CA1149621A - Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material - Google Patents
Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said materialInfo
- Publication number
- CA1149621A CA1149621A CA000406839A CA406839A CA1149621A CA 1149621 A CA1149621 A CA 1149621A CA 000406839 A CA000406839 A CA 000406839A CA 406839 A CA406839 A CA 406839A CA 1149621 A CA1149621 A CA 1149621A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- particles
- mass
- fluid
- nozzle
- continuous
- 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
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Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
- E02D—FOUNDATIONS; EXCAVATIONS; EMBANKMENTS; UNDERGROUND OR UNDERWATER STRUCTURES
- E02D3/00—Improving or preserving soil or rock, e.g. preserving permafrost soil
- E02D3/005—Soil-conditioning by mixing with fibrous materials, filaments, open mesh or the like
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
- B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
- B28B23/00—Arrangements specially adapted for the production of shaped articles with elements wholly or partly embedded in the moulding material; Production of reinforced objects
- B28B23/0006—Arrangements specially adapted for the production of shaped articles with elements wholly or partly embedded in the moulding material; Production of reinforced objects the reinforcement consisting of aligned, non-metal reinforcing elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
- B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
- B28B23/00—Arrangements specially adapted for the production of shaped articles with elements wholly or partly embedded in the moulding material; Production of reinforced objects
- B28B23/02—Arrangements specially adapted for the production of shaped articles with elements wholly or partly embedded in the moulding material; Production of reinforced objects wherein the elements are reinforcing members
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C04—CEMENTS; CONCRETE; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES
- C04B—LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE
- C04B20/00—Use of materials as fillers for mortars, concrete or artificial stone according to more than one of groups C04B14/00 - C04B18/00 and characterised by shape or grain distribution; Treatment of materials according to more than one of the groups C04B14/00 - C04B18/00 specially adapted to enhance their filling properties in mortars, concrete or artificial stone; Expanding or defibrillating materials
- C04B20/0048—Fibrous materials
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
- E04C5/00—Reinforcing elements, e.g. for concrete; Auxiliary elements therefor
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Agronomy & Crop Science (AREA)
- Paleontology (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Soil Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Investigation Of Foundation Soil And Reinforcement Of Foundation Soil By Compacting Or Drainage (AREA)
- Road Paving Structures (AREA)
- Press-Shaping Or Shaping Using Conveyers (AREA)
Abstract
PATENT APPLICATION
entitled: Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material.
in the name of: ETAT FRANCAIS represente par le Ministere de l'Environment et du Cadre de Vie, LABORATOIRE
CENTRAL DES POINTS ET CHAUSSEES.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention relates to a building material and to its application in particular for embankments, surfacings, or mass foundation over a loose ground.
Said material comprises at least one flexible continuous element distributed tri-dimensionally in random manner in a mass of solid particles (such as sand) so as to contribute to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles by entwining these parts.
The invention finds an application in the production of road surfacings or of foundation mass over a loose ground.
entitled: Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material.
in the name of: ETAT FRANCAIS represente par le Ministere de l'Environment et du Cadre de Vie, LABORATOIRE
CENTRAL DES POINTS ET CHAUSSEES.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention relates to a building material and to its application in particular for embankments, surfacings, or mass foundation over a loose ground.
Said material comprises at least one flexible continuous element distributed tri-dimensionally in random manner in a mass of solid particles (such as sand) so as to contribute to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles by entwining these parts.
The invention finds an application in the production of road surfacings or of foundation mass over a loose ground.
Description
T~le present invention relates to a building matcrlal composed Of solid particles of compact form SUCll as sclnd, gravel, stones, pieces of rocl~s, etc...
The invention also relateq to the applic-ation of this matcrial to the construc-tiotl of embanlcments, road or ground s~ iaci.ngs or of foundation masses over a loose gro-Lrlcl.
The invention further relatcs to a metllod and installation for producing this rnateri.al.
Materials ~re kno~.~to be used in bui.ldins works and in ci~il engineerinS in particula.r, which are composed of particles ol` varying si~es bonded to-gether by means of a binder such as cement mortar, bi.tumen, resitl~ etc. Ordina~y concrete ancl bitumen concrete are exarnples of SUCIl m~terials. The particles constitwting this family of materials can be of any nature.
The properties of these materials can be altered elther by selecting the particles, or by altering the qualltity and/or the quality of the binder. lt is noted from experiments that high resistances are obtained in that family of materials when usins a graded distril~ution of tlle constituent particles SUC]l that the visible clensity Or the resulting materi.al is close enou~ll to the average density of tlle particles proper a}ld by Usillg a quantity of binder such that it lills most of the empty spaces left by the assembling of the particlc3. Tllis result is expl.ained by the fact that both these conditions contribute to i.ncreasillg the contact surface betweell the l~inder an~l-the particles and consequently the number of bonds exist-ing between the latter, wh.ich condition is necessary for the compo~ition to have a good rnechallical strength.
;~ ' A first consequence of this is that, with a ma3s of particle~ of 1~hich the ~raded ~listribution is such th2t ~he most compact arrangement that can b~ obtairlcd ~Yith these particles cotuprise~ a high proportion of empty spaces, ~ large quantity of binder is necess~ry, which can become expensive or ~ive a physical performance too close to that Or the binder proper, or else give rise to difficulties in the practical preparation of the mixture. l'his explains how a number of available unbonded rnaterials~
whether they are natural or the result of human activities (~uch as industrial wastes or by-products) are ~lsuitable for a nulnber of uses in the form of bonded materials because of their in-adequate graded clistribution.
A second consequence is that a material of hiSh resistance because it comprises few empty spaces will have a poor permeability; this being a disadvantage in some applications.
ZO The small proportion of empty spaces, nec-essarily associated to the increased mechanical strength which can be obtained with specific components, can have other consequences wllich are bad in some applications : excessive rigidity, high heat conductivity, high voluminal mass, etc.
Moreover, the said ~lown materials -constituted of particles and bincler - need to be produced,by mixin~ and kneading the two components, this at least having two rnain consequences:
- the binder, when mixed, shoulcl be in such a physical state as to allow the mixing: liquid or pasty form, or po~der form, etc. ~he materials suitable in principle as binders cannot all come in those l~articular forms, because of the physical limits (such as temperature) imposed by the particles 6;~1 whicll need to be bound;
- the physical state in which the binder should be to allow the mixing can lead to physical and mechanical characteris-tics of the binder in the firlal ma-terial that are far removed from the rnaximal characteristics that it could show had it been used in other conditions. Indeed, a lot of materials need, in order to improve their potential ~nechanical properties, thermal or mechanical treatments (cold-hammering, drawing, laminating, extruding, etc...) which cannot be applied to a binder eitller before mixing because such mixing would no longer be possible, or after mixing because then it is no longer accessible within the mixture.
A alethod is also kno~l for givin~ a better mechanical performance to a mass of ground.
This process consists in incorporating to the soil, elements which withstand well to pulling forces and constitute reinforcements, in electroplated steel, aluminium alloy or in chromium-containing stainless ~teel. Said reinforcements are in the form of tapes, 120 mm wide, or of grids, etc... Owing to these reinforcements, the particles of soil are joined together by the soil-reinforcements contact. The material reinforced according to this techrlique shows the qualities of a powdered material and a strength ~Yhich is directly proportional to the tensile strensth of the reinforcements.
The incorporation of these reinforcing elem-ents to grounds can only be effected on thc utilization site. The successive layers of ground should be levelled, then the reinforcing elements have to be suitably arranged on the surface of each layer. This work requires much halldling and should 9~21 be effected with enough accuracy if one wants to obtain a regular distribwtion and a specific proportion of elements of reinforcement.
ln addition, the metallic tapes are relatively expensive, all the more so that they need to be made of corrosion-resisting metals. The ageing factor with such metals also has to be considered.
This reinforced ground is not therefore very widely used because of its price and of the experienced labour required for its production on the actual site, since it is not transportable.
