UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAFAEL GUASTAVINO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE GUASTAVINO

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,296, dated February 2, 1892.
Application filed May 21, 1889, Serial No. 311,556, (No model.)
?? ??? ??fu??, žü ?rvu? ??7vcer??: flect and consequently cannot break. Be
Beit known that I, RAFAEL GUASTAVINO, a sides giving sufficient sectional area to the
citizen of the United States, and a resident tile arch means should be provided to pre
of New York, in the county of New York and vent the spreading of the supports of said 5t
5 State of New York, have invented certain arch, since the crushing pressure is trans
new and useful Improvements in the Con ferred into horizontal pressure, which is ex
struction of Buildings, of which the following erted against the supports or side walls where
is a specification. - the girder rests. To accomplish this, Ianchor ??
My invention has reference to the con the iron beam in the tile material through its
ostruction of fire-proof and other buildings, entire length, and build and anchor it also in
and relates more especially to the ceilings both sidewalls, by which construction the
and roofs of such buildings. said horizontal pressure is resolved into the
The object of the invention is to devise resistance that the iron beam has to tension.
means for supporting the ceiling, &c., which Thus I have both materials working in their 65
highest coefficiency to the resistance-i. e.,
15 shall possess great strength, superior fire the iron to the tension and the clay product
proof qualities, cheapness, and artistic or aes to the pressure. The economy of this con
thetic conditions. struction over any construction in which the
The invention invulves a new conception iron is employed to work by deflection merely to
as to the utilization of iron and of clay pro will be apparent when the fact is taken into
2O ducts in the construction of buildings, the account that the sectional area of an iron
iron being so employed that it will co-operate beam which is arranged to work by tension
with the clay products (such as terra-cotta) need be very small compared to the sectional
in such manner as to compensate for the ab
sence from the clay of qualities desirable for area required when the beam supporting the 75
25 it to possess, and on the other hand the clay same load is arranged to work by deflection.
in like manner so co-operating with the iron Furthermore, in all structures in which iron
as to increase its efficiency in performing the beams are employed special provision is made
service for which it is especially employed. for their contraction and expansion under
In other words, so combine the iron and the the conditions of heat and cold. * 8o
3o clay products that each fortifies the other by In making use of my present invention,
imparting each to the other some measure of wherein I envelop the iron beams in terra
the inherent quality possessed by them, re cotta laid in Portland cement or plaster, no
spectively. It is well understood that a special arrangement of this nature is required, S
wrought - iron beam will deflect before it as ehanges in temperature will have no per 5
35 breaks under excess of weight. This is the ceptible effect upon the beams. This feature
nature of wrought-iron and its good quality. of my invention-namely, enveloping the iron
On the other hand, an arch of tile material of the structure in the clay product-is if
laid in Portland cement or plaster, when sub portant on other accounts in carrying out the
jected to excess of weight, will partake of no general scheme of my present improvements. 9o
40 sensible deflection, but will crush. In my It is sometimes necessary in the construc
present invention ISO.combine these two ma tion of a building to make use of a girder in
terials-Wrought-iron and clay product-that lieu of a wall to support the overbeams. As
any deflection of the iron involves a move now constructed this girder is of wood or iror
ment tending to crush the clay; but as the and is surrounded by sham work in order to 95
45 clay is depended upon to support by com give it proportions that will satisfy mechani
pression it will therefore prevent the iron cal appearance. This sham work consists,
from deflecting, so that the value of the iron generally, of pieces of wood, wire lathing, and
in performing its function is dependent upon plaster. Any unusual movement of the build
the strength of the tile material to resist ing-such as the settling of its walls--will so I ? ?
