In traditional bricklaying masonry blocks such as bricks, blocks of lightweight aggregate concrete or the like usually essentially having the shape of a parallelepiped are arranged in layers one on top of the other so that a layer of hardening material compound such as mortar or the like is arranged, at the same time, between the separate masonry blocks. Such a traditional way of bricklaying is laborious and requires, for a good finished structure, a good workmanship.

In order to facilitate bricklaying an arrangement disclosed in patent application FI-19991075 by the same inventor has been developed, by means of which mortar can be easily brought onto a brick surface to be laid.

Such brick elements have also been developed, wherein the bricks are laid and where especially the laying of the facade takes place by means of traditional methods. Especially, such arrangements have been developed, where complete wall elements have been made especially of blocks. Elements made of masonry blocks are advantageous due to, i. a. , good heat insulating properties, modifiability and esthetical factors.

One drawback with the known element arrangements is, however, that there still is a high need for labor, where in addition the work is relatively hard and often such that it must be done under difficult conditions.

In order to eliminate these drawback the method according to the present invention has been developed, which method also is especially easy to automatize. Thus, a structure constituted of masonry blocks does not require manual on-site labor anymore, but the element can be produced under industrial conditions.

The characteristics of the present invention are disclosed in the appended claims. Thus, the method according to the present invention is characterized in that the masonry blocks are laid out on an assembly table so that the masonry blocks at least in one direction are directly in mutual contact via consistent contact surfaces, after which a hardening material compound is inserted into special edge grooves between the masonry blocks positioned in this manner, in order to mutually bind together said masonry blocks at least in this respective direction.

The present invention will now be described, in an exempli- fying manner only, by referring to the appended drawings, where Figure 1 in perspective discloses a part of a wall of blocks which have been laid in a traditional manner and wherein mortar has been arranged in the joints between the masonry blocks at that stage when the masonry blocks are laid out one on top of the other . and side-by-side, Figure la discloses one individual traditional block used in the wall according to Figure 1, Figure 2 discloses how masonry block ssuch as blocks according to the present invention are laid out, prior to a mutual binding, in a subsequent and parallel manner on an assembly table which favorably is slightly inclined, Figure 2a discloses an individual masonry block, in this case especially a block of lightweight aggregate concrete, which block has been. modified for a method according to the present invention, Figure 3 discloses the spreading of a hardening material com- pound at one side surface of an element which is constituted of masonry blocks which have been laid out on an assembly table which is inclined suitably all the way down to the horizontal plane, so that said hardening material compound at the same time penetrates at least into the edge grooves between the masonry blocks, and Figure 4 discloses a part of a wall which has been laid by means of the method according to the present in- vention, where the revetment of the element has been left undisclosed for the sake of clarity.

Figure 1 discloses a wall portion la which has been made by means of traditional block laying and which is constituted of separate masonry blocks, in this case, e. g. , traditional blocks 2a of lightweight aggregate concrete, as well as of a layer of mortar which in context with the bricklaying has been arranged in the horizontal and vertical joints 3a and 4a, respectively, between the blocks 2a. The mortar acts as said hardening material compound and it binds together said blocks 2a together to form a structure of monolithic character.

Figure 1 discloses that said blocks favorably are such that a layer of insulation 5 is located between two side portions constituted of a mineral material, which insulation layer, in order to provide good insulation properties, should extend as continuous as possibly in the longitudinal direction of the structure la so that no heat bridges would be formed through the structure.

Usually a block of lightweight aggregate concrete or the like masonry block 2a comprises at least one mortar groove 6a into which a horizontal strip of mortar primarily is arranged. If necessary, a separate reinforcement 7 such as a ribbed steel bar or the like is arranged into the same groove 6a, and at the bricklaying this reinforcement will remain in the mortar.

Referring to Figure 2, in the bricklaying according to the present invention and unlike traditional bricklaying no mortar is introduced into any joint along with the advance of the laying of mortar blocks 2. Instead, in accordance with the present invention essentially all masonry blocks 2 for an element 1 to be formed are laid out in advance into their final positions prior to the introduction of mortar or the like hardening material compound into grooves 3 between the masonry blocks 2.

Favorably, the laying of the masonry blocks in place is per- formed while a first assembly table 8 is in a vertical position or in a position which is slightly inclined there- from, as disclosed in Figure 2. In this position where one side flank of each masonry block is close to the surface 9 of the assembly table 8, the laying of the blocks is easy both manually and favorably in a mechanized manner, and the masonry blocks 2 will sink down into a close mutual contact while one side surface of the element at the same time remains of its own accord in the shape of the assembly table, i. e. usually essentially planar. Favorably, the masonry blocks 2 then com- prise a consistent, i. e. unbroken contact surface 10 which can be seen especially in Figure 2a and which receives the lower surface of an upper masonry block 2 so that the upper masonry block 2 will rest directly on the underlying one. In this manner it is continuously secured that no material compound will pass into a possible insulation 5 so that there will be no heat bridges which significantly could impair the sulating effect, which in careless manual bricklaying. some- times constitutes a problem, usually observed only later on when a building has been taken into use.

