Abstract: A composite masonry block having a front surface and a back surface which are adjoined by first and second side surfaces, as well as a top surface and a bottom surface each lying adjacent the front, back, and first and second side surfaces. Each of the side surfaces has an inset spanning from the block top surface to the block bottom surface. The block top surface has one or more protrusions positioned adjacent the first and second insets on the block top surface. The blocks have back legs which are directed outwardly from the blocks back surface. The block back legs may extend in a plane parallel to the block front surface or extend forwardly toward the blocks front surface. In use, the blocks may be stacked to provide an interlocking structure wherein the protrusions of one block interfit within the insets of another block. A method of block molding and a mold assembly which may be used to make a block which may be stackable to form structures of varying setback is also explained.

Abstract: A form tie for joining the sidewalls of a polymeric concrete form comprises a pair of end trusses with an intermediate web truss. Each end truss comprises an interior vertical strut and a longer exterior strut with interior and exterior pairs of horizontal struts extending therebetween. Upper and lower rectangular trusses and an intermediate truss are formed within each truss and rigidified by diagonal struts extending between the ends of the exterior vertical strut and interior vertical strut. The exterior struts of each end truss are coplanar with the exterior sidewall surface with the interior strut of each end truss being coplanar with the interior sidewall surface. The coplanar relationship of the struts serve as a visual gauge that the form with tie has been properly manufactured and assures that the end trusses extend throughout the width of each sidewall. End ties having a height of one-half of the form sidewall are extended between the sidewalls at the ends of each form.

Abstract: The present invention relates to specially shaped structural components for use in the construction of furnaces, foundries, and similar applications. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved flue wall in a high temperature furnace. The improved flue wall is constructed of specially shaped bricks to improve the tensile strength of the wall, increase the shear transfer capacity of the wall, and thus improve the flue wall life. The flue wall is constructed of specially designed refractory bricks joined together by air and/or heat-set mortar and arranged in courses, and comprises two parallel face walls parallel to the chambers wherein the carbon blocks are positioned and enclosing a flue chamber, two side walls generally perpendicular to the face walls enclosing the lower portion of the flue chamber, and baffle bricks and tie bricks arranged in a number of noncontinuous columns throughout the flue wall.

Abstract: A generally rectangular structural block has a central ridge which extends along the top of the block and stops short of its end faces. In the bottom face are two grooves, one aligned with the ridge, the other at a right angle and intersecting in the middle of the bottom face. The groove aligned with the ridge extends from end-to-end of the block, the intersecting groove stops short of one side face of the block. The grooves are dimensioned so as to mate with a ridge dimensioned like that on the top face. Two or more such blocks can be made as a permanently joined unit, their ridges in line with each other, and the side faces at which the intersecting grooves stop short located on the same side of the unit. Single-block and multi-block units are laid up to form walls with the ridges in a given course interlocking with the grooves in the next higher course of blocks.

Abstract: A concrete form mold unit formed of a lightweight, insulative material defines at least two rows of vertical core spaces, offset from each other. Concrete and reinforcing rods fill the core spaces, defining post structures. The top of the form mold unit is troughed and is filled with horizontal reinforcing rods and concrete, defining beam structures. The form mold units are laid in courses and stacked as required to build walls, with vertical cores and horizontal troughs aligned, producing an efficient utilization of concrete in the posts and beams. Each course is filled with concrete before the next course is added. The form mold unit is retained as an insulative part of the building structure, with a low dead load. Vertical attaching plates are placed on the surface of the wall, with penetrating fasteners passing into an underlying concrete post or beam. Surface finish materials are joined to the attaching plates.

Abstract: This invention deals with novel sound collecting blocks and their use, in conjunction with novel connector blocks, to build inexpensive, decorative sound walls. This invention also deals with retaining walls which are constructed from the novel connector block, and other non-sound absorbing solid blocks.

Abstract: A clean out block assembly for providing access to the interior of a building block which has a back wall and two side walls, and an essentially open front. The side walls have slots or shoulders. A replaceable front wall member is inserted into the front of the block, and is engaged by the slots or shoulders. A spring is used between the back wall and the front wall to hold the front wall in position.

