CA1222611A - Process for providing thermal insulation - Google Patents

Process for providing thermal insulation

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Publication number
CA1222611A
CA1222611A CA000454048A CA454048A CA1222611A CA 1222611 A CA1222611 A CA 1222611A CA 000454048 A CA000454048 A CA 000454048A CA 454048 A CA454048 A CA 454048A CA 1222611 A CA1222611 A CA 1222611A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
process according
range
polymer particles
cellular polymer
cement
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
CA000454048A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Colin M. Gibson
David L. James
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Original Assignee
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV filed Critical Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1222611A publication Critical patent/CA1222611A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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  • Porous Artificial Stone Or Porous Ceramic Products (AREA)
  • Curing Cements, Concrete, And Artificial Stone (AREA)

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

PROCESS FOR PROVIDING THERMAL INSULATION

The invention resides in a process for providing thermal insulation in a wooden-framed building which comprises introducing into individual wall-cavity compartments thereof a flowable lightweight concrete composition comprising an aqueous slurry containing cement and cellular polymer particles and allowing the concrete to harden.

Description

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PROCESS FOR PROVIDING THERMAL INSULATION

This invention relates to a process for providing thermal insulatlon -ln a wooden-framed building.
US Patent No. 4,019,297 discloses a construction panel for incorporation into a building structure, which comprises a frame consis~ing of spaced-apart vertical studs and transverse top and bottom plates wider than said studs, an insulation board secured to one face of the rame and within a cavity formed by said plates and studs, and a concrete composition layer comprising expanded mica, expanded polystyrene and mortar cement applied to the exposed outwàrdly-facing side of the insulation board, which layer has a filament mesh reinforcement embedded therein. Such construction panels are manufactured in a factory and transported to a building site or incorporation into a building.
In the case of buildings having a brick outer wall and a cavity between the outer wall and an inner wall, very satisactory thermal -lnsulation may be provided in situ by introducing into the cavity expanded polymer particles bound into a cohesive mass with a synthetic polymer latex binder. Such a process ls described for example in UK Patent Specification No. 1,602,3~1.
Although such thermal insulation is very satisfactory and cal.
be made acceptably flame retardent for use in brick buildings, the degree of flame retardency obtainable is less ideal for application to wooden-framed buildings.
A wooden-framed building i9 commonly comprised of a wooden frame constructed from 4 inch x 2 inch ~10 cm x 5 cm~ section timber (studding) (e.g. pinewood) which is clad on the outside with, for example, shiplap boards of wood or plastics material (e.g. polyvlnylchloride), asbestos sheeting or marine-grade plywood, and on the inside with, for example, plasterboard, fibreboard, chipboard or plywood. This mode of construction leaves ~2~

a series of cavity compartments bounded at the sides by wall cladding and at the edges by wooden frame members. These cavlty compartments are commonly of the order of four feet x two feet x four inches (122 cm x 61 cm x 10 cm) in dimensions. An alternative form of wooden-framed building may have plywood cladding on the outside of the wooden frame and the outside of the building may be a brick wall spaced from the plywood cladding.
It is an ob;ect of this invention to provide thermal - insulation sui~able for wooden-framed buildings.
According to the present invention there is provided a process for providing thermal insula~ion in a wooden-framed building which comprises introducing into individual wall-cavity compartments thereof a flowabl~ lightweight concrete composition comprising an aqueous s~urry containing cement and cellular polymer partlcles an~
allowing the concrete to harden.
Expanded polystyrene particles are particularly suitable for use as the cellular polymer particles in the process of the invention, but other types of cellular, expanded polymers may also be used. As is well known, expanded polystyrene particles are conveniently prepared from expandable particles manufactured in the form of beadq or pearls by suspension or emulsion polymerisation techniques, the expanding agent (e.g. pentane) being incorporated therein during or after poly~erisation. Upon heating of the expandable pearls or beads, "pre-expansion" occursl yielding expanded polystryrene particles suitable for use in the process of this invention. "Pre-expan~ion", which is a well-known step in the cellular polystyrene art, comprises s~eaming the expandable beads or pearls to give an expansion by a factor oE 20 to 30, or eve~ as much as 70, times their original-~olume, and, during cooling, allowing air to penetrate into the individual cells to raise the internal pressure to atmospheric pressure. These expanded cellular polystyrene particles have a spherical shape, an apparent bulk density of, for example 6 to 100 g/l, and free flowing properties.

