US3327442A - Prefabricated synthetic resin bonded tile wall unit - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1967 P. C. HERMANN FREFABRICATED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILE WALL UNIT 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 23, 1964 PAUL C. HERMANN June 27, 1967 P. c. HERMANN PREFABRICATED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILE WALL UNI] 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1964 PAUL C. HERMANN INVENTOR.

PRESSURE SENSITIVE SHEET @ow ATTORNEYS June 27, 1967 P. c. HERMANN 3,327,442

PREFABRCTBD S'NTHETC RESIN BONDEU TILE WALL UNIT Filed June 25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet E BY F/G. 2O @man Hg@ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,327,442 PREFABRICA'IED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILE WALL UNIT Paul C. Hermann, Castro Valley, Caiif., assigner to Gail International, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed .lune 23, 1964, Ser. No. 377,301 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-309) This invention relates to a unique prefabricated structural unit for building walls that combines an integral frame with a masonry veneer material. It also relates to a method for making such units.

A conventional form of construction, particularly with houses, is the brick veneer type wherein the bricks cover a standard frame structure producing an attractive brick exterior but do not provide any load bearing function. One major drawback with such walls is that they must be built up on the site using traditional bricklaying procedures which are costly and time consuming.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a prefabricated building wall unit comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks or tile members secured together in a predetermined surface pattern arrangement and also to an integral frame portion having load bearing capabilities, the entire unit being compatible :with and readily connectable to other conventional building frame members to form a Wall.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method for fabricating my building wall units which enables them to be constructed with a high degree of quality control and at a rapid rate.

Another more specic object of the present invention is to provide a prefabricated building unit having an exterior facing of relatively thin ceramic tile members or the like supported by and bonded together in combination with a wooden frame by a time setting or thermosetting plastic material. The wood frame portions of my building units are spaced land arranged so that they are easily installed and connected with other building frame members to construct a building wall. Such a wall can be erected easily with a minimum of time and labor. When installed, my building units present the appearance of an expertly erected wall of conventional brick or any other masonry material, while on the inside, the frame members of the unit provide space for insulation, wiring and the like.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a prefabricated unit for building walls comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks or tile members and a frame portion bonded together by a time setting or thermosetting plastic material, wherein the blocks or tile members are preshaped and arranged to form cavities for the plastic material when it flows before setting, thereby keying blocks or tile members together to form a strong layer integral with the frame.

An important feature of my structural building units is that they can have any predetermined exterior design pattern according to the arrangement of ceramic or clay tiles having various shapes and a substantially uniformi thickness. The frame members `of the unit are spaced apart and arranged so as to be easily connectable with the conventional basic frame members of a building so that a complicated special design of the building is not required to accommodate the units. This unique construction provides a building wall unit that is not only attractive, but also 3,327,442 Patented June 27, 1967 ICC strong, durable and easy to install. Moreover, it enables the units to be factory made in large numbers so the cost per unit is low as compared with on site construction.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a View in perspective showing a building wall unit embodying the principles of the invention, portions of the unit being broken away to show the interior structure;

FIG. 1A is a view in section taken along the line 1A-1A of FIG. l;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in perspective showing the building wall yunit of FIG. l before it is completely assembled and lwith portions broken away to show details;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing a typical tile member used in constructing a building wall unit according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a View in elevation showing a portion of a building utilizing wall units embodying the features of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a view in section taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing a typical interior corner installation of the building wall units according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is an end view showing how a beam may be cut to form a pair of beveled side frame members for a modilied form of my building wall unit; and

FIG. 1l is a fragmentary plan view of a corner construction using the modiiied form of my building wall units.

With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a completed building wall unit 20 embodying the principles of the invention. In broad terms the unit 20 comprises an exterior masonry like facing 21 in combination with a lirmly attached integral frame 22. The facing 21 is a masonry veneer made up of a plurality of ceramic or clay tile members 23 or some other block members of any suitable material arranged in a predetermined pattern and bonded together by a bonding material 24 which also secures the frame as an integral part of the unit 20.

