U.S. patent application number 10/871914 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-05 for apparatus for protecting metal from treated wood.
Invention is credited to Jason S. Stephens.
Application Number | 20060000169 10/871914 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35512472 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060000169 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stephens; Jason S. |
January 5, 2006 |
Apparatus for protecting metal from treated wood
Abstract
A combination comprises a piece of treated wood that is treated
with a substance corrosive to metal, a metal fastener configured to
couple the piece of treated wood to a structure, and an apparatus
for protecting at least a portion of the metal fastener from the
treated wood. Disclosed examples of the structure to which the
piece of treated wood is coupled include a building foundation and
another piece of treated wood. The apparatus for protecting the
metal fastener form the piece of treated wood serves as an
insulator and is configured as a bushing in illustrative
examples.
Inventors: |
Stephens; Jason S.;
(Shelbyville, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARNES & THORNBURG
11 SOUTH MERIDIAN
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204
US
|
Family ID: |
35512472 |
Appl. No.: |
10/871914 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/293.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/4157 20130101;
E02D 27/02 20130101; F16B 5/02 20130101; E04B 2001/2652 20130101;
F16B 43/001 20130101; F16B 33/008 20130101; E04B 2001/2684
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/293.3 |
International
Class: |
E02D 27/00 20060101
E02D027/00 |
Claims
1. A combination comprising a piece of treated wood that is treated
with a substance corrosive to metal, the piece of treated wood
having an aperture formed therethrough from a first planar surface
to a second planar surface of the piece of treated wood, a
structure, a metal fastener configured to couple the piece of
treated wood to the structure, the metal fastener having a first
portion that is received, at least in part, in the aperture of the
piece of treated wood, the metal fastener having a second portion
that mounts to the first portion to couple the piece of treated
wood to the structure, and a bushing having a first portion
received in the aperture and having a second portion situated
between the first planar surface of the piece of treated wood and
the second portion of the metal fastener, the first portion of
bushing extending from the second portion of the bushing
substantially all the way through the aperture but terminating
short of projecting beyond the second planar surface.
2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the substance comprises at
least one of the following: an ACQ formulation or a CA
formulation.
3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the piece of treated wood
comprises a wooden board.
4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the wooden board comprises
one of the following: a 2-by-4, a 2-by-6, or a 4-by-4.
5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a
building foundation including cinder blocks.
6. The combination of claim 5, wherein the metal fastener comprises
an anchor having a C-shaped portion adjacent three surfaces of a
first one of the cinder blocks and having an upstanding portion
that extends upwardly from the C-shaped portion beyond an upper
surface of a second one of the cinder blocks.
7. The combination of claim 6, wherein part of the upstanding
portion of the anchor provides the first portion of the metal
fastener that is received, at least in part, in the aperture of the
piece of treated wood, an end of the upstanding portion of the
anchor is threaded and extends beyond the piece of treated wood,
and the second portion of the metal fastener comprises at least one
of a nut and a washer that mounts to the threaded end.
8. The combination of claim 6, wherein the building foundation
comprises a concrete slab beneath the cinder blocks, a lower
segment of the C-shaped portion is embedded in a filler material
provided between the first one of the cinder blocks and the
concrete slab, and a upper segment of the C-shaped portion is
embedded in a filler material provided between the first one and
the second one of the cinder blocks.
9. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a
concrete slab and the metal fastener is embedded, in part, in the
concrete slab.
10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the metal fastener
comprises a J-shaped bolt having a lower portion embedded in the
concrete slab and having an upper portion that extends from the
concrete slab and through the aperture in the piece of treated wood
such that part of the upper portion provides the first portion of
the metal fastener that is received, at least in part, in the
aperture of the piece of treated wood.
11. The combination of claim 10, wherein an end of the upper
portion of the J-shaped bolt is threaded and extends beyond the
piece of treated wood, and the second portion of the metal fastener
comprises at least one of a nut and a washer that mounts to the
threaded end.
12. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a
second piece of treated wood and further comprising a second
bushing, the second piece of treated wood having a second aperture
which receives a first portion of the second bushing, and the metal
fastener extends through the first and second bushings received in
the first and second apertures, respectively.
13. The combination of claim 12, wherein the second piece of
treated wood has a first planar surface facing away from the first
piece of treated wood and has a second planar surface facing toward
the first piece of treated wood, the second aperture extends all
the way through the second piece of treated wood between the first
and second planar surfaces, and the first portion of the second
bushing extends substantially all the way through the second
aperture but terminates short of projecting beyond the second
planar surface of the second piece of treated wood.
14. The combination of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the
first bushing has an end surface that is substantially coplanar
with the second planar surface of the first piece of treated wood
and the first portion of the second bushing has an end surface that
is substantially coplanar with the second planar surface of the
second piece of treated wood.
15. The combination of claim 13, wherein a first distance between
the first and second planar surfaces of the second piece of treated
wood is larger than a second distance between the first and second
planar surfaces of the first piece of treated wood and the first
portion of the second bushing is longer than the first portion of
the first bushing.
16. The combination of claim 12, wherein the metal fastener
comprises a bolt that extends through the first and second bushings
and a nut that couples to a threaded end of the bolt.
17. A combination comprising a building foundation, a metal anchor
having an end portion extending upwardly from the building
foundation, at least part of the end portion being threaded, a
piece of treated wood that is treated with a substance corrosive to
metal, the piece of treated wood having an aperture formed
therethrough, the piece of treated wood being situated on the
building foundation with the end portion of the metal anchor
extending through the aperture, a nut threaded onto the end portion
of the metal anchor, and an insulator having a first portion
received in the aperture and having a second portion situated
between the piece of treated wood and the nut, the first portion of
the insulator preventing contact within the aperture between the
metal anchor and the piece of treated wood, and the second portion
of the insulator preventing contact between the nut and the piece
of treated wood.
18. The combination of claim 17, wherein the building foundation
comprises at least two rows of cinder blocks, the metal anchor has
a C-shaped portion that surrounds a portion of a first one of the
cinder blocks, the anchor has an upstanding portion extending
upwardly from the C-shaped portion, and part of the upstanding
portion provides the end portion of the metal anchor.
19. The combination of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the
insulator extends substantially all the way through the aperture of
the piece of treated wood.
20. The combination of claim 17, wherein the building foundation
comprises a concrete slab and the metal comprises a J-shaped bolt
that is embedded partially within the concrete slab.
21. For use with a piece of wood and a metal fastener, the piece of
wood being treated with a metal-corrosive substance that has
greater than 2% copper and that gives the piece of wood at least
some electrolytic properties, the metal fastener having a first
portion and a second portion that couples to the first portion to
mount the piece of wood to a structure, an apparatus for protecting
the metal from the piece of wood to prevent galvanic corrosion of
the metal fastener, the apparatus comprising a cylindrical portion
situated in an aperture formed in the piece of wood and an annular
flange that extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical
portion, the cylindrical portion includes a bore that receives at
least a part of the first portion of the metal fastener, and the
annular flange is situated between the second portion of the metal
fastener and a surface of the piece of treated wood.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to apparatus for protecting
metal from treated wood. More particularly, the present disclosure
relates to apparatus for protecting metal fasteners and anchors
used to couple wood treated with a metal-corrosive preservative to
some other structure, such as a concrete foundation.
