ES2711460A1 - Canvas or elastic cellular glass cover (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention advocates a canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass characterized by 2 sheets of silicone separated from each other, an internal structure of the same material as partitions fused with the sheets and leaving closed chambers of air or other gas and by translucent color and/or transparent. The combination between; the elastic material that forms it, the internal structure, the union between the parts and the color as necessary optical property, is what manages to offer levels of insulation, protection from the elements and the incidence to the solar rays that do not appear in tarpaulins or current covers. For example it reflects the heat radiation, while natural light penetrates with hardly any obstruction, similar to some advanced window systems, but being elastic, flexible and floating on water. Likewise, it is anti-mold and does not favor the proliferation of microorganisms or bacteria. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention belongs to the sectors of the industry of glass, thermal insulation and more specifically to objects designed to resist the weather, protect from sunlight or heat caused by fire, either by means of tarpaulins, fabrics or covers .

The main object of the invention that is advocated, is a canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass or the equivalent to call it canvas or transparent silicone cover with cellular shape. The necessary combination between; the elastic material that makes it up, the internal structure, the union between the parts and the color as inherent optical property, is what manages to offer levels of insulation and protection among other qualities, which has not been achieved in current tarpaulins or covers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Since it has also been considered as the title of the invention that is advocated, that of simply canvas or improved cover, it has finally been preferred to call it a canvas or elastic cellular glass cover because the owner of the invention wishes not only to better expose the invention, but also to reveal that elastic glass as a material, is a reality already among us although it is somewhat disconcerting. However, the elastic glass in cellular form, is something that is not known and less taken to some object for isolation or protection similar to a canvas, cloth or cover and that can even float on the water.

It is known of the existence of so many types of tarpaulins or protective covers as types of suitable materials that we have to carry them out, but in no case of glass. Attending the object of the invention, in order to better warn the state of the advancing technique, it is considered necessary to further explain the material from which the invention is made. For this reason, a brief subsection is made to the origin and historical antecedent of both glass and glass and their controversies.

Nowadays, in some countries glass and glass are spoken of indiscriminately, when for many it is not correct. For example, the Anglo-Saxon word Glass is used in the same way for both objects, either to refer to glass or to refer to a glass and without making semantic distinction. For some theorists and scientists of the matter is an error and for others it is not. If we attend to a plain language and not technical or exhaustive, the same dictionaries, commonly define the glass as hardened glass, transparent and colorless, which is obtained from the fusion at high temperature of mainly sliice and some oxides. If we look at the glass itself, it is defined as transparent or translucent substance, hard and fragile at ordinary temperature, which is obtained by fusing a mixture of silica with oxides and small amounts of other bases. Either one or the other definition, it is important to highlight and remember for later, that both definitions allude unambiguously to having optical properties related to more or less transparency. Something fundamental to understand later what the invention advocates.

Mr. Jose Maria Fernandez Navarro of the Superior Council of Scientific Investigations, in his book called El Vidrio (3rd Edition, Madrid - 2003), talks about the paradoxes and discrepancies that already arise from his own etymology and origin. word glass. Word that was born inspired mainly by the characteristics that some materials and elements present in their natural state, such as ice, amber or quartz. Going deeper and not only attending to its superficial aspects, we see how it continues to allude to the problem of definition and distinction in a systematic attempt to establish the differences between glass and glass. To do this, a comparison is made of the study of its vltreos states or the processes for their obtaining, the same chemical composition and molecular structure, and even the geometry and mechanics offered by each material in order to achieve that differentiation more clarifying or a more accepted by all. However, different non-unanimous positions are offered, depending on the author, association, scientific academy and even according to the country, where there is much disagreement. As Mr. D. Jose Maria Fernandez Navarro affirms in his book, some people broaden both the concepts and definitions, which does not give rise to a clear distinction between glass and others, they restrict it to specific issues, which will have to be talked about. crystalized glasses or glazed glasses to say it somehow.