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to propose a material with a good mechanical strength and able to be produced by a simple and reasonably cheap method.
This object is reached according to the invention due to the fact that the n~aterial comprises at least one continuous linear element which is flexible - or supple - and distributed tri-dimension-ally, at random, in a mass of solid particles ofcompact form, so that it contributes to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles.
Advantageously, the continuous element is distrlbuted substantially evenly in the mass of particles, and the latter are advantaseously jointed togeth~r.
,~dvantageously, its content, by weight, of particles is greater than that of the cor!tinuous element, said content by weight of continuous element being preferably varying between a ~ew hundredth and a few tenths.
Advantageously, the continuous element is selected from the following elements: yarn comprising at least one continuous chemical strand, textile yarn formed from di~scontinuous fibres, wire, metal tape, narrow band, fil~:rill.ate blade.
Advantageously, ~he cOntinuous element constitutes the only binding means between the 5 particles.
As an altcrnative, the rnaterial f~ther compriseq a bincling agent wllicll contri.butes to bindirlg together -the continllous element and the particle.s, and to binding -t]~e particles ~ogetller.
Advantageously-, the ~i.ncling agerlt is selec-ted from the following products: llydra~llic binder, hydrocarbon binder, pozzolana bincler added with lime, chemical binder.
Advantageously, the particles are selected 1.5 from the following types of par-ticles: sand, gravel, stones, pieces of natural rocks, fragments of natural soils, artificial aggregates, concrete blocks, solid domestic or industrial wastes~
The material accorcling to the inven-tion 20 i9 advantageously produced according to the follow-ing method whereby a flow of fluid is created and a mass of solid particles of concentrated - or compact -form are introdu¢ed into said flow to~ether with at least one flexible - or supple - contimuous linear element, then the particles and tlle contin-lous element are mixed together homogelleol1sly and collect-ed on a s-lpport and separated from the fl~lid.
Advant~geously, the said flow of fluid is a flc~w of licl~licl which liquid is removc-d when the constiluer-~s of` the said mixt~e are collected on the .support.
Said metllod is advantageously performed in an installation which, according to the invention, comprises means for creatins a flow of fluid, means for supplying the said continuous element, 6Zl means for bringing the said element into the said flow of fluid, means for gradually mixing up the said fluid, the said continuous element and a certain proportion of the said mass of particles, and means for removing the fluid from the said mixture.
An aspect of the invention is as follows:
Apparatus for producing a building material, which building material comprises flexible tri-dimensional reinforcement disposed in a mass of solid particles of compact form and contributing to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles, wherein said reinforcement comprises at least a flexible, continuous, linear element distributed tri-dimensionally, in random manner, within said mass of particles and creating said cohesion by entwining said parts of said mass of particles, said apparatus comprising means for creating a flow of fluid, means for supplying the said continuous element, means for bringing the said continuous element into the flow of fluid, means for mixing progressively the said fluid, the said continuous element and a certain proportion of the said mass of particles, and means for draining the fluid from the said mixture.
~9~1 -6a-The invention will be more readily under-stood on reading the follol~ing description of several embodiments with reference to the accompanying ~rawinss in wllich:
- Fi.gure 1 is a diagrammatical elevation of a first embodiment of an installati.on for producing the material according to the invention;
- E~igure 2 is a diagrammatical elevation of a second embodiment of an instal.lation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Figl~e ~ is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a third embodiment of an installation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Figure 4 is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a fourth embodiment of an installation forproducing the material according to the invention;
- ~igure 5 is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a fifth embodiment of an installation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Fig~u-e 6 is a par-tial diagralll of` a sixth embodimen-t of an installation for producing the material according to the invelltion.
Thus the material according to the invention is consti.tuted of a random mixture of particles of concentra-ted - or compact - form and of wires or yarns or continuous flexible tapes and/or their combinations.
Advantageously the particles are rigid.
Advantageously the parti.cles constitute 9~21 the largest part of the ma-terial in weight pro-portion. Particles of a different nature or orisin may be added to the material. Amongst swi~able ones, can be cited:
- natural mineral particles such as sand, gravel, stones, pieces of natural rocks, fine soils, etc...;
- natural mineral particles, treated (by crushing, sur~`ace treatments, etc...) and/or selected by screening, sifting, sedimentation or any other selecting means, forming a mixture of con-trolled grading composition and -the properties (shape, surface characteris~ics, etc...) whose particle3 have been improved;
- reconstituted mirleral particles: concrete blocks, artificial a~sgrega-te composed of sand and slack bonded together with a binder, arti~icial mineral agsre~ate of all natures such as expanded clay, expanded schist, etc..., which particles come from the grinding, by any method, o~ a concrete or of any other type of bonded material such as ~ravel or sand cement gravel or sand bitumen, gravel or slag sand, etc...;
- particles, whether mineral or not, of industrial origjn.
The gradin~s of the partlcles constituting the material may be e~tremely varied, both in ma~imum or average sizes of the particles and in the graded distribu-tion, depending on the intended object and/or on the conditions o~ production.
The wires, yarns, small laminae (or srnall bands) or fibrillate strips which constitute the main component of the material object of the invention are continuous elements. Within the scope of the invention, tlle terrn "continuous" sllould be interpreted in the way it is normally interpreted 6;~1 in the textile industry, name:Ly thclt -the elemerlts used are of great length wi-th respect ~o fibres of natural origin (whose length is norrnally only a few centimetres), or with respect to cut chemical fibres such as those are used in industry.
The above-mentioned continuous wires, yarns, tapes, small bands can be produced inmlediately before beins mixed with the particles, OI' they can be produced industrially and re-used for tl~s mixing 10 under an appropriate form treels, skeins, etc), The nature of the wires, yarns, tapes or ~mall bands -used in the material needs to be such that their mecllanical properties are good enougll for the final material to give a good mechanical performance.
In the case Or yarns, the nature of -the fibres or strands forming part of them can be varied:
animal or vegetable natural fibres, chemical and/or metallic filalnent of fibres.
The yarns~ small bands or fibrillate laminae can be of chemical and/or metallic nature.
All the continuous wires, yarns, tapes, small bands and fibrillate laminae and their combinations~
will be desi~nated hereinafter as continuous elements.
The proportion by weight of continuous elements in the material can advantageously Yary between a low rate value percent and a very low rate value per ten-thousandth for example.
Different parameters can be used to describe the material, SUCII as for example:
- parameters describing all tlle particles (nature, mechanical properties, dimensions, shape, grading distribution, parameters describing the geom -e~trical disposition, etc...);
~ - parameters describing the continuous 9~
elements (nature, transverse dintensions, mecharlical properties, etc...);
- parameters describing the relations inside the material between thc mass of particles and the network - or assembly - of continuous *lemell-ts, and in particular amon$st these:
. the volumeral and weight percentages of the continuous elements, ~itll reYpect to the particles, . the avert-lge len~tll L Or the continuous elements per Ulit of volume of the material, . the dimension M of the average -theoretical cubical mesh which would correspond to a tri-dimensional cubical network of -the same value L, . the geometrical distribution of the continuous elements inside the material, - parameters describing the overall per-formance of the material in relation to the uses made of it.
According to another embodiment, the material according to the lnvention comprises in addition to the particles and to the continuous elements, a complementary binder or other additive.
Said binder can be either a hydraulic binder (cement, lime, etc...), or a hydrocarbon bincler (bitwl1erl, tar, etc...), or a pozzolana binder adcled ~ith lime (suitable pozzolana binder are natural pozzolana or flue dust from heat power sta-tions), or a chemical binder (resin).
The material obtained accordin~ -to the invention is constituted by the imbricatioll of a mass of particles and a tri-dimensional network of cont illUO US elcments.
The said continuous elements are dls-tributed - or dlsposed - in disorder inside the mass of particles; each section - or part - of saicl 6Zl continuous elements is randomly orientated and arranged iIl -Che space, the distribution of said sections being deperlclent on the conditions of production and of use.
