AU2012261684A1

AU2012261684A1 - An interlocking masonry H-block

Info

Publication number: AU2012261684A1
Application number: AU2012261684A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Kenneth Dyson
Original assignee: Adbri Masonry Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Adbri Masonry Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-12-12
Filing date: 2012-12-12
Publication date: 2013-06-27

Abstract

A moulded interlocking masonry H-block for constructing a wall together with other masonry blocks and a method for forming said H-block. The H-block includes a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures 5 extending vertically through the H-block between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture therethrough for core filling. The generally vertical sides of the rear and front walls are registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete mixture out through a vertical interface between said blocks. At least a portion of the web member being removed after the 10 H-block has been moulded to provide a further pathway for the flowable concrete mixture.

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Adbri Masonry Pty Ltd Address for Service: A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys PO Box 222, Mitcham, SA 5062 Invention Title: An interlocking masonry H-block The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 2 An interlocking masonry H-block FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of masonry H-blocks for use in the construction of walls, and in one aspect relates to an interlocking H-block 5 having at least a portion removed using a core puller. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Masonry blocks comprising large hollow precast concrete units are often used in the construction of walls. The hollow blocks have one or more vertical apertures extending therethrough and the wall is reinforced using post-poured concrete 10 columns and steel reinforcement bars. The vertical apertures extending through the masonry blocks permit the positioning of the steel reinforcement bars and allow the core fill concrete to run vertically through the adjacent blocks to strengthen the wall. Conventionally the masonry blocks are stacked and held together with 15 concrete mortar applied to the bedding and perpend joints to form the desired length and height of the wall. This however required the cores to be cleaned of excess mortar prior to filling with the core fill concrete. More recently interlocking concrete block systems have also been developed. These systems may include plastic locating bridges and the blocks may include 20 moulded lugs that engage with the underside of an overlying block or blocks to thereby interconnect overlying courses of blocks. The ends of these interlocking concrete blocks are typically fixed to abutting blocks using a concrete mortar or other adhesive. There are also various mortarless interlocking concrete block systems 25 currently available. However the core fill concrete has a tendency to bleed out through the vertical interfaces between adjacent blocks during construction of the wall, which necessitates cleaning or rendering of the wall surface.

3 The weight of the precast concrete blocks can be a reason why such building materials are not used. Some users find the precast blocks cumbersome and difficult to handle in comparison to conventional bricks. It should be appreciated that the term H-block used throughout the 5 specification relates to a masonry block comprising two generally parallel rear and front walls connected by a web member. It should be appreciated that any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is included solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention and should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art 10 was widely known or formed part of the common general knowledge in the field as it existed before the priority date of the application. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It could broadly be understood that the invention resides in a moulded interlocking masonry H-block for constructing a wall together with other masonry 15 blocks, including a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures extending vertically through the H-block between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture therethrough for core filling, the generally vertical sides of the rear and front walls being registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete 20 mixture out through a vertical interface between said blocks, wherein at least a portion of the web member is removed after the H-block has been moulded to provide a further pathway for the flowable concrete mixture. Preferably at least one lower portion of the web member is removed during production of the block when it is removed from a mould. The portion may be 25 removed using a core puller wherein the top of the removed portion may be generally arcuate or alternatively angular. In one form the sides of the rear and front walls of the masonry H-block include engagement members registerable with a cooperating shaped engagement member extending down an opposing side of an abutting block, wherein the 30 engagement members interact to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete out through the vertical interface between the abutting blocks.

