CA1044703A - Cellulation method and product - Google Patents

Cellulation method and product

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Publication number
CA1044703A
CA1044703A CA255,468A CA255468A CA1044703A CA 1044703 A CA1044703 A CA 1044703A CA 255468 A CA255468 A CA 255468A CA 1044703 A CA1044703 A CA 1044703A
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
particles
clayey material
clayey
flux
heating
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA255,468A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
John W. North
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
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Priority to CA255,468A priority Critical patent/CA1044703A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1044703A publication Critical patent/CA1044703A/en
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  • Compositions Of Oxide Ceramics (AREA)
  • Preparation Of Clay, And Manufacture Of Mixtures Containing Clay Or Cement (AREA)

Abstract

A B S T R A C T
A method of preparing cellulated or bloated products from natural material sources using clay or a clayey material as a starter and using treating agents capable of being placed in aqueous solutions for absorption into ultimate particles of the material.

Description

CELLULATION METHOD AND PRODUCT
. .
DESC~IPTION OF THE INVENTION
. ............................... ~ -The present invention relates to methods and product of the methods for producing cellulated or bloated objects for use in the building industry and in other places where heat insulation, fire resistance, and light-ness of weight are prerequisites.
It is a general object of the invention to pro-vide a method of producing a cellulated or bloated mineral material from a natural source such as clayey material.
It is a further object of the invention to pro-vide a cellulated product produced in accordance wi-th the above method.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a pre-ferred method and a preferred product.
Prior Art .
Foamed glass has been made previously and the patents to Ford 2,485,724 and Connelly 3,174,870 are representative of the prior art.
Ford 2,485,724 proposed to use various minerals , including nephelene syenite, feldspar, Albany slip clay, albite, and spodumene and started out by first grinding these particles to microscopic size, ~or example, so it ~ -will pass some mesh of 100 to 300 per inch, or even finer.
Ford also proposed to use a gas producing agent such as calcium sulphate, sodiurn sulphate, magnesium sulphate, antimony trioxide or arsenic trioxide as well as ca ciurn carbonate for reaction which would occur at about or slightly above the sintering temperature, i.e. 1500 to 1700~F.

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The fluxing agents proposed by Ford are sodium peroxide, sodium oxide, potassium oxide, or an oxide-forming compound such as soda ash which would also tend to cause -:
local bloating or the production of non-uniform porosity or cellulation.
Ford also states that reducing agents such as urea, sugar, dextrose or molasses can be substituted for carbon black and may be dissolved in water before mixing so as to produce a moist mass for introduction into a furnace.
The patent to Connelly, 3,174,870 refers to the patent to Ford and proposes to improve upon it by using naturally found minerals such as the alkaline-alumina-silicate materialsl or feldspar materials including granite, rocks, ~ : .
minerals and various natural glasses, which are ground to microscopic size (about ~00 mesh).
Connelly requires a foaming agent which is oxygen stable below 1050 C., and adds an oxygen supplying agent .;
such as an alkaline sulphate. As a reducing agent finely .
divided metals, metal carbides and metal sulphides are listed which are oxygen stable to about 1100 C. :~
Granite rock is given in one example and Buckingham feldspar is listed as another example.
In bo~h o~ the above prior art patents there will be localized soft spots on the surface of particles which will allow gas to escape and these soft spots will be caused by lack of homogeneous distribution of iron in some materials.
The poorly distributed iron (or even combined iron) will react to the carbon particles of the carbon black to cause early local melting. Localized soft spots are also caused by discrete particles of fluxing materials such as NaO or KO which do not melt and disperse.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE IN~IENTION
Applican-t has discoYered that a c:Layey material ~ .
such as clay, shale, or bentonite provides a natural and widely available material in which there is a uniform and wide dispersion of a natural amoun-t of iron in the form uc.ually of iron oxide ~Fe2O3). The natural size of the particles or pellets that are present or can be obtained by a mulling operation are of one to two mm. in diameter down to fine dust and provide a satisfactory starting material. This starting material is prepared, for example, by dissolving clay in water and then screening it to remove certain impurities. Then the clay solution is subjected to a de-watering filter after which the material is dried.
wat~r solution containing the flux and the carbon material ig then added to the clay starting material including the widely dispersed iron componcnt and mixed as described below.
For example, a water solution of hydroxide acts as flux and the sugar acts as a source of carbon. The mixture is put into a muller and mulled about 15 minutes to ~roduce moist macroscopic pellets or particles about one to two mm.
in diameter, as a starting material.
Thus, broadly, the invention contemplates a method of preparing a bloated cellular product which comprises .
admixing naturally occurring clayey material particles and ~
an aqueous solution having dissolved therein a non-oxidizing ~. :
flux for the material and a bloating agent containing reactable carbon under such conditions that the solution is uniformly dispersed and absorbed into the clayey material particles, and heating the admixture under temperature and time conditions sufficient to drive the liquid from the solution so as to cause the dissolved flux and bloating agent t~ migrate with the water to the surface of the particles and be deposited thereon as the water is driven off of the _ ,: -particles. The heating of the admix-ture is continued under temperature conditions sufficiently high -that the flux and the bloating agent become molten and flow into -the particles, and the heating of the admixture still further continued under elevated temperatu~re conditions above 2100F and sufficiently high and for a sufficient length of time that the oxygen contained in the naturally occurring clayey material reacts with the carbon to produce an oxide of carbon in gaseous form and the clayey material particles become viscous, with the bloating agent being so evenly dispersed in the viscous ~
clayey material that the gases are trapped in the material ; `
and form a cellular structure in the clayey ma-terial. `