5o crushing, and hence if enough sectional area affect a construction of this description as to
bo given to the tile arch the iron eannot do rupture the same, and thus disclose its poor
 2 468,296
and unsubstantial
possible to impartqualities.
fire-proofBesides, it istoima
qualities provided with short rods or bars 9 of about
construction of this nature and it is by no three-quarters of an inchin diameter and from
means, egonomical, since the iron which item six to twelve inches long and extending equal o
5 bodies is very costly because of its weight, distances on both sides of the beam and pref
and a number of different trades must be ex erably some distance beyond the flange or
ercised in building it. To illustrate, an iron flanges, so as to secure a good hold on the tiles
worker is required to set the heavy beam, a surrounding such rods or bars, as shown in Fig.
carpenter to do the wood-work, a man to ap 3. The beam 8 will be as long as the span of the 75
to ply the wire lathing, a plasterer, and a nason, vault, but will contain, only about ten percent.
aii of which signifies the expenditure of time of the iron of the beams commonly used in
and money, and when the structure is com buildings. I am enabled to make the beam
pleted it is, as above explained, quite unsub very light, because as employed by meit works
stantial and entirely devoid of artistic con by tension and is not required to sustain any
15 ditions. Even-when there is no perceptible appreciable weight at right angles to its cross
settling of the walls of a building containing section. There is evident economy in the em
girders of this description the drying of the ployment of a beam of this description not
wood will cause the structure to crack, thus only on account of the comparatively small
disturbing the wireplaster.
2O in the enveloping lathing and making rents. amount of iron which it contains, but also be
cause it may be easily handled and set by the
By my present improvements I am enabled mason without the aid of an iron-worker, as
to erect girders embodying none of the dis heretofore mentioned. The beam 8 is anch
advantages of the commonly-employed gird ored in the side walls, as shown, and is then
ers and possessing the advantages of econ enveloped by the tile material 10 of sufficient 90
25 being
omy, strength, artistic conditions, besides sectional area, and which is built up around
andfire-proof.
thoroughly the iron in the form of vault desired, the tiles
A girder built in accordance with my in being laid in Portland cement or plaster and
vention will embody only one-tenth part of preferably so as to break joints. The form .
the iron now generally employed for such of tile best adapted for this purpose will be
3o structures, and the iron beams which my con twelve (12) inches long by six (6) inches wide
struction embodies are so light that they can and three-fourths (3) of an inch thick. The
be hoisted to position and set by the mason common building-bricks, such as the side
without the assistance of an iron-worker, and walls 7 are built of, are not as well adapted.
as my construction embodies merely iron and for the present purposes. The result of this
35 requisition
a clay product
in itsbut two trades are called into construction of the vault is that the whole
erection. length of the iron beam 8, with its transverse
To enable others interested in the art to . rods 9, will be firmly anchored in the tile ma
winieh my improvements relate to understand terial. Whenever downward deflection of the
and make use of them, I will now describe ironbeams 8 begins to take place the flanges on
to the same more in detail, with reference to the the same, as well as the lateral projections 9
accompanying drawings, which form, a part and 12, will be pressed against adjoining tiles.
of this specification, wherein like features are or cement or plaster in contact with such tiles
indicated by like figures of reference in all of and will be met there by the great power of
e views, and wherein resistance which tiles possess as far as crush
; Figurelis a transverse sectional view, partly ing strain upon the same is concerned, the IIo
in elevation, of a vault embodying my inven cement or plaster between the tiles serving
iion, Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line acac to further transfer such strain to other tiles,
of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the double and to thereby reinforce the tiles which are
-beam forming a part of the vault of Fig. in direct contact with such flanges or lateral
5c 1. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, repre projections. The exposed or face surface of II5
senting the vault as flat instead of curved this vault will consist of tiles that have been
and embodying certain modifications in the decorated before being built into the vault,
form of the iron employed in the vault. Fig. either by carving or glazing, or by both glaz
5 is a cross-section through the line, if y of ing and carving, or in any other suitableman
55 Fig. 4, and Fig. G is a cross-section illustrat plete ner, so that no subsequent, decoration to com
ing another form of theiron elements adapted the artistic effect will be necessary, the
to be combined with
vault shown in Fig. 4. the clay product of the construction itself furnishing the decoration,
or, in other words, the decoration is con
In the drawings, 7 indicates the side walls structed. The tile material of the vault also
6o of a building, said walls serving as abutments has its bearings in the side walls, as shown, I 25
for the vault, which may be curved, as shown and the two materials, iron and clay, in the
in Fig. 1, or flat, as shown in Fig. 4. In build process of erecting the vault are so combined
ing the vault only wrought-iron and tiles laid as to impart great solidity to the finished
structure.
in Portland cement or plaster, are used.
