Masonry Wall System
A masonry wall system includes a plurality of blocks. Each block has two external side walls and is adapted for use adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure (40) constructed from the blocks. A plurality of the blocks include a tongue (8) projecting from a sidewall thereof. The blocks can be arranged such that a plurality of the tongues (8) combine to form a plurality of furring ridges (42) on the wall structure having a required spacing therebetween. In a preferred embodiment the spacing between the furring ridges (42) is greater than the length of the longest of the blocks used. A method of assembling a masonry wall is also disclosed.
This invention relates to masonry construction blocks and has particular application to a system of blocks used to create walls to which an interior and/or exterior lining is applied using furring.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTIONMasonry construction blocks are well known. These blocks are frequently hollow, and are placed adjacent to each other using mortar in between adjacent blocks to form a wall. The cavities within the blocks align with each other in use so that concrete grout may be poured into the wall to create a solid structure. Reinforcing may also be placed through the cavities to add additional strength to the structure.
A difficulty with concrete walls constructed from blocks is that an interior lining is often required to be applied to the wall for interior spaces. In existing constructions, the lining typically comprises gypsum board or rock sheet and may be glued directly on to the concrete wall. However, more often furring is provided on the wall in the form of a series of wooden or metal strips which are glued, nailed, bolted or otherwise fastened on to the interior wall surface. The gypsum board is then affixed using glue or fasteners to the furring to form a cavity separating the gypsum lining board from the block surface. This may provide enhanced acoustic separation and/or a cavity for thermal and/or acoustic insulation. Services such as plumbing or electric wiring may also be provided in the cavity.
Having to provide separate furring results in a number of disadvantages. Firstly, there is the additional cost of sourcing the furring strip material. Secondly, there is the labour cost and additional time in having to affix the furring to the wall before the interior lining can be affixed.
A further difficulty with exterior concrete walls constructed from blocks is that it is difficult to weatherproof them by sealing to prevent penetration by water. In some situations this is overcome by attaching exterior claddings to furring on the block wall which has been sealed, thereby creating a ventilated cavity and drainage plane.
Other systems of providing furring have been suggested whereby each block is provided with a plurality of projecting tongues. When the blocks are assembled some of the projecting tongues combine to form closely spaced furring ridges. A problem with such systems is that the space between the furring ridges has spare tongues projecting into it, which may increase noise and heat transmission through the wall and may make it inconvenient to install insulation such as fibreglass batts between the furring ridges. In some systems of the prior art the tongues are removable, but it may be extremely time consuming to remove each unwanted tongue in a wall assembly. In addition, the extra, unneeded tongues may add to the cost of the bricks, and to their weight.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a masonry wall system and/or a method of assembling a masonry wall which will at least ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages referred to above.
Alternatively, it is an object of the present invention to provide a masonry wall system and/or a method of assembling a masonry wall which will at least provide the public with a useful alternative to existing constructions or methods.
Further objects of the invention may become apparent from the following description.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a masonry wall system including a plurality of masonry blocks, each block having two external side walls and being adapted for location, in use, adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure constructed from the blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein, in use, said blocks can be arranged such that such that a plurality of said tongues combine to form a plurality of furring ridges on the wall structure such that a distance between centres of at least one of said furring ridges and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
Preferably, a distance between centres of each furring ridge and an adjacent furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
Preferably, the tongues are shaped and dimensioned such that a volume of air enclosed between the wall surface and a wallboard which is attached, in use, to the furring, is sufficient to cause attenuation of sound transmitted through the wall.
Preferably, the volume of air is sufficient that an “air-spring” acoustic damping mechanism is active.
Preferably, each said block is moulded with no more than one said tongue on each of said external side walls.
Preferably, the wall structure includes a plurality of rows of said blocks, and each said row of blocks is laterally offset relative to an adjacent row.
Preferably, the masonry wall system includes a first type of masonry block having no tongues, a second type of block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue at or adjacent a first end of the block, and a third type of masonry block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue intermediate a first end and a second end of the block.
Preferably, each said furring ridge is substantially continuous.
Preferably, each said furring ridge is substantially linear.
Preferably, a plurality of said furring ridges are substantially vertical.
Preferably, the distance between centres of adjacent ridges, or every second said ridge, is equal to the width of a standard size of wallboard.
Preferably, the distance between centres of adjacent ridges is substantially 600 mm.
Preferably, the wall structure defines an opening, and the blocks adjacent said opening provide furring ridges around an edge of said opening.
Preferably, the wall structure intersects a second masonry wall structure to form a corner assembly including a plurality of interengaged masonry blocks, a plurality of which include a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein a plurality of said tongues combine to form a pair of mutually orthogonal, substantially adjacent furring ridges.
