Wood-Treatment Apparatus with a Displaceable Sleeve for Treating Wood, and Method for Treating Wood

Abstract

The present invention provides a wood-treatment apparatus (1) for the long-term treatment of wood, and also a method for treating wood using the apparatus (1). The wood-treatment apparatus (1) is formed from a cylindrical hollow body (2) and a sleeve (10). The cylindrical hollow body (2) here has an inner end, which during use ends up located within the wood, an outer end, which is directed away from the inner end, at least one exit opening (4) and an accommodating space (20), which is designed for accommodating a carrier material (20) containing active wood-treatment substance. The sleeve (10) is arranged in abutment around the cylindrical hollow body (2). The sleeve (10), when the wood-treatment apparatus (1) is not in use, closes the at least one exit opening (4) and, when the wood-treatment apparatus (1) is being used, frees the at least one exit opening (4) and brings the accommodating space (20) into contact with the wood.

Claims

1.-12. (canceled)

13. A wood-treatment apparatus configured for long-term treatment of wood, the wood-treatment apparatus comprising: a cylindrical hollow body comprising: an inner end that, in a position of use of the wood-treatment apparatus, is located within the wood; an outer end facing away from the inner end; a cylindrical wall surface comprising at least one exit opening; and an accommodating space surrounded by the cylindrical wall surface and accommodating a carrier material with an active wood-treatment substance; a sleeve arranged circumferentially around the cylindrical hollow body, wherein the sleeve closes off the at least one exit opening of the cylindrical wall surface in a state of non-use of the wood-treatment apparatus; wherein the sleeve is displaceable or compressible such that, when the wood-treatment apparatus is inserted or driven into the wood to position the at least one exit opening in or near a site to be treated in the position of use of the wood-treatment apparatus, the sleeve is retained by the surrounding wood and displaced axially along the cylindrical hollow body toward the outer end or axially compressed; wherein the sleeve, by being displaced or compressed, opens the at least one exit opening in a direction from the inner end toward the outer end and the at least one exit opening provides an open connection between the accommodating space and the wood; wherein, via the open connection, the active wood-treatment substance passes pressureless into the wood by capillary action and/or by diffusion.

14. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the active wood-treatment substance is an antagonist, wherein the carrier material is an absorber or a liquid, wherein the antagonist is absorbed in the absorber or incorporated in the liquid.

15. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the carrier material with the active wood-treatment substance is a powder or a granular solid.

16. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the carrier material with the active wood-treatment substance is a fluid with a viscosity beyond 10.sup.4 mPa s.

17. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the sleeve comprises an elastic material selected from the group consisting of silicone, plastic material, and rubber.

18. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of the at least one exit opening are provided and are distributed in a regular pattern or randomly across the cylindrical wall surface.

19. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one exit opening is round or elongate.

20. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the accommodating space is divided by at least one wall into chambers, wherein the chambers each have at least one of the at least one exit opening associated therewith.

21. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the outer end of the cylindrical hollow body comprises a head, wherein the head is a flattened drive-in head or a grip for gripping the wood-treatment apparatus.

22. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the inner end of the cylindrical hollow body comprises a drive-in tip.

23. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the outer end of the cylindrical hollow body comprises a head configured to water-tightly close off a hole in the wood, in which the cylindrical hollow body is positioned in the position of use of the wood-treatment apparatus.

24. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the outer end of the cylindrical hollow body comprises a head and wherein the inner end of the cylindrical hollow body comprises a drive-in tip, wherein a section of the cylindrical hollow body positioned between the head and the drive-in tip is comprised of aluminum, and wherein at least one of the drive-in tip and the head is comprised of brass or of stainless steel.

25. The wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an exterior side of the cylindrical wall surface of the cylindrical hollow body comprises anchoring means to secure the wood-treatment apparatus in the position of use in the wood.

