US931318A - Means for preserving structural parts. - Google Patents

Description

A. KNAPEN.

MEANS FOR PRESBRVING STRUGTUBAL PARTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.A15. 1909.

Patentd Aug. 1'?, 3.909.

L-...Meal

ACHILLE KNPE', OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

MEAS TOR PRESERVINGfSTR'UCTUR-AL PARTS.

Speciicaton oi Letters Patent.

atented Aug'. 1'7, 1909.

Application led February 15, 1909. vSerial No. 477,944.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known -that I, ACHILLE KNAPEN, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have invented new and useful Meansfor Preserving Structural Parts, of which the following is a specification.

.My invention relates to means for preserving structural arts, and, in particular, structural parts ofp wood against decay or deterioration due to moisture.

In carrying out this invention I avail my v self ofthe fact'that the durability of Wood thus carried upward, such salts bei is greatly enhanced if the same is either kept completely dry or continually submerged in Water or in a wet medium, whereas the same ,is quickly destroyed if exposed alternately to dryness and to-moisture, or if a portion of the same projects into the atmosphere While the remaining portion is permanently, submerged in water or embedded in permanently moist ground or soil. If a' portion of a wooden structural part which projects into the atmosphere is protected from rain by a roof, for example,the lowermost portion of the same being embedded in moist ground, there will'be an endangered zone in the structural part between the permanently dry up -per `portion and the permanently Wet or moist lowermost portion of the saine. There will be established by this state of things a continuous current of moisture rising from the wet zone toward the dry zone, and this moisture will gradually evaporate in the intermediate endangered zone leaving behind it there, inthe pores vof the wood 4the salts from the ground dissolved inthe liquid precipitated as the' liquid evaporates. lhese deposits of the ground salts will lgradually clog up-the'pores of the wood in this endengered zone and when they have been completely clogged up, the further deposit-s will result in abnormal expansive or explosive forces leading vv.to cracks and fissures.

. In orderto overcome these objections and to avoid the injurious effects recited, my invention consists in surrounding or inclosing the structural part with a sheathing or mantle of suitable vmaterial which completely incases the 'same along the entire dangerous zone and extends some distance above and below said zone. 'lhe s ace bei' tween this mantle and the structura partis filled with porous material which is a poor conductor of heat, such as asbestos, said porous material permitting the circulation of air.

The-mantle ismade of suitable water and ai'rtightmaterial and is-preferably provided at its .top with a suitable cap or cover for excluding rain or water `from other sources from the porous filling, and for preventing the'access of frost-tothe :moist wood of the endangered and sheathed 4zone in Winter. The current of moisture thus prevented from escaping'by the .mantleis directed upward in the structural part an into its upper portion which is provided with a number of outwardly and downwardly inclined .cavities or channels from which cavities the moisture, as it-rises, will be taken o by the circulation ot the air therein as explained herein below.

M-y invention-also consists rof such further features and combinations of parts as will be set -forth below and pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawing I have `represented what Iconsider the preferred nienner of practicing the same, 1t being illustrated as applied to a wooden pillar.

In v.this drawing Figure 1 represents an elevation, partly in section, of a wooden pil lar protected according to the invention and Fig. 2a vertical section of the same unprotected mantle and iilling.

The'pillar lis represented as embedded in the ground from the line .2 2 downward,l the :aground-being moist Ifrom the line 3 3 downward. Between themoist or wet lower portion 11 of the pillar andr the dry upper portion, 12 of the same there will be y:termed what I term Athe endangered zone through which the ground moisture will pass, if not protected, leaving behind -it deposits of ground salts as it evaporates. Thiszone is designatedfby the horizontal hatching in Fig.

2. In order to 4prevent this deposit of solid matter in the pores of the woodin this zonel surround the pillar with a mantle or sheath 4 oi' 'water and airtight material saidniant-le extending somewhat above andsomewhat below said endangered zone as shownin Fig. 1, where the upper limit of this-zone is indicated bythe line 5--5. The annular'space 'between the mantle 4 and the pillar 1 -is filled with porous material G which is a poor conductor of heat, such as asbestos, said material permitting the free circulation of air.