4 The engagement member may comprise at least one protrusion that is configured to bear against, or within, a docking member of a cooperating engagement member. The front wall may comprise a front face, an upper bedding face, a lower 5 bedding face, and first and second generally vertical sides adjoining the front face. At least one longitudinal protrusion extends down the vertical length of said first side, and the second side includes at least one docking member, that in one form may be a groove that extends down the length of the second side, wherein the groove is correspondingly shaped to engage with said longitudinal protrusion on an abutting 10 block, such that at least a portion of the protrusion bears against a side of the groove to inhibit movement of concrete therethrough. The longitudinal protrusion may include two flat abutment surfaces that join at an apex for bearing against a side of the correspondingly shaped groove in a side of an abutting block. 15 The protrusion on the first side of one block is therefore able to positively register with the groove extending down the second side of an adjacent abutting block. In this way the blocks along a single horizontal course of blocks have interlocking vertical interfaces. The rear wall may include a generally vertical rear face, an upper bedding 20 face, a lower bedding face, and first and second generally vertical sides adjoining the rear face. In one form a plurality of parallel protrusions interspaced by grooves may extend longitudinally down the length of both first and second side. The parallel protrusions and grooves on the first side of the rear wall of one block are able to register with the opposing protrusions and grooves extending down the second side 25 of an adjacent abutting block. The front and rear walls are therefore interlocked with the adjacent blocks along a single horizontal course. In an alternate form the first generally vertical side includes a longitudinal protrusion extending down the entire vertical length of said first side, and the second side includes a docking member, that in one form may be a groove extending 30 longitudinally down the length of the second side, wherein the groove is correspondingly shaped to engage with said protrusion on an abutting block, such 5 that at least a portion of the protrusion bears against a side of the groove to inhibit movement of concrete therethrough. The front and rear walls may be generally the same thickness and be used in the construction of a wall for a building or a freestanding wall. Alternatively, the front 5 and rear wall may have different thicknesses and be used in the construction of retaining walls. The front wall may be split faced or textured as is known in the art. The masonry H-block may include lugs or a projection that extend upwardly from the upper bedding face of the front and rear walls for engagement with the underside of an overlying block. In this way an overlying second course of 10 interlocking masonry blocks engage with lugs that extend upwardly from the upper bedding face of the underlying blocks to ensure wall stability during the laying of the blocks, placement of reinforcement rods and core filling with the flowable concrete mixture. At least one portion of the web member is removed after the H-block has 15 been moulded to reduce the weight of the H-block and to provide a passageway for the movement of flowable concrete during core filling of the wall. The removed portion furthermore provides space for the positioning of the steel reinforcement tie bars and the reduction of the weight of the block assists in handling the block during construction of the wall. 20 In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is proposed a moulded interlocking masonry H-block for constructing a wall together with other masonry blocks, including a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures extending vertically between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture used in core filling, the generally vertical 25 sides of the rear and front walls being registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete out through a vertical interface between said blocks, wherein the lower face of the web member is generally curved upwardly to improve the flow of a flowable concrete mixture during core filling. In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention there is proposed a 30 method of dry stacking the masonry H-blocks described previously for use in steel reinforced walls that are core filled with a flowable concrete mixture.

6 In one form the H-blocks may be interconnected to corner blocks, end block or blocks having two or more web members extending between the front and rear walls. In accordance with still another aspect of the invention there is proposed a 5 method of forming an interlocking masonry H-block including the steps of: pouring a flowable concrete mixture into a lower mould to form a body of said masonry H-block having a front wall and rear wall being connected by a web member; applying a head shoe to form an upper section of the masonry H-block including at 10 least one projection extending upwardly therefrom; removing the masonry H-block from the mould, wherein a core puller removes at least a portion of the web member to reduce the weight of the masonry H-block and provide a pathway for the movement of a flowable concrete mixture during core filling; and 15 curing said masonry H-block. In one form two portions are removed from the web member by the core puller. The portion or portions may be removed from the lower section of the web member or the upper section of the web member. The portion may also be removed after partial curing of the masonry block. 20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate implementations of the invention and, together with the description and claims, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings: 25 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a masonry H-block of the present invention illustrating the vertical sides of the front and rear walls; Figure 2 is an end view of the masonry H-block illustrating the upwardly curved bottom of the web member formed by the core puller; Figure 3 is a top view of the masonry H-block; 7 Figure 4 is a front view of the masonry block of figure 1 illustrating the upwardly extending protrusions for engagement with an overlying; Figure 5 is a cross-section view through A-A of figure 3, illustrating the sections of the block removed by the core puller; 5 Figure 6a is a cross-section view through B-B of figure 3, illustrating the portion of the web member removed by the core puller; Figure 6b is a cross-section view illustrating an alternate embodiment wherein two portions of the web member are removed by the core puller; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the masonry H-block of figure 1 in a stacked 10 arrangement with other masonry H-blocks; Figure 8 is a side view of the stacked masonry H-blocks of figure 7 illustrating the passageway for the placement of reinforcement rod and movement of the flowable concert mixture during core filling; Figure 9 is a front view of the stacked masonry H-blocks of figure 7; and 15 Figure 10 is a top view of the stacked masonry H-blocks of figure 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED AND EXEMPLIFIED EMBODIMENTS There are numerous specific details set forth in the following description. However, from the disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 20 modifications and/or substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In some circumstance specific details may have been omitted so as not to obscure the invention. Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. As the reader will now appreciate current block systems suffer from the 25 problem that as the concrete is introduced into the dry stacked wall during core filling the concrete has a tendency to seep out between the vertical joints or interfaces between the blocks of a single horizontal course. This has a marked affect on the aesthetic appearance of the wall. Accordingly, the front face of the wall must be 8 cleaned or the surface must be treated to cover this seepage. This means that the front and/or rear face/s of the wall must be cleaned. Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description, a moulded interlocking masonry H-block 10 is illustrated for constructing a wall together with 5 other masonry blocks, demonstrating by way of examples, arrangements in which the principles of the present invention may be employed. As illustrated in figure 1 the masonry H-block 10 includes a rear wall 12 and front wall 14 connected by a web member 16. Two sidewardly open apertures 18, 20 extend vertically through the H block between the rear and front walls 12, 14 for receiving a flowable concrete 10 mixture therethrough that is used in the core filling process. The vertical sides 22, 24 of the rear wall 12 and the vertical sides 26, 28 of the front wall 14 are registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks, as illustrated in figure 7, to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete out through the vertical interface between the blocks during core filling. 15 The H-block 10 includes lugs 30 that extend upwardly from upper bedding faces 32, 34 of front and rear walls 12, 14 for engagement with the underside of an overlying block. In this way an overlying second course of interlocking masonry H blocks engage with lugs 30 that extend upwardly from the upper bedding faces of the underlying blocks, as illustrated in figure 7, whereby the lower bedding faces 36, 38 20 of the overlying course of blocks rests upon the upper bedding faces 32, 34 of the underlying blocks. This provides wall stability during the laying of the blocks, placement of reinforcement rods and core filling with flowable concrete. As illustrated in figure 2, a portion of the web member 16 is removed after the H-block 10 has been moulded to form an upwardly curved underside 40 of the web 25 member 16. The removal of this portion of the web member 16 reduces the weight of the H-block 10 and provides a passageway for the movement of flowable concrete during core filling of the wall when the H-blocks are stacked as illustrated in figure 8. The removed portion furthermore provides space for the positioning of the steel reinforcement tie bars 42 and reduction in the weight of the H-block assists in 30 handling during construction of a wall.