5 form of the iron may vary, but preferably I The
The manner in which a vault constructed as
will use a double-beam 8; perforated trans above described operates in supporting a load
versely its entire length and the perforations has been already explained. The iron is so
arranged as to do its work by tension and
 - 468,296 - 3

the tile material by compression. Excess of of anchors 15 of the form shown. The beam
weight will tend to spread the vault and crush lis as long as the span of the vault and is 55
the tile material; but the abutments in the completely embedded in the tile material, as
side walls prevent any appreciable spread indicated, and each of the anchors 15 (which
5 ing thereof, and the effort to spread brings are about two feet long) has one of its angles
into play the iron, which, working by tension, resting on the cross-bar of the beam, while.
supports the tile material, and thus resists its other angle is fixed in the surface tile 16, 6o
the tendency of the tile material to crush, the as shown. The principle of operation of this
tile material itself being of sufficient sectional
construction is the same as that of the other
??
area to prevent the iron from deflecting. The
short rods or bars 9 assist the beam 8 in re constructions
I am aware
described.
that iron beams having lateral
sisting deflection, which they do by serving projections have been embedded in bodies of 65
as obstructions to the tendency of the beam
to bend in the middle, every transverse rod concrete, cement, and artificial stone for the
purpose, principally, of guarding against the
r 5 9 being practically a brace or bracket to re cracking of such bodies resulting from un
sist the readjustment of the molecules of the even drying
metal that must take place when the beam is constructionsand a
setting of the same. In such
long time isof required, before
deflected from a straight line to a segmental
curve. The effect of excess of weight on the the same will be capable supporting the o
bean heavy loads for which they are designed, and
is a crushing- action on its transverse besides
rods. there is no certainty that after such
bodies become
The advantages of my invention may be fectly homogeneous. dry and hard they will be per
secured by employing various forms of iron, composite beam or girder In my construction the 75
and the transverse rods 9 are not absolutely becomes service
25 essential, though I prefer to make use of able much quicker, and besides all sections
them. In Figs. 4 and 5 I show the iron of of Havingthe tile-work will be equally reliable.
the vault consisting of a pair of angle-irons I claim asthusnew,
described my invention, what
and desire to secure by Let
of comparatively lightweight and of a length ters Patent, is
equal to that of the span of the vault. These
3o ings
angle-irons (also marked 8) have their bear 1. In the construction of buildings, a com
in the side walls, at which points they posite fire-proof vault or girder containing a
are provided with several of the transverse flanged iron beam anchored in the side walls
rods or bars 9, as shown, and are arranged of a building, an arch or beam made of tiles 85
so that their horizontal surfaces furnish the
35 under surface of the yault and their vertical
surfaces extend into the tile material, as in
? along such flanged iron beam to
such side walls, and lateral bars extending
from such iron beam beyond its flanges and
inserted in the joints between the tiles, sub
dicated in Fig. 5. In connection with these stantially as set forth.
angle-irons I employ a series of anchors, each 2. In the construction of buildings, a com
consisting of a vertical member 11 of sheet posite fire-proof vault or girder containing an
40 metal, and a horizontal iron rod 12. These iron I-beam anchored in the side walls of a
anchors are bolted between the vertical sur building, an arch or beam made of tiles ex
faces of the angle-irons, as shown, and when tending along and enveloping such iron beam, 95
the vault is completeil the anchors will be and bolts or studs passing through the web
firmly embedded in the tile material. In this of such I-beam and extending on both sides
45 construction of the vault its lower surface
will be covered with an ornamental piece of of the same and inserted between the tiles of
terra-cotta 13, held in place by nails 14, as such arch or beam, substantially as set forth.
indicated. This will add a finish to the vault Signed at New York, in the county of New IGQ
and serve to conceal the lower surfaces of the York and State of New York, this 16th day
angle-irons. of May, A. D. 1889.
In Fig. 6 I show another modification in RAFAEL GUASTAWINO.
Witnesses:
the form of the iron of the vault, consisting J. E. M. BowFN,
of an inverted-T beam 8 and a series of pairs J. J. KENNEDY.