JP2652902B2 - White ant barrier material - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the control of termites associated with buildings and other structures, particularly to achieving control of termites without the use of harmful chemicals. Things.

[Conventional technology]

The most popular method of providing a barrier to access of termites to buildings or other structures supported underground or on the ground is to kill all existing termites and pass them through the structure Is to saturate the soil under or around the structure with appropriate chemicals to keep the chemicals that remain effective for years against the ground. To mats of fiber or absorbent material laid under the foundation of the building,
It is proposed in the issued patent to provide fibers or porous materials saturated with or containing a suitable chemical that kills termites trying to pass through the building. Published Australian Patent Application No. 8517
See 6/82, 11412/83, 16980/83 and 21934/84.

The above method of termite control consists of a composition in which the chemical is usually considered very dangerous to humans,
It has significant disadvantages, resulting in harm to those using the chemical and others nearby. Under certain ambient conditions, chemicals may be transported a significant distance from the area where they are applied. As a result, people may be unaware of the presence of the chemical, may be unwilling to take protective actions, and may be at risk of the chemicals used for termite control. As long as the chemical remains effective against termites, the danger continues to exist after the first application of the chemical.

In addition, chemical leaks are necessary because high concentrations of chemicals are required in the ground beneath the location where the building is to be built to provide the necessary period of protection against termites entering the building. It will happen over a long period of time. This leakage would of course reduce the effectiveness of the chemical as a barrier to termites. Often, chemicals are first put under the concrete platform on which the building is built,
It is very difficult to maintain an effective barrier using additional chemicals to replace the chemicals removed by the spill.

Even more important, chemicals spilled from the land beneath the building are transported elsewhere by the spill water, where the chemicals appear to be dangerous to humans, animals or crops. In addition, spilled chemicals can enter rivers, streams or lakes or groundwater reservoirs, which can potentially spread the chemicals very widely. As a result, the chance of contact with the chemical increases.
One chemical leaked from a relatively large building area
May collect in one river, stream, or other reservoir. It will be noted that the result is the accumulation of very slowly degrading chemicals.

Numerous buildings, especially houses, are built on concrete pedestals, and termites are usually inaccessible to concrete, but often cracks appear in the concrete, allowing them to enter the building. Become. Even if the fissure is fine, the fissure provides a place for the termites to dig through the concrete by secreting substances that break the concrete along the fissure, so that the termites From there you will be able to dig a hole.

In addition, in buildings built on concrete platforms, it is common practice to provide pipes or conduits extending from the concrete platform, such as water and drain pipes. Since concrete is cast around these pipes or conduits, shrinkage of the concrete during curing often results in small openings around these pipes or conduits. These openings also provide a passage for termites from the concrete into the building structure.

Thus, even when the building is built on a concrete platform, significant amounts of chemicals must be used to treat the soil under the platform to prevent termites from approaching these openings.

It is also known to use sheet metal, such as zinc plated steel, at the top of the base that supports the building as a barrier to termites. While this is effective for buildings supported on a base and commercially viable, it is expensive and has mounting problems when considering buildings supported by concrete pedestals. Sheet metal is difficult to bond in a manner that eliminates the ingress of termites from the bond. In addition, if the metal sheet is strong enough to prevent workers coming and going on the metal sheet from accidentally drilling holes, it may be necessary to match the building structure in such a way as to provide an effective termite barrier. It is difficult to bend or shape to the desired outer shape. It is also difficult to effectively seal around pipes or conduits that must pass through the sheet.

French Patent Application No. 79 04240 (publication No. 2453552)
The sheet metal, including stainless steel, proposed in, is used to provide a barrier to termites coming up the walls as they enter the building, in a manner similar to a metal plate on the base of the building. However, this sheet is pre-shaped for special mounting and is not suitable for in situ construction in a range of shapes and arrangements that can maintain a complete barrier to termite passages.

In addition to buildings, termites attack a wide range of structures and equipment, including wooden pillars and other wooden structures, underground cables and conduits made of a range of materials that attracts termites. The only effective defense against the above structures is a chemical treatment or solid metal barrier that can withstand termite attack.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a barrier to block termites and passage into buildings or structures,
The barrier is thereby effective and avoids the use of chemicals that are harmful to humans and / or the environment.

