Patent Application
20050066596
This invention relates to interlocking building blocks.
In the building industry the use of bricks and hollow concrete blocks is well known.
However this construction requires the joining of the blocks or bricks with mortar, and requires the services of an experienced mason.
This is a laborious and costly method.
The use of my building blocks avoids the use of either a skilled worker or the use of mortar. The construction is easy and less time consuming.
In one form of the invention, a building block is in the shape of a cylinder having four Slots in its body. The slots are exactly half the height of the cylinder and the widths of The slots are slightly wider than the thickness of the wall (shell) of the cylinder. There are two small semicircular cuts on each face of the cylinder. There are two circular Holes in the middle of the wall of the blocks.
The construction and appearance of the blocks is illustrated with the help of the Accompanying drawings in which
FIG. I
Shows a block in plan and elevation. The block is in a circular form wherein “a” is the Block, the thickness of its wall is “c”,
Its has four semicircular cuts “e” in the upper and lower open faces and two circular Holes “d” in the middle of its body “a”.
FIG. II
Shows an assembly of blocks in elevation and plan, wherein “f” are the spaces in between the first layer of blocks. This space continues up to the top.
Only five (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) blocks of the first layer, four (6, 7, 8, 9) blocks of the second layer, five blocks of the third layer, four blocks of the fourth layer five blocks of the fifth layer, four blocks of the sixth layer, five blocks of the seventh layer, four blocks of the eighth layer and five blocks of the ninth layer are shown.
Since the blocks are of outside dimention 10 inches in diameter and 10 inches high and are 1 inch thick, this assembly is 50 inches high and 52 inches wide.
To construct this 50 inches high and 52 inches wide wall for the first Lower layer, five Blocks are placed 13 inches center to center apart from each other
For the second layer
The sixth block is placed to engage the first and the second block of the first or lower Layer,
The seventh block is placed to engage the second and the third block of the first layer,
The eighth block is placed to engage the third and the fourth blocks of the first layer,
The ninth block of the second layer is then placed to engage the fourth, and fifth blocks of The first layer.
For the third layer,
The tenth block is placed on top of the first block of the first layer and to engage the sixth block of the second layer and
The eleventh block is placed on top of the second block of the first layer, to engage the sixth and seventh blocks of the second layer,
The twelfth block is placed on top of the third block of the first layer to engage the seventh and eighth blocks of the second layer.
The thirteenth block is placed on top of the fourth block of the first layer to engage the eighth and ninth blocks of the second layer.
The fourteenth block is placed on top of the fifth block of the first layer to engage the ninth block of the second layer.
In a similar manner rest of the blocks are placed to complete the nine layers using forty-one blocks.
Now one can slide a small ½ inch diameter reinforcing bar “m”. Through the circular opening “d” of blocks 6, 7, 8, 9 and the matching round formed by the semicircular cuts “e” in the faces of the blocks 1 & 10 and 2 & 11 and 3 & 12 and 4 & 13 and 5 & 14. vertical steel rods “n” can also be placed in the openings “f”. These Openings “f” are then filled with sand and later cement solution can be poured in the sand to form solid concrete columns.
The process of construction is repeated to build the next 50 inch high wall using another 9 layers. For an effective height of eight feet a 12 feet wide wall, it has to start at a foundation level 2 feet below ground, then two feet above ground and then the eight feet height of a room. i.e. a total of 12 feet. This takes one person about 5 hours to assemble the 275 blocks that would be needed.
In one form of the invention the blocks are made of one-inch thick styro-foam.
The wall thus constructed has 3 by 8-inch concrete columns “f” reinforced with vertical steel rods “n” every 13 inches apart also Connected horizontally by the half-inch steel Rods “m”.
The rippled inner faces of the wall may be smoothened with stucco or wallboards. The outer face may be covered with vinyl or wood or any other suitable material. This is an easy and much less time consuming process for building a wall and is more economical than the present block motor construction.
This construction can also be applied to many projects.
For example Retaining walls may be built, by using the blocks made of 1-inch thick concrete having a suitable diameter. The diameter depending on the height of the wall. the spaces “f” may be filled with earth.
Also in the heavy industry in the construction of Dams across a river, It is necessary to divert the river so that the main Dam can be built.
usually a cofferdam is constructed first. It is generally much smaller than the Dam.
for a cofferdam that is about 10 meters high, cylinders of concrete about 2 m in Diameter and 3 meters high, having 4 inch thick wall, are pre-fabricated, using the same design as the blocks described above, an arch shaped dam 10 m high can be built.
While the river can still keep flowing through the lower part of the openings “f” mentioned above.
As random material is dropped in to close spaces “f”, successively and let water flow the river can be diverted through other diversion ports provided.
The cofferdam thus constructed will be more economical, than the normal dumped earth and rock fill cofferdams.
