Improvements relating to the Treatment of Terra-cotta, Wood, Clay, Gypsum, Limestone, and other Materials for Preserving and other Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Treatment of Terra-cotta, Wood,
Clay, Gypsum, Limestone, and other Materials for Preserving
and other Purposes.
I, EUGENIO TORTORA, of Naples, in the Kingdom of Italy, Director of the
Bank of Naples at Catanzaro, 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 the treatment, by means of paraffin, ozokerite or other
hydrocarbons, of terra-cotta, wood, clay, gypsum, limestone, natural and artificial
stones and other material which is almost insoluble in hot hydrocarbons, with the
object of withdrawing any moisture and gases from such material and impregnating
it with the hydrocarbon in order to render the same capable of withstanding the
action of the weather and moisture.
This invention consists in placing the material from which the moisture and
gases are to be expelled for a sufficiently long time in a bath of hydrocarbon at a
temperature higher than 100 degrees, but lower than the boiling point of the
hydrocarbon, the said material being removed from the bath and allowed to cool as
soon as it has been ascertained by the absence of air bubbles that the liquids and
gases have been expelled from the material.
It is evident that the high temperature of the bath causes the evaporation of the
water and the expulsion of other liquid or gaseous elements which will in their turn
be replaced by the hydrocarbon.
Owing to the paraffin, ozokerite or other hydrocarbons capable of resisting a
great number of acids and atmospheric agents, the materials treated by my process
acquire new properties heretofore unknown, such as imputrescibility, greater
strength and durability and the like which are very useful for manufacturing and
building purposes.
Soft and cracked stones are transformed into a very good material by this
process. Mixtures of sand and gum-lac, sand and gypsum and similar compositions,
receptacles, pipes, conduits, utensils and the like may also be submitted to the
treatment which constitutes the subject of my said invention.
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. The treatment of terra-cotta, wood, clay, gypsum, limestone and other
similar materials, which consists in subjecting such materials to a hot bath of
hydrocarbon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The treatment of compositions of sand and gum-lac, sand and gypsum
and similar materials by means of a hot bath of hydrocarbon.
Third. Terra-cotta, wood, clay, gypsum, limestone, compositions of sand and
gum-lac, sand and gypsum, and similar natural and artificial materials treated.
substantially as and for the purposes herein before specified.
Dated this 12th day of October 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.