Wooden container and its manufacturing process
The assembly of male and female wooden elements with complementary profiles addresses the challenges of producing staves for wooden containers, enhancing efficiency and sustainability by reducing material waste and contamination, while ensuring robustness and resistance to mechanical treatments.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023007059
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-07-03
AI Technical Summary
The production of staves for wooden containers used in the aging and preservation of beverages is challenging due to the scarcity and high cost of solid wood, inefficiencies in using logs to create staves of appropriate dimensions, and the environmental impact of existing finger-jointing and glued laminated techniques, which lead to contamination and separation of wooden elements.
A method involving male and female wooden elements with complementary profiles that are assembled to create staves of desired thickness and length, reducing material waste and eliminating the need for synthetic glues, thereby enhancing production efficiency and environmental sustainability.
This method increases production yield while reducing material loss and ecological impact, producing staves that are robust and resistant to mechanical treatments, with minimal risk of contamination and improved watertightness.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Wooden container and its manufacturing process Technical field
[0001] The invention relates to the field of manufacturing containers designed to receive beverages, such as wines or spirits. In particular, the invention relates to the manufacture of wooden containers intended in particular for the maturation, aging and preservation of fermented beverages or the fermentation of sweet musts (grapes, apples, etc.). Preamble
[0002] Maturation of fermented beverages in wooden containers is an important step in the preparation of these beverages since it allows, in particular, extractable compounds from the wood, such as tannins or aromatic compounds, to diffuse into the beverage, modifying its aroma and taste. Thus, these extractable compounds add to the complexity of the bouquet by bringing to the beverage different more or less intense aromatic notes and sensations such as "sweetness", "astringency", etc.
[0003] The aging of wines and spirits, which constitutes an important stage in their production, is in fact carried out in closed wooden containers, generally made from oak wood but also sometimes from other types of wood such as chestnut or robinia (false acacia).
[0004] In addition to allowing aroma diffusion into the beverage, aging in such closed wooden containers allows slow penetration of oxygen through the container, thus allowing controlled oxidation of the substances present in the beverage so as to favorably modify the organoleptic characteristics of the beverage such as its color, taste or smell.
[0005] These closed wooden containers, which are subsequently used for storing wines and spirits, can have different volumes and shapes, and are commonly referred to as vats, barrels, casks, barrels, tuns or even pieces. They are generally composed of a dress or shell forming a closed contour around a main axis, and two bottoms coming to the ends of this dress or shell.
[0006] The hull, which is generally circular or oval, is formed by a series of joined pieces of wood called staves, extending substantially along the main axis and held together by straps of metal bands or cables arranged in transverse planes and which surround the staves at different heights.
[0007] The staves used for making such closed wooden containers are made from logs obtained directly from the felling of selected trees. The logs are either split into staves (for containers up to 600 l capacity) or sawn into blocks (for containers larger than 600 l). These pieces are then dried and machined to obtain staves having, in particular, a length and thickness suitable for making closed wooden containers intended for the aging of wines or spirits.
[0008] Depending on the type of container, the staves must in fact have a significant length of up to 6.0 meters and even more in rare cases, and a thickness generally between 21 and 80 millimeters, in particular to ensure the container is watertight.
[0009] However, the production of staves with appropriate dimensions is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive, for several reasons, including the scarcity and therefore the ever-increasing cost of solid wood pieces, or logs, used to manufacture staves. Major production efficiency problems also arise, since only a small portion of the logs can be used to directly manufacture staves with appropriate dimensions. In addition, the production of staves with appropriate dimensions and characteristics has the disadvantage of generating significant losses in the form of unused wooden pieces because they are too short and / or too thin.
[0010] Among the existing solutions, finger-jointing techniques, consisting of gluing wooden elements of insufficient length end to end, make it possible to obtain staves of appropriate length. Such finger-jointing techniques are for example illustrated in document FR2949375 AL. On the other hand, glued laminated techniques, consisting of gluing wooden elements of insufficient thickness face to face, also make it possible to obtain staves of suitable thickness.