The main part played by the continuous elc~lents with respect to the mass of particles, is two-fold. I-t is:
1. To contribute to the mecllallical strength of the mixture. The mechanical interaction of the network of continuous elements and of the rnass of particles is complex. The continuous elemen-ts are - stretched, when deformations occur in tlle nlass of particles, by different mechanisms, amongst ~Yhich :
the friction between the continuous elements and the particles, the stretchin5 of any loops formed by the continuous elements inside the mass of particles, the interlacing of the continuous elements, which limits the possibilities of movement of the continuous elements inside the mass of particles. The tensile strensttl of the continuous elements then opposes the deformations of the material. The great length of the continuous elements largely contributes to these mechanisms appearing and as a result plays a great part in the overall strength of the material to whicll participates a mass of material which is all the greater tha~ the very long continuous elements transmit the `orces very far from the area initially acted upon.
The invention also relateq to the applic-ation of this matcrial to the construc-tiotl of embanlcments, road or ground s~ iaci.ngs or of foundation masses over a loose gro-Lrlcl.
The invention further relatcs to a metllod and installation for producing this rnateri.al.
Materials ~re kno~.~to be used in bui.ldins works and in ci~il engineerinS in particula.r, which are composed of particles ol` varying si~es bonded to-gether by means of a binder such as cement mortar, bi.tumen, resitl~ etc. Ordina~y concrete ancl bitumen concrete are exarnples of SUCIl m~terials. The particles constitwting this family of materials can be of any nature.
The properties of these materials can be altered elther by selecting the particles, or by altering the qualltity and/or the quality of the binder. lt is noted from experiments that high resistances are obtained in that family of materials when usins a graded distril~ution of tlle constituent particles SUC]l that the visible clensity Or the resulting materi.al is close enou~ll to the average density of tlle particles proper a}ld by Usillg a quantity of binder such that it lills most of the empty spaces left by the assembling of the particlc3. Tllis result is expl.ained by the fact that both these conditions contribute to i.ncreasillg the contact surface betweell the l~inder an~l-the particles and consequently the number of bonds exist-ing between the latter, wh.ich condition is necessary for the compo~ition to have a good rnechallical strength.
;~ ' A first consequence of this is that, with a ma3s of particle~ of 1~hich the ~raded ~listribution is such th2t ~he most compact arrangement that can b~ obtairlcd ~Yith these particles cotuprise~ a high proportion of empty spaces, ~ large quantity of binder is necess~ry, which can become expensive or ~ive a physical performance too close to that Or the binder proper, or else give rise to difficulties in the practical preparation of the mixture. l'his explains how a number of available unbonded rnaterials~
whether they are natural or the result of human activities (~uch as industrial wastes or by-products) are ~lsuitable for a nulnber of uses in the form of bonded materials because of their in-adequate graded clistribution.
A second consequence is that a material of hiSh resistance because it comprises few empty spaces will have a poor permeability; this being a disadvantage in some applications.
ZO The small proportion of empty spaces, nec-essarily associated to the increased mechanical strength which can be obtained with specific components, can have other consequences wllich are bad in some applications : excessive rigidity, high heat conductivity, high voluminal mass, etc.
Moreover, the said ~lown materials -constituted of particles and bincler - need to be produced,by mixin~ and kneading the two components, this at least having two rnain consequences:
- the binder, when mixed, shoulcl be in such a physical state as to allow the mixing: liquid or pasty form, or po~der form, etc. ~he materials suitable in principle as binders cannot all come in those l~articular forms, because of the physical limits (such as temperature) imposed by the particles 6;~1 whicll need to be bound;
- the physical state in which the binder should be to allow the mixing can lead to physical and mechanical characteris-tics of the binder in the firlal ma-terial that are far removed from the rnaximal characteristics that it could show had it been used in other conditions. Indeed, a lot of materials need, in order to improve their potential ~nechanical properties, thermal or mechanical treatments (cold-hammering, drawing, laminating, extruding, etc...) which cannot be applied to a binder eitller before mixing because such mixing would no longer be possible, or after mixing because then it is no longer accessible within the mixture.
A alethod is also kno~l for givin~ a better mechanical performance to a mass of ground.
This process consists in incorporating to the soil, elements which withstand well to pulling forces and constitute reinforcements, in electroplated steel, aluminium alloy or in chromium-containing stainless ~teel. Said reinforcements are in the form of tapes, 120 mm wide, or of grids, etc... Owing to these reinforcements, the particles of soil are joined together by the soil-reinforcements contact. The material reinforced according to this techrlique shows the qualities of a powdered material and a strength ~Yhich is directly proportional to the tensile strensth of the reinforcements.
The incorporation of these reinforcing elem-ents to grounds can only be effected on thc utilization site. The successive layers of ground should be levelled, then the reinforcing elements have to be suitably arranged on the surface of each layer. This work requires much halldling and should 9~21 be effected with enough accuracy if one wants to obtain a regular distribwtion and a specific proportion of elements of reinforcement.
ln addition, the metallic tapes are relatively expensive, all the more so that they need to be made of corrosion-resisting metals. The ageing factor with such metals also has to be considered.
This reinforced ground is not therefore very widely used because of its price and of the experienced labour required for its production on the actual site, since it is not transportable.
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to propose a material with a good mechanical strength and able to be produced by a simple and reasonably cheap method.
This object is reached according to the invention due to the fact that the n~aterial comprises at least one continuous linear element which is flexible - or supple - and distributed tri-dimension-ally, at random, in a mass of solid particles ofcompact form, so that it contributes to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles.
Advantageously, the continuous element is distrlbuted substantially evenly in the mass of particles, and the latter are advantaseously jointed togeth~r.
,~dvantageously, its content, by weight, of particles is greater than that of the cor!tinuous element, said content by weight of continuous element being preferably varying between a ~ew hundredth and a few tenths.
Advantageously, the continuous element is selected from the following elements: yarn comprising at least one continuous chemical strand, textile yarn formed from di~scontinuous fibres, wire, metal tape, narrow band, fil~:rill.ate blade.
Advantageously, ~he cOntinuous element constitutes the only binding means between the 5 particles.
As an altcrnative, the rnaterial f~ther compriseq a bincling agent wllicll contri.butes to bindirlg together -the continllous element and the particle.s, and to binding -t]~e particles ~ogetller.
Advantageously-, the ~i.ncling agerlt is selec-ted from the following products: llydra~llic binder, hydrocarbon binder, pozzolana bincler added with lime, chemical binder.
Advantageously, the particles are selected 1.5 from the following types of par-ticles: sand, gravel, stones, pieces of natural rocks, fragments of natural soils, artificial aggregates, concrete blocks, solid domestic or industrial wastes~
The material accorcling to the inven-tion 20 i9 advantageously produced according to the follow-ing method whereby a flow of fluid is created and a mass of solid particles of concentrated - or compact -form are introdu¢ed into said flow to~ether with at least one flexible - or supple - contimuous linear element, then the particles and tlle contin-lous element are mixed together homogelleol1sly and collect-ed on a s-lpport and separated from the fl~lid.
Advant~geously, the said flow of fluid is a flc~w of licl~licl which liquid is removc-d when the constiluer-~s of` the said mixt~e are collected on the .support.
Said metllod is advantageously performed in an installation which, according to the invention, comprises means for creatins a flow of fluid, means for supplying the said continuous element, 6Zl means for bringing the said element into the said flow of fluid, means for gradually mixing up the said fluid, the said continuous element and a certain proportion of the said mass of particles, and means for removing the fluid from the said mixture.
An aspect of the invention is as follows:
Apparatus for producing a building material, which building material comprises flexible tri-dimensional reinforcement disposed in a mass of solid particles of compact form and contributing to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles, wherein said reinforcement comprises at least a flexible, continuous, linear element distributed tri-dimensionally, in random manner, within said mass of particles and creating said cohesion by entwining said parts of said mass of particles, said apparatus comprising means for creating a flow of fluid, means for supplying the said continuous element, means for bringing the said continuous element into the flow of fluid, means for mixing progressively the said fluid, the said continuous element and a certain proportion of the said mass of particles, and means for draining the fluid from the said mixture.
