US1996400A - Means for preserving pile heads - Google Patents

Description

April 2, 1935. l E. L .BowEN 1,996,400 y Filed Se 'c l 1954 Wim Patented Apr. 2, 1935 TA'rss 3C1aims.

This invention relates to the art oi wood preserving, particularly to the preservation of wood piling, and has as a primary object the provision of a method of treating the upper ends 5 or heads of driven piles with preserving means renewable at desired intervals whereby the ei'- fective life oipiles may be prolonged over practically an indeiinite period of time. Another object is the provision of novel means for practicing the 'method. Other objects will be ap-v parent Trom the description to those skilled inthe art.

At the present time it is 'conventional to preserve piles by impregnating with creosote. However this method is not eilective in preserving the pile heads due to the fact that under the powerful blows of a pile driver a large proportion of the creosote is exuded from the body of the pile at and adjacent the head. This area of the body thus lacks a requisite quantity of the preservative and deterioration and decay sets in progressively downward from the pile head. On installations where pile heads remain exposed it is customary to nail a square sheet of copper onto the flat head and to bend down the corners where they are not trimmed off. This practice gives the pile head a rough appearance and in the majority of instances fails to cover the entire area oi' the head so that there is exposure to the action of the elements which hastens the inevitable deterioration of the head resulting from the insuiiiciency of creosote, or the particular preservative employed.

In the practice of my method, the creosoted pile after being driven into pomtion is treated at the head in a mannerl to insure a continuous capillary distribution of a liquid preservative, such as creosote, into that portion o! the pile at and adjacent the head from which preservative has been 'exuded in the driving operation, thus supplying the deficiency. Furthermore, the pile head is periodically so treated to replenish preservative lost through surface discharge.

vIn carrying out the method ofthis Vinvention I employ a liquid preservative reservoir seated on the pile head and protected by a cover removably attached to the head, the pile head being fitted as by appropriate trimming into the Figure 1 ls a vertical section'through a pilingv installation as treated in accordance with the invention.

(el. si-v'i) Figure 2 is a perspective `view of the cover element employed.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the preservative reservoir.

As mustrated, a pue or post 4 after being.`

driven into position in the ground or bed 5, is treated at its upper end or head 6 by laying thereon a gravity feed reservoir of creosote, such as a fibrous body l, in this instance a circular felt pad, super-saturated with creosote.

Over the saturated pad there is then placed a at cover comprising an annular plate 8 oi suitable material, preferably thincopper, formed as substantially an inverted pie'plate with a flared depending marginal ange 9, the pile head having iirst been trimmed for a tight fitting engagement within the iiange. Detachable securing elements such as screws i0 engaged through screw holes Il in the ange 9 serve to fasten'the cover in position with the attaching screws engaging the pile head beneath the plane of the reservoir pad 1. The external diameter ofthe cover is the same or slightly less, but not greater, than the diameter of the pile so that the ilange 9 does not project circumferentially of the pile, and a tight tting engagement of the cover is assured.

vThe tight engagement oi the cover seals the` creosote reservoir pad against loss of the preservative so that the entire content is available for capillary distribution throughout the pile head and upper end portion oi' the pile. At suitable intervals the detachable cover is removed and the reservoir pad is replenished, after which the cover is replaced until the n'ext period of treatment.

I claim:

1. In combination, a wood pile provided with a bevel trimmed portion at its upper Peripheral edge, a brous pad saturated with alliquid preservative and seated loosely on the pile top, an annular cover plate loosely seated over said pad and having a areddepending marginal flange tightly fitting the bevel portion of said pile, and detachable securing elements e `the body of said pile through said depending ange, the maximum diameter of said ange being no greater than that of the pile.

2. In combination, a wood pile having a irustoconically trimmed top, a pad saturated with a liquid preservative and seated loosely on the nat portion of the top,` a irusto-conical cover plate seated loosely over saidpad and tightly .engaging the trimmed pile top, securing elements detachably engaging the pile body through the peripheral wall portion of the cover plate, and the maximum diameter of said cover plate being less than the diameter of the pile immediately below the base of its rusto-conically trimmed top.

3. A preservative cover for wood pile heads,

5 comprising a flat annular plate provided with an outwardly flared depending marginal ange of a lesser diameter than the diameter of a pile with which the cover may be associated, in combination with a creosote saturated at fabric pad of an area less than the area of the at portion of said plate, and loosely underlying said plate when associated therewith in service position.

EVERETI'E L. BOWEN. I

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