26. A method for the treatment of wood by using a wood-treatment apparatus according to claim 13, the method comprising: providing the cylindrical hollow body and the sleeve of the wood treatment apparatus; introducing the carrier material with the active wood-treatment substance into the accommodating space of the cylindrical hollow body of the wood-treatment apparatus and closing off the at least one exit opening in the cylindrical wall surface by arranging the sleeve about the cylindrical hollow body so as contact the cylindrical hollow body circumferentially; driving the wood-treatment apparatus into the wood into a position of use to position the at least one exit opening in or near a site to be treated in the wood, thereby axially displacing the sleeve or axially compressing the sleeve along the cylindrical hollow body and opening the at least one exit opening from the inner end toward the outer end of the cylindrical hollow body to provide an open connection between the accommodating space and the wood via the at least one exit opening, and thereby bringing into contact the accommodating space with the wood; allowing the wood-treatment apparatus to remain in the wood and thereby releasing, by capillary action and/or by diffusion, the active wood-treatment substance pressureless into the wood through the at least one exit opening.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising leaving behind the cylindrical hollow body of the wood-treatment apparatus in the wood after completely driving in the wood-treatment apparatus into the wood.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the wood-treatment apparatus is driven into a hole that is present in the wood.

29. The method according to claim 26, further comprising, prior to providing the cylindrical hollow body and the sleeve of the wood treatment apparatus, the steps of: removing a wood sample from the wood; examining the wood sample with respect to a decay-causing fungus type; selecting a suitable active wood-treatment substance for treating the decay-causing fungus type.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising introducing the suitable active wood-treatment substance into the carrier material.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein, in the step of driving the wood-treatment apparatus into the wood into a position of use, the wood-treatment apparatus is driven only to a predetermined depth into the wood so that the at least one exit opening is arranged in or near the site to be treated and so that the carrier material with the active wood-treatment substance is released in a targeted fashion in and adjacent to the site to be treated.

Description

[0051] It is shown in this context in:

[0052] FIG. 1 a side view of the cylindrical hollow body of a wood-treatment apparatus without sleeve;

[0053] FIG. 2 a longitudinal section of a cylindrical hollow body for the wood-treatment apparatus of FIG. 1, without sleeve and without carrier material;

[0054] FIG. 3 a longitudinal section of a wood-treatment apparatus;

[0055] FIG. 4 a longitudinal section of the wood-treatment apparatus with several chambers;

[0056] FIG. 5 a perspective detail view of the cylindrical hollow body of a wood-treatment apparatus;

[0057] FIG. 6 a perspective detail view of the wood-treatment apparatus; and

[0058] FIG. 7 a longitudinal section of an impregnated wood piece with decay treated according to the invention, with a cylindrical hollow body of the wood-treatment apparatus left behind therein.

[0059] The apparatus according to the invention is a wood-treatment apparatus 1 as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6.

[0060] This wood-treatment apparatus 1 is embodied of a cylindrical hollow body 2 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5 and a sleeve 10. In this context, the cylindrical hollow body 2 comprises at least one accommodating space 20 that can accommodate carrier material 20 with an active wood-treatment substance. In this context, embodiments are possible in which the carrier material 20 with the active wood-treatment substance is still to be filled into the accommodating space/the accommodating spaces 20 but also ready-filled wood treatment apparatus 1 for different applications with different active wood-treatment substances that are selected for the respective use. The cylindrical hollow body 2 has an inner end which is positioned in use within the wood and an outer end facing away therefrom as well as several exit openings 4 which are elliptical here. These exit openings 4 in the state of non-use are closed off by the sleeve 10 and, in the state of use, can be released by displacing or by compressing the length of the sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 is pulled across the cylindrical hollow body 2 and contacts it circumferentially. In this context, the sleeve 10 can be made of an elastic material and slightly tensioned by the cylindrical hollow body 2 so that it is seated more tightly on the cylindrical hollow body 2 and cannot be accidentally displaced. The sleeve 2 could however also be comprised of rigid material such as plastic material, wood, or metal. Then its inner diameter is matched to the outer diameter of the cylindrical hollow body 2 so that the inner side of the sleeve 10 is still contacting the wall surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2 and is displaceable.

[0061] Not illustrated is the situation during insertion of the wood-treatment apparatus into the wood. For example, by means of the drive-in tip a hole is formed or the hole is alternatively already present, for example, prepared by a drill. Into the hole whose inner diameter corresponds to the outer diameter of the cylindrical hollow body, the latter is inserted into the wood. The sleeve is retained by the wood because the outer circumference of the cylindrical hollow body and sleeve is greater than the hole. The sleeve is displaced and releases the exit openings. Thereby, gradually, the exit openings that are already positioned within the wood are released. A softer, respectively, elastic sleeve can also be compressed with respect to its length instead of being displaced. In this context, the inner end of the sleeve is pushed toward the outer end and the sleeve becomes undulated so that its extension becomes smaller in length direction of the cylindrical hollow body.