According to a second aspect of the present invention a method of assembling a masonry wall includes interengaging a plurality of masonry blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, such that said blocks are arranged so that a plurality of said tongues combine to form a plurality of furring ridges on the wall, wherein a distance between centres of at least one of said furring ridges and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
Preferably, the method includes including using a first type of masonry block having no tongues, a second type of block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue at or adjacent a first end of the block, and a third type of masonry block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue intermediate a first end and a second end of the block.
Preferably, the method includes arranging the blocks to define an opening such that the blocks adjacent said opening provide furring ridges around an edge of said opening.
Preferably, the method includes arranging the blocks to form a first masonry wall intersecting a second masonry wall to form a corner assembly which has a plurality of interengaged masonry blocks, a plurality of which include a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein a plurality of said tongues combine to form a pair of mutually orthogonal, substantially adjacent furring ridges.
According to third aspect of the present invention there is provided a masonry wall system substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or examples.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention a masonry wall system includes a plurality of masonry blocks, each block having two external side walls and being adapted for location, in use, adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure constructed from the blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein, in use, said blocks can be arranged such that each said tongue combines with other said tongues to form a plurality of continuous furring ridges on the wall structure such that a distance between centres of each said furring ridge and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks, and wherein each said block in the system is moulded with no more than one said tongue on each of said external sidewalls.
According to a further aspect of the present invention a masonry wall system includes a plurality of masonry blocks, each block having two external side walls and being adapted for location, in use, adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure constructed from the blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein, in use, said blocks can be arranged such that a plurality of said tongues combine to form a plurality of furring ridges on the wall structure having a required spacing therebetween, wherein each said block in the system is moulded with no more than one said tongue on each of said external sidewalls.
Further aspects of the invention, which should be considered in all its novel aspects, will become apparent from the following description given by way of example of possible embodiments of the invention.
One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The term “furring” is used herein to describe means for attaching an exterior cladding, such as a weatherboard and/or an internal lining, such as gypsum wallboard, to a wall, which creates a space or cavity between the cladding/lining and the surface of the wall.
Referring to
The block 1 is provided with one or more projecting tongues 8. Typically blocks with tongues 8 on only one side will be used for external walls to which no external cladding is applied, while blocks with tongues 8 on both sides will be used for internal walls, or for external walls where a cladding is applied to the exterior surface of the wall, thereby providing a ventilation cavity and drainage plane, and an interior lining is applied to the interior side of the wall.
In
Turning to
Turning now to
An alternative embodiment is shown in
Turning now to
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the ridges 42 shown in
Preferably the tongues are shaped and dimensioned such that the volume of air enclosed between the brick wall surface and the wallboard is sufficient to significantly attenuate noise transmission through the wall, for example through an air-spring acoustic damping mechanism. The conditions necessary for this mechanism of sound attenuation to function are known to those skilled in the art.
In a particularly preferred embodiment acoustic and/or thermal insulation such as fibreglass batts may be placed between the wall surface and the wallboard. This is made particularly convenient by the relatively large spacing between the centres of the furring ridges.
Cladding such as gypsum board may be affixed to the furring provided by the invention by directly gluing the board to the outer surface of the ridges, and/or by using fasteners such as appropriate nails. The provision of the furring as an integral part of the block has the advantage that additional furring does not need to be sourced, nor erected. Therefore there is a significant cost saving. Furthermore, the use of a concrete furring element has advantages of increased noise attenuation and increased thermal resistance due to the resultant insulated cavity.
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, if required, some additional blocks with projecting tongues (not shown) may be used between the blocks creating the continuous ridges 42, although this embodiment is less preferred.
It is preferred that each block be moulded with no more than one tongue on each of the sidewalls. If blocks are manufactured with more than one tongue on the sidewall then the additional tongues will need to be removed if a clear space between the furring ridges is required. This may increase the labour cost involved with assembling the wall, and may also increase the cost of the bricks themselves. If blocks with extra tongues do not have the additional tongues removed then those extra tongues may act to increase the noise and heat transmission through the wall, and may also make it more difficult to install insulation in the space between the furring ridges.
In an alternative embodiment the blocks may be stacked directly on top of one another, rather than offset.
The cavities 43 within the blocks may be provided with structural reinforcing and/or concrete so as to increase the structural integrity of the wall.
Although not shown in
Although the embodiments described above have at least one end wall, in a still further embodiments (not shown) variants of the above blocks may be open at both ends, or closed at both ends.