[0011] However, the staves manufactured using these techniques, even if they have the required dimensions, often do not withstand the container manufacturing process which requires subjecting the staves to mechanical actions during bending, as well as to a subsequent heat treatment consisting of heating the container in order to release the aromas of the wood. As a result, the different wooden elements constituting a single stave tend to separate from each other, and this phenomenon is particularly accentuated by the ambient humidity, generally high in cellars, to which the staves are subjected during the aging and conservation of the beverage in the container, and by the action of the beverage on the glue itself which becomes less effective over time, its properties being in fact affected by too prolonged contact with the beverage.
[0012] Furthermore, these known techniques, due to prolonged contact between the drink and the glue used, cause the migration of constituents of the latter into the drink, which has the consequence of contaminating it with organic compounds of synthetic origin while unfavorably modifying its aroma and taste.
[0013] Finally, the aforementioned finger-jointing and / or glued laminated techniques prove to be not very environmentally friendly, particularly at the end of the life of the containers since the presence of glue within the staves makes the burning and composting necessary for their elimination problematic and not very ecological. Summary of the invention
[0014] The invention aims to remedy all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular, the invention relates in particular to a new method for manufacturing staves which is economical, efficient and ecological, ensuring in particular high productivity while reducing or even eliminating losses of raw materials.
[0015] For this purpose and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a male wooden element for the manufacture of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, the element having a length in a first direction of extension, a width in a second direction of extension and a thickness in a third direction of extension, the first, second and third directions of extension being orthogonal to each other, the length being greater than the width, the width being greater than the thickness, which element having on one of its faces defined by the length and the width of the element, a male profile extending along the length of the male wooden element and over all or part of its length.
[0016] According to one possibility, the male wooden element has a substantially parallelepiped shape. The male wooden element therefore has six faces, which are opposite each other in pairs, each of the six faces having a surface identical to the surface of the face to which it is opposite.
[0017] According to one possibility, said liquid is a beverage, in particular a beverage intended for human consumption.
[0018] The length of the male wooden element is conventionally measured along the main axis of extension, or longitudinal axis, of the male wooden element and is generally between 20 centimeters and 2.0 meters. The longitudinal axis, or main axis of extension, of the male wooden element therefore corresponds to the first direction of extension.
[0019] According to a particular embodiment, said male profile extends over the entire length of the male wooden element. In other words, the male profile is produced in the length direction of the male timber element and the length of the male profile is equivalent to that of the male timber element.
[0020] According to a particular embodiment, the male wooden element may have at least two, and preferably exactly two, male profiles of equivalent or non-equivalent shape, located on the same face defined by the length and width of the male wooden element, and extending parallel to each other. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the male wooden element has a significant width. In addition, such a male wooden element having two male profiles on the same face may be assembled to two female wooden elements having female profiles of complementary shape in order to ultimately allow the production of a wooden piece, or stave, of significant width.
[0021] The width of the male wooden element is conventionally measured along a transverse axis of the male wooden element, which is orthogonal, i.e. perpendicular, to the longitudinal axis of the male wooden element. In other words, the second direction of extension is effectively perpendicular to the first direction of extension.
[0022] The width of the male wooden element is generally between 2 and 50 centimeters and is strictly less than the length of the male wooden element.
[0023] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least twice the width of the male wooden element.
[0024] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least five times greater than the width of the male wooden element.
[0025] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least ten times greater than the width of the male wooden element.
[0026] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least twenty times greater than the width of the male wooden element.
[0027] According to one possibility, the male wooden element has, on a first face defined by its length and its width, a first male profile extending in the first direction of extension and over all or part of the length of the male wooden element, and, on a second face opposite said first face, a second male profile extending in the first direction of extension and over all or part of the length of the male wooden element. This possibility is particularly advantageous when the male wooden element has a small thickness.
[0028] The thickness of the male wooden element is conventionally measured along an orthogonal axis, i.e. perpendicular, to both the first direction of extension and the second direction of extension of the male wooden element.
[0029] The thickness is generally between 1 and 4 centimeters, and is strictly less than the width of the male wooden element.
[0030] According to one possibility, the width of the male wooden element is at least twice the thickness of the male wooden element.
[0031] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least 20 times greater than the thickness of the male wooden element.
[0032] According to one possibility, the length of the male wooden element is at least 50 times greater than the thickness of the male wooden element.