9 The portion of the web member 16 is removed during production of the H block 10 when it is removed from a mould using a core puller. The underside of the web member may be arcuate when the portion is removed or it may be angular or multiple portions may be removed. The portion or portions may be removed from the 5 lower section of the web member or the upper portion or both and may be removed after the block has been cured or at least partially cured. As illustrated in figures 1 and 5 the thickened portions 44 that extending inwardly and upwardly to form lugs 30, are also incised so that the core puller removes a lower portion to form a curved underside 46. Figure 6a illustrates the 10 portion 52 of the block 10 that is removed by the core puller. In an alternate embodiment, as illustrated in figure 6b, two portions 54, 56 are removed from the lower section of the web member 16 to form two upwardly curved cavities 58, 60. In another embodiment the underside 40 of the web member 16 may be generally moulded so that it is curved upwardly to improve the flow of a flowable 15 concrete mixture during core filling. The sides 22, 24, 26, 28 of the masonry H-block 10 include engagement members registerable with a correspondingly shaped engagement member extending down an opposing side of an abutting block, wherein the engagement members interact to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete out through the 20 vertical interface between the abutting blocks. The engagement members comprise a plurality of parallel protrusions 48 interspaced by grooves 50 that extend longitudinally down the length of the sides, as illustrated in figures 1 and 3. The longitudinal protrusion 48 may include two flat abutment surfaces that join at an apex for bearing against a side or sides of a correspondingly shaped 25 groove in the side of an adjacent block. The protrusion on the first side of one H-block is therefore able to positively register with the groove extending down the second side of an adjacent abutting H block. In this way the blocks along a single horizontal course have interlocking vertical interfaces. 30 The invention includes the step of dry stacking the masonry H-blocks 10 for use in a mortar-less steel reinforced wall 62, as illustrated in figures 7 to 9, and the 10 wall is post-core filled with a flowable concrete mixture. As illustrated in figure 9 the flowable concrete mixture 64 is pumped into the interconnecting vertical apertures 18 and 20 of the blocks 10 using a convention method such as a flexible pipe 66. It should be appreciated that the H-blocks of the present invention can be 5 interconnected to the Applicant's interlocking corner blocks being the subject of Australian Patent 2010101458, and the interlocking masonry blocks being the subject of Australian Patent 2010257397. The skilled addressee will now appreciate the many advantages of the illustrated invention. In one aspect the invention provides an interlocking masonry H 10 block that inhibits movement of said flowable concrete out through a vertical interface between said blocks. This reduces the construction costs associated with cleaning or treating a surface that has concrete residue attached. Since the method of laying the block is generally mortar free the internal apertures do not need to be cleaned prior to core filling. 15 Furthermore the overall weight of the H-block is also reduced relative currently available blocks and therefore the blocks are less cumbersome which assists the user in handing the H-blocks during construction of the wall. The removal of a portion of the web member after moulding of the block, in one embodiment, has advantages over the prior art in term of ease of forming the block. This is because 20 the web member initially has a generally flat base and then after removal by the core puller has a generally curved underside. Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the exemplified embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and that the invention 25 is not limited thereto. Accordingly the invention can include various modifications, which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. It should be further understood that for the purpose of the specification the word "comprise" or "comprising" means "including but not limited to".

