The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of

Triangle Pacific Corp.

Haworth, Inc.

Titan Wood Limited

Roger M Rowell

W Dale Ellis

B Shannon Fuller

George C Chen

Nicholas A French

David I Gutzmer

Anne-Marie Tillman

Rune Simonson

A one or two step process for the acetylation and refining of wood pieces in which acetylation and refining to a reduced geometry take place simultaneously in the refiner. Engineered board products comprising acetylated reduced geometry materials possess high dimensional stability and durability compared to like board products comprising non-acetylated materials.

Treatment of wood pieces

Wood products impregnated with from 30 to 80% of a polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of hexanediol diacrylate and hexanediol dimethacrylate have excellent indent resistance. The wood products are impregnated with the monomer solution by placing the wood under a vacuum to remove air, contacting the wood with a monomer solution containing a polymerizable hexanediol diacrylate and/or hexanediol dimethacrylate monomer and from 0.5 to about 2 percent of a thermally activated free radical source as a polymerization initiator for a period sufficient to achieve the desired polymer loading. The wood is then heated under pressure to polymerize or cure the monomers.

Hardened and fire retardant products

Hardened and fire retardant wood products

Apparatus for impregnating wood veneer with a liquid impregnant comprises a container having an upper chamber communicated to a lower impregnation chamber. A clamping mechanism is releasably engageable to a peripheral region of the wood veneer and is cooperably received in the upper chamber in a manner to suspend the wood veneer in the impregnation chamber. An elevator overlies the container and is releasably connectable to the clamping mechanism for lowering the clamping mechanism into the upper chamber to suspend the wood veneer in the impregnation chamber therebelow. The clamping mechanism is disconnected from the elevator such that the clamping mechanism remains in the upper chamber during impregnation of the wood veneer with liquid impregnant. The impregnation chamber is evacuated by a vacuum pump after the wood veneer is suspended therein, and liquid impregnant is introduced from a storage tank to the impregnation chamber about the wood veneer. A venting valve is openable to establish ambient pressure in the impregnation chamber to impregnate the wood veneer with the liquid impregnant therein. Following impregnation, the clamping mechanism is reconnected to the elevator to enable removal of the impregnated wood veneer from the container.

Apparatus for impregnating wood

This invention is a method for the protection of wood and other lignocellulosic materials from attack by micro-organisms with the use of iodates. The method consists of treating wood or other lignocellulosic material by soaking it in a solution of iodate for a period of time ranging from three hours to seven days at temperatures between 20.degree. C. and 50.degree. C. The treated material is then removed from the solution and dried. Wood treated with this method shows resistance to attack by wood-degrading micro-organisms. Furthermore, the iodates are resistant to leaching from the wood and other lignocellulosic materials after such treatment.

Treatment of wood and other lignocellulosic materials with iodates

Reaction of lignocellulosic material with uncatalyzed acetic anhydride in the absence of any cosolvent is disclosed. The process improves dimensional stability and resistance to biological attack of the lignocellulosic material. Lignocellulosic material is treated by exposure to liquid acetic anhydride for at least a short period of time, after which it is then heated to acetylate the material. The excess anhydride and byproduct acetic acid can be removed by vacuum.

Acetylation of lignocellulosic materials

Two procedures are described that can be used to prepare polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates (2,4,6-trichloro,2,3,5,6-tetrachloro, pentachloro, 2,4,6-tribromo and 2,4,6-trifluoro derivatives) from the corresponding anilines in good yields (95-99%) with small amounts of urea byproducts (1-5%) within reasonable reaction times (3-6 hours). These are:

Polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanate synthesis with excess phosgene and

The reaction of cellulosic materials with butylene oxide under mildly alkaline conditions to increase resistance to fungi while improving dimensional stability. Wood is first dried and then submerged in a treating chamber containing a solution of butylene oxide and triethylamine. The chamber is heated and subjected to pressure, after which time the solution is drained and vacuum is applied to remove remaining excess reagent.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Roger M Rowell