EP0436482B1 - Method for artificially ageing bricks - Google Patents

Abstract

The building brick treatment system, designed to age the bricks artificially, consists of pass the freshly-baked bricks through a sand blaster and blower, and then putting them into a rotating drum (4) together with some mortar. The drum has a series of inner surface projections, and as the bricks rotate they become chipped and encrusted with mortar. The material placed in the drum with the bricks can include cement, water and stones. The drum's inner surface projections can be made in the form of detachable elements, and the drum has a drive to rotate it and a pump for feeding in and removing admixtures.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for artificially aging bricks made of clay and baked in an oven.

To date, clay bricks baked in the oven, which are suitable for interior facing and exterior facing can be classified according to their shaping process and according to their firing process.

Depending on the shaping processes, there are:
bricks made in extruders
facade bricks formed by hand
molded facade bricks.

The cooking process can be carried out in the following ovens:
usual or atmospheric ovens
open ovens
field ovens
reduction furnaces
In order to be able to meet the demand for facade bricks in order to erect new buildings with a rustic appearance or to restore or renovate buildings of a historic or rustic character, until now there was only one solution consisted in using salvaged bricks from the demolition of dilapidated buildings or the shaping of "rustic or historic facade bricks".

Salvaged bricks are kiln-baked clay bricks that are salvaged from building demolition. They are separated from each other and cleaned. Remains of mortars adhere to it to a limited extent. They are used in new construction sites in rustic or historic style, where no specific requirement can be posed with regard to the similarity of the bricks to be implemented and those of existing buildings. New facade bricks can also be used, but it is obviously impossible to obtain the appearance of old masonry with new bricks.

The salvaged bricks present their prolonged exposure to the weather for several years, demolition work, loading, transport, unloading and cleaning, chipping and irregular shapes and a rough appearance on the facing surface.

They are more often used as facing bricks in facing bricks for all exposed masonry work.

Due to the fact that similar bricks of the same designation can come from different brick kilns, there appears a wonderful shade of color, which is further enhanced by the remains of different mortars used.

• la difficulté de trouver en quantité suffisante des briques de récupération d'un même lot de démolition,
• la difficulté de trouver des briques de mêmes dimensions et, en outre, de même aspect extérieur et qualités esthétiques,
• la difficulté de trouver des quantités suffisantes de briques de qualité suffisante pour être réutilisées et
• l'impossibilité d'accorder une garantie sur la qualité des pierres de récupération.

The disadvantages of recovered bricks are as follows:

• the difficulty of finding sufficient bricks from the same demolition lot,
• the difficulty of finding bricks of the same dimensions and, moreover, of the same external appearance and aesthetic qualities,
• the difficulty of finding sufficient quantities of bricks of sufficient quality to be reused and
• the impossibility of granting a guarantee on the quality of the recovery stones.

The manufacture of "rustic or historic" facade bricks with as much as possible the same dimensions, the same physical and aesthetic properties as the original or desired facade bricks, has the main disadvantage that the appearance, shape and color of the new bricks never match that of the original bricks.

Document DE-A-2922393 discloses a method for treating construction elements intended for coating covered paths or spaces, by rolling them in a drum, not with a view to giving them the appearance of old masonry. , but rather to round off their corners and edges to prevent walkers from tripping. This known method consists in rolling the pavers in a smooth-walled drum. We limit ourselves to rounding the corners and lapping the edges while ensuring that the faces of the parallelepiped pavers remain perfectly flat and intact.

The body of the pavement does not undergo any degradation and neither does it take on an acian or rustic appearance.

However, the aim is to give an old salvaged brick with not only a rough surface, similar to that obtained after prolonged exposure to the weather for several years, but also chipping and irregular shapes on the facing surface of the brick body.

Document DE-A-2922343 does not achieve this goal. The aforementioned process does not make it possible to imitate the same degradations as those obtained when one detaches, using a chisel, two bricks which are joined to one another by cement, nor to adapt the blows the specific requirements imposed on the similarity of the bricks used for the restoration of historic buildings.

The present invention aims to remedy this drawback and proposes a method for giving new bricks the appearance of old facade bricks, presenting various kinds of damage, a rough appearance on the facing face, worn and rounded sides as those that appear following demolition, change and unloading work, cleaning and exposure for several years to bad weather.

• on munit le revêtement intérieur d'un tambour rotatif d'obstacles, saillies et/ou irrégularités,
• on place des briques cuites au four dans le tambour,
• on le met en mouvement, de sorte que les briques tombent les unes sur les autres et sur les obstacles, saillies et irrégularités pendant un intervalle de temps déterminé,
• et on déverse les briques présentant diverses dégradations de forme loin du tambour.

