Process for Preservation of Natural or Artificial Siliceous, Argillaceous, and Calcareous Substances.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1899
Process for Preservation of Natural or Artificial Siliceous, Argillaceous,
and Calcareous Substances.
I, MAURICE DUMAS, of No. 23, Avenue de La Rochelle, Niort, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, 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:-
-
Numerous endeavours have been made to assure the preservation of siliceous,
argillaceous and calcareous substances (stones, rocks &c.) especially for employ-
ment in all kinds of buildings and protection of these materials from the influ-
ences of chemical agents in the ambient medium (liquids, gas, vapours), and even
from insects when dealing with fluvial or maritime constructions.
My process consists in coating the materials to be preserved with a special
mixture or injecting this mixture at the atmospheric pressure or under a greater
pressure into the said materials. My invention is embodied in the application
and preparation of the substances injected, that is to say, in the special condi-
tion of these substances at the instant of their application and the method of
preparing them before employment.
The substances I inject, preferably, are hydrocarbons, such as naphthalene
tars, pitches, bitumens, natural and artificial mixed or not with resin.
The essential condition for the employment of these substances to admit of an
efficacious industrial result being obtained is that they must be free from all
liquid at the ordinary temperature, that is to say, at the temperature to which
they will return when once injected and incorporated with the materials to be
preserved.
As one of the chief applications for which my process is intended is the pre-
servation of mortar and cement, heton and the like, one can understand that it
is indispensable to remove from the mixture of substances injected every oily
element liquid at the ordinary temperature, which would speedily disperse or
separate the molecules of the mass to be preserved.
I found that resin which possesses a considerable absorbing power is very advan-
tageous when employed in combination with dry hydrocarbons at the ordinary
temperature. The introduction of resin thus assures absorption of the quan-
tity of free oily liquids which the mixed substances might contain. The substance
to inject, dry and solid at the ordinary temperature, is brought into a fit state
by crushing and subsequent heating to a temperature sufficient to make it per-
fectly fluid. It is in this state that it is utilized according to the nature of the
material and the substance injected and according to the depth of penetration
considered necessary, either by simple application of the liquid or by immersion
of the substance in the liquid at atmospheric pressure, or, finally, by immersion
in a close vessel and under pressure.
One of the mixtures which gives the best practical results, especially for pre-

page_text: servation of mortars and cements, pieces moulded with iron and beton &c., is
composed as follows:-
The properties which this treatment gives to the materials are the following:-
1. Perfect impermeability both as regards liquids and gases.
2. Increase of elasticity and resistance of the material to expansion and com-
pression.
3. Protection of the material thus injected against the action of a certain number
of chemical and physical agents, such as sea-water, acidulated water, acid fumes,
frost, wear by friction, penetration by insects &c.
4°. The injected materials having had all their pores filled by the substance
which has penetrated them and having acquired a solidity much greater than
they had primitively, are susceptible of taking a polish which, if their grain is
fine enough, may equal that of marble.
5°. The electric conductivity of the elementary material is considerably de-
creased and in some cases perfectly destroyed.
One can understand that this method of preservation is susceptible to many
applications. Amongst others;-
1. Protection of constructions against the chemical action of sea water, sheet-
piles and piles made of iron and beton, the caissons and piles made of cement
or lime-stone, blocks of artificial stone, soft rocks employed in packing or stone
work are perfectly preserved.
2. Impermeability, in general, of the mortars, rocks and clays employed for
building cisterns, reservoirs, aqueducts &c.
3. Cement or clay pipes are made water-tight and proof against the liquids
they conduct.
4. Electric pipes and all insulating parts injected, not only acquire the neces-
sary conditions for preservation, but their want of conductivity is further
augmented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The process for the preservation of natural or artificial siliceous, argil-
laceous and calcareous substances which consists in the impregnation of same by
immersion under a pressure at or above that of the atmosphere, of hydrocarbons,
bitumens, tars, dry pitches and the like, pure or mixed with resin, the mixture
being dry and solid at the ordinary temperature and rendered fluid by heat,
substantially as described.
2. For the application of the process, characterized as set forth in Claim 1
above, for preserving betons and other cements, the mixture of natural bitumen,
dry pitch and tar, substantially as described.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.