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In the process of the invention, use of cellular polymer par~icles having a bulk density in the range 12 to 16 g/l ls preferred, The cellular polymer particles may range in diameter from 1 to 10 mm or more. Cellular polymer particles having diameters in the range 2 to 10 mm, preferably 3 to 5 mm, are preferred.
Any suitable hydraulic cement may be employed in the aqueous slurry, but Portland cement is preferred.
Flowable lightweight concrete compositions wherein the water:
cement ratios in the aqueous slurry is în the range 0.42 : 1 to 0.44 : 1 have been found to be very suitable. Those skilled in the art will appreciate ~hat the slurry has to contain sufficient water to achieve complete wetting of the cellular polymer particles for the composition to be capable of introduction into the compartments, and for the resulting hardened concrete in a compartment to be a coherent block. How~ver, the water content of the slurry has to be sufficiently low to avoid water draining ~o the bottom of the compartment before hardening (setting) of the concrete.
If desired the aqueous slurry may optionally contain additional components, e.g. to assist in wetting of the cellular polymer particles. Such components include synthetic polymer latex binders such as aqueous colloidal suspensions of styrene-butadiene copolymers, acrylic copolymers, butadiene-acrylonitrile polymers, vinylidene chloride copolymers, butyl rubber, isoprene or polym~rs or copolymers of vinyl alkanoates such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate or copolymers of vinyl acetate with higher vinyl esters or with vinyl chlor~de or ethyleneO The binders sold under the trade mark "Vinamul" (e.g. "Vinamul" 6975, 3252 and 3452) (all ex Vinyl Products) are very suitable.
Other optional additional components include antifungal agents, plasticizers, thickening agents, surface active agent~
(e.g. "Teepol" (registered ~rade mark)) in an amount of 0.1% w~
based on the water in the slurry) and slliceous or siliceous-aluminous materials such as pozzolans.

It i9 preferred for the relative quantlties of cement and cellular polymer particles in the flowable lightweight concrete composition to be such that the resulting hardened concrete has a density in the range 150 to 600 kg/m3.
l'he f]owable lightweight concrete composition is conveniently introduced into the individual wall compartments by injection through a single hole drilled in the outer cladding near the top of each compartment. If desired the flowable lightweight concrete composition may be premixed and transported from a mixlng or storage vessel to the wall compartment, for example by means of flexible pipes using a peristaltic pump.
Alternatively use may be made of a filler gun to which the cellular polymer particles and a cement mix (containing the cement, water and any other ingredients of the eventual aqueous slurry) are fed separately, but at appropriate relative rates, and wherein the flowable lightweigh~ concrete composition is formed immediately before entering the compartment. Suitable such filler-guns are described in detail in UK Patent Specification No. 1,600,096 and European Patent Application Publication No. 53411. Such filler guns co~prise a hollGw body having an outlet at one end, a binder inlet for liquid binder at the other end, and a side inlet for granular or particulate solid, which side inlet is directed towards the outlet at an angle of less than ~0 with respect to the direction of flow of liquid binder from the binder inlet to the outlet in operat.ion of the gun. When used ln the process of this invention, the c~llular polymer particles are fed through the side inlet and the cement mix is fed through the blnder inlet. The csment mix may be held in suspension in a pressure vessel and fed to the gun via a flexlble pipe under pressure. Alternatively, the cement mix may be mixed in a conventional concrete mixer and pumped to the gun, for example via a flex-lble pipe by means of a peristaltic pump. If desiredJ the cemen~ mix may be pumped continuously in a loop system and diverted to the gun as required. Such use of a loop system assists ln avoiding settling of solids from the cement mix in the flexible pipe.

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The invention also includes wooden framed buildings provided with therma~ insulation by a process according to the invention.
Thermal insulation provided by the proce~s of the invention has a number of advantages. The process itself is a method which is readily applied to existing buildings, and greatly reduces heat transfer through the walls of the building to which it is applied.
The thermal insulation is flame resistant and may enhance the strength of the building. On hardening and drying, the thermal insulation is air-permeable, which minimizes risk of damp in the wooden structure of the building. Furthermore, transmission of impact sound is reduced in those parts of the building to which the process of the invention is applied.
The invention will be further understood from the following examples thereof, wherein parts are parts by weight.