~9~1 -6a-The invention will be more readily under-stood on reading the follol~ing description of several embodiments with reference to the accompanying ~rawinss in wllich:
- Fi.gure 1 is a diagrammatical elevation of a first embodiment of an installati.on for producing the material according to the invention;
- E~igure 2 is a diagrammatical elevation of a second embodiment of an instal.lation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Figl~e ~ is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a third embodiment of an installation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Figure 4 is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a fourth embodiment of an installation forproducing the material according to the invention;
- ~igure 5 is a partial diagrammatical elevation of a fifth embodiment of an installation for producing the material according to the invention;
- Fig~u-e 6 is a par-tial diagralll of` a sixth embodimen-t of an installation for producing the material according to the invelltion.
Thus the material according to the invention is consti.tuted of a random mixture of particles of concentra-ted - or compact - form and of wires or yarns or continuous flexible tapes and/or their combinations.
Advantageously the particles are rigid.
Advantageously the parti.cles constitute 9~21 the largest part of the ma-terial in weight pro-portion. Particles of a different nature or orisin may be added to the material. Amongst swi~able ones, can be cited:
- natural mineral particles such as sand, gravel, stones, pieces of natural rocks, fine soils, etc...;
- natural mineral particles, treated (by crushing, sur~`ace treatments, etc...) and/or selected by screening, sifting, sedimentation or any other selecting means, forming a mixture of con-trolled grading composition and -the properties (shape, surface characteris~ics, etc...) whose particle3 have been improved;
- reconstituted mirleral particles: concrete blocks, artificial a~sgrega-te composed of sand and slack bonded together with a binder, arti~icial mineral agsre~ate of all natures such as expanded clay, expanded schist, etc..., which particles come from the grinding, by any method, o~ a concrete or of any other type of bonded material such as ~ravel or sand cement gravel or sand bitumen, gravel or slag sand, etc...;
- particles, whether mineral or not, of industrial origjn.
The gradin~s of the partlcles constituting the material may be e~tremely varied, both in ma~imum or average sizes of the particles and in the graded distribu-tion, depending on the intended object and/or on the conditions o~ production.
The wires, yarns, small laminae (or srnall bands) or fibrillate strips which constitute the main component of the material object of the invention are continuous elements. Within the scope of the invention, tlle terrn "continuous" sllould be interpreted in the way it is normally interpreted 6;~1 in the textile industry, name:Ly thclt -the elemerlts used are of great length wi-th respect ~o fibres of natural origin (whose length is norrnally only a few centimetres), or with respect to cut chemical fibres such as those are used in industry.
The above-mentioned continuous wires, yarns, tapes, small bands can be produced inmlediately before beins mixed with the particles, OI' they can be produced industrially and re-used for tl~s mixing 10 under an appropriate form treels, skeins, etc), The nature of the wires, yarns, tapes or ~mall bands -used in the material needs to be such that their mecllanical properties are good enougll for the final material to give a good mechanical performance.
In the case Or yarns, the nature of -the fibres or strands forming part of them can be varied:
animal or vegetable natural fibres, chemical and/or metallic filalnent of fibres.
The yarns~ small bands or fibrillate laminae can be of chemical and/or metallic nature.
All the continuous wires, yarns, tapes, small bands and fibrillate laminae and their combinations~
will be desi~nated hereinafter as continuous elements.
The proportion by weight of continuous elements in the material can advantageously Yary between a low rate value percent and a very low rate value per ten-thousandth for example.
Different parameters can be used to describe the material, SUCII as for example:
- parameters describing all tlle particles (nature, mechanical properties, dimensions, shape, grading distribution, parameters describing the geom -e~trical disposition, etc...);
~ - parameters describing the continuous 9~
elements (nature, transverse dintensions, mecharlical properties, etc...);
- parameters describing the relations inside the material between thc mass of particles and the network - or assembly - of continuous *lemell-ts, and in particular amon$st these:
. the volumeral and weight percentages of the continuous elements, ~itll reYpect to the particles, . the avert-lge len~tll L Or the continuous elements per Ulit of volume of the material, . the dimension M of the average -theoretical cubical mesh which would correspond to a tri-dimensional cubical network of -the same value L, . the geometrical distribution of the continuous elements inside the material, - parameters describing the overall per-formance of the material in relation to the uses made of it.
According to another embodiment, the material according to the lnvention comprises in addition to the particles and to the continuous elements, a complementary binder or other additive.
Said binder can be either a hydraulic binder (cement, lime, etc...), or a hydrocarbon bincler (bitwl1erl, tar, etc...), or a pozzolana binder adcled ~ith lime (suitable pozzolana binder are natural pozzolana or flue dust from heat power sta-tions), or a chemical binder (resin).
The material obtained accordin~ -to the invention is constituted by the imbricatioll of a mass of particles and a tri-dimensional network of cont illUO US elcments.
The said continuous elements are dls-tributed - or dlsposed - in disorder inside the mass of particles; each section - or part - of saicl 6Zl continuous elements is randomly orientated and arranged iIl -Che space, the distribution of said sections being deperlclent on the conditions of production and of use.
The main part played by the continuous elc~lents with respect to the mass of particles, is two-fold. I-t is:
1. To contribute to the mecllallical strength of the mixture. The mechanical interaction of the network of continuous elements and of the rnass of particles is complex. The continuous elemen-ts are - stretched, when deformations occur in tlle nlass of particles, by different mechanisms, amongst ~Yhich :
the friction between the continuous elements and the particles, the stretchin5 of any loops formed by the continuous elements inside the mass of particles, the interlacing of the continuous elements, which limits the possibilities of movement of the continuous elements inside the mass of particles. The tensile strensttl of the continuous elements then opposes the deformations of the material. The great length of the continuous elements largely contributes to these mechanisms appearing and as a result plays a great part in the overall strength of the material to whicll participates a mass of material which is all the greater tha~ the very long continuous elements transmit the `orces very far from the area initially acted upon.
2. To improve the resistance to internal or external erosion of the mass of particles, following the imbrication of the particles inside the network of continllous elements, in particular ~Yith respect to erosion due to water running or infiltratin5.
The resistance to érosion will improve all the more that the ratio of M to the average di~snsion z~
of the particlcs is small.
The material obtained according to the invention shows a number of basic proper-ties which, for many applications, have considerable advantages compared with currently available materials.
1. The material constituting the continuous elements (wires, yarns, tapes, small bands and their combinatiolls) is used in a form wllich is much more efficiellt , for equal quant]ty, thall a bulk binder, to resist the pulling forces occurring inside the mass of particles sub jected to stresses.
The continuous elements can indeed be produced by an industrial process capable of developing the potential mechanical properties of the material composing them; for example they can be subjected to a controlled drawing sui-table for obtaining opti-mum mechanical properties, such as tensile strength for example.
2. The use of the mater:ial constituting the continuous elements in the form of wires, yarns, tapes, small bands, or fibrillate strips and/or their combinations permits an efficient transmission of the forces inside the material whilst occupying only a very small fraction of the ernpty spaces in the granular mass. This gives a number of great advantages; for example:
a) it is possible to use a much lower proportion hy weight or volume of the material constituting the continuous elelnents with respect to the wllole material than in the case of a bulk binder, to obtain the same mechanical rcsult;
b) it is possible to obtain a material of quality with a mass of particles of so-called hollow or discontinuous grading, - i.e. of a grading allowing a very high proportion of empty spaces -, whereas such a result is very difficult to obtain with a ~ ~19~21 bullc binder without correcting the gr~dins. This advantage i5 especially irnportant to improve the available material of which the grading is unsui.tabl.e for treatments with a bulk binder;
5 c) since the empty spaces in the mass of particles are not filled with a mortar or a binder, it is possible to obtai.n a material with altogether a high perrneability, a sood mechanical resistance an(1 a soocl resistance to erosion; th.i~ result i~
particularly advantageous for many applicntions in which the hydraulic conductivity of tha material s a factor of major importance;
d) since the empty spaces in the mass of particles are not filled wi.th mortar, it is possible to obtain a material which has both a low heat conductivity and good mechanical resistance;
e) for the same reason, it is possible to obtain a material with a low density and a good mechanical strength.
