Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Forming articles by uniting randomly associated particles – Stratified or layered articles
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-11
2001-09-04
Derrington, James (Department: 1731)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Forming articles by uniting randomly associated particles
Stratified or layered articles
C264S112000, C264S125000, C264S140000, C264S141000, C264S142000, C264S177110, C065S017300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284176
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains generally to the field of construction materials, and particularly to an industrial precursor produced from crushed slag, industrial or consumer waste glass and a plasticizer, for manufacturing construction materials, together with methods of its production.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Waste products such as industrial slag and post-consumer and industrial waste glass are an increasing problem in today's society. Although methods of recycling such materials are known in the art, such methods are often not economically feasible. Typical recycling methods include high temperature processing wherein the waste glass or slag is utilized as a raw material where it is ground or milled to fine particle size and added to the other materials to produce fresh glass, melted, homogenized with the other ingredients and shaped by standard equipment in the industry to produce glass products.
Previously, waste glass and slag have been used together with sand or other mineral products, and the combination heat treated in various ways to produce construction materials such as tiles or slabs for use as floors or wall coverings of buildings.
However, previous methods for producing such tiles from slag or waste glass have suffered from several problems. First, previous methods require the presence of sand or other mineral components including sandstone, granite, ground brick, ceramic materials such as broken porcelain or mica, in their production. Such materials are expensive and add to the cost of production of the tile. Such added materials are often required to ensure that the resulting tile has the necessary mechanical strength and physical properties to withstand the harsh conditions to which the tile may be exposed.
Additionally, previous methods known in the art have required that the glass and/or slag, together with the sand and/or minerals, be mixed together with additional ingredients used to form the tiles or slabs, such as colorants and/or bonding agents, immediately prior to the materials being placed into a heat-resistant mold and heat treated to form the final tile product. This required expensive processing immediately before the production of the tile and required both processes to be carried out at the same site.
A need exists for a method of processing waste glass or slag into an intermediate industrial precursor product, such that the industrial precursor can be stored for an indefinite period of time and heat treated in any appropriate manner to produce a construction material which is resistant to weathering, corrosion, chemicals and abrasion, while maintaining a defect-free surface such that the finished construction material is of sufficient quality to be used as a replacement for natural and/or artificial construction materials such as marble and granite. Additionally, a need exists for an industrial precursor that can be used to prepare such construction materials that does not call for the presence of costly ingredients such as sand or minerals in its production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention an industrial precursor, useful for the production of construction materials such as tiles, slabs, or other decorative objects, and methods of making such industrial precursors, are provided.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides an industrial precursor comprising a glassy material selected from the group consisting of glass particles and slag, together with a plasticizer and a solvent. These materials are mixed together to produce a homogenous semisolid product which is then extruded and dried to form the industrial precursor. The extruded material may be cut into rods of the required dimension which are then dried, and in some cases, ground to particles of smaller dimensions. The industrial precursor may then be stored indefinitely until required for use in creating construction materials such as tiles, slabs or other decorative products.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a colorant is added to the industrial precursor during homogenization and mixing, to produce an industrial precursor having a distinct color that may be used alone, or in combination with one or more other industrial precursors of varying colors, to create a construction material which simulates natural and artificial stone products.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the industrial precursor is placed into a heat-resistant mold and sintered to produce a construction material which will be used as a covering for floors, walls, and other appropriate places in interior and exterior settings.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a fixing agent is added in lieu of or in addition to the glassy material, plasticizer, solvent and colorant to create an industrial precursor. Separate industrial precursors each having a distinct color and containing a fixing agent may be placed in a heat-resistant mold to produce a pattern. The industrial precursor is then thermally treated to sinter the industrial precursor into a construction material such that the construction material exhibits sharp boundaries between the colors appropriate to the design of the construction material. If no fixing agent is added, the color boundaries of the construction materials will diffuse together to simulate the natural phenomenon seen in naturally occurring stones such as marble.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, an industrial precursor comprising a glassy material selected from the group consisting of glass particles and slag is mixed and homogenized together with a plasticizer, solvent and optionally including a fixing agent and/or one or more colorants and placed in a mold and thermally treated to produce a construction material with a minimized pore volume content such that a solid, rather than a foamed glass, construction material is produced.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of producing a construction material is disclosed. A plasticizer and a fine glass powder are blended together, and then further homogenized by the addition of water to the glass powder/plasticizer mixture to produce a semisolid material. The density of this product is increased by extrusion, followed by pelleting of the extruded product which is then dried to form the industrial precursor. The industrial precursor is then packed into a heat resistant mold in at least one layer, and sintered. The plasticizer is gradually burned off during this process. The industrial precursor is then subsequently cooled to ambient temperature to produce the construction material. The construction material is then brushed or polished to create the finished product, having a substantially defect-free outer surface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the description that follows, a number of terms are utilized extensively. Definitions are herein provided to facilitate understanding of the invention.
Colorant:
Any metal oxide or compound which is typically used in the ceramic or glass industry for coloration of glass or ceramic materials. The chemical elements to produce the colorants may be of various oxidation states and typically include, but are not limited to, oxides of: Fe, Al, Si, Zn, Ca, Mg, Co, Cr, Zr, Pb, Ni, Mn, Mo, Cu, Sn, V, and Sb.
Fixing Agent:
A material which prevents disintegration of primary particles within the construction material during thermal treatment. Such materials are used to promote sharp boundaries between different colored construction materials which are used to produce a tile. Moreover, fixing agents help to prevent bubbles of gas from forming in the tile during thermal treatment and rising to the surface, helping to prevent defects from appearing in the surface of the resulting tile. Typical fixing agents include, but are not limited to: water glass; inorganic sols and metal alkoxides.
Glass:
Includes waste glass or dirty glass, i.e., glass collected from industrial and/or residential waste which contains impurities such as plastic particles, paper, metals, etc. Any pure, scrap or wa
Derrington James
Foley & Lardner
Futuristic Tile L.L.C.
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