[Object and structure of the invention]

With this object in mind, according to the present invention, a termite barrier material comprising a mesh-like sheet of durable, corrosion-resistant material substantially resistant to termite secretions and having a Shore hardness of about 70 or more And the stitch holes have a linear dimension less than the maximum linear dimension of the head section of the termite species to be controlled in any direction.

Advantageously, the stitch holes have a linear dimension in at least one direction that is less than the minimum linear dimension of the head section of the termite species to be controlled. Preferably, the stitch holes are
A polygon having a maximum diagonal dimension less than the maximum linear dimension of the head section of the termite species to be controlled.

Termite species that attack wood, trees, etc. are characterized by having a head made of a substantially non-deformable rigid structure. The body of these termites is relatively soft and weak. Further, these termites have a head with a substantially larger cross-sectional dimension than any other part of the termite body. Thus, the likelihood of a termite passing through an opening or passageway as present in any form of termite barrier is determined by the head cross-section size.

Termites are also known to secrete saliva or substances that can disrupt the physical structure of many materials into particles at least as large as the termites can carry to facilitate the formation of passages through which the termites pass. Have been. Among the components of the secreted substance are acids, such as formic acid, among others.

The stitched sheet can be layered with a flexible plastic sheet or sandwiched between two separate sheets. Alternatively, the stitches can be embedded in a single plastic sheet, preferably with both sides of the stitch sheet covered with plastic material. The combination of the stitched sheet and the plastic causes movement of the strands forming the stitch, so that the openings or holes in certain areas of the stitch are sized to allow the passage of termites. The combination of the textured sheet and the plastic protects the textured sheet against escalating damage.

It should also be understood that in order to provide a barrier to the ingress of moisture into the building through the concrete, it is common practice to provide a sheet of plastic material under the concrete platform on which the building is built. Thus, by introducing the reticulated sheet with or into the plastic sheet, the resulting assembly can perform the dual function of providing moisture and termite barrier.

Preferably, the stitch is woven of fine stainless steel wire or a suitable material, for example, a stainless steel filament, which is the material of which most of the material involved while the stitch is in contact or used in termite barrier Resistant to corrosion by. In particular, stainless steel is resistant to rust on contact with moisture and resistant to the secretions released by termites by most acidic materials, including formic acid and other components. However, the material has the necessary destructive resistance when exposed to environmental and subterranean substances as well as termite attacks, and is sufficiently incapable of certain species of termites to chew their strands or filaments It should be understood that if hard, wires, stride or filament of other materials could be used to make the braided sheet. Other materials can be ceramic, glass or hardened plastic fibers.

It is known that the physical dimensions of termites vary between species, and that termite species differ significantly in different parts of the world. Thus, the actual size of the stitch holes is determined by the particular termite or range of termites to be controlled in the area of the property where the stitch is to be used.

In areas around Perth, Western Australia, the most common and dangerous termites have a somewhat flat head with a generally circular cross-section, shown in the shape of Figure 2B, having a maximum linear dimension between 1 and 1.5 mm. It is a family of Coptotermes. Thus, it is appropriate to use a stitch with holes or openings having a maximum dimension of less than 0.85 mm, preferably less than 0.6 mm, in any direction in the area.
For convenience in manufacture, the holes are usually 0.
It is of a generally rectangular shape, 4 and 0.7 mm.

The wire or filament can be of any commercial size, typically in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 mm in diameter. Circular cross-sections are preferred for the production of stitches and are more readily commercially available, but the wire or filament may have a non-circular cross-section. The mesh can also be made by punching or perforating holes of the desired shape in a suitably thick sheet of metal, film or other suitable material.

In most species of termites, there are worker and soldier termites, and in some but not all species the latter have a larger head. Soldier termites are usually thought to lead or at least move with them. Therefore, if the stitch has holes sized to block the passage of soldier termites, it may be effective to prevent the worker termites from passing through this stitch alone. Worker termites are termites that cause damage and must be stopped by this stitch.

