Improvements in the Preservation or Treatment of Buildings, Structures, Building-materials, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1894
F
Complete Specification Left, 7th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preservation or Treatment of Buildings,
Structures, Building-materials, and the like.
+
1, RUDOLPH HAUERS, of Glocksenstrasse No. 39,-Hanover, Germany, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Buildings, monuments, and other structures having outer surfacos of sandstone,
limestone, tufa, stucco, or other similar more or less porous materials are, especially
in towns and manufacturing districts, liable to become dirty very quickly, dust and
soot being brought down by rain and readily absorbed by the more or less porous
material in such a manner that it cannot afterwards be completely cleansed by
washing. Furthermore the durability of such material is diminished by the
absorption of moisture, and when the moisture, so absorbed becomes frozen, the
injury thereby caused to the material is very considerable.
Now the object of my invention is to obviate the foregoing evils for which
purpose I close the pores of material of the kind mentioned against humidity with a
suitable and permanently effective filling substance.
As a result of very exhaustive experiments I have found that oleate of alumina
(oleic-alumina-soap) is a suitable and permanently effective substance for the
purpose mentioned, and that in lieu of this, the oleate salt of any other earthy
substance or metallic oxide cap, if desired, be employed, but that the soaps of
other acids, such as palmitic-acid and stearic acid, as well as resin-soap, have not
been found suitable for the purpose in view. The aforesaid experiments have
shown that it is possible only with oleic-acid soap, and not with the other soaps of
alumina, earthy substances or metallic oxides, to sufficiently impregnate the
materials in question to ensure that the smallest pores therein shall be permanently
closed. In order to attain this result with the greatest certainty and in the most
advantageous manner, the oleate of alumina (oleic-alumina-soap), or its equivalent
hereinafter included in the term oleic-alumina-soap.should be practically produced
directly within the pores of the material to be treated, as in the manner hereinafter
specified.
In order to produce the oleic-alumina-soap, an alcoholic solution of a clear oleate
of potash bereinafter referred to as oleic-potash-soap, which may be produced by
the aid of an oil consisting essentially of a glyceride of oleic acid, is brought into
intimate contact with a solution of acetate of alumina or of other earthy. substance
or metallic oxide, this acetate-solution being by preference as free as possible from
alkaline salts.
The object to be treated, which if necessary is first thoroughly cleansed (acids,
however, must not be used), is in an air-dry state, impregnated with the alcoholic
solution of oleic-potash-soap. This impregnation may be effected by the careful,
and-if need be repeated, application of the solution by means of a brush. When
the solution is considered to have sufficiently penetrated the object, a wash of the
solution of acetate of alumina or of other earthy substance or metallic oxide is
applied to the object and this immediately combines with the solution, of oleic
potash soap to produce an insoluble oleic-alumina-soap in the pores of the object
under treatment, so that the pores will thereby be closed against the penetration of
washing or other motion. As the alcoholic solution, of oleic-potash soap permeates
the material in an extremely intimate manner, the insoluble gleic-alumina-soap, is

page_text: also formed and secreted in an exceedingly uniform manner, even in the finest pores,
so that the object of the present invention is very perfectly fulfilled by the
production of the oleic-alumiua-soap in the material itself by the process hereinbefore
described.
If desired the oleic-alumina-soap may be first of all prepared away from the
object to be treated and then applied thereto in the form of a solution produced by
dissolving the said soaps in a suitable solvent, as for instance benzine.
By means of this invention, not only can building-materials and the like be
protected against dirt and destructive influences as hereinbefore specified, but by
such a method of treatment, plaster-surfaces e.g. cement-plaster, can also be very
quickly prepared and made suitable for being coated with other material, the
plaster at the same time being rendered durable. Any material that is porous but
not of itself weather-proof, can, by being treated in the manner hereinbefore
described, be thereby rendered durable and weather-proof.
Dated thin 19th down of Mov 1804
Improvements in the Preservation or Treatment of Buildings,
Structures, Building-materials, and the like.
I, RUDOLPH HAUERS, of Glocksenstrasse No. 39, Hanover, Germany, Manu-
facturer, 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 :-
Buildings, monuments, and other structures having outer surfaces of sandstone,
limestone, tufa, stucco, or other similar more or less porous materials are, especially
in towns and manufacturing districts, liable to become dirty very quickly, dust and
soot being brought down by rain and readily absorbed by the more or less porous
material in such a manner that it cannot afterwards be completely cleansed by
washing. Furthermore the durability of such material is diminished by the
absorption of moisture, and when the moisture so absorbed becomes frozen, the
injury thereby caused to the material is very considerable.
Now the object of my invention is to obviate the foregoing evils for which
purpose I close the pores of material of the kind mentioned against humidity with
a suitable and permanently effective filling substance.
As a result of very exhaustive experiments I have found that oleate of alumina
(oleic-alumina-soap) is a suitable and permanently effective substance for the
purpose mentioned, and that in lieu of this, the oleate salt of any other earthy
substance or metallic oxide can, if desired, be employed, but that the soaps of other
acids, such as palmitic-acid and stearic acid, as well as resin-soap, have not been found
suitable for the purpose in view. The aforesaid experiments have shown that it is
possible only with oleic-acid soap, and not with the other soaps of alumina, earthy
substances or metallic oxides, to sufficiently impregnate the materials in question to
ensure that the smallest pores therein shall be permanently closed against the
entrance of water or moisture. In order to attain this result with the greatest
certainty and in the most advantageous manner, the oleate of alumina (oleic-
alumina-soap), or its equivalent, hereinafter included in the term oleic-alumina-soap,
should be practically produced directly within the pores of the material to be
treated, as in the manner hereinafter specified.
In order to produce the oleic-alumina-soap, an alcoholic solution of a clear oleate

