GB2350378A - Headstone comprising of plastic layers - Google Patents

Abstract

A headstone 1 is manufactured in plastic material and has a wall structure comprising a first layer of a resin based material, a second layer of a mineral fibre material, a third layer of a material for providing rigidity, and a fourth layer of a mineral fibre material. An additional resin based material layer may be provided between the first and second layers and the resin can contain different coloured pigments. Decorative effects may be achieved by etching away the first layer to reveal the different coloured additional layer underneath. The headstone 1 maybe fitted with an internal metal bracing frame 6, Fig 2 and sand may be introduced to the internal cavity through a hole.

Description

2350378 MOUL1096.GB Headstones and the like The invention relates to

headstones and similar articles, and in particular to headstones made primarily from plastics materials.

Headstones are traditionally made from mineral materials; marble, granite etc. However, the cost of making headstones in the traditional way has become expensive and, in the UK at least, many people cannot afford to provide a headstone for, for instance, a deceased member of their family.

It has been proposed to manufacture headstones more cheaply from plastics materials. Nevertheless, it has proven difficult to replicate in plastics materials the look, feel and weight of mineral materials, and plastics materials headstones have tended to be treated as inferior imitations.

There have now been devised improvements in headstones and the like which overcome or substantially mitigate disadvantages associated with the prior art.

The invention provides a headstone or the like having a wall structure comprising a first layer of a resin-based material, a second layer of a mineral fibre material, a third layer of a material for providing rigidity and a fourth layer of a mineral fibre material.

By "headstone or the like" is meant a headstone or other form of memorial of a type conventionally made by a stonemason. Examples include wall plaques and plaques orplinths set into the ground, eg in a garden of remembrance. For convenience the terms "headstone" or "headstone or the like" are used herein to encompass all these possibilities.

Preferably, the resin-based material comprises casting resin, polyester resin, a catalyst and a pigment. Further preferably, the polyester resin is a so-called "gel coat". Also preferably, the resin-based material comprises approximately 25% casting resin and approximately 75% MOUL1096.GB 2 gel coat. Such a composition of casting resin and gel coat has been found to provide a surface finish which is a satisfactory reproduction of a mineral material.

Further preferably, an additional resin-based material layer may be provided between the first and second layers. The resin-based material in the first layer and the resin-based material in the additional layer contain different colour pigments. For instance, the first layer may contain a black pigment and the additional layer may contain a gold pigment, although it will be appreciated that any two different colour pigments may be adopted. Decorative effects may be achieved by etching away the first layer to reveal the different coloured additional layer underneath.

The thickness of the first layer, or of the first layer and the additional layer combined, when the latter is present, is preferably less than Smm, eg about 2-3mm.

The material for providing rigidity may be a plastics material, eg a plastics foam material. One example of a suitable material is a polyurethane foam. Such material preferably has a thickness of 10-30mm, eg about 20mm.

is The mineral fibre material may comprise glass or other mineral material fibres. The mineral fibre material will generally be adhered to the underlying material using a curable resin. The mineral fibre may be bedded into the resin, or may be impregnated with the resin before being applied.

The second andlor fourth layers may each comprise plural layers of mineral fibre material, 20 each of different density, that is, weight per square metre.

Also preferably, the headstone may be filled with a ballast material such as sand, preferably fine pouring sand.

The headstone may comprise internal bracing members which also serve as connection points for anchoring the headstone to the ground or a support etc. Such bracing members MOUL1096.GB 3 preferably take the form of a rigid frame installed within the headstone.

A currently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a headstone according to the invention and its 5 associated plinth supported by a terrazzo slab; and Figure 2 is a front view, partially cut away, of the headstone, plinth and terrazzo slab shown in Figure 1.

With reference to Figure 1, indicated generally at 1 is a headstone assembly comprising a vertically oriented headstone 21 mounted on a horizontal plinth 22 which in turn rests on a terrazzo 12. The headstone 21 is formed as a box defining an interior cavity which is filled with fine pouring sand. The box is formed in two parts: A first part comprising one of the major sides and all of the edges and a second part comprising the other major side. Each of these two parts has a wall structure which is made up as follows:

A mould (not shown) of an appropriate shape is first prepared and cleaned, and coated on is the moulding surface with a release agent. A first layer of resin- based material, containing a black pigment, is then painted on to the moulding surface with a brush. The resin material is made up of approximately 25% casting resin, 75% polyester resin gel coat and also includes a catalyst. This layer is left to cure and then a further layer of resin-based material is applied; this has the same composition as the first layer except that it contains a gold rather than a black pigment.