[0002] The treated wood industry no longer uses arsenic as a
preservative to treat wood. Instead, the treated wood industry now
uses chemicals such as, for example, Alkaline Copper Quaternary
(ACQ) formulations or Copper Azole (CA) formulations, which can
cause destructive galvanic corrosion of untreated metal products
such as nuts, bolts, straps, and the like if the untreated metal
products come into contact with wood treated with these types of
wood treatment formulations. Galvanic corrosion occurs when two
dissimilar metals come in direct contact with each other and a
small electric current flows between the two metals. In the
construction industry, fastener manufacturers have responded to the
change in the way in which wood is treated by selling either
galvanized or stainless steel components. While such galvanized and
stainless steel components resist galvanic corrosion when exposed
to the new chemicals used to treat wood, these components are quite
expensive when compared to metal fasteners that were used in the
past.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention comprises one or more of the features
recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which,
alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject
matter:
[0004] A combination may comprise a piece of treated wood that is
treated with a substance corrosive to metal, a metal fastener
configured to couple the piece of treated wood to a structure, and
an apparatus for protecting at least a portion of the metal
fastener from the treated wood. The piece of treated wood may be a
board, such as a 2-by-4, a 4-by-4, a 2-by-6, or the like. The
substance used to treat the wood may be an Alkaline Copper
Quaternary (ACQ) formulation or a Copper Azole (CA) formulation.
The substance used to treat the wood may be of the type that can
cause galvanic corrosion of the metal fastener.
[0005] The structure may be a building foundation and the metal
fastener may comprise an anchor configured to couple the piece of
treated wood to the building foundation. The anchor may be
configured to couple to cinder blocks of the building foundation. A
portion of the anchor may be embedded in a filler material between
the cinder blocks. A portion of the anchor may be embedded in a
filler material between one of the cinder blocks and a concrete
slab of the building foundation. The anchor may be configured to
couple to a concrete slab of the building foundation. A portion of
the anchor may be embedded in the concrete slab. The piece of
treated wood may have an aperture that receives a portion of the
metal fastener therein. The metal fastener may have a threaded end
that extends upwardly from the foundation. The metal fastener may
comprise one or more nuts and/or one or more washers that couple to
the threaded end. The piece of treated wood may be situated between
the building foundation and the one or more nuts or one or more
washers. The structure may be a second piece of treated wood. The
metal fastener may comprise a bolt that extends through the first
and second pieces of treated wood. The metal fastener may comprise
a material other than stainless steel. The metal fastener may
comprise a material other than galvanized steel.
[0006] The apparatus for protecting the metal fastener from the
piece of treated wood may comprise a bushing. The apparatus for
protecting the metal fastener from the piece of treated wood may
comprise an insulator. The bushing may surround a portion of the
metal fastener. The bushing may have a first portion that lines, at
least in part, an aperture in the piece of treated wood. The
bushing may have a second portion situated between one or more nuts
and/or one or more washers and the piece of treated wood. The first
portion of the bushing may comprise a cylinder and the second
portion of the bushing may comprise an annular flange. The annular
flange may extend radially outwardly from one end of the cylinder.
The bushing may be made from either polypropylene, polyethylene, or
NYLON.RTM. material, for example. The annular flange and cylinder
may comprise a unitary piece. The cylinder may comprise a cylinder
wall having substantially uniform wall thickness from a first end
to a second end of the cylinder. The annular flange may have
substantially uniform thickness from a radially innermost portion
of the annular flange to a radially outermost portion of the
annular flange. The bushing may be configured such that, when the
bushing is placed in an aperture that extends through the piece of
treated wood, the annular flange contacts a first planar surface of
the piece of treated wood and an end of the cylinder spaced from
the annular flange is substantially coplanar with a second planar
surface of the piece of treated wood.