A cement mix was prepared by gradual addition of 35 parts of water to 80 parts of Portland cement with mixing. Thereafter 10 parts of expanded polystyrene beads prepared by pre-expansion of expandable polystyrene beads sold by ~he Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies under the reglstered trade mark "Styrocell R 551" having a density of 12.6 kg/m3 and bead diameter of 3-5 mm were mixed into the cement mix. The resulting flowable lightweight concrete composition was in the form of an aqueous slurry.
This flowable lightweight concrete composition was of sufficiently low viscosity for in~ection into a wooden~framed wall cavity compartment 122 cm x 61 cm x lO cm. The concrete remained homogeneous until it had hardened, with no draining o~ water to the bottom of the compartment. Drying sbrinkage was low (of the order of 0,02%), the resulting thermal insulation (the hardened lightuelght concrete) had a denslty of 150 kg/m~ and thermal conductivity at 5% water content lower than 0.10 W/m C. The thermal insulation was flame resistant.

6 ~L2;~2~

The process of Example 1 was repeated but using 270 parts of water, 640 parts of ~he cement and 10 parts of the e~panded polystyrene beads.
The resulting concrete also remained homoge.n ous until it had hardened, with no draining of water to the bottom of the compartment. Drying shrinkage was low (of the order of 0.02%), the resulting thermal insulation (the hardened lightweight concrete) had a density of 600 kg/m3 and thermal conductivity at 5% water content lower than 0.10 W/m ~C. The thermal insulation was flame resLstant.

Claims (19)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A process for providing thermal insulation in a wooden-framed building which comprises introducing into individual wall-cavity compartments thereof a flowable lightweight concrete composition comprising an aqueous slurry containing cement and cellular polymer particles and allowing the concrete to harden.
2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the cellular polymer particles are expanded polystyrene particles.
3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the cellular polymer particles have a bulk density in the range 12 to 16 grams per litre.
4. A process according to claim 2 wherein the cellular polymer particles have a bulk density in the range 12 to 16 grams per litre.
5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the cellular polymer particles have diameters in the range 2 to 10 millimetres.
6. A process according to claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cellular polymer particles have diameters in the range 2 to 10 millimetres.
7. A process according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the water:cement weight ratio in the aqueous slurry is in the range 0.42:1 to 0.44:1.
8. A process according to claim 5 wherein the water:cement weight ratio in the aqueous slurry is in the range 0.42:1 to 0.44:1.
9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the cellular polymer particles have a bulk density in the range 12 to 16 grams per litre, and diameters in the range 2 to 10 millimetres, and the weight ratio water:cement in the aqueous slurry is in the range 0.42:1 to 0.44:1.
10. A process according to claim 9 wherein the cellular polymer particles are expanded polystyrene particles.
11. A process according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the relative quantities of cement and cellular polymer particles are such that the resulting hardened concrete has a density in the range 150 to 600 kg/m3.
12. A process according to claim 4, 5 or 8 wherein the relative quantities of cement and cellular polymer particles are such that the resulting hardened concrete has a density in the range 150 to 600 kg/m3.
13. A process according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the relative quantities of cement and cellular polymer particles are such that the resulting hardened concrete has a density in the range 150 to 600 kg/m3.
14. A process according to claim 1 wherein the cellular polymer particles have a bulk density in the range 12 to 16 grams per litre, and diameters in the range 2 to 10 millimetres; and the weight ratio water:
cement in the aqueous slurry is in the range 0.42:1 to 0.44:1; and the relative quantities of cement and cellular polymer particles are such that the resulting hardened concrete has a density in the range 150 to 600 kg/m3.
15, A process according to claim 14 wherein the cellular polymer particles are expanded polystyrene particles.
16. A wooden-framed building provided with thermal insulation by a process according to claim 1, 2 or 3.
17. A wooden-framed building provided with thermal insulation by a process according to claim 4, 5 or 8.
18. A wooden-framed building provided with thermal insulation by a process according to claim 9 or 10.
19. A wooden-framed building provided with thermal insulation by a process according to claim 14 or 15.
CA000454048A 1983-06-14 1984-05-10 Process for providing thermal insulation Expired CA1222611A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8316127 1983-06-14
GB838316127A GB8316127D0 (en) 1983-06-14 1983-06-14 Thermal insulation

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1222611A true CA1222611A (en) 1987-06-09

Family

ID=10544181

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000454048A Expired CA1222611A (en) 1983-06-14 1984-05-10 Process for providing thermal insulation

Country Status (2)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1222611A (en)
GB (1) GB8316127D0 (en)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8316127D0 (en) 1983-07-20

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