Once the gold pigment layer has cured, a layer of fire-retardant resin is applied, and layers of glass fibre matting are built up over it. These are adhered using resin, in two stages; first of all a layer of loz/sq yard matting is applied and over this laid a layer of 1 1/2oz/sq yard matting. The combined thickness of the glass fibre matting layers is 5mm. Then, a layer of 25 20min thick fire-retardant foam is bonded on to the glass fibre layer and the foam is backed MOUL1096.GB 4 with a further 3mm layer of glass fibre matting. The foam layer provides rigidity to the wall structure. The whole structure is then left overnight to cure.

When both parts of the headstone 1 have been formed, each is removed from its respective mould and the major part is fitted with an internal, metal bracing frame 6. The frame 6 is formed in 1 " x 1 " box section aluminium and comprises two vertical members, each of which has fixing nuts 8 fitted to both ends. The nuts 8 at the lower ends of the frame 6 are bonded to the bottom edge of the headstone 21 and holes are drilled through that edge to permit 1 Omm threaded bolts 7 to be introduced into the vertical members of the frame 6 and to engage the nuts 8 fitted at both ends of those members.

The two parts of the headstone 21 are then adhered together and the join between them is finished, by applying finiher black resin material and polishing, so as to provide an indiscernible seam. A hole is then formed in the lower edge of the headstone 21 and fine pouring sand is introduced through that hole to completely fill the internal cavity of the headstone 2 1, thereby giving the headstone 21 considerable weight. The hole is then sealed.

The whole of the outside of the headstone 21 is then cleaned and polished so as to provide a surface finish which reproduces the surface of a highly polished black mineral material.

The plinth 22 is constructed in a similar manner to the headstone 21, save that there is no internal bracing frame. Two nuts are laminated to the internal surface of the bottom wall of the plinth 22 and holes are formed to enable bolts 9 to be engaged with those nuts 8. Further holes are drilled through the plinth 22 to receive the protruding ends of the bolts 7 in the headstone 2 1.

The assembly 1 is formed by positioning the plinth 22 and the headstone 21 on the terrazzo 12. Four bores are drilled through the terrazzo 12, these being positioned to receive the bolts 9 projecting from the underside of the plinth 22 and the bolts 7 projecting from the lower edge of the headstone 2 1. Nuts 11 are engaged with the ends of the bolts 7,9 to secure the assembly 1.

MOUL1096.GB 5 The uppermost layer of black resin-based material can be etched away so as to reveal the gold resin material layer underneath. Thus, decorative effects can be achieved by etching away the upper layer to reveal patterns of gold or epitaphs written in gold-effect letters.

MOUL1096.GB 6

Claims (14)

Claims

1. A headstone or the like having a wall structure comprising a first layer of a resinbased material, a second layer of a mineral fibre material, a third layer of a material for providing rigidity and a fourth layer of a mineral fibre material.

2. A headstone as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the resin-based material comprises casting resin, polyester resin, a catalyst and a pigment.

3. A headstone as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the resin-based material comprises approximately 25% casting resin and approximately 75% gel coat.

4. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an additional resin-based material layer is provided between the first and second layers.

5. A headstone as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the resin-based material in the first layer and the resin-based material in the additional layer contain different colour pigments.

6. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the thickness of the first layer, or of the first layer and the additional layer combined, when the latter is is present, is less than Snim.

7. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the material for providing rigidity is a plastics foam material.

8. A headstone as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the plastics foam material is a polyurethane foam.

9. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the material for providing rigidity has a thickness of 10-30mm.

MOUL1096.GB 7

10. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the mineral fibre material comprises glass or other mineral material fibres.

11. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second and/or fourth layers each comprise plural layers of mineral fibre material, each of different density.

12. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the headstone is filled with a ballast material such as sand.

13. A headstone as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a rigid frame installed within the headstone.

14. A headstone substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying Figures.