Claims

1. A moulded interlocking masonry H-block for constructing a wall together with other masonry blocks, including a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures extending vertically 5 through the H-block between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture therethrough for core filling, the generally vertical sides of the rear and front walls being registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete mixture out through a vertical interface between said blocks, wherein at least a portion 10 of the web member is removed after the H-block has been moulded to provide a further pathway for said flowable concrete mixture.

2. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 1, wherein a lower portion of the web member is removed by a core puller when the block is removed from a mould. 15

3. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear and front walls of said masonry H-block include engagement members registerable with a cooperating shaped engagement member extending down an opposing side of an abutting block, wherein the engagement members interact to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete out 20 through the vertical interface between the abutting blocks.

4. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 3, wherein the engagement members comprises at least one protrusion configured to bear against, or within, a docking member of a cooperating engagement member on an abutting block. 25

5. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, wherein the front wall comprises a front face, an upper bedding face, a lower bedding face, and first and second generally vertical sides adjoining the front face.

6. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 5, wherein at least one 30 longitudinal protrusion extends down the vertical length of said first side, 12 and the second side includes a groove that extends longitudinally down the length of the second side, wherein the groove is correspondingly shaped to engage with said longitudinal protrusion on an abutting block, such that at least a portion of the protrusion bears against a side of the groove to inhibit 5 movement of a flowable concrete there between.

7. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 6, wherein the longitudinal protrusion may include two flat abutment surfaces that join at an apex for bearing against a side of the correspondingly shaped groove in a side of an abutting block. 10

8. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, wherein the rear wall comprises a generally vertical rear face, an upper bedding face, a lower bedding face, and first and second generally vertical sides adjoining the rear face, at least one protrusion and at least one groove extending down the length of both first and second side wherein 15 said protrusion and groove on the first side of the rear wall of one block is configured to register with the opposing protrusion and groove extending down the second side of an adjacent abutting block along a single horizontal course to inhibit movement of a flowable concrete there between. 20

9. The masonry H-block in accordance with claims 5 or 8, wherein a plurality of parallel protrusions interspaced by grooves extend down the length of both first and second side of said front and rear walls, whereby the parallel protrusions and grooves on a side of one block are configured to register with the cooperating protrusions and grooves extending down a side of an 25 adjacent abutting block.

10. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, wherein the front wall and rear wall are generally parallel.

11. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, wherein the front and rear walls are generally the same thickness. 30

12. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, wherein the front and rear walls are not the same thickness. 13

13. The masonry H-block in accordance with any one of the above claims, further including lugs or a projection that extend upwardly from the upper bedding face of the front and rear walls for engagement with the underside of an overlying block. 5

14. The masonry H-block in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one portion of the web member is removed after the H-block has been moulded to provide a void through which a steel reinforcement tie bar can pass during construction of a wall.

15. A moulded interlocking masonry H-block for constructing a wall together 10 with other masonry blocks, including a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures extending vertically between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture used in core filling, the generally vertical sides of the rear and front walls being registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit 15 movement of said flowable concrete out through a vertical interface between said blocks, wherein the lower face of the web member is generally curved upwardly to improve the flow of a flowable concrete mixture during core filling.

16. A method of forming an interlocking masonry H-block including the steps 20 of: pouring a flowable concrete mixture into a lower mould to form a body of said masonry H-block having a front wall and rear wall being connected by a web member; applying a head shoe to form an upper section of the masonry H-block 25 including at least one projection extending upwardly therefrom; removing the masonry H-block from the mould, wherein a core puller removes at least a portion of the web member to reduce the weight of the masonry H-block and to provide a pathway for the movement of a flowable concrete mixture during core filling; and 30 curing said masonry H-block.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16 wherein two portions of the web member are removed by the core puller. 14

18. The method in accordance with claim 16 or 17, wherein the portion or portions may be removed from the lower section of the web member or the upper section of the web member.

19. The method in accordance with any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein said 5 portion of the web member is removed after partial curing of the masonry block.

20. A masonry wall constructed using a plurality of masonry blocks, wherein at least some of said masonry blocks are H-blocks having a rear wall and front wall connected by a web member, two sidewardly open apertures 10 extending vertically through the H-block between the rear and front walls for receiving a flowable concrete mixture therethrough for core filling, the generally vertical sides of the rear and front walls being registerable with opposing sides of abutting blocks to inhibit movement of said flowable concrete mixture out through a vertical interface between said blocks, 15 wherein at least a portion of the web member is removed after the H-block has been moulded, or a lower face of the web member is generally curved upwardly, to provide a further pathway for said flowable concrete mixture during core filling.