Drywall Construction and Means Therefor

This invention relates to block-type drywall construction and, more particularly to a brick drywall construction method and the means for carrying it out. Although the method and means are applicable to building blocks in general, i.e. bricks and concrete blocks, the construction is preferably of brick. The constructed wall is designed to be, essentially, self supporting and simulate the appearance of a brick wall of normal mortared construction.

Drywall constructions are used generally and take the form of a wall constructed of unitary building units or blocks which can be stacked to provide a self supporting wall structure. A securing cement, or mortar, being dispensed with.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,250--Ellias, issued Sep. 17, 1991, is directed to a building block per se which is designed for stacking in a drywall structure. The blocks are provided with vertically oriented holes, which in stacking are vertically aligned through row layers, through which rods may be passed to provide reinforcement of the structure.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,815--Brown, issued Jan. 26, 1984, is directed to a mortarless concrete building block provided with key means locking one layer of blocks to the underlying or overlying next layer. Here again reinforcing rods may be used for added strength.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,112--O'Leary, issued Apr. 30, 1940, is directed to an insulated building block having, in one instance, a simulated brick construction surface applied to the face of the block.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,462--Kupper, issued Jul. 2, 1935, is directed to a miniature building system wherein individual building blocks are mounted on and secured by vertical rods passing consecutively through layers of the blocks.

The present invention is directed to a drywall construction method and means facilitating ease of construction while, at the same time, providing a strong structure with the appearance of a mortared block wall. The preferred construction block is a standard brick presently in wide use for building and wall construction.

According to the invention, the layers of brick, in regular construction format, are interleaved with relatively thin layers of preferably, a slightly resilient belt-like material which provides the appearance of a mortar strip between the layers. The standard construction brick, upon which the present description is largely based, is provided with holes, usually three, passing vertically through the brick with the holes symmetrically situated so that the holes of offset brick layers will align between layers with, in the case of the three hole brick, the center hole coinciding vertically with the abutting ends of the bricks in the layers immediately above and below that particular center hole. Simulated vertical mortar pads are inserted between abutting brick ends.

A particular feature of the invention is the use of short pin members, for instance tubes, which are dimensioned to fit snugly into the holes in the brick. The length of the pin member is preferably substantially equal to the vertical height of a brick and is inserted into the hole of a brick to the approximate extent of half its length, the other half of the pin member acting as a locating pin upon which the subsequent layer of simulated mortar and bricks are laid. In order to accommodate the pins and, as will appear later the vertical simulated mortar inserts, the horizontal belt layer is provided with transverse-centrally located holes coinciding with the holes in the bricks and the over- and underlying abutting brick ends. The pin members act as means for securing the brick and belt layers against horizontal displacement with respect to each other. In addition, the rods, in view of their snug fits in the brick holes, provide an additional degree of vertical stability. When the pins are tubular in form, vertical reinforcing rods may be readily inserted through a number of laid layers of bricks and insulating belts.

This type of wall construction reduces labor costs in the building of wall etc., is economical and, in view of the fact there are no rigid joints the wall may be subjected to considerable vibrational stress without consequent cracking and deterioration thus rendering the construction useful for earthquake prone areas.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a brick drywall construction according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a foundation form for the brick wall construction of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show alternate forms of rod members which may be substituted for the rod members shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 which shows an exploded view of the brick or block wall according to the present invention two horizontal rows of bricks 1, laid end to end in standard brick wall construction, are shown in horizontally offset position whereat the abutment of two bricks in the upper layer overlies the center of a brick immediately below. The bricks are of a known standard form and which, in this instance, are provided with a longitudinal series of three equally spaced and longitudinally separated holes 4 which pass vertically through the brick, the center hole of the series being located centrally of the brick and the longitudinal spacing of the holes is such that, if the series of holes was continued, the subsequent hole center-lines would substantially coincide with the end surfaces of the brick.

The bricks of each row are horizontally separated, according to the invention, by an insert 2 having the dimensions of a mortar separation layer. The inserts simulate the appearance of mortar and may be colored as desired. The insert is, preferably, provided with centrally located, rectangular, upper and lower tabs 3 which are dimensioned so that the horizontal widths thereof substantially equal the diameter of the vertical holes 4 in the bricks 1. The purpose of these tabs will become apparent as the description proceeds.

