Gross & Janes receives U.S. patent for wood crosstie pre-treatment

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Written by: Mischa Wanek-Libman, Engineering Editor
Gross & Janes Co. announced Sept. 8, 2016 that it has received a United States Patent for a “two-step” borate pre-treatment dipping process and related equipment the company developed to increase the life of wood railroad crossties.

Gross & Janes uses this two-step method in the production of its trademark Tuff-Tie™ borate pre-treated crossties at its production facility in Camden, Ark. According to the Railway Tie Association, approximately 40% of the 23.5 million wood railroad ties made in North America last year were treated with borate.

“Gross & Janes was an early railroad industry proponent of using borate to enhance the life of crossties,” said Mike Pourney, President of Gross & Janes. “After years of monitoring borate in railroad crossties, we have succeeded in making the two-step application process more uniform and consistent. Receiving this patent validates decades of effort to incorporate borate as an additional component in treating a railroad tie.”

The company says its two-step method is an environmentally friendly pre-treatment of “green” crossties prior to air drying. This helps protect the ties from insects, stack burn and decay. Following the air drying process, the ties are then treated with the traditional creosote or copper napthenate.

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