The less scattered differentiation found is that which is derived from distinguishing them by means of recognizing the molecular structure of both materials. Ace! we could say that the molecular structure of a crystal, worth the redundancy, is formed by crystalline solids, that is, its molecules have a diffraction pattern that is not diffuse and well defined. Or in plain language, its internal structure presents a regular geometry. And yet, a glass, they form it, amorphous solids that are those that present an irregular pattern of atoms or ions formed of three-dimensional molecular structures without periodic ordering. Well, it is the molecular structure of the atoms, the first factor by which it is determined that the object of the invention that is described later, although similar in composition chemical and molecular to some crystals, has not been classified as a type of crystal and this term is discarded in any of its denominations.

Precisely, continuing with the search and analysis to find a name of rigor to the material object of the invention, for more Inri, although now in a positive and decisive way, it is found that a part of the scientific community asks the following question. Is glass a polymer? Quoting the expert in polymers and emeritus professor D. Lon J. Mathias of the School of Polymers and Materials of High Performance of the University of Mississippi, he cites us in his web page didactica, this dilemma and makes a call in case someone can contribute some idea. It raises that, indeed, the molecular structure of common glass, the same that we find ourselves in vases or windows, is composed of a molecular structure whose disposition of atoms indicates us to be amorphous. And as it is introduced above, it is a base difference with the crystal. Now, taking into account its chemical composition, most of this glass, is made from sand, from the same sand is extracted what we call the sllice, which is usually fused with sodium carbonate to give it greater resistance. Therefore the main chain of said compound is made of the silicon atom and not carbon, which qualifies it as inorganic. Then the question that is asked is whether that same structure, of a common glass and well recognized by society, can be considered as a given polymer that, although the main chain of polymers is usually carbon, there are many polymers also accepted as inorganic . This detail is very important to remember for the purpose of our argument to the denomination of the object of the invention.

For example, if we talk about the common silicone, it has a great structural coincidence in terms of molecular and chemical composition, that the same glass previously exposed. It is also obtained from sand as a raw material, from which the sllice is also extracted, in order to subsequently obtain a larger compound called siloxane. A multiple siloxane or polysiloxane is represented by having the silicon molecule as the main chain. If these polysiloxanes are associated in a cross-linked way, we determine a molecular structure like that of the same jar of glass analyzed above. That is to say, it seems that the same main chemical composition and molecular structure of common glass that professor D. Lon J. Mathias suggested to us is presented in silicones. Therefore, from this point of view, there is no reason to stop saying that glass can be considered an inorganic polymer and that it also has the same molecular structure of silicone (whose improved name is that of cross-linked polysiloxane).

With which both, glass and silicone, have an amorphous arrangement and silicon main chain.

If we previously discarded the term glass to denominate the invention that is recommended, now we advance more and we say that reached this point, now we could not discard the word glass to define it since it is made of silicone. Therefore, it is clear from the analysis, that a silicone could come to be considered as an elastic glass. Something that is understood to be strange in colloquial language because of the difficulty of disaffecting the term glass, a quality that is less hard or even soft and less rigid and even elastic.

Now, the next question to answer is whether any silicone, whether in its common solid state, gel or foam, can be considered a glass. We have seen that both the term glass and the term glass, by definition accompany the qualities of colorless, transparent or translucent and therefore alludes, both technically and socially, to both have such optical property. It is for this reason and in view of finding a convergence, which in this case alsla controversies of definition, that it is proposed that not all silicones can come to be considered glasses, without depending on whether their state is solid, gel or foamy but mainly of color that causes the incidence of light on said material, that is, the color that comes off in view of the human eye that is used as a measuring parameter and generalized recognition. Since, whether it is an opaque, translucent or transparent material, it is fundamental indicative of the same chemical composition and molecular arrangement of the compound or object.