The plastic material that forms the sheet that can be layered or embedded in the braided sheet is conveniently PVC, but when embedded in the ground, 15 to 30
It can be any other suitable plastic that provides a moisture barrier for the normal life expectancy of the termite barrier, which is believed to be on the order of years, and does not degrade or break.

Conveniently, the termite barrier is manufactured in sheets of any convenient size and can be manufactured in rolls of width on the order of 5 to 10 meters.

The advantage of the termite barrier proposed above is mainly that no harmful chemicals are used in the creation of the barrier,
This barrier has a useful life equivalent to that of the building. Further, the barrier can be transported and applied without the necessary degree of precaution when handling pesticides or other chemicals and with minimal techniques.
Furthermore, because the barrier is in the form of a stitch, the barrier is substantially more flexible, particularly as compared to solid sheet metal, and is easily crafted by cutting, contouring and shaping.

The present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a termite barrier applied to buildings and other applications and shown in the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the termite barrier is a woven stitch made of corrosion resistant stainless steel wire or filament, such as 304 grade stainless steel.
It is a form of. The woven filaments form a series of holes or openings 15 in a generally rectangular stitch having a distance between the two narrower sides 16 of the rectangular gap, and the rectangular diagonal is a termite ( The stitch should form a barrier for this species) or less than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the head (FIG. 2b).

Here, a double outer block wall 20 and a single inner block wall 21 associated with the poured concrete base 23 are shown.
Reference is made to FIG. 3 which shows a cross section of a building part having As is customary in this building form, continuous concrete wall legs
25 is formed to support the double block outer wall 20. Around the concrete base 23 there is a deeper projection 26, also supported by wall legs 25, and additional deeper areas are also located below the interior wall 21 shown at 28 in FIG.

After injecting and curing the wall legs 25, a portion of the sheet of the termite barrier stitch 30 may have a portion of the stitch over the entire area into which the platform 23 is to be implanted, as further described hereinbelow. Put it on the wall leg 25 using it. When placing the stitches, the stitches should closely follow the contours of the land, including following the contours of all grooves or depressions in the land, for example, where it is necessary to adapt the thickness of the concrete platform to the increased areas 26 and 28 It is shaped. The termite barrier is in the form of wire stitches, so it can easily deform and follow these contours, and bend easily where there is excess material due to changes in the contour of the surface on which the stitches are placed it can. Where pipes or conduits need to pass through the pedestal 23, as indicated at 31, a suitably located split is cut within the stitch 30 and the ends of the stitch are described further herein below. In a tight manner around the pipe or conduit.

For convenience of handling, the stitches are made of a roll of convenient width, for example 5 m, and the stitches are put in place at adjacent one ends which are overlapped and crimped together in a multi-bend type joint. As each bend is formed, it is slammed and spread over its entire length to provide a secure and durable connection that is immune to termites.

After placing the stitches in place and effectively tightening along the overlapped ends, and performing the work of forming the concrete platform 23 in place, place a moisture barrier sheet underneath and place conventional steel reinforcement in the platform. Pour using conventional methods. After a suitable curing period, assembly of the exterior and interior walls of the building can begin. With reference to the double outer block wall seen at 20 in FIG. 1, the overlying end portion of the fastening barrier stitch folds upward to be between each inner and outer wall. The exterior wall is erected at least 10 cm above the surrounding horizon, advantageously between 20 and 30 cm, and the barrier stitches are bent outward over the block making the exterior wall, and then the remaining blocks of the exterior wall are removed. Build to the top.

Thus, a complete barrier is formed within the surrounding double block wall that is continuous with the barrier under the concrete pedestal to prevent white ants from penetrating into the interior of the building.

As shown in FIG. 5, alternatively, the termite barrier 30 projects outwardly below both blocks forming a double outer wall and then bends upward relative to the outer surface of the surrounding wall. And, if desired, folded at the top and on the ground
Place between the two layers of the block to a value of 10 cm or more. Each of the above alternative constructions can be used for other shapes of exterior wall construction, such as the interior walls of a timber frame and the exterior walls of a block. The structure shown in FIG. 4 can also be used with a single wood frame exterior wall.