The resistance to érosion will improve all the more that the ratio of M to the average di~snsion z~
of the particlcs is small.
The material obtained according to the invention shows a number of basic proper-ties which, for many applications, have considerable advantages compared with currently available materials.
1. The material constituting the continuous elements (wires, yarns, tapes, small bands and their combinatiolls) is used in a form wllich is much more efficiellt , for equal quant]ty, thall a bulk binder, to resist the pulling forces occurring inside the mass of particles sub jected to stresses.
The continuous elements can indeed be produced by an industrial process capable of developing the potential mechanical properties of the material composing them; for example they can be subjected to a controlled drawing sui-table for obtaining opti-mum mechanical properties, such as tensile strength for example.
2. The use of the mater:ial constituting the continuous elements in the form of wires, yarns, tapes, small bands, or fibrillate strips and/or their combinations permits an efficient transmission of the forces inside the material whilst occupying only a very small fraction of the ernpty spaces in the granular mass. This gives a number of great advantages; for example:
a) it is possible to use a much lower proportion hy weight or volume of the material constituting the continuous elelnents with respect to the wllole material than in the case of a bulk binder, to obtain the same mechanical rcsult;
b) it is possible to obtain a material of quality with a mass of particles of so-called hollow or discontinuous grading, - i.e. of a grading allowing a very high proportion of empty spaces -, whereas such a result is very difficult to obtain with a ~ ~19~21 bullc binder without correcting the gr~dins. This advantage i5 especially irnportant to improve the available material of which the grading is unsui.tabl.e for treatments with a bulk binder;
5 c) since the empty spaces in the mass of particles are not filled with a mortar or a binder, it is possible to obtai.n a material with altogether a high perrneability, a sood mechanical resistance an(1 a soocl resistance to erosion; th.i~ result i~
particularly advantageous for many applicntions in which the hydraulic conductivity of tha material s a factor of major importance;
d) since the empty spaces in the mass of particles are not filled wi.th mortar, it is possible to obtain a material which has both a low heat conductivity and good mechanical resistance;
e) for the same reason, it is possible to obtain a material with a low density and a good mechanical strength.
3. From a mechanical standpoint, it is possible to produce materials which are both strong and of controllable deformability by a judicious selection of the material constitutinS the continuouq elements, of the proportion o~ the 2~ continuous elemerlts used ir~ the rnass of particles and their seometrical distribution therein. Now, it is important, when plarming a work, to be able to choose materials of required deformability, neither too low nor too high, in order to solve the problems of distribution of stresses between ~ifferent elements of a product or between the ~round and the product. The materials bonded with bulk binders are often either excessively rigid or prone to cre~PinS
4. The stresses inqide the material accord-.~ti~ 621 ing to the invention are di~ided and transmitted in two complementary and more or less independent ways occurring respectively in each of two dimension-al ranges of the material: these stresses are tran~mitted on the one hand, from one particle to another inside the mass of particle, on the other hand, throu~h the networlc of continuous elements.
The complementary nature of these two transmission modes affords a compe~lsation of the 1OCA1 heterOgeneit-ies and, as a re~ult, a better overall mechanic~lhomogeneity; for example, a localized weakness (compressibility, fragility, etc...) of one or more particles will not constitute a defect which can be at the origin of a breaking process.
The conditions in which a material has been produced are siven hereunder, by way of e~ample:
- particle : sand of grading 0.2 to 2 mm;
- continuous element : untwisted yarn of - 17 te~ formed ~y l~6 strands of polyester;
- percentase by weight of yarn with respect to the sand: 0.14 per cent;
- L = 0.125 m/cm3;
- M = 4.9 mm.
The yarn is incorporated to the sand as follows (see Figure 1):
- the sand 1 is brought in at a controlled rate by an endless belt 2;
- the sand 1 falls into the hopper 3 where it is carried a~ay with water sprayed in 4 by a nozzle or spreader jet 5;
- ~der the hopper 3, a constant flow of water and sand 6 is created, the form and speed of which are controlled;
- a pneumatic delivery gun 7 projects, towards the flow G a yarn 8 which comes from a reel 9;
, 9~1 l4 the yarl~/sancl do~a$e is l;hUS co~trolled by tlle colltrol of the flow o~ salld ~nd ~ c speed of`
projection o~ t~le yarn ~;
_ t]lO sallcl I yarn ~ water mixture settLes on a support lO, in layers successi~ely covering one another progressively with the flol~, whilst the water is drained naturally by gravity for example towards the outlets lOa Or the support lO.
T]le material produced t]liS way has a dry density Or about 1.5 g/cm3. Placed in a containe~
of low rigidity (PVC) and subjected, at that density, to a punching test using a circular punch of 50 mm diameter, the force needed for driving in punches of l mm is ~proximately l ton, this corresponding to approximately 50 kg/cm2, pressure without common measure with the punching pressure of the same sand containing no yarns and placed at the same density.
The material according to the invention finds a special application in building and civil engineering (including agricultural engineering, etc...).
Amongst possible applications for the material according to the invention, the following one is given by way of example and non-restrictively.
This application is illustrated in l~igure 2 and cons-ists in the inexpensive production of a road on a sandy ground, unsuited, in its natural state, to receive vehicles. The work is effected on a natural ground composed of clean sand of grading : 0.2 to l mm when dry.
A super~icial layer ll of the sand of the laid-out track is removed by means of a loading excavator 12 which supplies a conveyor belt 13;
said latter, which is situated in parallel to -the lay-out of the track, is meant to drop the sand 9 ~ ~1 back on the tracls lay-out via a hydraulic cyclone -or hopper 1~ -. The form and rate of the flow of sand and water 15 permit to resettle the sand regularly over the track lay-out. ~hilst the sand is dropping ; on to the ground, yarns 17, supplied from a reel 90, are projected pneumatically by a device 70 on to the sand and is incorporated therein. These yarns are polyester yarns of 40 decitex, in the proportion of 0.1% by weigllt of the sand.
In view o~ the width of the machine which is 2 metres, the operation is repeated over several parallelchannels the number of which is dependent on the width proposed for the track. Another solution consists in producin$ the material in a specific place and in transportinS and spreading it.
The assembly of layers 16 deposited on the ground, is then compacted and covered with a super-ficial coating uhich will be described hereinafter.
If it is considered advantageous for the fastening o.~ the superficial coating (and this is dependent on the type of vehicles called upon to travel on the road), the yarn projection method can be controlled so that the density of the yarns 17 on the surface of the layer 16 is higher than anywhere else in the thickness of the layer.
The superficial coating is produced as follows:
An emulsion of bitumen of 0.5 l/m2 is spread, then a non-woven textile sheet of 150 g/m2, is laid thereon, the latter adhering to the subjacent layer by way of bitumen and yarns, ~hich joins it to the mass. A second layer of emulsion and a layer of gravel complete the superficial coating.
In the aforesaid application, thee~uivalent theoretical cubic mesh M has a value of 2.1 mm and ,C~
the lensth of tl~e yarn per unit of volw o.6~ 111/C1113.
A common rolling f`rame 18, whlcl~ may be automo~ive, supports the endless belt 13, tlle ; excavator 12 and if necessary the elements 14, 70 and 90.
Another application of tlle material describ-ed herei.nabove is the producti.on of a f`o~uldation mass for oil drilling worl~s at sea.