[0007] Additional features, which alone or in combination with any
other feature(s), including those listed above and those listed in
the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the
following detailed description of illustrative embodiments
exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as
presently perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The detailed description particularly refers to the
accompanying figures, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a concrete
slab, two rows of cinder blocks on the concrete slab, a metal
anchor above the cinder blocks, a piece of treated wood having an
aperture aligned with a threaded upper end of the anchor, a bushing
above the aperture, a pair of washers above the bushing, and a nut
above the pair of washer;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing the components of
FIG. 1 in an assembled state having a cylinder of the bushing
received in the aperture of the piece of treated wood to prevent
the piece of treated wood from contacting the anchor and showing a
flange of the bushing preventing a lower washer of the pair of
washers from contacting the piece of treated wood;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of an
alternative embodiment in which a lower portion of a J-shaped bolt
is embedded in a concrete slab and an upper end of the J-shaped
bolt has a piece of treated wood coupled thereto by a bushing, a
washer, and a pair of nuts;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment,
showing first and second pieces of treated wood, each piece of
treated wood having an aperture therethrough, a pair of bushings
aligned with respective apertures of the pieces of treated wood, a
bolt and washer adjacent one of the pair of bushings, and a pair of
washers and a nut adjacent the other of the pieces of treated wood;
and
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4
in an assembled state showing the pair of bushings being configured
to prevent contact between the two pieces of treated wood and any
of the bolt, the nut, and washers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] An apparatus 10 for protecting a metal fastener 12 from a
piece of treated wood 14 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The piece of
treated wood 14 is treated with a chemical, such as an Alkaline
Copper Quaternary (ACQ) formulation or a Copper Azole (CA)
formulation, that is corrosive to metal fastener 12 via the
mechanism of galvanic corrosion. ACQ formulations are also
sometimes referred to as Amine Copper Quaternary formulations. In
this disclosure, the acronym ACQ is intended to mean both. These
types of wood treatment formulations may contain up to about 40%
copper, and possibly more. During the pressure treating process,
the wood treatment formulation may impregnate wood 14 thereby
giving wood 14 some electrolytic properties. In the past, wood was
treated with arsenic which is now illegal (with only a few
exceptions) and which contained up to about 2% copper at most. In
the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, metal fastener 12 is configured to
couple the piece of treated wood 14 to a building foundation 16.
Foundation 16 includes at least two rows of cinder blocks 18
supported on a stable underlying structure, such as an illustrative
concrete slab 20.
[0015] Piece of treated wood 14 has at least one aperture 22
extending therethrough between a first planar surface 24 and a
second planar surface 26 of piece of treated wood 14. Metal
fastener 12 extends upwardly from foundation 16 through aperture 22
so that and at least part of a threaded end 28 of fastener 12
projects upwardly beyond surface 24. Fastener 12 further comprises
one or more nuts, such as illustrative hex nut 30, that couple to
threaded end 28 to mount piece of treated wood 14 to foundation 16.
Optionally, one or more washers may be placed on threaded end 28
between nut 30 and apparatus 10. In the illustrative example,
fastener 12 includes a flat washer 32 and a lock washer 34 that are
situated on threaded end 28 between nut 30 and apparatus 10.
[0016] In the building construction industry, wooden 2-by-4's
and/or 2-by-6's are typically attached to the building foundation
and then the remainder of the building structure is built up from
there. In the illustrative example of FIGS. 1 and 2, piece of
treated wood 14 is a 2-by-4. However, piece of treated wood 14 may
be any desired piece of treated wood including, but not limited to,
a 2-by-6 or a 4-by-4. In addition, multiple fasteners 12 may be
provided for coupling piece of treated wood 14 to foundation 16.
Accordingly, piece of treated wood 14 may have additional apertures
therethrough corresponding to the additional number of fasteners
used to couple wood 14 to foundation 16. The description herein of
one interconnection between apparatus 10, fastener 12, wood 14, and
foundation 16 is applicable to all such interconnections unless
specifically noted otherwise.
[0017] Apparatus 10 is configured to prevent portions of fastener
12 from contacting piece of treated wood 14. Apparatus 10,
therefore, serves as an insulator between fastener 12 and wood 14.
By preventing contact between fastener 12 and wood 12, which is
treated with a metal-corrosive substance, such as an ACQ or CA
formulation, the corrosion of fastener 12 by galvanic corrosion is
prevented or substantially inhibited. Illustratively, apparatus 10
is configured as a bushing (sometimes referred to herein as
"bushing 10") that has a first portion 36 received in aperture 22
and a second portion 38 sandwiched between planar surface 24 of the
piece of treated wood 14 and washer 32 of the metal fastener 12. Of
course, in embodiments having washer 32 omitted, portion 38 is
sandwiched between washer 34 and surface 24, and in embodiments
having washers 32, 34 omitted, portion 38 is sandwiched between nut
30 and surface 24.