The first corner block 50a has a projecting tongue 8a which is spaced apart from the end 51a of the block 50a by approximately the same distance as the height H2 of the projecting tongue 8b of the second block 50b. The second corner block 50b has a projecting tongue 8b spaced apart from the end 51b of the block 50b by a distance substantially equal to a width W of the first block 50a plus the height H1 of the projecting tongue 8a of the first block 50a. In this way the two projecting tongues 8a, 8b form a pair of mutually orthogonal, substantially adjacent furring ridges. This allows sheets of a suitable lining (not shown) to be secured along the edges which form the interior corner.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that further layers of blocks will be provided above and below the blocks shown in the figure. In a preferred embodiment each block used for the corner assembly has a protruding tongue, so that continuous furring ridges are formed. In other less preferred embodiments some of the blocks may not have protruding tongues. In these embodiments the furring ridges are discontinuous.
This skilled in the art will appreciate that suitable combinations of the blocks illustrated above may be used to define an opening in the wall which is provided with furring ridges around the edge of the opening.
Where in the foregoing description, reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.
Although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A masonry wall system including a plurality of masonry blocks, each block having two external side walls and being adapted for location, in use, adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure constructed from the blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein, in use, said blocks can be arranged such that such that a plurality of said tongues combine to form a plurality of furring ridges on the wall structure such that a distance between centres of at least one of said furring ridges and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
2. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein a distance between centres of each furring ridge and an adjacent furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
3. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein the tongues are shaped and dimensioned such that a volume of air enclosed between the wall surface and a planar wallboard which is attached, in use, to the furring, is sufficient to cause attenuation of sound transmitted through the wall.
4. The masonry wall system of claim 3 wherein the tongues blocks and tongues are so constructed that, when the ridges are covered by the planar wallboard, the volume between the brick wall surface and the wallboard is sufficient to act as an “air-spring”.
5. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein each said block is moulded with no more than one said tongue on each of said external side walls.
6. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein the wall structure includes a plurality of rows of said blocks, and each said row of blocks is laterally offset relative to an adjacent row.
7. The masonry wall system of claim 1 including a first type of masonry block having no tongues, a second type of block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue at or adjacent a first end of the block, and a third type of masonry block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue intermediate a first end and a second end of the block.
8. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein each said furring ridge is substantially continuous.
9. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein each said furring ridge is substantially linear.
10. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said furring ridges are substantially vertical.
11. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein the distance between centres of adjacent ridges, or every second said ridge, is equal to the width of a standard size of wallboard.
12. The masonry wall system of claim 11 wherein the distance between centres of adjacent ridges is substantially 600 mm.
13. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein the wall structure defines an opening, and the blocks adjacent said opening provide furring ridges around an edge of said opening.
14. The masonry wall system of claim 1 wherein the wall structure intersects a second masonry wall structure to form a corner assembly including a plurality of interengaged masonry blocks, a plurality of which include a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein a plurality of said tongues combine to form a pair of mutually orthogonal, substantially adjacent furring ridges.
15. A method of assembling a masonry wall including interengaging a plurality of masonry blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, such that said blocks are arranged so that a plurality of said tongues combine to form a plurality of furring ridges on the wall, wherein a distance between centres of at least one of said furring ridges and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks.
16. The method of claim 15 including using a first type of masonry block having no tongues, a second type of block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue at or adjacent a first end of the block, and a third type of masonry block having a substantially vertically orientated tongue intermediate a first end and a second end of the block.
17. The method of claim 15 including arranging the blocks to define an opening such that the blocks adjacent said opening provide furring ridges around an edge of said opening.
18. The method of claim 15, including arranging the blocks to form a first masonry wall intersecting a second masonry wall to form a corner assembly which has a plurality of interengaged masonry blocks, a plurality of which include a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein a plurality of said tongues combine to form a pair of mutually orthogonal, substantially adjacent furring ridges.
19. A masonry wall system as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of said blocks are configured with the tongues projecting from the opposite sides thereof.
20. A masonry wall system including a plurality of masonry blocks, each block having two external side walls and being adapted for location, in use, adjacent to further said blocks such that the side walls form at least one wall surface of a wall structure constructed from the blocks, a plurality of said blocks including a tongue projecting from a sidewall thereof, wherein, in use, said blocks can be arranged such that each said tongue combines with other said tongues to form a plurality of continuous furring ridges on the wall structure such that a distance between centres of each said furring ridge and an adjacent said furring ridge is greater than a length of the longest of said blocks, and wherein each said block in the system is moulded with no more than one said tongue on each of said external sidewalls.
Type: Application
Filed: May 12, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 17, 2008
Applicant: FLETCHER BUILDING HOLDINGS LIMITED (NZ/NZ) (Penrose, Auckland)
Inventor: James Mark Malone (Auckland)
Application Number: 11/914,109
International Classification: E04C 2/52 (20060101); E04C 2/04 (20060101); E04B 1/04 (20060101);