In the process according to the invention,

• the inner lining is provided with a rotary drum of obstacles, protrusions and / or irregularities,
• we place baked bricks in the drum,
• it is set in motion, so that the bricks fall on each other and on obstacles, protrusions and irregularities during a determined time interval,
• and we pour the bricks with various degradations of shape away from the drum.

We then place the bricks as well as mortar, rubble and / or water in a mobile support and we put the support in motion so that the bricks fall on each other and on obstacles, projections and irregularities during a determined time interval and the bricks are poured with various degradations of shape and mortar inlays, far from the support. With such a process, the stones lose their sharp edges and take on the appearance of old bricks or a rustic appearance.

It is preferable to use a drum fitted with removable obstacles so that the rotational drive causes the bricks to fall one on top of the other.

The addition of mortar to the drum can be carried out after the treatment of the bricks in the drum or they fall on each other, but it is preferably carried out at the same time as the above treatment. The addition of mortar can also be done during or after the bricks are poured, or during the stacking of bricks, in which case the bricks are treated layer by layer.

Other particularities and details of the method and of the device according to the invention will appear during the following detailed description referring to the attached drawings.

In these drawings, Figures 1 to 4 show various stages of the method according to the invention. In these figures, a device is shown by way of example.

Figures 1, 3 and 4 are side elevational views of an exemplary device, partially broken away in Figure 3, while Figure 2 is a partially broken away end view of the device from which a closing valve.

According to the invention, the fresh bricks 2 baked in the oven are placed on a mobile support consisting for example of a conveyor belt 13 which leads the bricks into a sandblasting tunnel 4 using sand and compressed air and a blowing tunnel 22 intended to remove all traces of sand by projection of compressed air. The sand and debris from bricks are recovered in tanks 3 to, 31 arranged under the tunnels 4 and 12 above.

The bricks are then placed in another mobile support consisting for example of a drum which is rotated so as to cause the bricks 2 to fall on each other, for a determined time interval, during which the bricks 2 lose their sharp edges and undergo degradations giving them the appearance of old bricks or a rustic appearance.

The drum 1 is driven in rotation using a motor 3. This motor 3 is fixed on a tilting table 10 which carries a certain number of supports 11 provided with rubber wheels 12. The supports 11 have an upper surface which follows the shape of the outer surface of the drum 1. Several rubber wheels 12 are mounted on axes distributed along this surface, so as to maintain the drum on the frame. The aforementioned wheels 12 can rotate about an axis B-B parallel to the axis A-A. It is possible to obtain a movement stirring the drum 1. The cylindrical drum carries at each end an annular flange 20 which bears against guide wheels 27.

The guide wheels 27 are mounted on axes 23 fixed to supports 21. These guide wheels fulfill the function of stops to prevent any movement of the drum 1 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation movement of the drum 1.

An embodiment of the method according to the invention is described below. The drum 1 is for example provided, on the inner side with various kinds of removable obstacles, unevenness and projections 5 (see FIG. 2).

These inequalities or protrusions 5, which can be different by their shape and their dimensions, are used to cause degradations of various shapes and sizes or to influence these during the rotation of the drum 1 relative to the axis AA (arrow R in FIG. 1). This drum 1 is driven in rotation and / or in jerky and / or reciprocating motion.

The protrusions 5 are exchangeable obstacles which can have various shapes and dimensions and are generally made of steel and are detachably mounted, so that they can be easily removed and exchanged.

The drum 1 has two openings 6, 7 which are closed by means of a valve 8. The valve 8 consists of a plate which can slide along the rail groove 9. The valve 8 is raised to introduce therein the bricks brought by a conveyor belt 13. The bricks are possibly moistened.

After having started the drum 1 slowly, whereby the bricks 2 are distributed over the entire length of the drum 1, the speed of rotation which is required by the obstacles or projections 5 is adapted to cause the desired chipping.

The type of treatment, the speed of rotation and the duration of the treatment are determined according to the kind of brick and the desired result. The parameters can for example be determined experimentally beforehand or be modified on the basis of intermediate visual controls. The instructions can also be programmed in advance and controlled for example by a computer staff.

During a second treatment of the bricks, an amount of mortar is brought into the drum in solid or liquid form. By the rotation of the drum 1, the mortar locally adheres to the bricks 2 so that, after treatment, bricks are obtained which have the appearance of recovery bricks filled with particles of hardened mortar which adhere to them.

The dosage, color and composition of the mortar can naturally be adapted to obtain the desired or required result. The mortar which adheres to the bricks 2 can, under ideal conditions and in the absence of bad weather, harden, which improves the quality and the adhesion of the mortar to the brick.