[0033] Thus, one of the two faces of the female wooden element defined by the length and width of the female wooden element therefore has a surface area greater than the other four faces of the female wooden element. Thus, the two faces of the male wooden element defined by the length and width of the male wooden element correspond to the two main faces of the male wooden element. Advantageously, it is at least one of these two main faces which has the male profile.
[0034] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a female wooden element for the manufacture of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, the element having a length in a first direction of extension, a width in a second direction of extension and a thickness in a third direction of extension, the first, second and third directions of extension being orthogonal to each other, the length being greater than the width, the width being greater than the thickness, which element having on one of its faces defined by the length and the width of the element, a female profile extending along the length of the male wooden element and over all or part of its length.
[0035] According to one possibility, the female wooden element has a substantially parallelepiped shape. The female wooden element therefore has six faces, which are opposed two by two, each of the six faces having a surface identical to the surface of the face to which it is opposed.
[0036] According to one possibility, said liquid is a beverage, in particular a beverage intended for human consumption.
[0037] The length of the female wooden element is conventionally measured along the main axis of extension, or longitudinal axis, of the male wooden element and is generally between 20 centimeters and 2.0 meters. The longitudinal axis, or main axis of extension, of the male wooden element therefore corresponds to the first direction of extension.
[0038] According to a particular embodiment, said female profile extends over the entire length of the female wooden element. In other words, the female profile is produced in the direction of the length of the female wooden element, and the length of the female profile is equivalent to that of the female wooden element.
[0039] According to a particular embodiment, the female wooden element may have at least two, and preferably exactly two female profiles, of equivalent shape or not, located on the same face defined by the length and the width of the female wooden element, and extending parallel to each other. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the female wooden element has a significant width. In addition, such a female wooden element having two female profiles on the same face defined by its length and its width can be assembled to two male wooden elements having male profiles of complementary shape in order to ultimately allow the obtaining of a wooden piece, or stave, of significant width.
[0040] The width of the female wooden element is conventionally measured along a transverse axis of the male wooden element, which is orthogonal, i.e. perpendicular, to the longitudinal axis of the male wooden element. In other words, the second direction of extension is effectively perpendicular to the first direction of extension.
[0041] The width of the female wooden element is generally between 2 and 50 centimeters and is strictly less than the length of the female wooden element.
[0042] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least twice the width of the female wooden element.
[0043] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least five times greater than the width of the female wooden element.
[0044] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least ten times greater than the width of the female wooden element.
[0045] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least twenty times greater than the width of the female wooden element.
[0046] According to one possibility, the female wooden element has, on a first face defined by its length and its width, a first female profile extending along the longitudinal axis and over all or part of the length of the female wooden element, and, on a second face opposite said first face, a second female profile extending along the longitudinal axis and over all or part of the length of the female wooden element. This possibility is particularly advantageous when the female wooden element has a small thickness.
[0047] The thickness of the female wooden element is conventionally measured along an orthogonal axis, i.e. perpendicular, to both the first direction of extension and the second direction of extension of the female wooden element.
[0048] The thickness is generally between 1 and 2 centimeters, and is strictly less than the width of the female wooden element.
[0049] According to one possibility, the width of the female wooden element is at least twice the thickness of the female wooden element.
[0050] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least 20 times greater than the thickness of the female wooden element.
[0051] According to one possibility, the length of the female wooden element is at least 50 times greater than the thickness of the female wooden element.
[0052] Thus, one of the two faces of the female wooden element defined by the length and the width of the female wooden element therefore has a surface area greater than the other four faces of the female wooden element. Thus, the two faces of the female wooden element defined by the length and the width of the female wooden element correspond to the two main faces of the female wooden element. Advantageously, it is at least one of these two main faces which has the female profile.
[0053] Obviously, other possibilities are provided without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention also relates to a mixed wood element which has, on a first face defined by its length and its width, a female profile extending along the longitudinal axis and over all or part of the length of the female wood element, and, on a second face opposite said first face, a male profile extending along the longitudinal axis and over all or part of the length of the female wood element.
[0054] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a wooden part comprising a male wooden element and a female wooden element as described above, said male profile having a complementary shape with said female profile.