[0018] While bushing 10 may be made of any material having the
galvanic corrosion inhibiting characteristics described herein, in
most embodiments, bushing 10 may be made from any suitable plastic
material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or NYLON.RTM.
material, for example. As such, first and second portions 36, 38 of
bushing 10 may be formed integrally with one another. Portion 28
rests upon surface 24 of wood 14 and first portion 36 extends from
second portion 38 substantially all the way through aperture 22.
However, in the illustrative example, portion 36 does not project
beyond planar surface 26, but rather an annular end surface 40 of
portion 36 is substantially coplanar with surface 26 as shown in
FIG. 2. If desired, bushing 10 may be sized so that annular end
surface 40 is positioned within aperture 22 at a location part way
between surfaces 24, 26. In most embodiments, however, portion 36
will extend more than half way through aperture 22.
[0019] Illustratively, first portion 36 of bushing 10 is
cylindrical in shape and second portion 38 comprises a disk-like
annular flange that extends radially outwardly from an upper end of
portion 36 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Bushing 10 has a cylindrical
bore 42 that extends axially therethrough. In the illustrative
embodiment, the thickness of the cylindrical wall defined by
portion 36 beneath portion 38 is substantially uniform at all
locations along the axial length of portion 36. In addition, the
disk-like annular flange of portion 38 has a substantially uniform
thickness at all location radially outward of portion 36. In
alternative embodiments, these thicknesses may vary such as, for
example, in embodiments in which portion 36 is tapered, has axially
extending splines (internal and/or external), is threaded (internal
and/or external), is stepped in configuration, or is serrated in
some manner, and in embodiments in which portion 38 is tapered or
countersunk in some manner, has radially extending splines or
protrusions (above or below the remainder of portion 38), has other
types of protrusions (above or below the remainder of portion 38),
or is stepped in configuration.
[0020] Portion 36 may have either a loose fit or tight fit within
aperture 22, as desired. In addition, fastener 12 may have either a
loose fit or tight fit within bore 42 of bushing 10. In the
illustrative example, portion 36 has a loose fit in aperture and
fastener 12 has a loose fit within bore 42 for ease of assembly.
Also in the illustrative example, the diameters of the outer
peripheries of washers 32, 34 are smaller than the diameter of the
outer periphery of portion 38 of bushing 10. Thus, no portion of
washers 32, 34 extends radially beyond the outer periphery of
portion 38. In addition, illustrative nut 30 is dimensioned such
that no portion of nut 30 extends radially beyond the outer
periphery of portion 38 of bushing 10. In alternative embodiments,
some portion of any one or more of washers 32, 34 and nut 30 may
extend beyond the outer periphery of portion 38 yet still be
maintained out of contact with piece of treated wood 14 by portion
38 of bushing 10.
[0021] Metal fastener 12 is sometimes referred to in the
construction industry as an anchor. Accordingly metal fastener 12
is sometimes referred to herein as "metal anchor 12" or simply
"anchor 12." Anchor 12 has a lower C-shaped portion 44 and an
upstanding portion 46 that extends upwardly from C-shaped portion
44 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Portion 44 includes a lower
horizontal segment 48, a vertical segment 50, and an upper
horizontal segment 52. Portion 46 includes threaded end 28 and a
vertical segment 54 which interconnects threaded end 28 with upper
segment 52. Segments 48, 50, 52, 54 are each generally flat strips
of material and threaded end 28 is swaged or otherwise formed into
the configuration of threaded end 28. In the illustrative
embodiment segments 48, 50, 52, 54 and threaded end 28 of anchor 12
are made integrally with each other from a single piece of metal
strip. In alternative embodiments, anchor 12 may be made from
multiple pieces which are coupled together.
[0022] Each cinder block 18 has two rectangular walls 56 which are
vertically oriented and three connection walls 58 which are also
vertically oriented as shown in FIG. 1. Walls 58 interconnect walls
56 and are spaced apart so as to define two openings 60 which
extend vertically through the associated cinder block 18 and which
have generally square-shaped cross section. Each wall 56 has a
thickness dimension 62 and a height dimension 64 as shown in FIG.