If the conduit protrudes from the concrete pedestal, such as 31 above, the barrier stitch before injecting the pedestal has a rift smaller in diameter than the conduit to be passed. Then
The stitch of the outer edge of the hole so formed can be formed extending into a flange 35 projecting upward or downward as seen in FIG. 4, and a clamp 36 is fixed around the flange. And engage with the outer surface of the conduit 31. Conveniently, clamp 36 can be in the form of a conventional stainless steel hose clamp. Preferably, the barriers shown in FIG. 4 are formed so as to protrude upwardly from their normal position, so that when the platform is a pouring, the clamps that clamp around the flanges and conduits will be inserted into the concrete forming the platform. Embedded. It is appreciated that the woven stitch can be extended without enlarging the holes or holes to a size that allows termites to pass through. Elongation is achieved by twisting a rectangular hole into a parallelogram to reduce the size of the hole in one direction while increasing the size in the other direction. Reduction in one direction is sufficient to prevent the passage of termites.

The stitch used in the facility described above with respect to FIG. 1 and described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 5 can also be used as a termite barrier for a wide range of structures incorporating the material to be attacked by termites. Another such application is around parts such as pillars whose lower part is embedded in the ground. It is common practice to treat the lower part of such pillars with suitable chemicals to prevent attack by termites, but such chemicals have a limited useful life and have environmental disadvantages. is there. The termite barrier material of the present invention may be a sleeve or pocket adjacent one end 39.
38 and can be fitted to the column section to be buried in the ground at the proximal lowest end shown in FIG. The sleeve is long enough to protrude at least 10 to 20 cm above the ground when erecting a pillar.

If a barrier stitch is used for this purpose, the stitch can be first knitted into a tubular form and then cut to the required length for each particular application. The individual lengths of the tubular stitches are then folded at the bottom end to create a useful enclosure. The enclosure is made by flattening the end of the tube, then creased multiple times at the folds, and then squeezing or hammering it flat to form a multiple-over joint that is not penetrated by termites. Can be formed.

When the stitches are not manufactured in a tubular form, the flat stitch pieces can be rolled into a tube, with the edges of each piece being folded and patted to form a multiple wrapped joint.

In the above description of the application of termite barrier material to the bottom end of a pillar, whatever is buried in the ground, whether it resembles a pillar, forms a pillar function or is used for any other purpose Nevertheless, it should be understood that the same barrier construct can be used.

Another use of termite barriers is the protection of cables, especially underground cables incorporating materials that are vulnerable to attack by termites. Such cables generally consist of the structure shown in FIG. 7, and include wires or other components of a cable such as an electrical or optical cable.
In addition to 41, there is an outer protective covering 40 of a suitable material and a conventional insulator or other covering or wrapping 42 (with the cable therein).

It is known to knit a woven or wire reinforced material around the center of such a cable, and to knit a stitch of stainless steel wire or filament 43 of the required dimensions around the center of such a cable. It is also proposed according to the invention that a barrier to entry into the cable is formed. If the termite barrier is not knitted around the cable center, the packaging of the necessary structural barrier material will fit around the cable with the longitudinal seams created by the wrapped joints in the manner discussed above. Can be done. Termite barriers are placed in or under a sturdy outer covering that is typically installed on such cables as an alternative to the exterior shown in the figures.

The termite barriers described above can be used in many other applications in addition to those described with reference to the accompanying drawings without departing from the invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a stitch proposed for use as a termite barrier. 2a is an enlarged view of a portion of the stitch shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2b is an enlarged view from above of a typical termite and a cross-sectional schematic view of the head of the termite, FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a building portion showing the application of a termite barrier to a building; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion A shown in FIG. 3 where a conduit passes through the termite barrier; FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a building section where the barrier is applied in a different form from that shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cable incorporating a termite barrier, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an upright column having a termite barrier installed at a lower end of the column. 10 ... stitch, 15 ... opening, 20 ... block outside wall,
23 ... pipe or pipe, 35 ... flange, 42 ... packaging material.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A termite barrier comprising a stitched sheet of durable, corrosion resistant material substantially resistant to termite secretions and having a Shore hardness of at least about 70, wherein the stitch holes are A termite barrier material having a linear dimension smaller than the maximum linear dimension of the head cross section of the termite species to be controlled in any direction.