A coarse sand of 1 to 3 mm grad.i.ng is dredged on a suitable site and transported by barges on the working site. Said sand is picked up by hydraulic means and polyamide yarns of 100 decitex are incorporated to the sand by direct hydraulic drive means.
The dosage by weight of the yarns is of 0.2/o of the weight of the sand (M = 3 mnl). The sand + yarns mixture is deposited on the sea bed to progressively constitute a fo~mdation mass which resists erosion during the making up phase and l~hiCIl S}IOWS goo(l mechanical properties. A final external protection is given by depositi.ng, using the same method, a coarser divided material, of between 5 and 10 mm grading, the yarns bcing yarns f 150 decitex, in the proportion. by weight of` 0.3%
by weight of the divided material (M=3mm).
Other possible applications of the material according to the invention:
- superficial layer to protec-t a sandy area (such as a desertic area) against ~Yind erosion.
- light and insulating material.s constituted by the material obtained accordins to the invention T~herein the particles are lightweight aggregates (expanded clay for example);
- draining and filtering layer for sur-facing banks or for cost protection;
96Z~
- mass embankment wi-th a steeper slope than would allow the particles used Wit]lOUt continuous elements;
- mass embankment resisting to erosion;
- surfacing material resisting to erosion;
- substratum of a concrete road;
- substratum for railway lines.
Figure 3 shows a conveyor belt 19 supplying the granular material 20, and associated to a flow regulating device constituted by a scraper 21 extending crosswise above the belt 19 at an adjustable distance whicll is dependent upon the desired rate of flow. Said belt 19 is driven in the direction of arrow F by a motor ~. The unloading end of the belt 19 is situated above a hopper 22, cylindro-conical in shape which is also supplied with water via a pipe 23 the supply end 23a of which is helical-shaped so as to communicate a vortex motion to the water distributed by said pipe. The hopper 22 i~
placed above a receivinS surface 24 advantageously constituted by a sieve which is provided to allow the removal of the water from the solid materials.
A device for supplying filiforlll reinforcem-ent elements, such as for example a t0xti1e or plastic yarn 25 of indefinite 10llSth is provided on the outside of the llopper. Said supply device comprises a 9uppl~ reel, a pair of drivins rollers 9 for driving the yarn 25 and a compressed air gun 27 for suidin~s the yarn towards the whirling mixture of sand and water~ coming out of ~h~ hopper 22.
The method carried out with the lnstallation according to the invention consists in pouring a predetermined quantity of granular material 20 in the hopper 22 inside which hopper is immediately created a vortex of water 29 which mixes with the granular material and carries it in its whirling motion.
., 96Zl lo At the outlet of the hopper 22, the water and the granular material form a tubular flow 30 which, under the effect of tangential force, flares out in descent as a sort of sheet of sludge twirling turbulently. It is in that part of the flow that the yarn is brought by reels 27 which fix the supply of -the yarn and by the gun 28 which, in its jet of compressed air, guides the yarn 25 into the mixture of granular material and liquid 30. The liquid takes the yarn into its whirling motion directins it towards the receiving surface 6 where tlle said yarn mixes with the sranular material as the latter settles, whereas the water is evacuated through the holes 24a provided in the receivinS surface 24. The yarn 25 could, as in the case of Figure 2, be incorporated to the flow of water and sand in tlle hopper 22. It is also possible to simultaneously incorporate several yarns, either in one single part, or indifferent parts of the flow of liquid.
The device sho~1 in Figure 4 uses a double ejector. Such device comprises a nozzle 31, connected to a source of pressurized water not shown.
The nozzle 31 issues into a pipe 32 connected laterally via a pipe 32a to a source of filiform element 33. The pipe 32 narrows towards tho base anfl issues into a larger pipe 34 which commurlicates later-ally with a source of sand 35; sai~ latter can be supplied by means similar to those sho~ in Figure 1 for example.
The depression created in the pipe 32 at the outlet of the nozzle 31 sucks in the yarn of the reel 33, which yarn is carried wi-th the water t]lrough the pipe 32. The depression created in thepipe 34 at the outlet of tlle pipe 32 sucks in the sand from tlle source 35. Such a de~ice should work 9~
with a dry sand or else, means sl-ould be provided to prevent the sand from clogging up between the reserve of sand 35 and the pipe 34.
Figur~ 5 si~ows a variant embodiment Wit}l one ejector, which comprises a nozzle 36, into wl~ich issues a pipe 37 for guiding a yarn 37a. Said nozzle 36 issues into a pipe 38 which communicates laterally via a conduit 3~a with a tank 39 containing a mixture of sand and water stirred by an agitator ~10.
The water is brought under pressure into the nozzle 36 and creates a depression at the outlet 36a of the nozzle, which depression sucl~s in the mixture o~ water and sand of the tank 39 together with the reinforcing yarn 37a in order to deposit the said mixture on to a support, not shown, wherefrom the water is drained off.
~ inally, ~igure 6 shows another variant embodiment comprising one ejector 41 connected to a source of pressurized water via a lateral pipe 42 and to a reel of yarn 43 via a pipe 44. The yarn 43a carried by the depression created by the water flow at the level of the outlet 44a of the pipe 44, is directed with the spray of water 45 sent by the ejector 41 into a layer of granular material 46.
The pressure of the spray of water causes the liquid to penetrate the layer 46 to a certain dep~h which depth is dependent upon the pressure and the said liquid carries the yarn into the said layer wilst mixing it witl~ the sand. A relative movement between the spray of water and the layer of sand ensures the distribution of the yarn.
The complementary nature of these two transmission modes affords a compe~lsation of the 1OCA1 heterOgeneit-ies and, as a re~ult, a better overall mechanic~lhomogeneity; for example, a localized weakness (compressibility, fragility, etc...) of one or more particles will not constitute a defect which can be at the origin of a breaking process.
The conditions in which a material has been produced are siven hereunder, by way of e~ample:
- particle : sand of grading 0.2 to 2 mm;
- continuous element : untwisted yarn of - 17 te~ formed ~y l~6 strands of polyester;
- percentase by weight of yarn with respect to the sand: 0.14 per cent;
- L = 0.125 m/cm3;
- M = 4.9 mm.
The yarn is incorporated to the sand as follows (see Figure 1):
- the sand 1 is brought in at a controlled rate by an endless belt 2;
- the sand 1 falls into the hopper 3 where it is carried a~ay with water sprayed in 4 by a nozzle or spreader jet 5;
- ~der the hopper 3, a constant flow of water and sand 6 is created, the form and speed of which are controlled;
- a pneumatic delivery gun 7 projects, towards the flow G a yarn 8 which comes from a reel 9;
, 9~1 l4 the yarl~/sancl do~a$e is l;hUS co~trolled by tlle colltrol of the flow o~ salld ~nd ~ c speed of`
projection o~ t~le yarn ~;
_ t]lO sallcl I yarn ~ water mixture settLes on a support lO, in layers successi~ely covering one another progressively with the flol~, whilst the water is drained naturally by gravity for example towards the outlets lOa Or the support lO.
T]le material produced t]liS way has a dry density Or about 1.5 g/cm3. Placed in a containe~
of low rigidity (PVC) and subjected, at that density, to a punching test using a circular punch of 50 mm diameter, the force needed for driving in punches of l mm is ~proximately l ton, this corresponding to approximately 50 kg/cm2, pressure without common measure with the punching pressure of the same sand containing no yarns and placed at the same density.
The material according to the invention finds a special application in building and civil engineering (including agricultural engineering, etc...).
Amongst possible applications for the material according to the invention, the following one is given by way of example and non-restrictively.
This application is illustrated in l~igure 2 and cons-ists in the inexpensive production of a road on a sandy ground, unsuited, in its natural state, to receive vehicles. The work is effected on a natural ground composed of clean sand of grading : 0.2 to l mm when dry.