Sometimes it is favorable, for facilitating the laying of the blocks, that said assembly table 8 includes a lower beam 11 against which the lowermost row or array of masonry blocks will rest at the laying procedure. In another embodiment of the present invention this lower beam 11 functions in co- operation with an upper movable tightening beam 12 (see Figure 3), in which case both beams 11,12 according to an especially favorable embodiment at the same time function as guides for a finisher 13 which is arranged for planing the hardening material compound, as generally disclosed i Figure 3.

Favorably, said masonry blocks 2 comprise widened edge grooves 14 as disclosed in more in Figure 2a, to enable hardening material compound to get in between the masonry blocks 2 to a sufficient degree in accordance with the invention. Favorably such edge grooves are made at opposite sides of each masonry block 2 already during the manufacturing thereof, but said edge grooves 14 can also made in, e. g. , traditional blocks, by opening up a respective side of a block all the way in to the mortar groove 6a. This operation can be effected by means of, e. g. , a chisel, or at one side favorably by means of a milling cutter when the masonry blocks 2 are already laid upon the first assembly table. The edge grooves at the opposite side are favorably formed at that stage when the element is trans- ferred to a second assembly table, as will be described in more detail hereafter. In the same manner vertical grooves 15 can be made in the vertical direction-to-be, for receiving a vertical additional reinforcement 16.

According to one embodiment of the present invention the jointing at at least one surface of the element 1 can be done while the assembly table 8 is in an inclined position as dis- closed, e. g. , in Figure 2. Usually the spreading of the binding material compound into the joints 3 and to a necessary extent to constitute a putty layer 17 at the surface of the element 1 is performed by tilting a first assembly table 8 which at the initial stage is the lower one, prior to the jointing operation or in connection thereto, to a position which is essentially horizontal, as disclosed in more detail in Figure 3. In this way the hardening material compound will be transferred, both by means of the finisher 13 and by gravity, into the edge grooves 3,14 between the masonry blocks 2, where the material compound upon hardening will constitute a joint filling which binds the masonry blocks 2 together.

For hardening material compound a revetment mortar, a plastic concrete material, a fluid putty material or the like material compound known per se in the profession, which compund favorably includes fibres or some other reinforcement, which is capable of binding the masonry blocks and which can be brought to penetrate into the grooves 3,14 between the masonry blocks 2 without penetrating into a possible layer of insulation 5. Favorably, the material compound is so plastic that it can be easily brought into the grooves 3,14 but, at the same time, so hardflowing that it does not needlessly leak in between the contact surfaces 10 and, respectively, the lower surfaces of the superimposed masonry blocks 2. According to the invention the hardening material compound is at the same time such that it constitutes a smooth surface 17 on the finished element 1 and favorably so that the hardening material compound at the same time covers any possible flaws 18 at the side surfaces of the masonry blocks 2. In most cases the putty surface which is formed in this manner also will constitute the element's finished surface so that the working phase of smoothing the surface can be spared.

According to one embodiment of the present invention a nozzle arrangement is used for distributing the hardening material compound and/or for finishing, which arrangement moves over the surface of the element 1 being built up and by means of which the material compound initially is distributed. In some embodiments such a spray application at the same time consti- tutes the final surface treatment of the element. According to one embodiment stuff nozzles (not shown) for material compound are used for the jointing operation so that by means of them hardening material compound is brought in a forced manner to penetrate into the edge grooves 14 between the masonry blocks 2. According to one additional application of this embodiment said nozzle arrangement is used for filling expressly the element surface which subsides against said first assembly table 8, in which case said stuff nozzles are arranged to penetrate the surface level 9 of the assembly table 8 so that a seaming of the surface of the element can be performed by pressing or spraying material compound through the surface 9 of the assembly table 8 into the joints 3,14 between the masonry blocks 2.

For distributing the material compound an especially favorable embodiment uses a scraper, a spattle or a rotating and/or dragging cylinder arrangement 13 as schematically disclosed in Figure 3 and favorably having a bossing 19 for facilitating an even distribution of the material compound. If necessary, the scraper, cylinder or other spreader can be combined with a vibrating apparatus (not shown) and favorably the arrangement is such that material compound at least partially is brought to penetrate at least partially by the impact of gravitation into the grooves 3,14 between the masonry blocks 2.

