Masonry wall assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9885177-B2
Application number	US-201615272600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Aug 23, 2013
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and a unit for a masonry wall system, each unit comprising a face shell wherein the interior surface has a transverse axis running from the top surface to the bottom surface of the face shell, and one or more webs having a front end and a rear end, wherein the rear end of each web is integral with or attached to the interior surface of the face shell along the transverse axis. The method for wall construction further comprising positioning one or more vertical reinforcement rods or tendons with one end embedded in a wall-foundation and laying a layer wall units on the wall-foundation such that the one or more webs of the layers of wall units are aligned, and the vertical reinforcement rods or tendons run through or are adjacent to the webs of the wall units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for construction of a masonry wall comprising the steps of:
positioning one or more vertical reinforcing rods or tendons having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is embedded in a wall-foundation; and
laying a first course of one or more wall units on the wall-foundation with each wall unit comprising:
a single face shell comprising:
an interior surface;
an exterior surface, the exterior surface being spaced apart from the interior surface;
a top surface;
a bottom surface, the bottom surface being spaced apart from the top surface, wherein each of the top surface and the bottom surface extend between the interior surface and the exterior surface;
a first end surface; and
a second end surface, the second end surface being spaced apart from the first end surface, wherein each of the first end surface and the second end surface extend between the interior surface and the exterior surface and between the top surface and the bottom surface,
wherein a first axis extends between the top surface and the bottom surface of the face shell along the interior surface, a second axis extends between the first end surface and the second end surface along the interior surface and perpendicular to the first axis, and a third axis extends between the interior surface and the exterior surface and perpendicular to the first and second axes; and

a first web and a second web, each of the first web and the second web having a distal end and a proximal end and an inner surface and an outer surface extending between the distal and proximal ends, wherein the proximal end of each web is integrally attached to the interior surface of the face shell, the distal end is spaced apart from the proximal end along a direction of the third axis, at least a portion of the outer surface lies in a plane that intersects the second axis, and the inner surfaces are spaced apart from and face each other,

wherein:
the portion of the outer surface of the first web is spaced inwardly of the first end surface or the second end surface,
at least a portion of the interior surface of the face shell disposed between the proximal end of the first web and the first or second end surface of the face shell adjacent the outer surface of the first web is visible from the direction of the third axis upon installation of two or more units atop each other, and
a ledge extends outwardly from the outer surfaces of the distal ends of the webs in the direction of the third axis, the ledge having a horizontal surface that is spaced apart from and is spaced between upper and lower surfaces of the distal ends of the webs, wherein the horizontal surface lies within a plane that extends substantially parallel to the second and third axes.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising laying a second course of one or more wall units above the first course such that first or second webs of each of the one or more wall units in the second course are at least one of aligned or flush with the first or second webs of an adjacent wall unit in the first course, and the one or more vertical reinforcing rods or tendons also run through or are adjacent to at least one of the first or second web of the one or more wall units in the second course.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising laying a second course of one or more wall units above the first course, wherein first and second end surfaces of the face shell of the one or more wall units of the second course are staggered compared to the first and second end surfaces of the face shells of the one or more wall units of the first course, and the one or more vertical reinforcing rods or tendons also run through or are adjacent to at least one of the first or second web of the one or more wall units in the second course-layers.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of securing a fastener to the second end of the one or more vertical reinforcing tendons, or physically deforming the second end of the one or more vertical reinforcing tendon to post-tension each vertical reinforcing tendon to support the wall.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fastener further comprise a clip, nut, bolt, washer, or screw that secures over the second end of each vertical reinforcing rods or tendons which is threaded.

6. The method claim of 1 , wherein the wall-foundation comprises a cast-in-place footing made from castable cement, concrete, grout, clay, fiberglass, fiber reinforced polymers, polymers, metals, pressure-wood, compacted aggregate, helical piers, pre-cast concrete or aggregate piers, a pier and beam foundation, or other moldable forming materials.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising laying a beam on an uppermost course of the wall units.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the beam comprises wood, wood composites, plywood, reinforced grout bond beam, concrete, cement, iron, iron alloys, metal, nickel, steel, steel alloy, stainless steel alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, bronze alloys, brass, brass alloys, chromium, copper, copper alloys, fiberglass, polymers, plastic, reinforced polyester epoxy, fiber reinforced plastic, fiberglass, engineering plastics, PTFE, lead, natural or synthetic rubber, steel reinforced concrete, or some combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the beam further comprises one or more openings for each vertical reinforcing tendon to stabilize and support the vertical reinforcing tendons.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising positioning a cap on top of the beam.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising positioning a cap on top of the beam wherein the cap has one or more holes for each vertical reinforcing tendon to stabilize and support the vertical reinforcing tendons.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning a cap on an uppermost course of one or more wall units.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning a cap on an uppermost course of one or more wall units, wherein the cap has one or more holes for each vertical reinforcing tendon to stabilize and support the vertical reinforcing tendons.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the cap further comprises either an elongated single piece with one or more holes for the one or more vertical reinforcing tendons, or two or more separate pieces each with one or more holes for receiving the one or more vertical reinforcing tendons.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein positioning the cap further comprises holding the cap in place with a separate fastener, or screwing the cap onto the second end of the respective vertical reinforcing tendon and post-tensioning the vertical reinforcing tendon.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the face shell and the first and second webs comprise at least one of cement, concrete, cinder block, aggregate, clay, polymers, copolymers, metals, fiberglass, forming materials, wood, plywood, oriented strand board, particle board, cement board, engineering composite materials, bamboo, hemp, plastic, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polystyrene, or metal.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising one or more brick ties embedded in or fastened to the interior or exterior surface of the face shell, or embedded in or fastened to the first or second webs.

18. The method for constructing the masonry wall of claim 1 , further comprising:
laying one or more additional courses of one or more wall units above the first layer of one or more wall units wherein the vertical reinforcing rods or tendons are spaced such that each vertical reinforcing rod or te

Assignees

• Univ Texas
• Gomes Dabney Staub

Inventors

• Gomes Francisco Henning
• Gomes Dabney Staub

Classifications

• E04C1/397

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

• E04C1/39

  characterised by special adaptations, e.g. serving for locating conduits, for forming soffits, cornices, or shelves, for fixing wall-plates or door-frames, for claustra · CPC title

• E04B2002/0247

  Strips or bars · CPC title

• E04B2/22

  using elements having a general shape differing from that of a parallelepiped · CPC title

• E04B2/24 Primary

  the walls being characterised by fillings in some of the cavities forming load-bearing pillars or beams · CPC title