Improvements relating to the Impregnation of Organic Fibrous and Cellular Matter by means of an Electric Current, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Impregnation of Organic Fibrous and
Cellular Matter by means of an Electric Current, and Apparatus
therefor.
I, GUSTAV ADOLPH ONCKEN, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of
America, Engineer, at present residing at Bannhofstrasse 4 Frankenthal
Palatinate in the Empire of Germany do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of impregnating organic fibrous
and cellular matter by subjecting the substance in question to the action of an
electric current, during its treatment with alkaline, acid, antiseptic or other
solutions, and the object of the invention is to effect a thorough and complete
impregnation or saturation of such substance, in a much shorter time than has
been accomplished up to the present.
Previous to cutting veneers, for instance in a knife machine, it has hitherto been
necessary to boil the blocks or logs of wood either in water with an admixture of
alkalies or in steam under pressure for the space of from 6 to 36 hours, the time
varying according to the nature of the wood, whilst by the aid of electricity as
hereinafter set forth, it is possible to obtain the same result in one hour at most.
In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I will proceed to
describe it by way of example when employing the same in connection with
impregnating wood. In such a case I preferably employ two boilers or vessels
used alternately, so that the impregnation may be carried on uninterruptedly. The
said boilers are hermetically closed at one end, whilst the front end is provided
with a cover hinged to the shell and adapted to close tightly on the same, in any
convenient and effective manner. Tracks may be arranged to lead up to the front
ends of the boilers, so that the trucks containing the logs or blocks to be
impregnated may be run directly off the tracks into the boilers which latter may
be provided with angle or any other suitable iron rails having the same gauge as
the tracks, to prevent the trucks from tipping.
The boilers are connected by pipes with a tank, containing the solution with
which the blocks or logs are to be impregnated and are provided with steam heating
pipe systems, supplied from a steam boiler. A steam pump for pumping the
solution from the said tank into the boilers, is driven from the steam boiler to
which it is connected by suitable pipes and cocks.
The impregnating boilers are further provided with electrodes one at the end of
each boiler connected by suitable circuit wires and switches with a dynamo
electric machine.
All steam or liquid pipe systems as also the electric circuit, in connection with
the two boilers are preferably so arranged as to allow one boiler to be entirely
disconnected, for refilling with trucks whilst the other is in use.
When a sufficient number of trucks containing the substances to be impregnated,
have been run into the boilers, the door is closed and the impregnating solution
pumped into the boilers, which is then heated by the steam heating pipe system to
about from 75 to 93° C. and previous to its attaining this temperature the electric
circuit closed. In about the space of an hour the substances under treatment
will have been thoroughly and perfectly impregnated.
I do not confine myself to the arrangement of the apparatus hereinbefore
described, as such arrangement apart from its being optional, may be subject to

page_text: modifications dependent on prevailing circumstances without departing from the
nature of my present invention.
Dated this 16th day of July 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to the Impregnation of Organic Fibrous and
Cellular Matter by means of an Electric Current, and Apparatus
therefor.
I, GUSTAV ADOLPH ONCKEN, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of
America, at present residing at 4 Bahnhofstrasse Frankenthal Palatinate in the
Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved method of impregnating organic fibrous
and cellular matter by subjecting the substance in question to the action of an
electric current during its treatment with alkaline, acid, antiseptic or other
solutions, and the object of the invention is to effect a thorough and complete
impregnation or saturation of such substance in much shorter time than has been
accomplished up to the present.
Previous to cutting veneers for instance in a knife machine it has hitherto
been necessary to boil the blocks or logs of wood either in water with an admixture
of alkalies or in steam under pressure for the space of 6-36 hours the time
varying according to the nature of the wood whilst by the aid of electricity as
hereinafter set forth, it is possible to obtain the same result in one hour at the
most.
In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I will proceed to
describe it by way of example when employing the same in connection with
impregnating wood for which purpose I have constructed the apparatus illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a plan of a double apparatus employed surrounded by the walls of a
building and
Figure 2 a section of a single apparatus in the line I II in Figure 1.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in both the views.
The apparatus herein described is arranged to work uninterruptedly and is
particularly adapted for saturating or impregnating blocks or logs of wood for
cutting veneers. It consists of the two hermetically closed boilers or vessels A
and B being provided at each or both ends with a detachable cover A¹ or B' which
may be hinged to the shell or attached thereto in any other convenient manner.
The boilers or vessels A and B are so arranged as to receive the trucks C
containing the blocks direct from the tracks a b which lead into the boilers.
One boiler or vessel only is used at the same time, thus whilst the blocks in
one vessel are being impregnated, those in the other are removed previous to its
being refilled.
D is a tank containing the solution with which the blocks are to be impregnated,
E is a steam pump, provided with suitable connections and cocks with the steam
boiler and both impregnating vessels.
The pump sucks the impregnating solution from the tank D through the pipe E
and discharges the same at the bottom of either of the boilers A or B through the
pipe E', which is also adapted by aid of the three-way cocks e, e¹ to conduct the
solution back to the tank D.. F and F are the heating pipe systems leading from
the steam generator K to the impregnating vessels A B also provided with

page_text: suitable stop and three-way cocks f, and a steam trap fs, so that either of the
vessels may be heated separately. G is the dynamo-electric machine having its
poles connected respectively with the electrodes H and I insulated in the bottoms
or covers of said impregnating boilers.
As soon as one boiler has been filled with the substances to be impregnated, it is
closed and by means of the pump E filled with the alkaline or other desired
solution from the tank D. The boiler is then heated by the steam pipe system F F¹
to about 75° 90° C., and previous to its attaining this temperature the electric
circuit is closed, the current is conducted through the wires g, g' and the switches d, d'
to the electrodes H and I of the impregnating boilers A B. The substance under
treatment will then be thoroughly and perfectly impregnated in less than an hour.
I do not confine myself to the arrangement of the apparatus hereinbefore
described, as such arrangement may be modified to suit existing circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In the process of preserving or impregnating organic fibrous and
cellular matter, the employinent of an electric current, substantially as set
forth.
Second. The process of preserving or impregnating organic fibrous and cellular
matter consisting of first running trucks containing the substances to be treated
into an impregnating vessel closing the latter, and filling it with an acid, alkaline
or other desirable solution, heating the same and whilst heating leading an electric
current through the impregnating solution, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Third. The combination of the receptacles for the organic cellular or fibrous
matter to be treated with an acid, alkaline, antiseptic or other desirable solution,
the steam generator, means for conducting the said solution to and from the said
receptacles, a dynamo-electric machine, the conducting wires, and electrodes
placed opposite one another at the ends of the said receptacles, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
בד
101
A 1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.