IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PRESERVATION OF WOOD BLOCKS FOR PAVING PURPOSES to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co, Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PRESERVATION
OF WOOD BLOCKS FOR PAVING PURPOSES to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to an improved method of preserving wood, and chiefly
wood-blocks intended for paving purposes, and at the same time rendering the
same impervious to moisture.
The disadvantage of methods of impregnating wood as heretofore employed, in
which salts (such as chloride of zinc) are used, and which I term mineralizing, is
that the impregnating substance is soon washed out of the wood. This objection
is overcome, according to the present invention, by combining such salts with
bituminous substances.
the
This method of treating wood, as compared with the present methods of
impregnation, may be considered the most efficient, and is based
upon
following facts, that is to say:-
A solution of salts, of any desired kind, mixed with bituminous, resinous, greasy
or oily liquids, produces a mixture of a homogeneous character, the soluble salts in
which become insoluble after being dried.
Porous wood of any shape, impregnated with the said mixture of salts and
bituminous, resinous, unctuous or oily liquids, is "mineralized" and is at the same
time capable of resisting the influence of moisture.
The method based upon these facts and forming the subject matter of this
application, consists in boiling or otherwise treating the wood, according to the
porosity of the latter, in a diluted solution of mineral or other convenient salt or
salts (such as common salt, sulphate of iron or any other suitable salt in mixture
with water or other suitable liquid). The wood, on being saturated with the
said solution of salt and dried, is then impregnated with mineral oil or other
bituminous, resinous, fatty or oily liquids, said process of impregnation being

page_text: conducted in the usual well known manner by employing the usual impregnating
apparatus, and preferably subjecting the wood to a vacuum during the process of
impregnation.
The said bituminous substances are preferably applied in a warm state in order
to render them more liquid than would otherwise be the case, and the saturated
wood is kept. within the same for a suitable length of time (say from 2 to 4 hours,
more or less), being preferably subjected to a pressure of say from 3 to 4 atmo-
spheres, more or less). The wood thus treated is then dried and ready for use.
The treatment may, however, be conducted in such a manner that a proper
mixture of mineral or other convenient salt or salts and mineral oil or other
convenient bituminous substance or substances is prepared and employed for
impregnating the wood. The process of impregnation may then, if desirable, be
conducted even without using the impregnating apparatus hereintofore referred
to, the wood being simply placed in the heated mixture composed as above
described, and allowed to remain therein until it is sufficiently soaked or saturated.
The new technical result which this invention is intended to attain and which
consists in "mineralizing" the wood as well as protecting it, at the same time,
against the injurious influences of moisture so that the "mineralizing" substances
are prevented from being washed out of the wood again, or otherwise expelled
therefrom under the continued action of said moisture, may also be attained in a
modified manner by substituting, for the said solutions of salt, soluble silicates,
that is to say, potash-silicates, soda-silicates or silicic-fluor-acid, and mixing the
same with the said bituminous substances, the mixture thus obtained being
employed for impregnating the wood in a similar manner to that hereinbefore
described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Preservation of Wood Blocks for
Paving Purposes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates to an improved method of preserving wood-blocks intended
for paving purposes, and at the same time rendering them impervious to moisture,
said method being based upon the following facts, that is to say,
(1) A solution of salts, of any desired kind, when mixed with bituminous,
resinous, greasy or oily liquid produces a mixture of a homogeneous character the
soluble salts in which become insoluble after being dried.
(2) Porous wood of any shape and in a dried state when impregnated with
the said mixture of salts and bituminous, resinous, unctuous or oily liquid, is
rendered capable of resisting the influence of moisture, and becomes what I term
mineralized.
This method of treating wood blocks as compared with the methods heretofore
practised, may be considered the most efficient, since the disadvantage of all
similar impregnating methods in which salts (such as chloride of zinc) were used,
viz that the impregnating substance was soon washed out of the impregnated
wood block again, is overcome efficiently, in the present instance, by combining
such salts with bituminous substances.
The novel method based upon the facts before mentioned and forming the subject
matter of this invention, consists in boiling or otherwise treating the dried wood
blocks, according to the porosity of the latter, in a diluted solution of mineral or
other convenient salt or salts (such as common salt, sulphate of iron or any other
suitable salt in mixture with water or any other suitable liquid). The wood blocks
on being saturated with the said solution of salt and dried again, are then impreg-
nated with mineral oil or other bituminous, resinous, fatty or oily liquids, said
process of impregnation being conducted in the usual well known manner by
employing the usual impregnating apparatus and preferably subjecting the wood
blocks to a vacuum during the process of impregnation. The said bituminous
substances are preferably employed in a warm state, in order to render them more
liquid, and the saturated wood is kept within the same for a length of time (say
from 2 to 4 hours, more or less), being. preferably subjected to the action of a
pressure of from 3 to 4 atmospheres, more or less. The wood blocks thus treated
are then subjected to a drying heat which is raised gradually to a temperature of
250 degrees Fahrenheit (more or less) and will cause the volatile component parts
of the said bituminous, oily or other substances to be distilled out of the wood, so
that they may be collected and condensed for use in impregnating new quantities
of wood, preferably in mixture with fresh quantities of such bituminous substances
in their native state. The wood blocks after being thus dried and freed of the
said volatile matter, are ready for use.