According to an especially favorable embodiment of the present invention the jointing is performed, in the manner discussed above, beginning at one side of the element. After this a receiving second assembly table (which for the sake of clarity is omitted from the Figures) is arranged at the opposite side of the seamed element. If necessary, a suitable release agent is distributed on the surface of this second assembly table, which agent prevents a surface layer distributed on the ele- ment 1 from attaching to the surface of the second assembly table. This is required especially in a case where the surface of said second assembly table is embossed so that the profile of the embossment according to one embodiment is brought to work the still unsettled surface layer to include, e. g. , a decorative pattern 25 as schematically indicated in Figure 4.

The second assembly table is suitably connected to the first assembly table 8, after which the assembly thus achieved can easily be tilted in the opposite direction so that the element residing between the assembly tables will rest on the second assembly table. Now that side of the element which initially leaned against the surface 9 of the first assembly table 8 can be revealed, after which the jointing of this opposite element surface can take place in accordance with the foregoing dis- cussion. If a material compound has already been pressed into the edge groves of said side by means of stuff nozzles, as disclosed in the above embodiment, a final levelling can now be performed, while-the element is in this position, by means of a scraper or cylinder, provided that the material compound is still unhardened.-Suitably the hardening of the material compound will take place when the element is supported by at least one of the assembly tables.

Since the jointing favorably is done as a part of the puttying of the element surface a sufficient impermeability at the vertical joints 4 between the masonry blocks 2 is usually achieved also without any separate filling of the vertical joints 4. Thus the arrangement according to the invention is normally such that a hardening material compound is arranged only in the horizontal joint grooves 3,14, while the vertical joints can be dry butt joints. The method according to the present invention includes, however, also the possibility to provide grooves (not shown) also at the vertical joints 4 in accordance with the above, into which joints a hardening binding material compound is introduced.

In order to achieve a better mutual binding between the masonry block arrays constituted by masonry blocks 2 arranged in a subsequent and/or parallel disposition said masonry block arrays are favorably arranged as partially overlapping arrays, whereby the appearance of the element essentially corresponds to the appearance achieved by means of a conventional over- lapping arrangement of blocks (see the Figures). However, since the elements in accordance with the present invention in most cases obtain a putty layer in the same context this feature does not have any significance for the finished ele- ment 1, except with respect to strength.

The strength of the element will usually be considerably improved if a separate reinforcement is introduced into the edge grooves 3 between the masonry block arrays prior to the filling thereof. Correspondingly, an element can if necessary be reinforced as described above in such a manner that one or several surface grooves 15 are arranged in a transverse direction with respect to the masonry block arrays, i. e. in relation to the edge grooves 3,14, into which grooves 15 a transversal reinforcement 16 is arranged. Such a transversal reinforcement will remain, in the same way as a reinforcement 7 arranged in said edge grooves 3,14, within the hardening material compound which penetrates into the groove 15, which at the same time attaches the reinforcement to the element 1.

The Figures further disclose an especially favorable embodi- ment of the present invention, which embodiment includes an opening 20 made in the element for, e. g. , a window. In order to reinforce the edges of such an opening especially above the opening the method according to the present invention offers an excellent solution. Thus, especially at such an opening 20 or at some other location where an especially high strength of the element is required an edge beam 21 is made so that the masonry blocks include an separate cavity 22 which is filled with hardening material compound. Such a cavity 22 is favorably made into subsequent masonry blocks by removing a part of the side of the masonry block, as best disclosed in Figure 2. With respect to the dimensions such a cavity 22 is larger than the joint 3,14 between the masonry blocks and it can appropriately be delimited by separate mold elements 23 to those parts which are not adjacent to a masonry block 2 or, in certain cases, to an insulation 5. Such a cavity, void or excavation constitutes a delimited space which in accordance with the above is filled with a hardening material compound in order to provide a beam-like structure. This beam-like struc- ture is strongly connected to the other parts of the element and favorably it can further be separately reinforced 22, as disclosed in Figures 3 and 4.

As described above, the present invention facilitates the manufacture of especially strong elements 1 made of masonry blocks. The functions are readily adaptable to mechanical production and it can easily be automatized. Further, in relation to traditional bricklaying the arrangement according to the present invention provides a more uniform quality.

Different kinds of pipework and pipe ducts can also be especially easily made in the element 1 either prior to the manufacture thereof or afterwards, since as distinct from a structure which is built up on site or otherwise to have mortar joints which slightly vary with respect to thickness the present element is made of masonry blocks having a precisely defined location. The handling of a finished element 1 is also especially easy due to the turnable assembly table.

Above some favorable embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, but for the professional it is clear that the present invention can be adapted also in many other ways within the scope of the appended claims.