A super~icial layer ll of the sand of the laid-out track is removed by means of a loading excavator 12 which supplies a conveyor belt 13;
said latter, which is situated in parallel to -the lay-out of the track, is meant to drop the sand 9 ~ ~1 back on the tracls lay-out via a hydraulic cyclone -or hopper 1~ -. The form and rate of the flow of sand and water 15 permit to resettle the sand regularly over the track lay-out. ~hilst the sand is dropping ; on to the ground, yarns 17, supplied from a reel 90, are projected pneumatically by a device 70 on to the sand and is incorporated therein. These yarns are polyester yarns of 40 decitex, in the proportion of 0.1% by weigllt of the sand.
In view o~ the width of the machine which is 2 metres, the operation is repeated over several parallelchannels the number of which is dependent on the width proposed for the track. Another solution consists in producin$ the material in a specific place and in transportinS and spreading it.
The assembly of layers 16 deposited on the ground, is then compacted and covered with a super-ficial coating uhich will be described hereinafter.
If it is considered advantageous for the fastening o.~ the superficial coating (and this is dependent on the type of vehicles called upon to travel on the road), the yarn projection method can be controlled so that the density of the yarns 17 on the surface of the layer 16 is higher than anywhere else in the thickness of the layer.
The superficial coating is produced as follows:
An emulsion of bitumen of 0.5 l/m2 is spread, then a non-woven textile sheet of 150 g/m2, is laid thereon, the latter adhering to the subjacent layer by way of bitumen and yarns, ~hich joins it to the mass. A second layer of emulsion and a layer of gravel complete the superficial coating.
In the aforesaid application, thee~uivalent theoretical cubic mesh M has a value of 2.1 mm and ,C~
the lensth of tl~e yarn per unit of volw o.6~ 111/C1113.
A common rolling f`rame 18, whlcl~ may be automo~ive, supports the endless belt 13, tlle ; excavator 12 and if necessary the elements 14, 70 and 90.
Another application of tlle material describ-ed herei.nabove is the producti.on of a f`o~uldation mass for oil drilling worl~s at sea.
A coarse sand of 1 to 3 mm grad.i.ng is dredged on a suitable site and transported by barges on the working site. Said sand is picked up by hydraulic means and polyamide yarns of 100 decitex are incorporated to the sand by direct hydraulic drive means.
The dosage by weight of the yarns is of 0.2/o of the weight of the sand (M = 3 mnl). The sand + yarns mixture is deposited on the sea bed to progressively constitute a fo~mdation mass which resists erosion during the making up phase and l~hiCIl S}IOWS goo(l mechanical properties. A final external protection is given by depositi.ng, using the same method, a coarser divided material, of between 5 and 10 mm grading, the yarns bcing yarns f 150 decitex, in the proportion. by weight of` 0.3%
by weight of the divided material (M=3mm).
Other possible applications of the material according to the invention:
- superficial layer to protec-t a sandy area (such as a desertic area) against ~Yind erosion.
- light and insulating material.s constituted by the material obtained accordins to the invention T~herein the particles are lightweight aggregates (expanded clay for example);
- draining and filtering layer for sur-facing banks or for cost protection;
96Z~
- mass embankment wi-th a steeper slope than would allow the particles used Wit]lOUt continuous elements;
- mass embankment resisting to erosion;
- surfacing material resisting to erosion;
- substratum of a concrete road;
- substratum for railway lines.
Figure 3 shows a conveyor belt 19 supplying the granular material 20, and associated to a flow regulating device constituted by a scraper 21 extending crosswise above the belt 19 at an adjustable distance whicll is dependent upon the desired rate of flow. Said belt 19 is driven in the direction of arrow F by a motor ~. The unloading end of the belt 19 is situated above a hopper 22, cylindro-conical in shape which is also supplied with water via a pipe 23 the supply end 23a of which is helical-shaped so as to communicate a vortex motion to the water distributed by said pipe. The hopper 22 i~
placed above a receivinS surface 24 advantageously constituted by a sieve which is provided to allow the removal of the water from the solid materials.
A device for supplying filiforlll reinforcem-ent elements, such as for example a t0xti1e or plastic yarn 25 of indefinite 10llSth is provided on the outside of the llopper. Said supply device comprises a 9uppl~ reel, a pair of drivins rollers 9 for driving the yarn 25 and a compressed air gun 27 for suidin~s the yarn towards the whirling mixture of sand and water~ coming out of ~h~ hopper 22.
The method carried out with the lnstallation according to the invention consists in pouring a predetermined quantity of granular material 20 in the hopper 22 inside which hopper is immediately created a vortex of water 29 which mixes with the granular material and carries it in its whirling motion.
., 96Zl lo At the outlet of the hopper 22, the water and the granular material form a tubular flow 30 which, under the effect of tangential force, flares out in descent as a sort of sheet of sludge twirling turbulently. It is in that part of the flow that the yarn is brought by reels 27 which fix the supply of -the yarn and by the gun 28 which, in its jet of compressed air, guides the yarn 25 into the mixture of granular material and liquid 30. The liquid takes the yarn into its whirling motion directins it towards the receiving surface 6 where tlle said yarn mixes with the sranular material as the latter settles, whereas the water is evacuated through the holes 24a provided in the receivinS surface 24. The yarn 25 could, as in the case of Figure 2, be incorporated to the flow of water and sand in tlle hopper 22. It is also possible to simultaneously incorporate several yarns, either in one single part, or indifferent parts of the flow of liquid.
The device sho~1 in Figure 4 uses a double ejector. Such device comprises a nozzle 31, connected to a source of pressurized water not shown.
The nozzle 31 issues into a pipe 32 connected laterally via a pipe 32a to a source of filiform element 33. The pipe 32 narrows towards tho base anfl issues into a larger pipe 34 which commurlicates later-ally with a source of sand 35; sai~ latter can be supplied by means similar to those sho~ in Figure 1 for example.
The depression created in the pipe 32 at the outlet of the nozzle 31 sucks in the yarn of the reel 33, which yarn is carried wi-th the water t]lrough the pipe 32. The depression created in thepipe 34 at the outlet of tlle pipe 32 sucks in the sand from tlle source 35. Such a de~ice should work 9~
with a dry sand or else, means sl-ould be provided to prevent the sand from clogging up between the reserve of sand 35 and the pipe 34.
Figur~ 5 si~ows a variant embodiment Wit}l one ejector, which comprises a nozzle 36, into wl~ich issues a pipe 37 for guiding a yarn 37a. Said nozzle 36 issues into a pipe 38 which communicates laterally via a conduit 3~a with a tank 39 containing a mixture of sand and water stirred by an agitator ~10.
The water is brought under pressure into the nozzle 36 and creates a depression at the outlet 36a of the nozzle, which depression sucl~s in the mixture o~ water and sand of the tank 39 together with the reinforcing yarn 37a in order to deposit the said mixture on to a support, not shown, wherefrom the water is drained off.
~ inally, ~igure 6 shows another variant embodiment comprising one ejector 41 connected to a source of pressurized water via a lateral pipe 42 and to a reel of yarn 43 via a pipe 44. The yarn 43a carried by the depression created by the water flow at the level of the outlet 44a of the pipe 44, is directed with the spray of water 45 sent by the ejector 41 into a layer of granular material 46.
The pressure of the spray of water causes the liquid to penetrate the layer 46 to a certain dep~h which depth is dependent upon the pressure and the said liquid carries the yarn into the said layer wilst mixing it witl~ the sand. A relative movement between the spray of water and the layer of sand ensures the distribution of the yarn.