The flux used should be one which is soluble in water and which is meltable at a relatively low temperature (at about 700 F. in the case of sodium and potassium hydroxide) which is capable of being reabsorbed in its molte~ state at a temperature below its reaction temperature so that it is capable of coating the ultimate particles or plates of the clay. Both `
hydroxides and phosphates of sodium, potassium and lithium are suitable but sodium and potassium hydroxide are preferred because of cost. Sugar, molasses or urea also can be added to the solution as a source of carbon and - 3a -t;~3 ~ ~ ~
. ~ ' . , . ~
when ln solution will penetrate and coat the ultimate parti-cles or pelleta. In subsequent heating when the water o~
.
the solutlon evaporatssp 8ugar l~ lert on the sur~ace Or th3 pellets or particle3 and the ~ugar melts dur~ng contin-ued.b~atlng and reabsorb~ into the pore~, when the 3u~ar ~-i8 ~urther deoompo~ed by heating it lea~es a carbon reslduo on ~ubstentially each ultimate partiole~ Thls provid~ ror a more un~orn rluxin~ action and enable~ the rine ultlmate particle~ to 3inter more evenly and trap Ba3es in small~r ~ ~;
more re~ular unirorm bubbleo a~ a result o~ the ~teady acce~
Or the cnrbon and Iron to ea¢h other.
Another ~eature o~ thls lnventlon ls t~e ~act that the prepared ~aberlal i9 put dlrectly ~nto a k~ln at ~ull te~p~rature o~ about ~100 to 2300 F., and oarrled directly ~5 up to a meltlng temperature as rast as lt oan ab~orb heat.
Dire¢tly upon ~elting, the ~lu~ can reaoh tbe iron in tho clay and r~act to ~orm 8as ~o that cellulation or bloating occurs 80 that a ~ery unirorm cellulatlon or bloating action i~ obtained. Ths bloatlng oc¢urs progres~ively rrom the outer ~ur~aco o~ the ~aterial inwardly as meltlng oocurs.
The t~e Or procas~ing In a kiln may be ror ~rom ten minute~ to two hours with tho ten minutes belng u~ed ~or ~ one inch thlck tile, ror exa~ple~ and the two hour~
being u~ed ror a thicker 8~ thick ~lab.
Tbe material may be introduced into a conven-tional roller kiln as a layer and i~ carrled on thin plates either with or without a layer o~ sand ~onded tber~on. Side angle~ loo~ely ~ixed in place may be omployed tQ con~ine loo~ely the layer o~ material.
During the beat~ng ~be ~aterial oontracts ana ~ 4 ~

