US2165500A - Shielding structure against insects - Google Patents

Description

July` l1, 1939. D. M MUIRHEAD SHIELDING sTRuTURE AGAINST Iusnc'rs Filed Jul 22,' 19:58

edd

Patented July 11, 1939.

' UNITED STATES PATENToFl-lca My present invention relates to the "construcytion of foundations and walls receiving timbers, sills and the like which are to be protected against invasion by termites or other insects, and to builders hardware for in such construction. A common plan and-perhaps the best plan for protection against termites and the like is a shield A of sheetmaterial, generally `metlalliqinserted between the foundation or wall and the associated wood element, the latter being anchored by bolts or threaded anchors' projecting from the wall and passing through apertures in the shield. .The bolt or anchor apertures in this shield generally do not t the bolts snugly, and have heretofore af' forded space through which insects such as termites can pass to the wood element from below. Termite infestation-which lmay be -a. terrible thinghas as its essential element a place of abode in the ground outside the house connected with the place of damage inthe house by a tube oravenue of approach which the termites rhave a genius for getting across.

In accordance with the invention a simple, inexpensive and eicient method andmeans are provided for sealing these bolt-receiving aper- -tures in insulating sheets or shields of foundation and like wall structures such as referred to and thus crowning with success human efforts to outwit and outdo the, termite or other insect.

In the drawing-illustrating by way .of example one form of means embodying the invention 'and whereby the method thereof may be practiced;

Fig. 1 is a vertical section ofthe upper portion of a foundation wall and associated sill anchored and insulated in. accordance with the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views of two opposed crimping or sealing elements for the shield, said elements being seen in'eoperative position in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views of said elements. looking at them as indicated by the arrows on Figs. 2 and 3 respectively. I

Referring to the drawing in more detail, and

rstrtoFig. i, I have there represented at 6 the` upper portion of a foundation wall or the like. 0n this wall is to be fastened a wood sill or other timber l, shown in position, and which is to be insulated by a sheet element'or shield 8 disposed atwise between it and the wall. Such shield is provided essentially for the purpose of blocking access te the sill by termites or like insects traveling along a surface f the underlying wall or through creeks and crevices in it. Sheet metal, preferably non-corrosive, such as copper or Monel metal, is generally employed for this pur- =a:long the bolts.

pose; being' provided in strips of a width to extend completely across the top, surface of .the wall and to project at one or both sides of the `latter substantially` as illustrated. The outer edges of such projecting portions of the shield are downturned at an obtuse angle, or otherwise shaped with the ambition of blocking termites and other insects.

Such metallic shielding element is ordinarily I supplied in strips of substantial length, say 6 to 8 feet, so that the number of J'oints or seams between adjoining strips is kept to the minimum. These shielding strips are pierced at appropriate points to receive the sill anchor bolts, one onlyA of which is seen in Fig. 1, indicated as a whole by the numeral lli.

The apertures for the passage of these anchor V bolts generally are formed on the job, as the strip is installed. It is impracticable or substantially impossible to locate and fashion the apertures with such 'accuracy that their edges will fit snuglyaround the corresponding bolts. This 4is due to substantially unavoidable irregularities in the distribution of the anchor bolts along the wall, and tothe diiiculty of matching the apertures to conform to the bolts. Thus heretofore in structures such as referred to there have existed substantial gaps of more or less irregular size and shape between the shield and the bolts passing through it, as indicated by way of example alt 9 in Fig. 1. I have found that such open spaces or gaps operate substantially to destroy the eiciency of the shield.' They offer ready entrance points for insects such as termites, which are able somehow to find their way to them, traveling across or through cracks in the wall at some point below the metal shield until they reach and move past the barrier by going upwardly As above stated, it isa main object of my present invention to provide for eiectively sealing these bolt apertures.

The bolts lll such as seen by way of example in Fig. 1 may be of standard construction in all respects not otherwise mentioned. Each anchor bolt has a head -or other projection H at its end portion which is to be embedded in the concrete or masonry of the wall olother structure, .the head being of rectangular, hexagonal. round or other shape as preferred. The thread I2 of the anchor bolt is`extended continuously from the surfaces will` come flush with the top ofthe wall,

nated at a point not more than about 11/2 inches from the head. The bolt is of the usual or preferred length to extend through the timber or sill which it isA to secure, and to project sufficiently beyond the latter for the reception of a washer I3 and securing nut I4. For a 4 x 6 inch sill, for example, set with its wide f ace horizontal an 8' or 9 inch bolt usually will be adequate.

The sealing means proper as employed in accordance with my invention, and adapted for cooperation with the metal shield and the anchor bolts such as described, comprises, for each bolt, a pair of cooperating elements I5, I6 in the nature of nuts, having through apertures I'I and I8 threaded for reception on the corresponding bolts.

round, hexagonal or otherwise, being represented as square in Figs. 4 and 5.

Each such pair of sealing or crimping-elements includes an inner or bottom element I5 below or at the Wall side of the metal shield and an outer or upper element I6 at the timber side. In the construction of the foundation wall the anchorbolts are set in place in the usual manner before the upper section is completed. Also before the pouring or building, the lower nuts I5 are positioned on the bolts, at such height that their upper faces will come flush with thetop of the nished wall. Desirably also the outer nuts I6 are temporarily'threaded on to the bolts and into contact or substantial contact with the inner nuts,v

to assist in holding the vlatter in place and to protect their upper faces from being covered or dirtied byy the concrete mix or mortar.