1. Segments 48, 52 of anchor 12 have approximately the same lengths
as thickness dimension 62 and segment 50 is slightly longer than
height dimension 64. As shown best in FIG. 2, C-shaped portion 44
of anchor 12 surrounds three surfaces of wall 56 of one of cinder
blocks 18 such that segment 48 is situated beneath the associated
wall 56, segment 50 abuts (or is in close proximity with) an
outwardly facing surface of the associated wall 56, and segment 52
is above the associated wall 56. Segment 54 extends upwardly from
segment 52 through opening 60 of the associated concrete block 18
and abuts (or is in close proximity with) an inwardly facing
surface of the associated wall 56.
[0023] Segment 48 is embedded in a filler material 66 provided
between concrete slab 20 and the lower one of the two cinder blocks
18 shown in FIG. 2. Segment 52 is embedded in filler material 66
provided between the upper and lower cinder blocks 18 shown in FIG.
2. In alternative foundation arrangements, additional rows of
concrete blocks 18 may be provided between the two illustrative
rows of concrete blocks 18 and concrete slab 20, it being
understood that, in such arrangements, anchor 12 would be
associated with the upper two rows of concrete blocks 18 so that
threaded end 28 projects upwardly beyond the uppermost row of
concrete blocks 18. Thus, the concrete blocks 18 adjacent anchor 12
and the associated filler material 66 prevent anchor 12 from moving
relative to foundation 16.
[0024] Because bushing 10 prevents contact between fastener 12 and
piece of treated wood 14, fastener 12 does not need to be made from
galvanized or stainless steel. Instead, fastener 12 may be made
from less expensive grades of metal which would otherwise corrode
in an unacceptable manner by the mechanism of galvanic corrosion if
contact between such metal and wood 14 were to occur. Thus, use of
bushings 10 in building construction provides a substantial cost
savings compared to using galvanized or stainless steel
fasteners.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative foundation 76 and an
alternative metal fastener 72 are shown. Elements of the embodiment
shown in FIG. 3 which are substantially similar, or the same, as
elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by like
reference numerals. Accordingly, the description above regarding
such elements having like reference numerals, and alternatives
thereof, is applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 unless
specifically noted otherwise.
[0026] Foundation 76 comprises a concrete slab 20 having an upper
surface 70 upon which surface 26 of piece of treated wood 14 rests.
Fastener 72 is sometimes referred to in the construction industry
as a J-bolt. Accordingly, fastener 72 is sometimes referred to
herein as "J-bolt 72" or "J-shaped bolt 72." J-bolt 72 has a lower
portion 74 which includes a bend or elbow 78. Lower portion 74 is
embedded in concrete slab 20. J-bolt 72 includes an upper portion
80 that extends vertically upwardly from lower portion 74 and that
projects beyond upper surface 70 of concrete slab 20. In addition,
upper portion 74 of J-shaped bolt 72 has a threaded end 82 that
extends beyond upper surface 24 of piece of treated wood 14. In the
illustrative example, fastener 72 includes nut 30 and flat washer
32 which are mounted on threaded end 82, but fastener 72 also
includes a jam nut 84 mounted on threaded end 82 above nut 32.
[0027] Bushing 10 prevents any portion of fastener 72, including
upper portion 80, nuts 30, 84, and washer 32 from contacting piece
of treated wood 14. Thus, fastener 72 does not need to be made from
galvanized steel or stainless steel, but rather may be made from
less expensive grades of metal which would otherwise corrode in an
unacceptable manner by galvanic corrosion if contact between such
metal and wood 14 were to occur. According to this disclosure,
therefore, a metal fastener may be protected against a
metal-corrosive substance used to treat wood by the use of
illustrative bushing 10, and its alternatives described herein,
regardless of the configuration of the metal fastener, regardless
of the configuration of the piece of treated wood, and regardless
of the structure (such as foundations 16, 76) to which the piece of
treated wood is coupled.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, piece of treated wood 14 is
mounted to a second piece of treated wood 86 by a metal fastener
88. In the illustrative example, piece of treated wood 86 is a
4-by-4 board. However, any two pieces of treated wood may be
coupled together in accordance with the teachings of this
disclosure. While the types of structures having pieces of treated
wood coupled together are innumerable, a few examples of such
structures include decks, porches, piers, playground equipment,
barns, storage sheds, and roller coasters. Elements of the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 which are substantially similar,
or the same, as elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are
denoted by like reference numerals. Accordingly, the description
above regarding such elements having like reference numerals, and
alternatives thereof, is applicable to the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5 unless specifically noted otherwise.
