Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Flush closet – wash receptacle – and bathtub or shower
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-27
2001-06-19
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Flush closet, wash receptacle, and bathtub or shower
C004S664000, C052S265000, C052S268000, C114S071000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247195
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to the structure of heads (lavatories) on seagoing vessels, maritime harbor vessels and sea-positioned structures. More particularly it relates to a head concept which provides heads which are designed to be readily maintainable, have long service life, and be attractive and functional for a vessel's crew members who use them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ocean going ships, such as Navy ships or commercial freighters, operate in environments which can cause rapid corrosion and deterioration of a ship's structure. Salt water and water vapor as well as high humidity rapidly attack steel structures such as decks, bulkheads and fittings. Over the years, navies and commercial shipping lines have used many commercial types of coatings in efforts to prevent ships'steel structures from corrosion in the salt atmosphere. Such coatings have, however, only been moderately satisfactory, in that they are often permeable to corrosive vapors, are easily worn away by foot traffic, collect and retain dirt or become stained, and are easily punctured or torn, thus exposing the underlying steel structure to the corrosion that the coating was intended to prevent. All of this leads to short service lives of heads, and usually quires that they be rehabilitated every 1-2 years and fully replaced every 4-5 years. This of course represents significant expense and head downtime for the ship owner or operator.
Current head designs and materials also require extensive daily maintenance. Even with diligent attention by cleaning personnel, dirt and grime become lodged in crevices, deck coating maintenance is difficult and time-consuming because of deck-mounted stanchions for commodes, basins, and partitions, and coatings resist cleaning by simple soap-and-water washes. Consequently an excessive amount of time is required for cleaning personnel to maintain heads in a clean and aesthetically acceptable manner. Not only does this tie up crew members in a duty which many consider to be unpleasant, but it also takes away time when such crew members could be working at other duties or obtaining training to improve other skills.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a head design and head materials which would permit heads to be maintained in a simple and relatively easy manner and to retain their cleanliness and attractiveness over a prolonged period with minimal maintenance, and which would substantially extend head service life such that refurbishment and replacement would not be needed for a significant number of years. Most importantly, in addition, such design and materials, especially coatings, must be such that underlying steel structures such as decks and bulkheads will be secured from contact with and corrosion by the corrosive atmosphere found at sea. Further, such head design and coatings should be applicable to a wide variety of seagoing or sea-positioned structures or vessels, including all kinds of seagoing vessels and maritime harbor vessels as well as sea-positioned structures such as oil well drilling rigs, offshore loading facilities, crewed shore-side or offshore light stations, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have now invented a unique and highly efficient head structure which includes a novel deck and bulkhead coating which prevents moisture, especially corrosive sea water, or salt atmosphere from reaching the underlying deck or bulkhead metal even if the surface of the coating is damaged or penetrated. In addition, the coating provides an attractive and highly durable surface which is easily cleaned and resists staining or discoloring. The novel coating in connection with the unique head design allows a head to be easily and rapidly cleaned and maintained on a daily basis by simple wash-and wipe techniques requiring minimal crew involvement time. This permits crew members to be able to devote more of their time to education and productive endeavors rather than to maintenance.
The heads of this invention find utility when incorporated into seagoing vessels
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, maritime harbor vessels, and sea-positioned structures
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such as oil drilling rigs or seabed mining rigs, especially where the crews thereof include both men and women, such as in many current ships of the U.S. Navy.
More specifically, the head structure will include one or more commodes, showers stalls, wash basins, utility basins, urinals, or other lavatory fixtures or appliances, each of which is formed of a material such as a stainless steel or a Monel™ metal which is resistant to corrosion in the salt water or salt atmosphere. Most and preferably all of the fixtures, with the exception of shower stalls, will be bulkhead mounted and have no deck connections to impede cleaning of the deck. Similarly, other components such as countertops, privacy panels and doors will also be bulkhead or overhead mounted, and preferably will include stiffeners to prevent noise generation or physical damage induced by rolling, pitching or vibration of the vessel or sea-positioned structure.
A critical element in this invention is a novel coating for head decks, bulkheads and overheads which has multiple layers, all adhered into a moisture impervious continuous medium. The two principal layers are an outer porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer, which forms the bearing or working surface of the coating, and a membrane layer, which is a continuous sheet of a rubber, polymeric elastomer or a fiber-reinforced mat. This membrane, which itself must be moisture impervious, serves to prevent moisture from penetrating the coating to the metal surface of the deck, bulkhead or overhead even if the surface porcelain ceramic tile or terrazzo may become damaged or disrupted. The porcelain ceramic/terrazzo surface layer and the membrane are adhered to each other by salt-water-environment-resistance adhesives, preferably various epoxy adhesives. The coating is also adhered to the underlying metal surface of the deck, bulkhead or overhead by a similar adhesive, again preferably an epoxy resin. A primer layer is applied to the metal surface and is a part of the coating of this invention, and will constitute the layer in contact with the metal surface, to create and maintain a strong bond with the metal surface, notwithstanding the presence of rust or similar surface contamination of the metal.
Therefore, in a broad embodiment, the invention herein is of a head structure for use in a salt water environment and having an interior defined by a deck, a bulkhead and an overhead, at least one of the deck, bulkhead and overhead having a metal surface exposed within interior of the head structure and which is susceptible to corrosion in the salt water environment, which structure comprises at least one lavatory fixture being mounted on the bulkhead and having plumbing connections therethrough; and a coating covering a corrosion-susceptible metal surface, which coating comprises a porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer disposed adjacent to but spaced apart from said metal surface, a moisture-impervious membrane disposed between said porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer and said metal surface, and adhesive bonding said porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer to said membrane and said membrane to said corrosion-susceptible metal surface; whereby the coating prevents moisture within the interior of the head from contact with the metal surface of the deck, bulkhead or overhead and thereby prevents the metal surface from becoming corroded in the salt water environment.
In yet another broad environment, the invention is of a coating for adherence to and covering of corrosion-susceptible metal surface of the head structure of the present invention, which coating comprises a porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer disposed adjacent to but spaced apart from said metal surface, a moisture-impervious membrane disposed between said porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer and said metal surface, and adhesive bonding said porcelain, ceramic or terrazzo layer to said membrane and said me
Cassani Paul C.
Cuzzocrea John L.
Hall William A.
O'Brien Owen G.
Russo Pasquale J.
Corrosion Engineering Services, Inc.
Prunner Kathleen J.
Walczak David J.
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