page_text: of potash, hereinafter referred to as oleic-potash-soap, which may be produced by
the aid of an oil consisting essentially of a glyceride of oleic acid, is brought into
intimate contact with a solution of acetate of alumina or of other earthy substance
or metallic oxide, this acetate-solution being by preference as free as possible from:
alkaline salts.
The solution of the oleic-potash-soap to be used may consist for example of
11 parts by weight of oleic-potash-soap in 9 parts by weight of methylic alcohol
(woodnaptha) and 80 parts by weight of water.
11 do.
do. caustic potash (65–66.¾½ KU)
by stirring and heating such mixture until saponification has taken place.
The solution of acetate of alumina to be used may contain for instance about
7-6% acetate of alumina and a very small proportion of free acetic acid in 100 parts
by weight of the solution. The latter may be prepared by dissolving a quantity of
hydrate of alumina corresponding to 30 parts by weight of sulphate of alumina in
32 parts by weight of acetic acid, containing 50% pure acetic acid C₂H,O,, and
adding such quantity of water as to obtain 250 parts by weight of solution.
The object to be treated, which if necessary is first thoroughly cleansed (acids,
however, must not be used), is whilst in an airdry state, impregnated with the
alcoholic solution of oleic-potash-soap. This impregnation may be effected by the
careful, and if need be repeated, application of the solution by means of a brush.
When the solution is considered to have sufficiently penetrated the object, a wash
of the solution of acetate of alumina, or of other earthy substance or metallic oxide,
is applied to the object, and this solution immediately combines with the solution
of oleic-potash-soap to produce an insoluble oleic-alumina-soap in the pores of the
object under treatment, so that the pores will thereby be closed against the
penetration of washing or other moisture. As the alcoholic solution of oleic-
potash-soap permeates the material in an extremely intimate manner, the insoluble
oleic-alumina-soap is also formed and secreted in an exceedingly uniform manner,
even in the finest pores, so that the object of the present invention is very perfectly
fulfilled by the production of the oleic-alumina-soap in the material itself by the
process hereinbefore described. The process above described may be reversed by first
impregnating the porous material with the solution of acetate of alumina, or its
equivalent, and then applying the alcoholic solution of oleic-potash-soap.
If desired the oleic-alumina-soap may be first of all prepared away from the
object to be treated and then applied thereto in the form of solution produced by
dissolving the said soaps in a suitable solvent, as for instance benzine.
By means of this invention, not only can building-materials and the like be
protected against dirt and destructive influences as hereinbefore specified, but by
such a method of treatment, plaster-surfaces e.g. cement-plaster, can also be very
quickly prepared and made suitable for being coated with other material. The
plaster at the same time being rendered durable. Any material that is porous but
not of itself weather-proof, can, by being treated in the manner hereinbefore
described, be thereby rendered durable and weather-proof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The preservation or treatment of buildings, structures building materials, and the
like having a porous nature, by closing the pores in such material against the entrance
of water or humidity by means of oleate of alumina soap, or the oleate salt of

page_text: other earthy substance or metallic oxide, such soap being produced in the pores of
the material itself, or the said material being impregnated with a solution of such
soap, so as in either case to close the said pores against the entrance of water or
moisture thereto substantially as herein described for the purposes specified.
2. In the treatment or preservation of buildings, structures, building materials
and the like as specified in the preceding claim, impregnating the material or object
to be treated with an alcoholic solution of oleic-potash-soap and then with a
solution of acetate of alumina (or its equivalent solution as set forth) or vice versa,
substantially as herein described.
100%
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.