal in sulator. Thermal conduction through the wall occurs by virtue of an air circulation being set up within the space 16 by convection. Thus assuming the outer wall I 2 to be cold and the inner Where the space mortar is entirely wasted.

wall IIJ warm, air in the space I6 will flow downwardly across the wall I2 and upwardly across the inner wall II]. By virtue of this circulation of air the wall I9 is constantly cooled and continuously draws heat by conduction from the side I1, and, therefore, is always continuously cooled to in turn cool the space adjacent thereto.

These objections in the above described wall construction are overcome in the present invention by the insertion within the space I6 of flexible elongated tubular members or inserts I 8 (Figs. 1 and 2). Each insert or tube I8 has water repellant characteristics and may be composed of tar paper, of heavy paper or thin metal with an asphalt coating, or of thin rust-proof metal. The tubes I8 are horizontally positioned in a vertically stacked relation within the space I6 so as to extend longitudinally of the walls Ill and I2, with this assembly of the tubes I8 being made during the building up of the wall construction.

The diameter of the tubes I8 relative to the width of the space I6 is such that the tubes are slightly flattened as indicated at I9, and wedged in the space I6 between the walls II] and I2. By virtue of this assembly of the tubes I 8 in the wall construction the space I6 is divided into a plurality of separated passages or pockets ex: tended longitudinally of the walls I and I2. The air within the space I6 is thus incapable of being circulated by convection since it is confined in pockets formed by the tubes. The Walls In and I2, therefore, are thermally insulated from each other to in turn provide for a wall construction having eflicient thermal insulating properties.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 two adjacent rows of bricks I 4 provide a vertical height of the outer wall I2 which is the equivalent of a single row of blocks I I in the inner wall ID. The size of each tube I8 is such that when it is inserted in a wedged position within the space I6,

its vertical height is substantially equal to the vertical height of a row of bricks I4, with the flattened tube portions I9, resulting from the tube being wedged within the space of bricks I4. construction substantially to the top of a row As is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 this and arrangement of the tubes I8 provides for alternate tubesin the space I6 having their flattened portions I 9 extended substantially to the top of a row of blocks II. Thus when mortar is placed on the top of a row of bricls I4 or blocks II the mortar is prevented from entering the space It by the tubes I8 so that no mortar overruns the walls III and I2 into the space I6.

Since the'mortar which flows or overruns into the space I6 performs no useful function in strengthening the wall construction, such Thus the holding of the mortar within the confines of a wall Ii] and I2 by the tubes I8 produces a saving in the mortar without in any way decreasing the overall strength of the wall construction. ,It has been found in practice that this saving in mortar substantially covers the cost of the tubes I 8.

With the mortar in each wall I0 and I2 thus separated by the tubes I8 a defined gap or space is provided between opposite horizontal layers of mortar 55 in the walls Ill and I2 was to positively eliminate any passage of water through the mortar from one wall to the other.

In Fig. 4 the wall construction of Fig. 1 is shown constructed with tubes I8a which are I 6, extending somewhat smaller in diameter than the tubes I8 so that the tubes I8a are relatively spaced vertically within the space I6. Each tube I8a is positioned opposite the top of a row of bricks I I in the outer wall I2, with every other tube I8a being opposite the top of a row of blocks II in the inner wall I0. The function of the tubes I8a is similar in all respects to the tubes'IB described in connection with Figs. 1 and 3 so that a further description of the tubes I8a is believed to be unnecessary.

The modified form of wall construction in Fig. 5 is comprised of horizontal rows of blocks 2|, with each block being of the usual type having a longitudinally extended groove 22 in the top and a longitudinally extended groove 23 in the bottom thereof. In building this wall construction the lower groove 23 in one tier is positioned opposite an upper groove 22 in a next vertically adjacent block 2| so that the grooves 22 and 23 define a space 24 which extends longitudinally with-in the wall. In the normal construction of the wall in Fig. 5 the space 24 is entirely filled with mortar I5 so that moisture is able to pass by capillary action from one side to the other of the wall. To prevent this passage of moisture through the wall a tube I8 is located in the space 2% in a wedged position so as to be in contacting engagement with the sides of the grooves 22 and 23. During th assembly of the wall the tube I8 is initially positioned in the upper grooves 22 of lower blocks 2i and mortar I5 placed on such lower blocks adjacent the tube I8. A next adjacent upper row of blocks 21 is then placed on the lower blocks with their bottom grooves 23 opposite the upper grooves 2| of the lower row of blocks. The tube i8 thus prevents any mortar I5 from passing into the space 213 and provides a gap between the portions of mortar I5 to each side of the space 24 so as to prevent any flow of moisture through the mortar I5 from one side of the wall to the other.

Although the invention has beendescribed with respect to several preferred embodiments thereof it is not to be so limited since changes therein can be made which are within the full intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A wall construction comprising an inner wall and an outer wall spaced apart from each other, with each wall comprised of a row of horizontal blocks arranged in tiers and secured together by mortar, and flexibl water repellant tubes wedged in the space between said inner wall and outer wall and extended longitudinally of said two walls, said tubes retaining the mortar at said space within the confines of a corresponding wall to obstruct the passage of moisture from the outer wall to said inner wall through the mortar.

2. A wall construction comprising an inner wall and an outer wall having a space therebetween,

- with each wall being comprised of blocks arranged in horizontal tiers and having mortar therebetween, and flexible water repellant cylindrical members of a diameter such that they can be wedged in the space between said two walls, said members being positioned horizontally between said two walls, with a member having a wedging surface adjacent the top level of a tier of blocks to retain the mortar between adjacent tiers in a wall within the confines of the wall, 7

' 3. In a wall construction comprising horizontal tiers of blocks and mortar between said tiers for securing the blocks together, means for preventing moisture from travelling by capillary action through said mortar from one side of the wall construction to the other side thereof including a water repellant flexible tube, said blocks being constructed and arranged to form a space within the wall extended longitudinally of the wall, said tube being horizontally positioned in said space and werlged between the sides of the space, with the mortar between adjacent tiers of blocks being confined by a tube from passing into said space.

4. In a wall construction comprising horizontally tiered blocks with each block being of a type having a groove in the top and bottom extended longitudinally of the block, with a top groove in a block in one tier forming a space with the bottom groove in a block in a next adjacent tier, with said two blocks being secured together by mortar therebetween, means for preventing moisture from travelling through said mortar laterally of the wall including a flexible tube having water resistant characteristics, with the tube being positioned in said space longitudinally of the blocks and of a size adapted to be wedged between the sides of corresponding grooves in adjacent tiers of blocks to hold the mortar against entering said space.

5. A wall construction comprised of horizontal tiers of blocks with a layer of mortar between adjacent tiers, and having a longitudinal passage therein extended across a plane common to said layer of mortar, and a flexible water repellent tube in said passage intercepting said plane to provide an air pocket within the wall and to keep any moisture in said layer of mortar from seeping across said passage.

MERTON T. STRAIGHT.

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