Abstract: The invention is a composite masonry block having a front surface and a back surface which are adjoined by first and second side surfaces, as well as a top surface and a bottom surface each lying adjacent the front, back, and first and second side surfaces. Each of the side surfaces has an inset spanning from the block top surface to the block bottom surface. The block top surface has one or more protrusions positioned adjacent the first and second insets on the block top surface. In use, the blocks may be stacked to provide an interlocking structure wherein the protrusions of one block interfit within the insets of another block. The invention also comprises a method of block molding and a mold assembly which may be used to make a block which may be stackable to form structures of varying setback.

Abstract: A construction member, preferably a rectangular block (1), for dry walling or the permanent construction of, for example, a wall or partition, where the opposing faces of the blocks (1) body in the form of a strip (3) which fits into the opposing slots (2) of the blocks (1). The slots (2) are V-shaped and the cross-section of the strip (3) is adapted to conform to the cross-sectional opening of the two opposing V-slots (2) for achieving a guiding/locking effect between the adjacent faces of the blocks (1).

Abstract: A building construction of longitudinal and cross hollow components includes building unit bodies each of which consists of joggles, scarfs, extension paths and wiring holes, such that, after a plurality of such unit bodies are formed into a wall, it forms transverse penetrating wiring paths with a gradient and longitudinal paths to assure convenient wiring construction. It also has the advantages of fire-proofing, heat discharging, and prolongation of rescue time when the building is on fire.

Abstract: A concrete building block (2) has complementary projections (10) and recesses (12) to cause it to interlock with other blocks (2). A T-shaped channel (16, 26) on the top surface (4) receives an anchor member (32). A projecting end (36) of the member (32) may be secured to an anchor cable (104). The ends of a metal cable (22) are embedded in the block (2) with an eye portion (24) projecting into an increased depth channel portion (20). The lower surface (6) of the block (2) has parallel channels (28) for receiving the tines of a forklift. The channels (16, 28) have breakaway walls (18, 30) at their outer ends, which are not broken away unless the channels (16, 28) are to be used. The walls (18, 30) prevent concrete from flowing out of the channels (16, 28) when reinforcing concrete is poured through vertical openings (14) in the block (2). In molding the block (2), slugs (86) are releasably attached to opposite mold walls to form the openings (14).

Abstract: In the case of concrete blocks having narrow through holes for water drainage (perforated blocks), in particular paving stones of various formats and sizes that can be laid on surfaces exposed to the rain, such as streets, paths, squares, parking areas and rings around planted trees, and can be filled by means of jointing means or by means of sand at the lateral ends, the problem exists that the holes become plugged upon jointing or sanding-in. In order to prevent this, the holes are closed at their top end until the jointing or sanding-in operation is complete. This is advantageously accomplished by means of a filling agent that can be floated away or dissolves by means of the addition of water.

Abstract: Construction block units having spaced vertical bores with angularly disposed reduced rear access openings are assembled without mortar and have elongated rearwardly extending anchors with head ends received in the bores, the outer portions of adjacent converging anchors interengaging and supported so that the head ends extend vertically above a row of units for engagement by a second row of units to form a retaining wall. A freestanding wall is formed by parallel rows of facing block units interengaged by anchors having head ends at each end engaging angularly disposed bore openings in the facing offset units and supported so that the head ends extend into successive stacked staggered units.

Abstract: A molded base element includes a base element body having a substantially rhomboid longitudinal sectional shape and formed of two side walls intersecting one another along a longitudinal direction. Each of the side walls extends between longitudinally spaced cut surfaces and has a base surface adjacent a free end thereof opposite the intersection of the side walls. Slots or holes can be formed at the flattened surface at the line of intersection. Alternatively, grooves can be formed on the inner or end surfaces of the walls.