[0029] Illustrative fastener 88 comprises an elongated bolt having
a hex head 90 and an elongated shaft 92 with a threaded end 94.
Second piece of treated wood 86 has a first planar surface 96, a
second planar surface 98, and an aperture 100 extending
therethrough between surfaces 96, 98. As was the case with first
piece of treated wood 14, second piece of treated wood 86 is
treated with a chemical, such as an ACQ formulation or a CA
formulation, that is corrosive to metal. Thus, a second apparatus
110 for protecting metal fastener 88 from second piece of treated
wood 86 is provided. Apparatus 10, therefore, serves as an
insulator between fastener 88 and wood 86.
[0030] Illustratively, apparatus 110 is configured as a bushing
(sometimes referred to herein as "bushing 110") that is shaped
similarly to bushing 10. Accordingly, bushing 110 has a first
portion 112 received in aperture 100 and a second portion 114
sandwiched between planar surface 96 of the piece of treated wood
86 and a washer 116 of the metal fastener 88. Of course, in
embodiments having washer 116 omitted, portion 114 is sandwiched
between hex head 90 and surface 96. While portion 114 of bushing
110 is substantially the same in size and configuration as portion
38 of bushing 10, portion 112 of bushing 110 is much longer than
portion 36 of bushing 10 so as to accommodate the increased
distance between surfaces 96, 98 of wood 86 as compared to the
distance between surfaces 24, 26 of wood 14.
[0031] As was the case with bushing 10, bushing 110 may be made
from any suitable plastic material and may be formed integrally
with one another. Portion 114 abuts surface 96 of wood 86 and first
portion 112 extends from second portion 114 substantially all the
way through aperture 100. However, in the illustrative example,
portion 112 does not project beyond planar surface 98, but rather
an annular end surface 118 of portion 112 is substantially coplanar
with surface 98 as shown in FIG. 5. If desired, bushing 110 may be
sized so that annular end surface 118 is positioned within aperture
100 at a location part way between surfaces 96, 98. In most
embodiments, however, portion 112 will extend more than half way
through aperture 100. In the illustrative embodiment, only a
minimal amount clearance is provided between end surface 118 of
bushing 110 and end surface 40 of bushing 10. The clearance between
end surfaces 40, 118 of bushings 10, 110, respectively, allows
fastener 88 to tightly clamp pieces of wood 14, 86 together without
interference from bushings 10, 110.
[0032] Illustratively, first portion 112 of bushing 110 is
cylindrical in shape and second portion 114 comprises a disk-like
annular flange that extends radially outwardly from an one end of
portion 112 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Bushing 110 has a
cylindrical bore 120 that extends axially therethrough. The
description above of alternative shapes and configurations of
bushing 10 is equally applicable to bushing 110. Portion 112 may
have either a loose fit or tight fit within aperture 100, as
desired, and fastener 88 may have either a loose fit or tight fit
within bore 120 of bushing 110. In the illustrative example, loose
fits are provided for ease of assembly. Fastener 88 extends through
bores 42, 120 of bushings 10, 110, respectively, so that threaded
end 94 extends beyond portion 38 of bushing 10. Thus, nut 30 and
washers 32, 34 of fastener 88 may be mounted on the portion of
threaded end 94 that projects beyond bushing 10.
[0033] Although certain illustrative embodiments have been
described in detail above, variations and modifications exist
within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described and as
defined in the following claims.
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