Although they are shown as rectangular in the drawing -for illustrative purposes, the tile members 23 may have any plan form shape and even irregular shaped members simulating stone or -other materials can be used within the scope of the invention. However, these tile members have a substantially uniform thickness which may be of the order of one half inch. A typical tile mem-ber 23 which is well adapted for use in forming my building unit 20 is shown separately in FIG. 3. It has the rectangular shape so that when arranged with other such tiles they can simulate an actual brick wall. The front face 25 of the tile member 23 is relatively smooth and may be provided with any suitable color or texture. The rear face 26, however, may be provided with a pair of longitudinal slots 27 which are undercut slightly in cross section. The important structural details of the building unit 20 can best be shown by describing my unique method of assembling such units.

The first step in my method for fabricating the building wall unit is to arrange a plurality of tile members such as the member 23 spaced apart slightly from each other in a desired predetermined pattern. As shown in FIG. 2, the tiles 23 are placed face down, preferably on a sheet 28 having an upper layer of pressure sensitive adhesive material to hold the tiles in place. In order to place the tile members on the sheet 28 in the arrangement desired, with the proper uniform spacing between tiles, a metal grille can be used. Such a grille (not shown) can merely be placed on the sheet 28 as a guide when the tile members are initially set in place. It can then be removed before the next step in forming the unit 20 takes place.

With tile members 23 properly placed and held in position on the pressure sensitive sheet 28, a layer of bonding material 24 can be applied to the rear upper sides 26 of the tile members. VThe bonding material fills in between the tilemembers and a uniform layer of it fully covers their rear sides, the thickness of the layer being substantial (e.g., 1A to 1/2 inch). As stated previously, the bonding material 24 not only serves to hold the tile members 23 together, but also to bond the frame 22 to the tile members. In accordance with the invention, the bonding materialis comprised of a time setting or thermosetting plastic such as any suitable epoxy type. A filler material such as sand, talc or some other suitable granular or powder material is preferable, mixed in with the plastic, depending on the type of wall unit desired. For a mortar effect, sand is most desirable and it has other additional advantages of being low in cost and also lire resistant.

The third step of forming my building wall unit 2@ is to provide and attach the frame 22. It is preferably made from wood such as 2 by 4s arranged, spaced apart, and fastened together in the conventional manner. For some building applications, steel studscould be utilized for the frame 22 in lieu of the conventional wood framing. For example, the wall unit 20y may have a length equal to a normal house wall height and its width may be some multiple (e.g., 3) of the normal 16 inches on center. Thus, the completed Wall section 20 can be joined together with other like sections in erecting the walls of a house. Other frames having various shapes can be made to accommodate windows and otherparts of the house. The frame 22 shown in FIG. `l has a pair of longitudinal side members 29 and 30 connected to a pair of end members 31 and 32, and parallel to the side mem-bers are a pair of spaced apart members 33 and 34 which are equivalen-t to wall studs.

Covering one side of the frame 22 I prefer to attach to the wood frame 22, as by staples, a section of wire mesh 35 (e.g. l X l inch). If steel studs are used in the frame 22 the mesh may be welded thereto. This mesh is important in my building unit because it helps in maintaining structural integrity under severe loading conditions, thereby increasing overall strength and durability.

With the bonding material 24 still in the soft deformablestage, the frame 22 is pressed downwardly into position until all 'of the frame members are bearing substantially directly against the rear sides 26 of the tile members along the edges of the unit, The wire mesh 35 pushes into and becomes embedded within the layer of bonding material substantially adjacent the rear side of or closely 'adjacent to all of the tile members (see FIG. 1A).

The bonding material 24 is now allowed to harden and when this occurs, the frame 22, the mesh 35, the tile members 23 and the bonding material 24 have formed an integral structural unit.

When the tile members 23 having the grooves or slots `27 are used to make the building unit 20, the bonding material naturally fills these grooves when applied. Thus, when the bonding material hardens, the portion 36 within the grooves provides a locking, integral tie that secures each tile member in place (see FIG. 1A). The tile members 23 having the longitudinal undercut slots 27 are a preferred form of this component of the invention because the grooves are effective to provide additional strength when required and are easily formed when the tile members are manufactured by an extrusion process. However, other forms of tile members could be used in making my building wall units within. the scope of the invention. For example, I may utilize tile members with grooves along their narrow sides, and such grooves would also become iilled with ybonding material to form a locking tie portion during the construction of a building unit. By using a plastic with sucient adhesive properties, no keying of the tiles would be required and plane backed tiles could be utilized within the scope of the invention In FIGS. 4 to 1l I have illustrated several different ways in which my building wall units 20- are utilized in actual construction. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a typical house` structure having a concrete slab foundation 37, an upright corner frame member 38,and a roof 39. The latter comprises ceiling joists `or rafters 40 supporting a top sheeting 41 and a facia piece 42. The ceiling joists 40r rest on a plate 43 that extends continuously along the top of the building units 2i) joining them together. A building w-all member 2t) of the proper dimensions and having its peripheral wood frame, can now be easily placed in position and attached to the frame structure provided. For