The roughness of the bricks obtained by sandblasting and chiselling due to obstacles, favors the adhesion of the mortar to the bricks. This mortar can be brought into the drum 1 using a screw pump 17 and a flexible pipe 18 (see Figure 3).

For transporting aggregates or mortar, for example, previously mixed and stored in a silo 16, it is also possible to use the screw pump 17 with variable speed and the flexible and telescopic hose 18 which extends into the drum 1. To favor the sliding of the pipe 18, it is connected at least partially to a rod 19.

After completion of the treatment, the drum 1 continues to rotate slowly. The drum 1 is raised in the pouring position using a jack 15. For this purpose the frame 10 is connected to a frame 13 mobile mounted on wheels by an axis 14 and the jack 15 by which the frame can tilt relative to the frame 13 around the axis 14 (see arrow D in Figure 4) to facilitate the removal of bricks from the drum.

The valve 8 is then opened. The bricks 2 are poured from the drum 1 which rotates slowly. The bricks preferably fall from the drum onto an inclined, movable net 16 or onto a second conveyor belt 20 ′ which brings the bricks 2 to the warehouse.

Some advantages of the process according to the invention are given below.

The bricks produced have all the properties of recent bricks. Thanks to the fact that only very good quality bricks 2 are taken into account for the aging process, a qualitatively perfect elite product is ensured. This product has never been subjected to natural decline or prolonged heat from bad weather, and despite this it has rustic properties and the beauty of reclaimed bricks.

For the choice and the judicious treatment of the basic element we create the possibility of manufacturing bricks intended for renovation and restoration, which closely resemble an existing or predetermined masonry.

• par mélangeage des briques provenant de divers fours de cuisson ou de couleurs différentes;
• par la couleur, la composition et le dosage du mortier ajouté;
• l'épandage éventuel de mortier; et
• le sablage éventuel des briques

   forme après traitement: suivant le nombre et la forme des obstacles et saillies, durée et sorte de mouvements du tambour;
   quantité: production selon les quantités requises.The manufacture of a brick "on order" is one of the possibilities by which the customer chooses for a facing masonry made in bricks of determined shape and aspect which results in a global aspect determined beforehand. The choice of a large number of possible variations of finished products is determined by the following elements and treatments that can be influenced at will:
type of facade bricks: depending on the shape, the firing process of the brick to imitate;
appearance and shade of colors:

• by mixing bricks from different baking ovens or different colors;
• by the color, composition and dosage of the added mortar;
• the possible spreading of mortar; and
• the possible sanding of the bricks

shape after treatment: depending on the number and shape of obstacles and protrusions, duration and kind of drum movements;
quantity: production according to the quantities required.

The finished product is applicable for interior and exterior siding and can replace the salvaged brick for which there is a shortage on the market.

Any good quality facade brick, commercially available, or specially made for the above purpose, is taken into account for the treatment of aging. Physical properties and desired appearance for bricks, determine the method and duration of treatment.

The bricks are optimally mixed in the drum by various movements, which has the advantage that color differences no longer appear in the plane of the facade.

The stones can be subjected to a preliminary examination so that the required requirements can be met.

By the aging process according to the invention, a new kind of bricks is created which corresponds to a complement to an existing range and a substitute for salvaged bricks and imitation of hand-formed bricks or bricks whose manufacture has been abandoned.

Thanks to the fact that they constitute an elite brick by their quality and that they can have the desired appearance at the option of the consumer for an affordable price, these bricks contribute to a widening and enrichment of existing construction products.

Claims (6)

1. Method for artificially ageing kiln-fired bricks (2) based on clay, in which:

   - the inner lining of a rotary drum (1) is provided with obstacles, projections and/or irregularities (5),

   - the kiln-fired bricks are placed in the drum,

   - it is set in motion, so that the bricks (2) fall on top of each other and on the obstacles, projections and irregularities (5) for a given period of time,

   - and the bricks (2) exhibiting various damage in shape are dumped far from the drum.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that moist bricks and granules or a mixture of them and water is placed in a drum (1) and this drum (1) is set in rotation, so as to make the bricks (2) and granules fall on top of each other.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bricks are treated in the presence of mortar and/or a binder with the addition of water.
4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that during the operation of setting the bricks (2) in rotation in a rotary drum (1) in which they fall on top of each other, mortar is added so that the mortar is distributed along the edges of the bricks (2).
5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the inner lining of the rotary drum (1) is provided with obstacles, projections and/or irregularities (5) mounted detachably.
6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that mortar and/or binder is spread over the bricks in a layer while they are arranged on pallets after dumping thereof outside the drum.

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