[0055] According to one embodiment, the wooden part results from the assembly between them of the male wooden element and the female wooden element, such an assembly being carried out by fitting said male profile into said female profile, a thickness of the wooden part being greater than the thickness of the male wooden element and the thickness of the female wooden element.
[0056] According to one possibility, the fitting of the male profile into the female profile is achieved by means of a translation or sliding of the male profile along the female profile, such translation or sliding being achieved in the lengthwise direction.
[0057] According to another possibility, the male profile is simply “clipped” into the female profile, for example by means of a transverse force exerted on the male wooden element with its male profile arranged directly opposite the female profile of the female wooden element.
[0058] The invention therefore makes it possible to obtain, from two wooden elements of lesser thickness, a wooden piece of greater thickness. The invention therefore takes advantage of the existence of scraps of insufficient thickness to produce staves of the desired thickness by stacking the scraps. Thus, production is increased and yield improved, without any significant ecological impact since more is produced without using more raw material.
[0059] According to one embodiment, the wooden part comprises a plurality of male wooden elements as described above, and a plurality of female wooden elements as described above, each of the male profiles having a shape complementarity with at least one of the female profiles, a length of the wooden part being greater than the length of the male wooden element and the length of the female wooden element.
[0060] According to this embodiment, two male wooden elements are assembled to the same female wooden element, which has on a first face, a first female profile arranged to receive a male profile of one of said two male wooden elements, and, on a second face opposite the first face, a second female profile arranged to receive a male profile of the other of said two male wooden elements. According to this embodiment variant, it is thus possible to assemble three wooden elements together, thus making it possible to obtain a wooden part having a significant thickness.
[0061] Obviously, other possibilities are conceivable, without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, it is possible to assemble, in a manner similar to that described above, two female wooden elements to the same male wooden element, or a male wooden element and a female wooden element to the same mixed wooden element.
[0062] In fact, the invention is not limited to the assembly of two or three wooden elements, and it is possible to envisage assembling a larger number of them, the objective being to obtain a composite wood part of sufficient thickness.
[0063] According to a particular embodiment, two male wooden elements are assembled “offset” to the same female wooden element. In other words, the female wooden element has, on one of its faces, a female profile onto which a part of a male profile of each of said two male wooden elements fits.
[0064] According to this particular embodiment, a portion of a male profile of one of said male wooden elements fits into the female profile of the female wooden element over a first portion of the length of the female wooden element, and a portion of a male profile of the other of said male wooden elements fits into the female profile of the female wooden element over a second portion of the length of the female wooden element, the sum of said first portion and said second portion representing the total length of the female wooden element.
[0065] As each of the two aforementioned male profiles is only partially fitted into the female profile, it is possible to assemble, on each of the two male wooden elements, respectively two other female wooden elements of adequate length in order to obtain, ultimately, an assembly of five wooden elements having a satisfactory total length, while having a thickness greater than that of each of the initial male and female wooden elements.
[0066] By means of such an “offset” assembly of a plurality of male and female wooden elements, it is therefore possible to produce wooden pieces, or staves, of significant length from wooden elements of limited length.
[0067] Alternatively, a similar offset assembly, made not lengthwise but widthwise of wooden elements, can be implemented to manufacture a wooden piece or staves of sufficient width from narrow wooden elements.
[0068] According to this possibility, an offset assembly is made by at least one male wooden element having two male profiles located on the same face and extending parallel to each other and at least one female wooden element having two female profiles located on the same face and extending parallel to each other. Other male and female wooden elements, having one or two profiles on the same face, complete the assembly so as to obtain a wooden piece of adequate width.
[0069] Thus and according to the invention, it is possible, from wooden elements of too small a length, width and thickness, to obtain, by successive assembly of such wooden elements, wooden pieces, commonly designated by the term "staves" having both a length and a thickness appropriate for use in the production of wooden containers intended for breeding and / or preserving a liquid.
[0070] Compared to existing techniques, the invention therefore makes it possible to reduce losses and increase production while having a positive effect on the environment since the use of chemical products, such as synthetic glues, is considerably reduced, or even non-existent, during the manufacture of the staves, which also means that the risk of contamination of the drink is low or even zero.