The two sealing elements or nuts I5 and I6 for each bolt have formed at their opposed apertured faces annular concentric cooperable crimping formations I9 and 20. In the illustrated example these comprise a female formation or groove I9 on one of the elements, herein the one shown in the lower position, and a correspondingly shaped and similarly disposed male formation orrib 20 on the other element. Said formations I9, 20 have a cross sectional form substantially as illustrated, of arcuate or approximately semi-,circular sectional outline. Their opposite side walls accordingly are somewhat tapering, those of the rib or bead 20 being divergent toward the base of said formation, and thoseof the groove or channel I9 similarly diverging away from the base of the latter. Thus when the two sealing elements or nuts are brought into proximity on'the bolts, by turning one or the other or both of them, usually only the upper one, the describedl annular formations ontlieir` adjacent faces come into mating relation. They may be formed to provide s ome small clearance between them in the completely contacting position of the nuts. Thus the latter are adapted to.

engage and,I crimp a sheet element such as the shield 8, between them'. l;

In operation, the concrete or' masonry top ofthe wall, foundation or thelike is poured or built,

with the anchor boltsset in place, the lower elements or nuts I5 of the sealing device being set at the desired level, namely, such that their top and the outer or upper nuts desrably being temporarily installed in holding and protecting position. In preparation for installing the timber or sill 'I the upper nuts, if in positiomare removed and the metal slreld il is placed flatwiscTonto .the 4top of the wall, the anchor bolts I0 being received through the apertures provided in the tion it is unnecessary to take great-care to arrange the bolts and the shield apertures in exact conformity or so that the edges of the bolt holes t snugly against the bolts. Hence the shield may be pierced and set onto the bolts' more rapidly and with less expert workmanship than heretofore required.

The upper or outer sealing elements or nuts I6 are then placed on and screwed downupon the several bolts, being turned down tightly onto the top face of thev shield 8. In so doing, the male sealing formation 20 represented in this instance as on the upper element, forces and crimps the metal of the shield 8 into the female formation.

- I9 on the other element. The opposite side edges These elements may be of any preferred shape.

, beyond the aperture in the shield.

Thus there is provided a tight metal-to-metal seal which is impervious to the passage of termites or other insects. It will be noted that the corners or side edges of the Atwo sealing formations are rounded off, to avoid cutting of the sheet metal as the sealing elements are screwed together. With the shield and bolts thus sealed the wall is ready toreceive the timber or sill 'I, the latter having the bolt apertures therein countersunk or recessed at their inner ends to accommodate the sealing nuts I6. By reason of the pair of sealing nuts engaging the opposite faces of the shield the nuts I4 at the outer ends of the bolts may be turned down onto the timber as forcibly as desired, without danger of rupturing the shield, the stress being taken by the sealing nuts and transferred by them directly to the wall itself.

In the described manner, access to any space between the shield and the bolt is completely blocked, in part by the threaded engagement of the nuts or sealing elements themselves with the bolt, andfurther, in the plane of the top of the wall 6, by the described double crimping-formation effected by the interaction of the sealing formation of said elements. It will be understood that either the male or the female nuts I5 and I6 may be employed in either the upper or the lower position, the particular arrangement illustrated in the drawingbeing selected merely for the purposes of illustration. Obviously also the crimp-effecting formations may be provided at .both apertured faces of any or all the nuts,

providinggbolt-surrounding crimp-effecting for mations metallically connected to the bolts, protecting said formations during the completion of said Wallportion, aperturing a metallic or other -sheet insulating element'in but approximate conformityto the spacing of the bolts, positioning the insulating element on the wall and bolts, and

thereafter crimping the insulating element con'- contrically about and along lines spaced from A each bolt.

`It will be understood that my invention, either as lto means or method, is not limited to the exemplary embodiment or steps herein illustrated or described, and I set forth its scope in my following claims.

` I claim.:

1. An insect-insulated foundation structure for buildings Comprising, in combination, a founda- 75 aioasoo tion wall, anchor bolts set in and projecting from a timber-receiving face of the wall, a metallic shield strip extending'across and in contact with said wall face, said strip having apertures for the bolts, and means for sealing the strip perpherally -of said apertures, said means comprising, for each bolt, a laterally projecting element positioned thereon so as to set flush with the face of the foundation wall at which the bolt projects, a cooperating element threaded' onto the bolt aty the opposite face of the shield strip, and cooperating annular male and female formations on the adjacent faces of said elements serving to crimp the shield strip between them and concentrically of the bolt. l

2. Means for sealing the bolt holes of shielding strips between a foundation and a timber,

comprising, in .combination with an anchor bolt tobe set inthe folmdation so as to project through the timber, a pair of nutlike elements having threaded apertures for receiving the bolt, one of said elements having in one of its aperfthem. /Mlel trically of its bolt-aperture, and the other element having a correspo 1y disposed annular rib adapted to enter channel sumciently to crimp and seal a f 1 strip to be received between the completion of said foundation portion, aper turing a metallic or other sheet insulating element in but approximate conformity to the spacing of the bolts, positioning the insulating element on the wall and bolts, and thereafter 'crimping the insulating element concentrically about and along lines spaced i'romveach bolt.

,""DONALDM tured' faces an annular channel formed concen-

Images