' In order to prevent the admission of rain or moisture or of frost into the annular space tion of solid matter in the pores of Wood is vvent the evaporation oi the-ascending cur- .lar at the endangered zone, and said current nid between the mantle and the pillar, I close the top of the mantle with a cap or bushing 7 itting snugly around the top of the mantle and around the pillar.

In most cases it will be convenient and desirable to form the mantle and the cap or bushing in sections. In this casey the sections may be united by wirel ringsr 8, 9, as shown in Fig. l. The protecting mantle thus constructed and arranged serves to pre rento'l moisture through the sides of the pilis caused to proceed upward as indicated by the arrows a in Fig. 2.' In order to prevent the aforesaid injurious deposits in the section ot' the pillar above the endangered zonev and at the same time to keep the said section dry I provide the said section with a series..1 of outwardly and downwardly inclined cavities 'or channels l0, open at the surface of the pillar, preferably in the form of tubular channels. The mode of operation of these channels has been explained in my concurrent application, Serial Number 425,735, filed April '7th, 1908, but for the purposes of a complete disclosure it will be repeated here as as necessary. The lighter slightly warmer and coniparatiyely drier air enters these channels l0 at the top and, proceeding in the direction of the arrows absorbs the moisture collecting in the channels and de scends, into a lower stratum of the circunr ambient air. By these means, in connection with the protecting mantle, the deposiavoided, such deposits formino' in the cavities. At the same time thepiIlar above the endangered zone is maintained in a dry condition.

Although I have described the downwardly and outwardly inclined cavities for the purposes of acomplete description I do not claim them herein parte, since they are claimed in my aforesaid application, Serial Number 425,735.

lvl/'hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

l. An exposed structural part in combination with a mantle ot' water and air-tight material surrounding the same along a portion of its length and leaving a space between itself and the structural part, porous material which is a poor conductor of heat arranged Within said space, the said mantle being closed at its top. l

2. An exposed structural part, in combination with a mantle of water and air-tight material' surrounding the same along a portion' of its length and leaving a space be tween itself andthe structural part, porous material which 1s a poor conductor or' heat arranged within said space, and a cap filling around the top of said mantle and around the strnctural part.

3. An exposed wooden pillar, in combination with a mantle of water and air tight material sin-rounding the same along a portion oi' its length and forming an annular space around the pillar, said space'being packed with porous poor heat conducting material, and a bushing -iitting around the pillar and closing the top of the annular space formed by the mantle.

4. An exposed structural part provided at its upper portion with open downwardly and outwardly inclined cavities, and embedded in the ground for a portion of its length, in combination with a mantle of water and air tight material surrounding said structural part at an intermediate portion of its length extending upward into the dry'zone and downward into'the moist zone and forming a space around the structural part, said space being filled with porous material which is a poor conductor of heat, said mantle being closed at its top.

5. An exposed structural part, provided at its upper portion with open downwardly and outwardly inclined channels and eine bedded in the ground for a portion oi' its length, in combination with mantle inclosing the same for a. portion of its length, extending into the ground beyond the endangered zone and above the ground beyond the endangered zone, Aand forming a space around the structural part, said space being filled with porous, poor heat conducting material, and a cap litting around the structural part andover the top of the mantle.

(i. An exposed wooden pillar provided at its upper portion with open downwardly and outwardly inclined channels and embedded in the ground, in combination with a mantle of water or air tight material surrounding the same, extending into the ground and above the ground beyond the endai'igeredzone, and forming a space around the pillar, a porous poor heat conducting illing'packed into said space, and a bushing fitting around the pillar and closing the top of the mantle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

ACHILLE KNAPEN.

VVitn'esses: l

GREGORY PHEL'AN, JAMES M. rFAY.

Images