[0071] Furthermore, compared to known finger-jointing and glued-laminated techniques, the invention allows the production of staves that are more robust and therefore resistant to subsequent treatments (bending, heating) that they undergo during the manufacture of wooden containers. In addition, the staves obtained by the present invention have a high level of watertightness.
[0072] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a shell of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, which shell comprises at least one wooden part as described above.
[0073] A wooden container generally comprises a closed shell of cylindrical, circular, oval or truncated shape, and two parallel bottom plates, said closed shell comprising at least one piece of wood as described above.
[0074] According to this embodiment, the closed hull comprises a plurality of wooden pieces, or staves, as described above.
[0075] According to one possibility, at least one of the two bottom plates also comprises a plurality of wooden pieces as described above.
[0076] Thus and according to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a bottom of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, which bottom comprises at least one wooden piece as described above.
[0077] According to a sixth aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a wooden part, said method comprising the following steps:
[0078] - a step of cutting solid wood to obtain a first piece of wood of substantially parallelepiped shape and a second piece of wood of substantially parallelepiped shape;
[0079] - a step of machining the first piece of wood obtained in the cutting step for obtain a male wooden element as described above;
[0080] - a step of machining the second piece of wood obtained in the cutting step for obtain a female wooden element as described above;
[0081] - a step of assembling the male wooden element and the female wooden element so as to obtain at least one piece of wood as described above.
[0082] According to one embodiment, the assembly step comprises at least one step of fitting a male profile into a female profile of corresponding shape.
[0083] According to one possibility, the fitting of a male profile into a female profile is achieved by means of a translation or sliding of the male profile along the female profile, such translation or sliding being achieved in the lengthwise direction.
[0084] According to another possibility, the male profile is simply “clipped” into the female profile, by means of a transverse force exerted on the male wooden element with its male profile arranged directly opposite the female profile of the female wooden element.
[0085] Optionally, the interlocking by translation and / or by “clipping” can be facilitated by using a small quantity of food lubricants such as paraffins, silicones, waxes, oils or even gums... According to this option, the arrangement of a small quantity of a food lubricant at the bottom of the profile female of the female wooden element will facilitate the fitting of the male wooden element while preventing the food lubricant, then stuck between the two male and female wooden elements at the bottom of the female profile, from coming into contact with the drink once the container is manufactured.
[0086] According to a seventh aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a shell of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, said method comprising the following steps:
[0087] - The manufacture, according to the steps of the manufacturing process of a wooden part such as described above, of a plurality of wooden pieces as described above;
[0088] - A step of assembling together the plurality of wooden pieces thus obtained in order to form a shell of a wooden container as described above.
[0089] According to one possibility, said assembly between them of the plurality of wooden pieces is carried out by bending.
[0090] According to one possibility, the method for manufacturing a shell of a wooden container described above comprises a step of tightening the plurality of wooden parts thus assembled together, such tightening being carried out by means of strapping arranged in planes transverse to the shell and configured so as to obtain sufficient pressure between the lateral faces of the wooden parts thus assembled together to ensure sealing.
[0091] According to a seventh aspect, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a wooden container described above, which comprises a step of fixing two bottoms to the shell obtained by the method of manufacturing a shell, said bottoms being arranged at the two ends of the shell.
[0092] These operations for manufacturing barrels or casks from staves are known per se, and it is possible to refer, for example, to document EP3653355 A1 which provides in detail the information necessary for the manufacture of wooden containers for drinks from staves.
[0093] According to one embodiment, at least one of the two bottoms is produced by assembling staves, or wooden pieces, manufactured according to the method for manufacturing a wooden piece previously described. Brief description of the figures
[0094] The invention will be better understood, and its inherent advantages better appreciated, upon reading the detailed description below, given with reference to the figures among which:
[0095] [Fig. 1] represents, according to a first embodiment, a female wooden element having a female profile and a male wooden element having a male profile of a shape complementary to the shape of the female profile.
[0096] [Fig.2a] represents a top and sectional view of a wooden piece, or stave, according to a second embodiment.
[0097] [Fig.2b] represents a side and sectional view of the wooden part according to the second embodiment.