As a conclusion, a silicone can actually be considered as a glass, but not any kind of silicone. That is why it is conditioned to the existence of transparency and / or translucency in silicones to be considered as such even though we have not integrated it into our semantic and popular schemes. Therefore, a silicone can be considered glass as long as it is translucent or transparent. Likewise, the figure or element that conform a silicone, could be called elastic glass, given its properties of inherent elasticity or simply silicone glass, if as a whole said object lets light penetrate, either translucent or transparent to the human eye . Asl is discovered, that both technically and in a popular environment, elastic glass, not only is it possible to make it but it already exists between us in objects made of silicones that are perceived translucent or transparent to the human eye, either in solid form, in gel or liquid form. In the same way, we can not consider it crystal as long as it is based on a main chain of molecules whose order is amorphous and irregular, even if it is only in one of the layers of the same and although it seems to us of a crystalline aspect.

Now that the concept of elastic and discovered glass that already exists between us, although disguised as transparent or translucent silicone, is argued, there is a better predisposition to talk about the antecedents closest to the state of the art of the canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass.

Taking into account the most common concept of glass, whether used for example for windows, vessels or bottles, it is understood that it is hard and rigid glass, making its use unthinkable and unviable for other applications such as canvas or blanket, it is say, they do not have elasticity. Likewise, the common glass itself does not contain air or gas enclosed inside it, so they are not able to increase their thermal insulation for example by incorporating air or gases as an insulating barrier in their elaboration process. IF they are, double glass compositions and even triple mounted on window frames, which leave a cavity or space between them to achieve this purpose, AislaGlas © is one of them. But in any case, they do not stop being hard, rigid and heavy without it being possible to bend them without breaking them. The invention advocates a flexible and elastic glass that by itself can achieve the effect of isolation that produces contain air or gas inside.

On the other hand there are the so-called organic glasses; plastic polymers of translucent and / or transparent color that allow the light to pass and that can be configured as soft or flexible by the production of thin sheets but are not elastic in nature, as for example; PVC, polycarbonate or methacrylate. Ace! same, said materials have been made in various shapes and structures, such as cellular polycarbonate, which leave gaps in their interior but, in addition to not being elastic, these provisions make them more rigid. In addition, it is emphasized that the cellular structures that present, have hollow cavities or their cells are not closed. With which they have not been designed with the purpose of containing air or gas. In both cases, its rigidity means that it is not feasible to conceive them as canvas or elastic covers, nor do they avoid overheating itself when exposed to direct sunlight. The invention that is advocated, deals with a glass, therefore translucent and / or transparent, which presents elasticity, reduces its own density allowing even buoyancy on water and manages to avoid its own overheating. It even manages to keep the surface exposed to the sun's rays cool, to levels where the rest of the materials used for tarps or covers do not.

With respect to translucent or transparent silicones, known commercially as crystalline silicones and which, as argued above, can be considered as elastic glass, there are also no canvas designs or covers with said material in the current state of the art. IF they have their own elasticity and necessary to be bent without breaking but their intrinsic weight and density is so high, that they do not float in the water by themselves, complicating, for example, their use as a pool cover canvas or acting as an insulator protector that prevents overheating by not containing air or gas chambers inside. The canvas or cover object of the invention is made in this same material but if it manages to reduce its weight notably and therefore its density, to the point of allowing its own floating on the water and thus use it as a pool cover.

In reference to the pool covers, there are also the ability to float on water, but are made of plastic with air bubbles, material that degrades more easily in the open and direct exposure of the sun's rays . As such, said plastics are prone to the appearance of mold, having to use chemical treatments that can then go on to water. The canvas or cover object of the invention is made of a material, structure and color, which together avoids said problems.

On the other hand, although there is no evidence of the existence of tarpaulins or covers mainly made of silicone foam, since given their technical characteristics and mechanical-mechanical not make it suitable for such use, if, even if there are differences not only technical but also functional, then an introduction is made by its proximity to the invention that is recommended both a specific type of foam of recent design, foam cellular silicone, and traditional silicone foams.