Abstract: A construction unit includes weep openings through a front wall, side walls, and a center web, and at least one slot extending parallel to a rear wall to receive a flashing member, the slot being defined at least partially by the rear wall. An insert member having an insect screen is positioned in each of the weep openings of the front wall.

Abstract: The invention provides a construction element having a front face (1), a back face (2), a top face (3), a bottom face (4) and end faces (5) and (6). Each of the top (3), bottom (4) and end faces (5) and (6) contains a channel (7) having side walls (8) joined by a base (9) and arranged so as to surround the periphery of the construction element. An aperture (12) is formed between the top face (3) and bottom face (4). The aperture (12) is hexagonal in cross-section. In each channel (7), each side wall (8) forms an angle of 120 degrees with the base of channel (7).

Abstract: A wall element consists of a ground wall with a shield that is placed on it perpendicularly and side walls extending laterally from the shield to the rear. In high walls that can be 7 meters or higher, in order to withstand the high static load that exerts force on the ground wall the side walls are formed in such a manner that their upper front surfaces are situated above the groove-shaped recesses located in the bottom surface of the ground wall, so that the load is transferred only via the side walls and prevents the side walls from collapsing.

Abstract: A building brick includes a through-extending bore of a trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration to ease removal of a building brick from a mold during fabrication. The central bore permits the stacking of the building bricks to include the bottom wall in downward orientation to accommodate a greater quantity of mortar at the base portion thereof for a stable mortar configuration in use. A further embodiment of the invention includes the bottom wall of a concave configuration to assist in the positioning of mortar between adjacent building bricks, as well as a further embodiment including a forward wall flange extending downwardly relative to the concave surface and a second end wall flange to assist in the positioning of mortar between adjacent bricks to secure the mortar in a semi-solid state.

Abstract: A concrete construction block having at least one or more hollow cores or open cells and wherein an opening is molded between one cell and the outer face of the block and which opening is defined by edges having opposing outermost flanges which function to retain an inspection window seated within the core therebetween.

Abstract: A concrete slab, and a building construction system employing the concrete slab, in which the slab is formed in a casting or extrusion process to include a plurality of longitudinally extending core passages, and a groove extending transversely across one end face thereof. A plurality of invention slabs are stacked side by side to form a continuous wall structure, a plurality of conventional cored floor slabs are arranged with their one ends supported on the upper ends of the invention wall slabs, and concrete slurry is poured into the interface between the wall slabs and the floor slabs to fill at least some of the vertical core passages in the wall slabs and at least portions of the horizontal core passages in the floor slabs to form a continuous reinforcing concrete frame within the wall and floor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a slab (10) adapted to be laid on a floor surface (11) in abutting relationship with like slabs to form an access floor. The slab has at least one channel (20) on its underside extending between edges thereof and adapted to be coincident with the channels of neighboring slabs to form an extended duct through which cabling and the like may be extended.

Abstract: A modified concrete block, apparatus and method of manufacture for making the concrete block which includes a bored arch-shaped inspection hole formed through one side wall into one cavity of the concrete block. The inspection hole, used for inspecting reinforcements within the cavity prior to filling with concrete, is formed by the apparatus and in accordance with the method of manufacture by boring a circular hole through the side wall at an acute angle to the side wall in alignment with one cavity. The hole, generally equal in diameter to the length of the cavity, is offset so that it extends from through one edge margin of the side wall toward, but not to, the other side margin of the side wall.

Abstract: A modular block for making constructions, is essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises a body (1) having three groups of cylindrical hollows opening out respectively into three contiguous faces (2, 3, 4) of the cube, each group comprising at least two cylindrical hollows each of whose generator line is perpendicular to the face into which they open out, the two hollows including at least two lines in common and the section of each of them in a plane parallel to the face forming a partially closed curved surface suitable for preventing a cylinder of complementary shape to the corresponding hollow from radial displacement when such a cylinder is slid into said hollow. The invention is particularly applicable to building full scale models.