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coalesces and at the time the sodium hydroxide, for example, melts it is readmitted to be reabsorbed into each macroscopic particle and then upon melting of the ultimate particle re-acts with the iron in the ultimate particles to form a gas, and bloating or cellulation occurs throughollt the mass.
Subsequently the bloated material is cooled and : -annealed. The cooling and annealing lehrs are not described, as the cooling and annealing of glassware and ceramics is a ~ .~
well known art. ~ ~ .
When a continuous slab is made~ it is cut into desired lengths after cooling sufficiently, the width being ~ ~
as wide as the kiln will accommodate. The thickness is .
chosen by consideration of Eiring time and uniformity, vol-ume of production desired, ease of fabrication, etc. After complete cooling through the annealing lehr, the sheet is cut to shapes and dimensions as desired, analogously to ~ :
cutting boards, beams or parquet blocks from a wood log.
The finished product may be ~a) a two inch square one-eighth inch thick to be glazed for wall or floor tile, or it may be (b) a wall board four feet wide and long enough ~ ..
to reach from floor to ceiling or to span the width of a room as a ceiling board or roof slab. The sheet as made in the kiln may be just the thickness desired for a roof tile or a building facing, and in fabrication into shapes for the market, the natural fired texture and color of the top surface is left on. In firing, various devices for obtain-ing surface effects are known in the arts, such as materials added on top before firing and/or spot atmosphere regulation.
The following are examples of bloated material prepared in accordance with the above described process, and in all cases not specifically excepted the f~ring is done in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
1. 100 parts Black Hills bentonite (parts are by weight) 1 part granulated cane sugar 5 parts NaOH
30 parts tap water Dissolve the sugar and then the NaOH in water and then mix with the aggregate in a muller-mixer. Rub through a 10 mesh screen to pelletize. Put in pan as described above ;
and place in hot kiln at about 2160 F. for 30 minutes.
Take the pan from the kiln and place in an annealing oven and cool slowly to below 300 F. before removing to cool completely.
The resulting block has well formed cells, mostl~ about 1 mm. in diameter, and a density of about 12 pounds per cubic foot, and glassy appearance.
Approximately the same results are obtained with the equivalent mol percent of KOH replacing the NaO~I, or with an equivalent mixture of NaOH and KOH.
2. 100 parts surface clay from near Corona, California, reddish colored.
1 part granulated sugar 9 parts NaOH
17 parts tap water Mix and fire as the first example, except firing tem-perature is about 2300 F.
This gives a block of about 30 pounds per cubic foot, and fine cells.
3. Same as example 2, except that the sugar is re-duced to .06 parts. The resulting block has finer cells and a density of about 42 pounds per cubic foot.
4. 100 parts Black Hills bentonite 1.5 parts sugar 15 parts trisodium phosphate Place in prepared pan in kiln at 2200 F. for 30 minutes. The resulting block has fine cells and a density of about 22 pounds per cubic foot.
5. 100 parts Black Hills bentonite 4 parts sugar Mix and fire as in first example, except temperature is about 2300 F. The resulting block has a density of about 20 pounds per cubic foot, and is cellular, but with porous cell walls. It is permeable to gases and ~ `
will absorb water.
The bloak is refired in an oxidizing atmosphere for time and temperature to burn out much of the carbon.
The block becomes more permeable and changes color to light reddish brown.
While I have described a preferred method of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is cap-able of variation and modification from the form shown so that the scope thereof should be limited only by the proper scope of the claims appended hereto.

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Claims (6)

WHAT IS CLAIMED:
1. A method of preparing a bloated cellular product comprising:
(a) admixing naturally occuring clayey material particles and an aqueous solution having dissolved therein a non-oxidizing flux for said material and a bloating agent contain-ing reactable carbon under such conditions that the solution is uniformly dispersed and absorbed into the clayey material particles;
(b) heating said admixture under temperature and time conditions sufficient to drive the liquid from said solution so as to cause the dissolved flux and bloating agent to migrate with the water to the surface of the particles and be deposited thereon as the water is driven off of the particles;

(c) continuing the heating of said admixture under temperature conditions sufficiently high that said flux and said bloating agent become molten and flow into the parti-cles; and (d) still further continuing the heating of said admixture under elevated temperature conditions above 2100°F
and sufficiently high and for a sufficient length of time that the oxygen contained in said naturally occurring clayey material reacts with said carbon to produce an oxide of carbon in gaseous form and said clayey material particles become viscous, said bloating agent being so evenly dispersed in said viscous clayey material that the gases are trapped in said material, forming a cellular structure in said clayey material.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said clayey material is selected from the group consisting of clay and shale.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the total time period of the heating steps ranges from 10 to 120 minutes.
4. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said flux is selected from the group consisting of the hydroxides and phosphates of sodium, potassium and lithium.
5. A method as claimed in Claim 4 wherein said bloating agent is sugar.
6. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said clayey material is bentonite.
CA255,468A 1976-06-22 1976-06-22 Cellulation method and product Expired CA1044703A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA255,468A CA1044703A (en) 1976-06-22 1976-06-22 Cellulation method and product

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA255,468A CA1044703A (en) 1976-06-22 1976-06-22 Cellulation method and product

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1044703A true CA1044703A (en) 1978-12-19

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA255,468A Expired CA1044703A (en) 1976-06-22 1976-06-22 Cellulation method and product

Country Status (1)

Country Link
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