[0062] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the cylindrical hollow body 2 of the wood-treatment apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 with several exit openings 4 on its wall surface which are distributed on three circumferential lines.

[0063] In FIG. 5, the cylindrical hollow body 2 is provided with two rows of exit openings 4. FIG. 6 shows the wood-treatment apparatus 1 in the closed state of non-use. Here the exit openings 4 at the wall surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2 are closed by the sleeve 10. In FIG. 5, the open state of use is illustrated as it occurs within the wood. Here, the exit openings 4 at the wall surface are released, the sleeve 10 is already completely stripped off.

[0064] The exit openings 4 can have different shapes. In the Figures, oval exit openings 4 in the wall surface of the cylindrical hollow body 2 are illustrated. They can have however also round, polygonal, elongate or other shapes. Thus, different shapes of the exit openings 4 of the cylindrical hollow body 2 are possible also. Also, the number of the exit openings 4 can vary; it is thus also possible that only a single exit opening 4 is present as well as a multitude of exit openings 4 which may be distributed in defined arrangements such as one or several rows or spirally but also randomly distributed.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a wood-treatment apparatus 1 in which the cylindrical hollow body 2 comprises walls 5 in the interior which divide the accommodating space 20 into several chambers. Illustrated is a division into chambers which are arranged one behind the other in longitudinal direction of the cylindrical hollow body 2.

[0066] A division by walls that extend in longitudinal direction of the cylindrical hollow body is not illustrated. The chambers extend then also in longitudinal direction. Also, walls in different orientations and overlapping walls are conceivable so that one or a few large accommodating spaces can be formed which are correlated with one or several exit openings, or several accommodating spaces are formed which are each assigned to at least one exit opening.

[0067] In FIG. 2, an embodiment is illustrated in which the outer end of the cylindrical hollow body 2 has a head 3 which is designed as a flattened drive-in head 3. This flattened drive-in head 3 forms the impact surface when the wood-treatment apparatus 1 must be driven into solid wood or a smaller hole.

[0068] The head 3 can be designed in various ways. For example, instead of the flattened drive-in head 3, an open end of the cylindrical hollow body 2 can also form the head 3.

[0069] Another embodiment, also not illustrated, comprises a grip as the head with which the wood-treatment apparatus 1 can be held between the fingers so that it can be introduced more easily into a hole in the wood. This grip can be ball-shaped or knob-shaped or even ergonomically matched to the shape of the fingers during gripping.

[0070] In FIG. 1, the inner end of the cylindrical hollow body 2 is a drive-in tip 11. The drive-in tip 11 facilitates the introduction of the wood-treatment apparatus 1 into the wood. Thus, it is also possible to drive the wood-treatment apparatus 1 like a nail into solid wood.

[0071] FIG. 7 shows the application of the wood-treatment apparatus 1 after the sleeve 10 has been stripped off and only the cylindrical hollow body 2 remains in the trunk 30 which exhibits an impregnated region 31 and an affected region 32.

[0072] In this context, the wood-treatment apparatus 1 is introduced into the wood such that it reaches the affected region 32 and the exit openings 4 are positioned in or near this region and the active wood-treatment substance can spread from here.

[0073] The cylindrical hollow body must not mandatorily be completely driven into the wood.

[0074] The drive-in depth can be selected such that the exit openings are positioned in the desired position. The wood-treatment apparatus can be configured such that it water-tightly closes off the hole, into which it has been inserted or that has been created by the driving-in action. Thus, penetration of water can be prevented.

[0075] For anchoring or fastening in the wood, the wood-treatment apparatus may comprises anchoring means. They are advantageously arranged at the exterior side of the wall surface of the cylindrical hollow body and secure the wood-treatment apparatus in the wood. These anchoring means are not illustrated in the Figures.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0076] 1 wood treatment apparatus

[0077] 2 cylindrical hollow body

[0078] 3 head

[0079] 3 flattened drive-in head

[0080] 4 exit opening

[0081] 5 wall

[0082] 10 sleeve

[0083] 11 drive-in tip

[0084] 20 carrier material

[0085] 20 accommodating space

[0086] 30 pole/tree trunk

[0087] 31 impregnated region

[0088] 32 affected region