Abstract: A large-format artificial brick has vertical air channels extending therethrough. Recesses on the top and bottom of the brick form additional air circulating channels for a heating or cooling medium. In a building formed with such large-format bricks, a blower is located in the basement and connected to the vertical passages by a manifold.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recreation surface which consists of a plurality of resilient tiles, each of which has through bores for receiving elongated tie rods and side slots for receiving tie bars which have apertures therein. The through bores are intersected by the side slots such that when the tie bars are inserted into confronting slots in adjacent tiles the apertures in the tie bars are aligned with the through bores and are fixed against relative movement when the tie rods are inserted.

Abstract: A retaining wall is made from a plurality of blocks arranged in rows superimposed on each other and pinned together. Each block has a body with an exterior face and rearwardly diverging side walls joined to a neck. A head having outwardly directed ears is joined to the neck. The body has holes and pockets for pins that interlock overlapped blocks together. A finishing block having a flat top surface is used to construct the top layer of the wall. A geogrid tie-back sheet having slots is located between layers of blocks and anchored to the pins stabilizes the wall.

Abstract: A retaining wall is made from a plurality of blocks arranged in rows superimposed on each other and pinned together. Each block has a body with an exterior face and rearwardly diverging side walls joined to a neck. A head having outwardly directed ears is joined to the neck. The body has holes and pockets for pins that interlock overlapped blocks together.

Abstract: A block for a building or a pavement is disclosed which has a plurality of longitudinal holes and transverse holes extending through the block and communicating with each other at the intersecting points, recesses formed on the underside thereof, and a plurality of holes extending vertically through the block at the solid portions remaining between the intersecting points of the holes.

Abstract: Hollow-core construction blocks are superposed without intervening mortar. The hollow-core construction blocks are provided with vertical, longitudinally spaced cylindrical apertures. Vertical slots having the same spaced relationship are interposed between the vertical apertures. Both the vertical apertures and the vertical slots open at one side of the block in a longitudinal channel having an at least approximately semi-circular cross-section. These building components permit forming arbitrarily high walls by the "dry", i.e. without mortar, superposition of the construction blocks and pouring concrete into the cylindrical vertical apertures of an upper row of blocks. The concrete flows downward, perhaps with the aid of a vibrator, and spreads out in lateral direction through the longitudinal channels. The vertical slots provide a means of escape for the displaced air.

Abstract: Interlocking blocks for erecting a wall assembly formed by building blocks laid up in end to end abutting relation by multiple staggered block courses. The blocks of the wall assembly are characterized by at least one opening extending between its top and bottom surfaces with an upstanding endless tongue on its top surface surrounding the opening and nested by a rabbeted recess around the opening in the bottom surface nesting the endless tongue when one block is superposed on another. Coextensive grooves, formed in block side walls, receive furring strips. Nailable material blocks selectively secured to end surfaces of the blocks define wall openings.

Abstract: A tile for covering surface areas such as floors and walls has a tile surface and beneath the tile surface a body portion having side walls extending perpendicularly from the tile surface edges so as to form a tile block and the body portion has channels formed therein so as to extend thereacross to form channels in which pipes or cables may be disposed or through which a heating medium may be conducted for heating the block and the room laid out with such tile blocks.

Abstract: A wall comprising superposed rows of aligned conventional building blocks having approximately parallel front and back faces connected by a plurality of transverse webs defining chambers therebetween is disclosed in which the tops and bottoms of the blocks are formed to include uniformly spaced apart ball-receiving depressions positioned so that the depressions in the tops of each block mate with the depressions in the bottoms of the block above it. Balls are fitted into the space defined by the mating depressions, these being slightly larger than the mating depressions to space the blocks, and the depressions in the tops of each block are machined to a specific limit in relation to the height of the block so that the interconnection of the blocks by the balls aligns the blocks.

Abstract: Improved formwork elements for building purposes. The present invention relates in particular to improved interlocking formwork elements of hollow block configuration produced from a hard foam resin material, and adapted to be filled with concrete to provide a rigid wall or the like having high insulating properties.