A belt 5, having a simulated mortar appearance and colored as desired, is provided with a longitudinal series of holes 6 which are longitudinally spaced in accordance with the spacing of the holes in the standard brick 1 and have diameters equal to that of the holes in the brick. The belt 5 is laid between the layers or rows of bricks 1 with the holes 6 of the belt overlying the holes 4 of the bricks. Since the spacings of the holes in the standard brick are such that, when the bricks are laid in standard horizontal-row construction format, the center hole of a brick will coincide, longitudinally of the row, with the center of the abutment space of the rows of bricks immediately above and below that center hole. As a consequence, the belt 5, when positioned on a brick row will have a hole therein which coincides with the abutment space of that row. The purpose of the tabs on the inserts 2 will now become apparent as the belts 5, above and below an insert 2, will provide a hole 6 which will accept the tabs 3 of the insert 2. The insert 2 is, accordingly, secured between the belt layers 5 by the tabs 3. Although the tabs could be dispensed with, it is preferred that the tabs are present to secure the inserts 2 in position.

In order to secure the belts in position between brick layers and provide stability to the construction, pins 7 are provided. The pins 7, preferably, have a diameter substantially equal to that of the holes 4 and a length approximating the thickness of a layer of bricks and one layer of belt 5. The pins 7, preferably, have, at least, a somewhat resilient surface whereby slight imperfections in the brick holes 4 will not prevent a pin 7 from entering thereinto. In constructing a wall, according to the method and system of the invention, the pins 7, are tapped through a belt layer into the brick layer below leaving approximately one half the pin length projecting above the belt.

The positioning of the pins 7 in the belt can be best seen in FIG. 2 which depicts the starter layer or foundation for the brick wall. In this figure a concrete foundation slab 8, having a longitudinal key slot 9, is shown. The depth of the key is equal to one half the thickness of a brick 1 and pins 7 are placed in belt 5 in alternate holes 6, i.e. spaced by one belt hole 6 and projecting into key slot 9. The pins in this starter row can placed in groups of three to determine the position of the bricks 1, of the starter row. However, the pins 7, when regularly spaced apart by one hole of belt 5, allow for flexibility in the placement of the first row of bricks 1. The bricks 1 of a first layer of bricks are placed each on two pins. This automatically spaces the bricks 1, of the first layer, to accept horizontal spacers 2 therebetween with the lower tabs 3 of the spacers 2 in the holes of belt 5 which do not contain a pin 7. It should be noted that the pins 7 project above the belt 5 to approximately one half their total length less the thickness of one belt layer. When the pins are so dimensioned the pins are tapped into the bricks until they abut with the end of a pin protruding from the layer below thus reducing the tolerance necessary in placing the pins in the layers.

The next layer of bricks 1 can now be placed on the pins 7 and tapped down on the pins to contact the belt 5. Preferably, an insert 2 is placed in position before an adjacent brick is laid. In order to facilitate the accommodation of the inserts 2 between the bricks 1 of a row it is preferable that the insert be of somewhat resilient material, such as sponge rubber, so that it can be compressed somewhat and still provide a good mortar-like seal between brick ends. The material of belts 5 should be of a material which has a slightly resilient surface so that the brick layer surface irregularities can be accommodated. However, the belts 5 should be able to withstand considerable weight pressure without unduly compressing so that the integrity of the brick wall construction can be maintained. A suitable material is corded belting having a substantially smooth, rubber-like, surface, which surface accommodates the minor irregularities of the brick surfaces contacting it. Such belting material is available as conveyor belts for ore handling in mineral mining operations.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, variations of pins 7 are shown. A suitable construction 7A, shown in FIG. 3, has longitudinal convolutions 10 on its outer surface and of tubular form so that, when a wall is being constructed, steel reinforcing rods can be inserted into the wall vertically passing through the pins 7 of several layers of bricks 1. The material of the pins 7 may be polyethylene or a plastic material such as that known as ABS plastic which is used in plumbing construction and the wall of the tubing can be thin enough to provide flexibility for construction while still providing sufficient strength to prevent lateral movement of bricks with respect to the belt under normal stress conditions.

Another form of pin 7B is shown in FIG. 4 wherein the outer surface of the pin is provided with resilient, longitudinal, webs or fins 11 which provide tolerance for brick irregularities.

FIG. 5 shows a plain tubular pin 7C which is provided with a thin, longitudinally-central, encircling flange 12 which limits the penetration of the pin into a block or brick. Such pins can be shorter than the abutting types.

Although not shown, the pins can be solid but this form precludes the use of reinforcing rods and are wasteful of material. In all cases the pins should have sufficient strength to prevent collapsing when being tapped into position and to provide sufficient rigidity to the wall construction. The rigidity required will be dependent on the use and inadvertent forces to which the wall will be normally subjected.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described, it will be obvious that different brick formats and consequent belt structures may be employed to construct walls according to the principles of the present invention. The use of short pins, according to the invention, provides ease and versatility of construction.

In drywall construction the level of a layer may be adjusted, in accordance with the invention, by the use of thin shim layers of belting, not shown, which can be placed on the belts where necessary to correct minor level discreprencies.