[0098] [Fig.2c] represents a perspective view of a closed shell of a wooden container comprising a plurality of wooden parts according to the second embodiment.
[0099] [Fig.3a] represents a top and sectional view of a wooden piece, or stave, according to a third embodiment.
[0100] [Fig.3b] represents a side and sectional view of a wooden piece, or stave, conforming to the third embodiment.
[0101] [Fig.4] represents a perspective view of a closed shell of a wooden container comprising a plurality of wooden parts according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.
[0102] [Fig.5] represents a top and sectional view of a wooden piece, or stave, according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.
[0103] [Fig.6] represents a top and sectional view of a wooden piece, or stave, according to a sixth embodiment of the invention. Detailed description
[0104] The male wooden element 11 and the female wooden element 12 shown in [Fig. 1], of the same length and the same width, respectively have a male profile 13 and a female profile 14 whose shapes correspond, so that a fitting of the male profile 13 into the female profile 14 makes it possible to assemble the two male 11 and female 12 wooden elements in order to obtain a composite wooden part having a length and a width identical to that of the two wooden elements, and a thickness greater than that of both the male wooden element and that of the female wooden element.
[0105] The wooden piece, or stave, obtained by assembling the two wooden elements shown in [Fig.l], has in particular sufficient thickness to be used for the production of a barrel or a cask.
[0106] The composite wood part 20, or stave, shown in [Fig.2a] or [Fig.2b], is composed of a male wood element (numbered 2) having a male dovetail profile, and a female wood element (numbered 1) having a female profile complementary to said male dovetail profile. The wood part 20 shown in [Fig.2a] therefore has a thickness, defined along the X axis shown in [Fig.2a], greater than the thickness of each of the two wood elements which compose. The X axis therefore represents the third direction of extension of the male and female wooden elements.
[0107] It is noted that, in the embodiment shown in Figures 2a to 2c, the male wooden element and the female wooden element have the same width as shown in [Fig.2a] (defined along the Y axis visible in [Fig.2a]), and the same length (defined along the Z axis visible in [Fig.2b]) as can be seen in [Fig.2b]. Thus, the embodiment of Figures 2a to 2c makes it possible to obtain, from two thin male and female wooden elements, a composite wood part of greater thickness whose length and width are respectively equal to the length and width of the two male and female wooden elements.
[0108] In the figures, the Z axis represents the first direction of extension of the male and female wooden elements, and the Y axis represents the second direction of extension of the male and female wooden elements.
[0109] For example, from two wooden elements, male and female respectively, of identical dimensions equal to 1000mm x 50mm x 20mm, the invention makes it possible to obtain a wooden part, or stave, of dimensions equal to 1000mm x 50mm x 27 mm.
[0110] Such a wooden piece of suitable thickness can thus be used in the production of a closed shell 25 of a wooden container as shown in [Fig.2c], which in fact comprises a plurality of composite wooden pieces 20 thus manufactured and assembled together.
[0111] The embodiment shown in Figures 3a and 3b uses three male wooden elements (numbered 2, 4 and 6 in [Fig.3b]) and three female wooden elements (numbered 1, 3 and 5 in [Fig.3b]) assembled together offset in the length direction in order to form a composite wooden part 30 having both a length and a thickness greater than those of each of the male and female wooden elements.
[0112] According to the embodiment of figures 3a and 3b, the male wooden elements numbered 2 and 4 and the female wooden elements numbered 3 and 5 all have the same length, while the male wooden element 6 and the female wooden element 1 have the same length equal to half that of the elements 2, 3, 4 and 5.
[0113] According to the embodiment of figures 3a and 3b, the male wooden elements all have the same thickness and the same male profile.
[0114] The female wooden elements, for their part, also have the same thickness and the same female profile of a shape corresponding to the male profile of the three male elements.
[0115] The assembly according to the embodiment of figures 3a and 3b makes it possible to obtain a composite wood part having a length 2.5 times greater than the length of elements 2, 3, 4 and 5.