When a material is brought to its foam state, generally, its purpose is to try to reduce its weight or give more flexibility to the material. We find documents that talk about improving the density of elastomer foams, from physical-chemical processes, whose reactions provoke something like molecular expansion, that is, cause the foaming or gasification of the material by expanding air gaps or other substances. For example, documents EP 0341469 B1 (David Charles Gross, Connie Lee Haig, Jonathan David Rich), US 5011865 (Donald S. Johnson) and ES 2061 830 (Smith, Kennith Allen and Haig, Connie Lee) are cited as a crossing them will take us to know the rest of patents with ease. These in particular, speak of a silicone foam with molecular structure of bubbles or cells closed inside and claims a method to reduce the density of a silicone foam and chemical compositions. They can stay with cells or open pores or closed pores, but in any case their formations are circular and of size and random and uncontrolled places, something like the foam of soap bubbles. In addition, some speak of a foaming process or gasification, which manages to lower the density of the silicone remarkably (around 150 kg / m3) but losing much of its strength and therefore resulting in easy breakage, with little consistency. This group of inventions in addition to move away from the invention that is advocated by its material structure and function for which they were created, no reference to embodiments or claims with or on the translucent and / or transparent color, without thinking of conferring properties optics, their colors being generally opaque to light.

Other groups of patents, such as WO 2014039414 A1 (Junkang J. Liu, Pingfan Wu, Feng Bai, David A. Ylitalo), speak of different compositions of superimposed layers or layers of silicone. It is convenient to clarify its interpretation by entering its descriptions, since the invention that is recommended also speaks in its description of layers or sheets. It is noteworthy to note that the layers referred to by this group of patents refers to different sheets in compositions on top of each other, designed for sensor coatings and electronic protection, but in no case are they separated from each other by leaving gaps or gaps means of possible prismatic structures, cells or partitions as the invention that is advocated.

Other patents that are found and that have prismatic silicone structures such as those that the invention presents, are the technology of commercial name HEXALITE TM of the late twentieth century, which was used commercially, among other applications, as a buffer inside the soles of sneakers. The document is described in US 6245408 B1 (Thomas N. Bitzer) and describes a layer of hexagonal prisms attached and open on both sides, equivalent to the transverse half of a honeycomb or what is the same, a single side of the same. From ahl the sandwich structures were extended although thought and made with different rigid materials being that the parts are joined by some type of glue and not by fusion. More recently the document ES 1129555 U (Arturo Carrillo Sanchez), with trade name BEESTRUCTURE © reveals the filling structure made of elastomer formed by multiple layers of multiplicity of prismatic cells open and attached or stacked together, forming tiled and homogeneous surfaces. For example, a type of cushion is already on the market, although it has translucency or transparency and is made of elastic polymers, it does not have the shape or the design that makes it viable to use it as a canvas or protective cover. But the most important difference with the invention that It recommends fundamentally that it does not leave closed spaces in its interior in a hermetical way that makes gas or air chambers.

In short, in terms of foams, whether traditional silicone foams with random pores or the latest achieved foams of cellular silicone with prismatic internal structure, open or closed cell, besides that among its uses does not arise the realization in form and purpose as a canvas or protective cover, not in their own claims, is raised something that has to do with their own color. Therefore, among them, it has not been considered that the incidence of light has been something decisive or decisive to take into account in their own state of the art. They have been designed for functions of filling gaps or spaces, electronic protection or in search of damping and comfort elements associated with other materials, generally being opaque to light in its majority. And those that are not and that present translucency or something of transparency, have not been realized nor have been found re-enactment on possible air or gas chambers, inside.

Finishing with a direct allusion on the main use of the invention, the existing tarps or covers, whether for swimming pools, boats or for loading and unloading trucks, with the purpose of protecting from the sun's rays, cold or heat , are usually made of opaque materials. This presence of color, together with the other materials from which they are made, in order to increase their resistance to inclement weather, weathering or continuous manipulation, means that they tend to overheat and even burn on contact with the skin. Although they are flexible and manage to adapt to the surfaces or reliefs of their environment, these materials are not elastic in nature. On the other hand, translucent tarpaulins made of some organic plastic type have been found, in no case elastomer, composed with a braiding of threads that allow the light to pass and some overheating can be avoided. But in addition to the fact that the material of these canvases degrades more easily than the material of the invention, they do not contain air or gas chambers. Being that they are not able to prevent the proliferation of mold or microorganisms by themselves, having to use in some cases additional chemical substances. The invention that is recommended in addition to being more resistant to the weather, withstand aggressive environments such as saline, act as insulation and thermal blanket, is characterized by the novelty of not suffering from overheating in the direct exposure of the sun's rays. Asl itself, unlike the rest of tarpaulins, does not need additional anti-mold or anti-bacterial treatments.

