Block for use in automated building construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11608633-B2
Application number	US-201816753692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 4, 2017
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the building industry and in particular to a block for use in automated building construction. In one aspect, the block comprises a generally cuboid body having a top and a base, a length extending between a pair of opposed ends, and a width extending between a pair of opposed sides; the body including a plurality of hollow cores extending from said top to said base, and arranged in a row between said opposed ends; wherein each core has a rectilinear cross-sectional shape; and wherein the thickness of the block between each pair of adjacent cores is at least double the thickness of the block on all other sides of each core, so that the block is divisible into a plurality of substantially identical block portions, each portion including four walls of substantially uniform wall thickness about its core.

First claim

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A building system comprising:
a plurality of blocks manufactured in two sizes, configured for use in automated building construction, the two sizes of blocks being defined by a first block and a second block each with an elongate cuboid body having:
a) a height extending between a top and a base, which is substantially identical for the first block and the second block;
b) a length extending between a pair of opposed ends, which is substantially identical for the first block and the second block;
c) a width extending between a pair of opposed sides, the second block having a width at least twice that of the first block, and wherein a surface area of a side is greater than a surface area of the top, base or end; and,
d) a plurality of hollow cores extending from said top to said base, and arranged in a single row between said opposed ends; wherein each core has a substantially identical rectilinear cross-sectional shape, wherein a length of each core is substantially the same for the first block and the second block, and a width of each core in the second block is greater than that of each core in the first block;
wherein, a thickness of each block between each pair of adjacent cores is at least double a thickness of the block on all other sides of each core, so that each block is divisible by transverse cutting midway between adjacent cores into a plurality of block portions, each block portion including four peripheral walls of substantially uniform wall thickness about one or more cores of the block portion, which is substantially identical for the first block and the second block,
wherein each block includes at least one rectangular recess configured to accommodate a rectangular-section tie plate, the at least one rectangular recess located on a top face of the block.

2. The block building system according to claim 1 , wherein the walls extending about the cores are one of:
a) substantially solid; and
b) include a plurality of secondary cores extending from said top to said base, the secondary cores separated by a plurality of webs.

3. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein both blocks include four hollow cores, so as to be divisible into four substantially identical block portions.

4. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein the cores of the first block comprise a square cross-sectional shape.

5. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein the cores of the second block comprise a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

6. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein the first block is for use in constructing an internal wall, the first block having:
a) a length of approximately 490 mm (19 inches);
b) a width of approximately 115 mm (4.5 inches);
c) a height of approximately 230 mm (9 inches); and,
d) a dry mass of approximately 10 to 14 kg (22 to 31 lbs).

7. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein the second block is for use in constructing an external wall, the second block having:
a) a length of approximately 490 mm_(19 inches);
b) a width of approximately 240 mm (9.4 inches);
c) a height of approximately 230 mm (9 inches); and,
d) a dry mass of approximately 17 to 22 kg (37.5 to 48.5 lbs).

8. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein each hollow core is spaced evenly from each of the opposed sides, and the hollow cores adjacent each end are spaced evenly therefrom.

9. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein each block includes at least one tongue located at one of the opposed ends, and at least one groove located at the other of the opposed ends, each groove being provided to at least partially accommodate a tongue of an adjacent one of the blocks,
wherein each tongue and each groove extend vertically from the top to the base of the block.

10. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one rectangular recess extending one or more of:
i) transversely between a hollow core and a side of the block;
ii) longitudinally between a hollow core and an end of the block; and,
iii) longitudinally between hollow cores of the block.

11. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein both the first block and the second block, or any divisible block portion of either, is for use in constructing a wall in accordance with a grid system based on the size of the smallest divisible block portion which enables the cores of each block or divisible block portion in adjacent courses of the wall to be aligned so as to form conduits inside the wall for carrying services for the building.

12. The building system according to claim 1 , wherein each block is manufactured from a mixture including at least:
a) water;
b) cement; and,
c) a lightweight expanded aggregate being one of:
i) an expanded clay aggregate;
ii) an expanded slate aggregate;
iii) an expanded shale aggregate; and
iv) an expanded glass aggregate.

13. The building system according to claim 12 , wherein the mixture further includes one or more of:
a) a plasticizer; and
b) a fine aggregate.

14. The building system according claim 12 , wherein the lightweight expanded aggregate is a lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) having particles of diameter at least one of 0 mm-1 mm (0 to 0.04 inches), 1 mm-2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 inches), 2 mm-3 mm (0.08 to 0.12 inches), 3-4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 inches), 4 mm-5 mm (0.16 to 0.2 inches), 5 mm-6 mm (0.2 to 0.24 inches), 7 mm-8 mm (0.24 to 0.28 inches), 8 mm-9 mm (0.28 to 0.32 inches) and 9 mm-10 mm (0.32 to 0.36 inches).

15. A wall assembly utilizing the building system according to claim 1 , comprising the a plurality of blocks laid in a plurality of courses, and an adhesive applied between each course of blocks and a successive course to bond these.

16. The wall assembly according to claim 15 , further including one or more block portions divided from a block or a remainder thereof by a cut made at a midpoint between adjacent cores.

17. The wall assembly according to claim 15 , wherein cores of blocks in the wall assembly are used as conduits for carrying services for a building.

18. The wall assembly according to claim 15 , further including a render applied to at least external surfaces thereof.

19. The wall assembly according to claim 18 , wherein the render is an acrylic non-porous render to seal a wall from moisture ingress.

20. The wall assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the adhesive is machine applied to the base of a block before being laid onto a lower course.

21. The wall assembly according to claim 20 , wherein at least two parallel beads of adhesive are applied onto the base of a block along a lengthwise extent thereof.

22. The wall assembly according to claim 20 , wherein the adhesive is further applied onto one or more end faces of a block so as to form a perp joint with an adjacent block in a course.

23. The wall assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the wall assembly is assembled using a plurality of first blocks having a first width and a plurality of second blocks having a second width twice that of said first width plus the thickness of the spacing between the blocks.

24. The wall assembly according to claim 23 , wherein the first blocks are internal blocks that are used substantially in the construction of internal walls and the second blocks are external blocks that are used substantially in the construction of external walls.

25.

Assignees

• Fastbrick Ip Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Pivac Mark Joseph

Classifications

• C04B14/24

  porous, e.g. foamed glass · CPC title

• C04B18/027

  Lightweight materials · CPC title

• E04C1/397

  serving for locating conduits (E04C1/392 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B28B1/087

  by means acting on the mould {; Fixation thereof to the mould} · CPC title

• E04B1/35

  Extraordinary methods of construction, e.g. lift-slab, jack-block (E04B1/34 takes precedence; falsework, shuttering for shaping walls, floors, ceilings or roofs in situ E04G11/04; conveying or assembling of building materials E04G21/00; working measures on existing buildings E04G23/00) · CPC title