[0116] [Fig. 4] shows a closed shell 45 of a wooden container, which is composed of composite wooden parts 40 comparable to the wooden part 30 of the embodiment of FIGS. 3a and 4b, except that said wooden parts 40 comprise three male wooden elements and two female wooden elements. Here too, the composite wooden parts 40 assembled to form the shell 45 of [Fig. 4] have a length and a thickness respectively greater than the lengths and thicknesses of the male and female wooden elements which compose them.
[0117] Like the embodiment of figures 2a and 2c, the embodiment of figures 3a and 3b and that of [Fig.4] uses wooden elements having a dovetail type profile.
[0118] Other types of profile, such as those used to make the wooden part 50 of [Fig.5] or the wooden part 60 of [Fig.6] and which are given without limitation, can obviously be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the particular shape of the male and female profiles is adapted according to the properties of the species used, the lengths of the staves to be obtained, the angles of curvature that they will be required to support or even the mechanical constraints specific to each wooden container to be manufactured.
[0119] Furthermore, and as shown in [Fig. 6], the invention is not limited to a single interlocking zone, since certain wooden parts, such as the wooden part 60, may require multiple interlockings in order to meet the tensile, pressure, shear and fatigue stresses that they will have to withstand throughout their life. Furthermore, the wooden elements constituting the wooden part 60 may advantageously be used in an offset assembly made, not in the length direction as shown in Figures 3a, 3b or 4, but in the width direction of the elements in order to allow a composite wooden part of greater width to be obtained.
Claims
1.
2.
3. Claims Wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) for the manufacture of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or conservation of a liquid, comprising: - a male wooden element (11) having a length in a first direction of extension (Z), a width in a second direction of extension (Y) and a thickness in a third direction of extension (X), the first, second and third directions of extension being orthogonal to each other, the length being greater than the width, the width being greater than the thickness, which male wooden element (11) having on one of its faces defined by its length and its width a male profile (13) extending along the length of the male wooden element (11) and over its entire length; - a female wooden element (12) having a length along a first direction of extension (Z), a width along a second direction of extension (Y) and a thickness along a third direction of extension (X), the first, second and third directions of extension being orthogonal to each other, the length being greater than the width, the width being greater than the thickness, which element (12) having on one of its faces defined by its length and its width a female profile (14) extending along the length of the female wooden element (12) and over its entire length, said female profile (14) having a complementary shape with said male profile (13); the wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) resulting from the assembly between them of the male wooden part (11) and the female wooden part (12) in such a way that a thickness of the wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) is greater than the thickness of the male wooden element (11) and the thickness of the female wooden element (12). A wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) according to claim 1, wherein the male profile (13) comprises a dovetail profile. A wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) according to claim 1 or claim 2, which comprises a plurality of wooden elements males (11) and a plurality of female wooden elements (12), each of the male profiles (13) having a shape complementarity with at least one of the female profiles (14), a length of the wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) being greater than the length of the male wooden element (11) and the length of the female wooden element (12).
4. Shell (25, 45) of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, which shell (25, 45) comprises at least one wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) according to one of claims 1 to 3.
5. Bottom of a wooden container intended for raising and / or preserving a liquid, which bottom comprises at least one wooden piece (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) according to one of claims 1 to 0.
6. J. Method for manufacturing a wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) according to one of claims 1 to 3, said method comprising the following steps: - A step of cutting solid wood to obtain a first piece of wood of substantially parallelepiped shape and a second piece of wood of substantially parallelepiped shape; - A step of machining the first piece of wood obtained in the cutting step to obtain a male wooden element (11); - A step of machining the second piece of wood obtained in the cutting step to obtain a female wooden element (12); - A step of assembling the male wooden element (11) and the female wooden element (12) so as to obtain a wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60).
7. Manufacturing method according to claim 6, in which the assembly step comprises at least one step of fitting a male profile (13) into a female profile (14) of corresponding shape.
8. Method for manufacturing a shell (25, 45) of a wooden container intended for the breeding and / or preservation of a liquid, said method comprising the following steps: - A manufacturing step, according to the method for manufacturing a wooden part (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) of claims 6 o u 7, of a plurality of wooden pieces (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) in accordance with one of claims 1 to 3; A step of assembling together the plurality of wooden pieces (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) obtained in the manufacturing step, in order to form a shell (25, 45) according to claim 4.