page_text: The said method may, however, also be conducted in such a manner that a
proper mixture of mineral or other convenient salt or salts and mineral oil or other
convenient bituminous substance or substances is prepared and employed for impreg
nating the wood. The process of impregnation may then, if desired, be conducted
even without using the impregnating apparatus hereintofore referred to, the dried
wood blocks being simply placed in the said heated mixture composed, as above
described, and allowed to remain therein until sufficiently soaked or saturated.
I wish it also to be understood that without departing from the nature of my
invention, and in conformity with the facts upon which the same is based, I may
also conduct my improved method by first impregnating the dried woods block
with the said bituminous, unctuous, resinous or oily substances, then drying the
blocks thus impregnated so as to evaporate therefrom, as herein before described,
the said volatile component parts of the said bituminous, resinous or fatty matter,
and finally, in order to mineralize the impregnated, dried, and, consequently,
highly densified wood, subjecting the same to the action of a solution of the said
mineral or other suitable salt or salts (such as common salt, sulphate of iron,
sulphate of magnesia, etc, as herein stated). The said final impregnation of the
wood blocks by means of the said salt or salts tends to initiate the hardening
and the oxidation of the bituminous, resinous or other fatty substances having
remained within the wood, said oxidation continuing while the blocks are ready
for, or in use; so that, for instance, wood-blocks employed for paving purposes,
and impregnated according to my said improved method will, in time, even become
still harder after they have been laid, while just the contrary takes place with the
wood-blocks impregnated according to any of the former methods of impregnation.
All the component parts of the wood such as the albuminates etc having a tendency
to rot, are fixed by employing my said method so that they are efficiently prevented
from causing the wood to rod or decay.
The new result which this invention is intended to attain and which consists in
mineralizing the wood blocks as well as protecting them at the same time, against
the noxious influences of moisture, so that the mineralizing substances are pre-
vented from being washed out of the wood, or otherwise expelled therefrom under
the continued action of said moisture, may also be attained in a.modified manner
by substituting, for the said solutions of salt, soluble silicates, that is to say potash-
silicates, soda-silicates or silicic fluor-acid, and mixing the same with the said
bituminous substances, the mixture thus obtained. being employed for impreg
nating the wood in a similar manner as hereintofore described. But a solution of
the said silicates may also be employed in the same manner as described with
reference to the said solution of mineral or other salts hereintofore referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
The method of rendering wood-blocks for paving purposes resistible against the
influence of moisture and, at the same time, mineralizing the same, said method
consisting in.:-
First. The method of rendering wood paving blocks impervious to moisture
consisting in impregnating the blocks in a dry state with bituminous, resinous or
other fatty substances combined or mixed with solutions of salt or salts (such
as common salt, sulphate of iron, sulphate of magnesia or other suitable salts) or
combined or mixed with soluble silicates (such as silicic fluor-acid or the like),
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Second. The method of rendering wood paving blocks impervious to moisture,
consisting in impregnating the dried blocks with bituminous, resinous or other
fatty substances, then drying the same at a suitable temperature to evaporate
therefrom the volatile component parts of the said impregnating substances, and
finally impregnating the blocks thus impregnated and dried, with a solution of a
suitable salt or salts or silicates, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.

page_text: Third. The method of rendering wood paving blocks impervious to moisture
consisting in impregnating the dried blocks with a solution of a suitable salt or
salts or silicates, then drying the impregnated wood blocks, then impregnating the
same with bituminous, resinous or other fatty substances, and finally drying the
blocks again at a suitable temperature to distil or evaporate therefrom the volatile
component parts of the said bituminous or fatty impregnating substances, substan-
tially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth. A wood block for paving purposes impregnated with bituminous resinous
or other fatty substances and with a solution of a mineral or other suitable salt or
salts or silicates, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1886
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.