As a conclusion, neither the market nor official documents have been found, articles that demonstrate or claim as a whole the qualities of; material, structure and color presented by the invention that is advocated. Being an important factor the combination of the 3 qualities to achieve the results and properties it offers. That is, they provide the invention with novel technical and mechanical properties that are not found in the current state of the art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention advocates a canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, characterized by 2 sheets of silicone separated from each other, an internal structure of the same material as partitions fused with the sheets that leave cells or cameras closed and a translucent and / or transparent color . Therefore the necessary combination between; material, structure, union between the parts and color, is what manages to offer the qualities and properties that do not occur in existing tarps or roofs.

The material of the invention is silicone, which in itself is a material that does not degrade outdoors and withstands extreme temperatures ranging from -50 ° to 250 °. Asl itself, unlike other plastics or synthetic materials used for tarps or covers, prevents the appearance of mold and micro organisms. But the silicone itself is heavier in relation to the materials or compounds that are usually used for tarps or covers. Its density exceeds 1000kg / m3 and for example is not a material that in itself can float on water. That is why it has been made in cell form leaving hermetically sealed cells or cells by means of 2 sheets of silicone separated from each other with a thickness that allows both their own rolling manually and also can be adapted to surfaces, whether they are rigid with roughness or soft and changing like water. Said separation has been made by means of structures of the same material joined in a fused manner to both sheets. Act as a support or partition to keep the sheets separated. The sheets can not touch each other in their resting position but they can touch each other when they bend due to their elasticity. In a preferred embodiment, an interior space has been left separating the sheets 3 millimeters from each other, being that as a whole, the thickness is 6 millimeters. For example, these measures are sufficient to allow their manipulation and winding as well as their buoyancy over fresh water. This is how spaces or cells are created inside them that together reduce their weight and therefore their density, in proportion to the volume of air or gas they contain. With this we get together all the protection properties that the silicone has intrinsically with other new ones that allow us to think about its practical and technical use as a canvas or cover.

But the invention advocates a canvas or cover not only of cellular silicone but speaks of an elastic cellular glass that in addition to all the above is able to pass light and avoid the overheating that the rest of plastic materials suffer with the direct exposure of the sun. For this it is necessary and determinant, as explained more thoroughly in the background of this report, that the canvas or cover is transparent or at least translucent, more technically, than the canvas or cover obtained has the optical property to emit translucency or transparency before the incidence of light on it. To this end, translucent and / or transparent silicone with the same configuration described above is used. Said silicone, not opaque, presents the conditions of molecular structure, chemical composition and optics, to be able to consider it as an elastic glass as it has been explained and scientifically argued in the antecedents. Therefore, the realization of the canvas or cover of cellular and elastic glass at the same time, is obtained from the combination of material, structure and color required as we have just described. More plainly we can also call it a canvas or transparent and cellular silicone cover.