example, FIGS. 4, 5 and 7 show how a unit 2i) is attached` at one side to the corner frame member 38 and at its top to the plate 43. FIG. 8 shows the unit 2t) bearing directly -on the foundation slab 37. FIG. 6 shows how building units 2li can be connected together without an intermediate frame member. FIG. 9 shows an interior corner construction utilizing an upright corner frame member 38. FIGS. 10 and ll show a modied frame structure 22a with side frame members 44 that are beveled so that the upright corner members 38 can be eliminated if desired.

The arrangements of FIGS. 4 to 11 are merely illustrative `of the 4many applications of my unique building wall unit 2d in the construction of houses and buildings. The important advantages and inherent versatility thereof should now be readily appa-rent from the foregoing description.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely diifering embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A prefabricated building wall unit comprising in combination:

a plurality of tile members having a substantially uniform thickness and arranged in a predetermined spaced apart relationship, the front sides of said tile members having relatively smooth surfaces which are exposed and substantially coplanar and forming the front exterior of said unit;

a preassembled frame having intermediate spaced apart longitudinal members, said frame for-ming the rear side of said unit with the edges of said frame closely adjacent to said tile members;

a cementitious bonding material including a synthetic resin binder and a quantity of particulate solids mixed therein, said material lling the spaces between and covering the rear sides of said tile members and in rcontact with the frame;

and a wire mesh secured to and covering one side of said frame and embedded within said bonding material adjacent said tile members;

whereby said unit is an integral assembly adaptable for installation in a building to form a wall thereof.

2. The building wall unit as described in claim l wherein said frame is formed from interconnected wooden 2 X 4 members and has a rectangular configuration with said intermediate longitudinal members being spaced apart 16 inches on center.

3. The build-ing Wall unit as described in claim 1 wherein said tile members have longitudinally extending slots, said slots being filled with the bonding material that covers the rear sides of said tile members, thereby forming integral key portions of said bonding material therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Warner 52-315 Anderson 52-390 X Aberson 52-315 X Whiteside 52-344 X Reed 52-390 X Pottinger 527-389 X Siek 52-384 X Bernett 52f-309 Butcher 52-309 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A PREFABRICATED BUILDING WALL UNIT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLURALITY OF TILE MEMBERS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFROM THICKNESS AND ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, THE FRONT SIDES OF SAID TILE MEMBERS HAVING RELATIVELY SMOOTH SURFACES WHICH ARE EXPOSED AND SUBSTANTIALL COPLANAR AND FORMING THE FRONT EXTERIOR OF SAID UNIT; A PREASSEMBLED FRAME HAVING INTERMEDIATE SPACED APART LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS, SAID FRAME FORMING THE REAR SIDE OF SAID UNIT WITH THE EDGES OF SAID FRAME CLOSELY ADJACENT TO SAID TILE MEMBERS; A CEMENTITIOUS BONDING MATERIAL INCLUDING A SYNTHETIC RESIN BINDER AND A QUANTITY OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS MIXED THEREIN, SAID MATERIAL FILLING THE SPACES BETWEEN AND COVERING THE REAR SIDES OF SAID TILE MEMBERS AND IN CONTACT WITH THE FRAME; AND A WIRE MESH SECURED TO AND COVERING ONE SIDE OF SAID FRAME AND EMBEDDED WITHIN SAID BONDING MATERIAL ADJACENT SAID TILE MEMBERS; WHEREBY SAID UNIT IS AN INTEGRAL ASSEMBLY ADAPTABLE FOR INSTALLATION IN A BUILDING TO FORM A WALL THEREOF.

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