초록 ▼

An inexpensive, readily handled receptacle for use in the bulk impregnation of timber by vacuum impregnation is made of flexible fluid-impermeable material and, over parts of its walls, is of double thickness to form closed pockets that can be inflated to form a container of rectangular shape hinged

An inexpensive, readily handled receptacle for use in the bulk impregnation of timber by vacuum impregnation is made of flexible fluid-impermeable material and, over parts of its walls, is of double thickness to form closed pockets that can be inflated to form a container of rectangular shape hinged along one of its side faces to provide a sealable opening for loading and unloading. The pockets have a valve for inflating them with air; the receptacle has inlet and outlet ports for evacuating the receptacle and introducing impregnant. Preferably, the receptacle is supported in a two-part rectangular frame hinged along one side face.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A receptacle for use in the impregnation with an impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state of at least one body made at least in part of organic fluid-permeable material, which receptacle is made of a flexible fluid-impermeable material which, over at least a part of at least one wall of the re

1. A receptacle for use in the impregnation with an impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state of at least one body made at least in part of organic fluid-permeable material, which receptacle is made of a flexible fluid-impermeable material which, over at least a part of at least one wall of the receptacle, is of double thickness and forms at least two closed pockets which can be inflated by fluid impregnation, the pockets being so positioned that when the pockets are inflated, the receptacle is in the form of a container of substantially rectangular shape and has side and end faces bounded by boundary edges, which receptacle is effectively hinged along at least one of its side faces to divide the receptacle into two separable parts and so provide an opening for introduction into the receptacle of said body at least one of said two separable parts carrying around that one of its boundary edges that will abut a boundary edge of the other separable part when the container is closed, material for sealing said opening to form a substantially fluid-tight flexible enclosure, at least one port with an associated valve opening into the pocket through which fluid can be introduced to inflate said pocket and at least one port with an associated valve opening into the receptacle through which air and any other fluid can be evacuated from the receptacle and through which impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state can be introduced into the receptacle. 2. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle has at least two ports each with an associated valve opening into it, at least one port and its associated valve constituting an outlet through which air and any other fluid can be evacuated from the receptacle and, separate from the outlet, at least one port and its associated valve constituting an inlet through which impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state can be introduced into the receptacle. 3. A receptacle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inlet and the outlet are so positioned in the receptacle that, when the receptacle is in use, the inlet is near the bottom of the receptacle and the outlet is near the top of the receptacle. 4. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein pockets formed by a double thickness of flexible fluid-impermeable material extend along at least some of said boundary edges of the receptacle to form, in effect, inflatable ribs joined by flexible fluid-impermeable material of single thickness forming the side and end faces of the receptacle. 5. A receptacle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inflatable rib extending along one boundary edge of one end face of the receptacle and the inflatable rib extending along the corresponding boundary edge of the other end face are each sub-divided by an intermediate non-inflatable portion which is substantially more flexible than the inflatable ribs joined to it and which effectively constitutes one end of a hinge extending along one side face of the receptacle. 6. A receptacle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the opposite side face and the end faces of the receptacle are divided into said two separate parts which are joined at the hinge and which can be moved apart to provide said opening of the receptacle and can be moved together to close said opening by pivotal movement of one part relative to the other about the pivotal axis of said hinge. 7. A receptacle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the boundary edges of said two parts of the receptacle which abut when the receptacle is closed have outwardly extending flanges which abut, at least one of the flanges having a layer of readily compressible material applied to it to effect a fluid-tight seal. 8. A receptacle as claimed in claim 7, wherein separately formed means is provided for releasably clamping the two flanges together in the closed position. 9. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, wherein substantially the whole of the walls of the receptacle are of flexible fluid-impermeable material of double thickness. 10. A receptacle as cliamed in claim 1, wherein the side face of the receptacle opposite to the hinged side face and the end faces are each divided into two parts joined at the hinge. 11. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, which receptacle is supported by and secured to a substantially rigid structure. 12. A receptacle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the substantially rigid structure is a lattice framework built up of two parts which are hinged together along an axis extending lengthwise of the structure. 13. A receptacle as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one counterweight is provided on one part of the structure so that, when the structure and receptacle supported therein are in the open position, the counterweight holds them in the open position to facilitate loading or unloading of the receptacle. 14. A receptacle as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein one part of the structure has an opening bounded by a boundary edge and of substantially the same cross-sectional shape as one part of the inflated receptacle so that the said part of the inflated receptacle can be suspended in said part of the structure with an outwardly extending flange on said part of the receptacle resting on the boundary edge of the opening in the structure, and the other part of the structure surrounds the other part of the inflated receptacle and rests on an outwardly extending flange of, and is supported by, the other part of the inflated receptacle. 15. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, which receptacle has near its lowermost part at least one drainage port with an associated valve for drainage of excess impregnant from the receptacle. 16. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1, which receptacle is formed at least in part of a transparent material.