Claims (5)
1. Apparatus for producing a building material, which building material comprises flexible tri-dimensional reinforcement disposed in a mass of solid particles of compact form and contributing to creating a certain cohesion between the different parts of the mass of particles, wherein said reinforcement comprises at least a flexible, continuous, linear element distributed tri-dimensionally, in random manner, within said mass of particles and creating said cohesion by entwining said parts of said mass of particles, said apparatus comprising means for creating a flow of fluid, means for supplying the said continuous element, means for bringing the said continuous element into the flow of fluid, means for mixing progressively the said fluid, the said continuous element and a certain proportion of the said mass of particles, and means for draining the fluid from the said mixture.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for creating a flow of fluid comprises a nozzle connected to a source of said fluid under pressure, said nozzle issuing into a channel which is connected to a source of said particles, thereby allowing the flow of said fluid out of said nozzle to create a depression sucking in the said particles.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said channel is provided with a side inlet connected to a source of said continuous element, thereby allowing said depression created in the said channel by the flow of said fluid coming out of the said nozzle to suck in said continuous element and carry it into said flow of fluid.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a first nozzle into which said continuous element is guided and which issues into a second nozzle connected to a source of said fluid under pressure.
5. Apparatus according to claim 2 including a second nozzle into which said continuous element is guided and which issues into said nozzle connected to said source of pressurized fluid.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH273179A CH639867A5 (en) | 1979-03-23 | 1979-03-23 | Process for forming a granular material reinforced with thread-like components of indefinite length and plant for making use of the process |
| FR7907432 | 1979-03-23 | ||
| CH273179-5 | 1979-03-23 | ||
| FR7907432A FR2451902A1 (en) | 1979-03-23 | 1979-03-23 | Construction material for embankments, foundations etc. - where continuous polymer or metal thread or strip reinforces loose or bonded aggregate |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1149621A true CA1149621A (en) | 1983-07-12 |
Family
ID=25691268
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000348160A Expired CA1141979A (en) | 1979-03-23 | 1980-03-21 | Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material |
| CA000406839A Expired CA1149621A (en) | 1979-03-23 | 1982-07-07 | Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000348160A Expired CA1141979A (en) | 1979-03-23 | 1980-03-21 | Building material, its application for embankment, surfacing, or as foundation mass over a loose ground, and method and installation for the production of said material |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0017548B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH0259458A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU538342B2 (en) |
| CA (2) | CA1141979A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3064009D1 (en) |
| ES (2) | ES8301312A1 (en) |
| MA (1) | MA18781A1 (en) |
| OA (1) | OA06492A (en) |
Families Citing this family (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA1210942A (en) * | 1983-06-03 | 1986-09-09 | Frank B. Mercer | Strengthening a matrix |
| CH664405A5 (en) * | 1983-09-01 | 1988-02-29 | Plana Eng Ag | METHOD FOR STABILIZING A SOIL LAYER. |
| CA1234995A (en) * | 1984-07-24 | 1988-04-12 | Hubert Perrier | Method and device for placing a construction material in a liquid environment |
| FR2568286B1 (en) * | 1984-07-24 | 1987-01-02 | France Etat Ponts Chaussees | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL IN A LIQUID MEDIUM |
| FR2587317B1 (en) * | 1985-09-18 | 1988-04-08 | Rhone Poulenc Fibres | MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING AT LEAST ONE CONTINUOUS WIRE FROM A SUPPLY MEANS FOR ITS USE AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME. |
| JPH07103571B2 (en) * | 1988-02-12 | 1995-11-08 | 株式会社熊谷組 | Afforestation foundation construction method |
| FR2633922B1 (en) * | 1988-07-08 | 1992-10-23 | Screg Routes & Travaux | FIBER REINFORCED COMPACT CONCRETE AND ITS USE |
| DE4013801C2 (en) * | 1990-04-28 | 1994-12-22 | Keller Grundbau Gmbh | Method of manufacturing a support and / or sealing body |
| FR2661699B1 (en) | 1990-05-03 | 1992-08-28 | Scetauroute | PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LAYERED LAYER LAYERS. |
| US5341330A (en) * | 1992-10-30 | 1994-08-23 | Intel Corporation | Method for writing to a flash memory array during erase suspend intervals |
| EP0636747B1 (en) * | 1993-07-31 | 1998-02-11 | Courtaulds Espana, S.A. | Procedure for the controlled transformation and application of fibers in situ in civil and road constructions |
| FR2727698B1 (en) * | 1994-12-02 | 1997-01-10 | Orgel | PROCESS FOR PREPARING REINFORCED FLOORS WITH FIBROUS ADDITIVES |
| FR2758539B1 (en) * | 1997-01-20 | 1999-03-12 | Applic Du Texsol Sat Soc D | INSTALLATION FOR COVERING STORAGE ENCLOSURES, ESPECIALLY CHEMICALS AND / OR HYDROCARBONS |
| FR2824677B1 (en) * | 2001-05-14 | 2003-08-15 | Etienne Leflaive | METHOD FOR BURIAL OF AN ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT LINE AND A Buried ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT LINE |
| FR2950091B1 (en) | 2009-09-17 | 2011-10-14 | Eiffage Tp | DEVICE, MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS PROJECTION OF GRANULAR MATERIAL AND WIRES |
| AT525649B1 (en) * | 2021-12-21 | 2023-06-15 | Baumit Beteiligungen Gmbh | Device for spreading a hydraulically hardening building material and its use |
Family Cites Families (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE29488C (en) * | W. F. BATHO in Westminster Nr. 9 Victoria Chambers, England | Iron wire as | ||
| US2731066A (en) * | 1949-04-20 | 1956-01-17 | Owens Corning Fiberglass Corp | Reinforced fibrous products, method and apparatus for making same |
| GB953651A (en) * | 1960-01-06 | 1964-03-25 | Plessey Co Ltd | Reinforced refractory bodies |
| FR1489131A (en) * | 1966-06-06 | 1967-07-21 | Verre Textile Soc Du | Process and installation for incorporating fibers or threads, natural or synthetic, in mineral binders, in particular in materials such as plaster, which they are intended to reinforce |
| AU421448B2 (en) * | 1971-04-19 | 1972-02-14 | Newton Constructions Pty. Ltd | Glass reinforced gypsum |
| GB1415524A (en) * | 1972-08-25 | 1975-11-26 | Hollandsche Wegenbouw Zanen Nv | Soil stabilisation |
| DE2322271C2 (en) * | 1973-05-03 | 1983-03-24 | Heidelberger Zement Ag, 6900 Heidelberg | Process for the mechanical reinforcement of moldable and / or hardenable materials |
| DE2633613A1 (en) * | 1976-07-27 | 1978-02-02 | Manor Gedalyaha Dr | Compacting or reinforcing soil - by lifting soil layer, placing plastics foil under layer and replacing layer to control moisture content in soil |
| JPS5347602A (en) * | 1976-10-13 | 1978-04-28 | Mitsubishi Motors Corp | Driving axle |
-
1980
- 1980-03-18 MA MA18980A patent/MA18781A1/en unknown
- 1980-03-21 CA CA000348160A patent/CA1141979A/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-21 ES ES489805A patent/ES8301312A1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-21 EP EP80400379A patent/EP0017548B1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-21 AU AU56723/80A patent/AU538342B2/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-21 DE DE8080400379T patent/DE3064009D1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-22 OA OA57059A patent/OA06492A/en unknown
- 1980-09-30 ES ES495492A patent/ES8203687A1/en not_active Expired
-
1982
- 1982-07-07 CA CA000406839A patent/CA1149621A/en not_active Expired
-
1989
- 1989-02-22 JP JP1040473A patent/JPH0259458A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0017548B1 (en) | 1983-07-06 |
| AU538342B2 (en) | 1984-08-09 |
| JPH0259458A (en) | 1990-02-28 |
| DE3064009D1 (en) | 1983-08-11 |
| EP0017548A1 (en) | 1980-10-15 |
| ES495492A0 (en) | 1982-04-01 |
| AU5672380A (en) | 1980-10-16 |
| ES489805A0 (en) | 1982-12-01 |
| OA06492A (en) | 1981-07-31 |
| ES8301312A1 (en) | 1982-12-01 |
| ES8203687A1 (en) | 1982-04-01 |
| CA1141979A (en) | 1983-03-01 |
| MA18781A1 (en) | 1980-10-01 |
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| MKEX | Expiry |