Abstract: A cooling tower, a process for producing a cooling tower, and a reinforcing element suitable for use in the process and tower are disclosed. The cooling tower, formed from a shell of reinforced concrete, is produced with a plurality of plate-like reinforcing elements adjacent to a surface of the shell. The reinforcing elements are disposed in at least one horizontal plane within the shell adjacent to and suspended from the shell surface. The reinforcing elements in a plane abut and are joined one to another, and are also joined to the shell at spaced points thereon. Each plate-like element includes a central channel communicating with trough-like ends for receiving a suitable reinforcing material which extends into recesses in the shell of the cooling tower adjacent the trough-like ends.

Abstract: A building block and masonry wall constructed therefrom are provided wherein the building block has a pair of spaced opposite generally parallel side walls, spaced top and bottom faces and a pair of end spaces, an intermediate generally centrally extending horizontal groove in said top face, a pair of narrower grooves, one on either side of said centrally extending groove on said top face, an intermediate vertical passage of generally keyhole shape in said block corresponding in width to the widest portion of the central grooves on said top face, a pair of vertical passages on each side of said intermediate vertical passage extending from the top narrower grooves, and at least one vertical recess in each end intermediate the side walls and having a cross section substantially equal to one half of said intermediate vertical passage.

Abstract: A ballasting block for use as chamber floor loading in a concrete caisson breakwater made up of horizontally-arrayed sections having perforated front walls, or for use as armor capping on rubble mound breakwaters, is of parallelepipedic form with two pairs of sides meeting at right angles, and front and rear end faces of rectilinear outline having openings recessed therein defined by at least one through passage extending the length of the block, serving as flow-guiding channel means. A preferred form for caisson ballasting as one or more layers of closely-spaced blocks, is a cube, or a rectangular prism, molded of concrete of weight from about one tonne to about twenty tonnes, having a single passage of circular, elliptical, or polygonal cross-sectional outline with area from 0.2 m.sup.2 to 1.5 m.sup.2. When used for armor capping each end face is perforated by a number of ducts, the blocks being laid in ordered arrays with close spacing presenting one end face upwardly.

Abstract: A wall element for a construction wall to be associated with sanitary objects, has a body portion of self-supporting material, and provided with a channel-shaped gas-tight and water-tight inner hollow which forms a conduit for at least draining. The inner hollow is provided in the region of the body portion which normally serves for the connection of said sanitary objects, and has a height corresponding to the region of the requisite draining lines of said sanitary objects. The inner hollow has an inclined sole.

Abstract: The present invention provides an architectural block which comprises two opposed side walls and at least two parallel partitions positioned between the side walls perpendicular thereto. The partitions and side walls define chambers within the block, and a groove is formed in one edge of each of the partitions. The chambers are filled with a foaming agent comprising a lightweight heat insulator and moisture-proof material.

Abstract: A wave dissipating wall is formed of a plurality of wave chambers comprising a plurality of horizontal plates and vertical partition walls opening toward the direction from which waves come in. The ends of the walls dividing the chambers are wider than the remaining parts of the walls and the front walls comprise semi-circular curved surfaces extending toward the direction from which the waves come in order to introduce the waves into the chamber having a wider width than the entrance formed between the respective front walls and to let the waves circulate within the chamber by the energy of the waves, thereby increasing the friction resistance between the waves and the walls as much as possible and achieving an efficient diminishing of the wave energy.

Abstract: A complete concrete structure, especially houses, having any desired architectural form and appearance is constructed in a series operations wherein the foundation, the interior and exterior walls, and the floor are constructed at the situs from a single basic, monolithic pre-cast modular concrete beam. Each beam is an elongated concrete member having a generally rectangular cross-section, and having a central aperture extending through the length of said beam. In addition, two opposite sides of the beam are provided with a plurality of lateral holes, and said sides are configured to have a longitudinally extending tongue and groove arrangement so that abutting modular concrete beams will interfit with one another. Either one or both of the other two opposite sides of the beams may be architecturally finished, depending on whether the beam is to be employed as forming a portion of the foundation, the upstanding walls, or the roof structure.