With this realization, besides; reduce density and weight for better handling and even buoyancy in fresh water, maintain all the intrinsic properties offered by silicone, increase its thermal efficiency as a new insulator, the absence of color gives new properties to the whole canvas. Makes the incidence of light and more specifically the sun's rays do not affect as strongly as in the rest of plastic materials for 2 reasons, the material and color. It is known and demonstrated by the optometry that the materials absorb the different spectra of sunlight, from the ultraviolet to the infrared, in such a way that they can be heated to a greater or lesser extent. Color is a quality of objects but not something intrinsic to them. So, for example, something that we see in white absorbs less heat than something we see in black. That is why when we see the transparent or translucent color reflected in some things, we must resort to the physical, geometrical and molecular properties of the material to know and measure its true response to the sun's rays. In short, the face of the canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, which remains in direct exposure to the sun's rays, does not suffer from overheating in the sun's rays than the rest of the canvas. In no case, get to produce the thermal sensation of burning on contact with the skin and at the same time protects the objects that are under it even if translucent and / or transparent. As a whole, the Canvas or elastic cellular glass cover reflects the heat radiance, while natural light penetrates with hardly any obstruction. Something that until now has only been achieved in windows composed of double glazed rigid, an intermediate camera and some material in solar control sheet.

To increase the capacity of the tarpaulin or cover as thermal insulation and prevent it from passing heat from one side to another by means of any of the processes of conduction, convection or radiation, the structure of the canvas has been made in other sizes of the cameras, thickness of the walls of the sheets and their partitions, as well as color variation incorporating pigments or dyes. Variations between the geometry of the structure, amount of silicone material used and the color, responds to improvements in its capabilities as insulation and sunscreen. Likewise, in another preferred embodiment, several canvases have been fused together, checking that the heat impedance is improved. However, the latter responds to the fact that the canvas becomes stronger and more resistant to the detriment of flexibility and elasticity that can make its manual winding more or less forced.

Given the number of variations and combinations, it is not possible to determine an exact thickness from which we can consider that it can not be rolled. That is why the invention advocated claims this quality, that of roller, to treat canvas or cover without reaching the maximum thickness, density or number of merged canvases that admit it. For the tests, if it can be affirmed, that in the moment that can not be rolled in a manual way and not forced to keep it in that state, we will be talking about another material, be it a silicone foam or a cellular silicone in your case , but not of a canvas or covered with elastic cellular glass. This is so because said embodiments lose the necessary optical property of at least emitting translucency and therefore, they do not allow light to pass through.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to preferred examples of practical realization thereof, a set of drawings wherein illustrative character is accompanied as an integral part of said description. and not limiting, the following has been represented:

Figure 1a and 1b.- Shows perspective views of a canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass.

Figure 2a and 2b.- Shows perspective views of a canvas or cellular glass cover with a different embodiment.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the corner of a canvas or double cell glass cover.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

For the preferred embodiment, with FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, it has been intended to represent a canvas or cover whose translucent and / or transparent silicone sheets (1) are separated by an internal structure (3) as partitions which in this case of realization figure with hexagonal prism footprint. The transparency and / or translucency is appreciated in all the canvas or cover by which we can see the interior structure. In it, part of the canvas or rolled cover (2) is shown to represent its flexibility and elasticity. In figures 2a and 2b, another preferred embodiment of the tarpaulin or cover whose translucent and / or transparent silicone sheets (1) are separated by an internal structure (3) as partitions, in this case with square footprint is shown . In this case, both figures lack a piece of upper sheet in one of its corners to better show said internal structure (3) as partitions that fused together hold all parts of the canvas leaving gaps or cells closed hermetically inside. Likewise, part of the rolled canvas or cover (2) is shown. Finally, in figure 3, the corner of a canvas or cover of double elastic cellular glass is represented, that is to say, two canvases or covers (5) fused together.

Claims (5)

1. - Canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, characterized by; 2 sheets of silicone separated from each other, an internal structure of the same material as partitions fused with the sheets and leaving spaces or chambers closed with air or another gas and a translucent and / or transparent color. 2. - Canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, according to claim 1 characterized by; have added dyes or pigments up to an amount that the tarpaulin or cover maintains at least translucency. 3. Canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by; combinations between the size and shape of the cameras, thicknesses of the walls of the sheets and variations of colors with different levels of translucency. 4. Canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, characterized by 2 or more canvases according to claim 1, 2 or 3 which are superimposed and fused together. 5. Canvas or cover of elastic cellular glass, according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterized by; have the thickness and the cellular form that allow at least its rolling in a manual and not forced way.