GB2404379A

GB2404379A - Method of producing a photoluminescent mosaic glass tile

Info

Publication number: GB2404379A
Application number: GB0316400A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew David Curtis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-12
Filing date: 2003-07-12
Publication date: 2005-02-02
Also published as: GB0316400D0

Abstract

A method of producing a photoluminescent mosaic glass tile which comprises mixing a photoluminescent crystal material with powdered glass. Water may be added to the mixture, which may then be pressed and baked in a kiln or oven. The photoluminous material may have a composition of SrO, Al2O3, B2O3, Eu<2+>, Dy<3+>. The mixture of photoluminescent material, glass powder and water may be 1-40% photoluminescent material and 60-99% glass powder.

Description

Page 1 PHOTOLUMINESCENT GLASS MOSAIC TILE.

This invention concerns a method of producing a photolumnescent glass mosaic tile for decoration and particularly but not exclusively a method of decoration usable on walls and floors Presently a large range of decoration and techniques are applied to walls, floors and swimming pools using glass or ceramic mosaic tiles and also to the craft working and decorative industries, this Is widely know and accepted, but sufferers the disadvantage that at night or in darkness they cannot be seem without an artificial fight source, it Is more than desirable to produce new effects in such decoration it is also generally a requirement that such decorations should be durable, for exterior useage they should be substantially weather proof and have a high tolerance to Ultra violet light An object of this nvenbon Is to provide a mosaic ble that will glow in the dark for many hours that is substantially weather resistant, frost resistant, fire resistant, with a very hard and durable surface.

Photoluminescent crystals are materials that accept and store energy from Ultra violet rich fight sources, e.g. sunlighlight, fluorescent light, halogen and tungsten light bulbs, etc. and emit the stored energy slowly In the form of visable light over a long period of bme to glow in the dark for many hours, the photoluminous material has the composition formula of SrO, Al203, B203, Eu2+, Dy3+ According to the present Invention there is provided a method of producing a glow In the dark glass mosaic tile comprising mixing a photolumnescent crystal with a powdered glass material adding up to 5% water, placing the mixture into a mould and and applying pressure of between 600 to 800 pounds per square Inch by a hydrolc press, the mixture will be formed into the shape into the shape of the mould and is ready to be fired In a kiln or oven at between 820-900 degrees Celsius for between 30 and 45 minutes.

The glass powdems made up of SiO2,AI203,Fe203,T'02,S03,Na20, K20,MgO,CaO and their mixture The powdered glass Is preferably lead free The powdered glass Is preferably transparent or translucent The proportion of the photolumnescent crystal in the mixture Is preferably in the range of 1 to 30%.

The proportion of water in the mixture is preferably in the range 1 to 5% The powdered glass, photoluminescent material and water are mixed together for 30 minutes to form a mixture where the photoluminous material is dispersed evenly throughout, the mixture Is then placed Into a mould and formed Into the shape of the mould by applying a pressure of between 600 and 800 pounds per square Inch, the formed article Is now ready to be placed Into a kiln or oven.

The formed article Is preferably of the thickness of between 4 to 10 centimeters.

The kiln or oven temperature is preferably between 820 to 900 degrees Celsius for a time lasting between 30 and 45 minutes The mixture is such that when the photolumnescent crystaNn the mixture is sufficiently charged the mosaic ble will be clearly visible In daylight or under normal lghtng conditions and will give out visible light and glow In the dark in darkness or limited lighting conditions for many hours.

An embodiment of the present nvenbon will now be described by way of example only A photolumnescent crystal is mixed with a powdered glass and water for a time lasting 30 minutes to form a mixture with 1 to 40% by weight of the crystal, dependent on the strength of glow and length of glow required, the mixture is then placed into a mould and pressed with an hydrolic press to form an article the shape of the mould at a thickness of between 4 to 10 Page 2 millimeters, for this purpose the article is formed Into the shape of a mosaic tile 25mm x 25mm x 6mm although many shapes and sizes could be formed.

The article is then placed into a kiln at a temperature of between 820 and 900 degrees Celsius for a time lasting between 30 and 45 minutes.

Once the article has been removed from the kiln and cooled the result Is a finished glass mosaic tile that has a highly duarble glossy finish which Is substantially weather proof that is highly decorative in daylight or normal lighting conditions and under darkness or limited lighting conditions once the crystals In the mixture have been sufficiently charged the mosaic tile will emit visible light that will glow for many hours The finished product has a highly duarble glossy finish which Is substantially dishwasher machine proof and has high tolerance to weather and an enhanced UV fade resistance, as the Inks are sublimated Into the polymer materials they become part of the polymemtself and thus are protected by this proccess from the rigours of washing, Ironing and Ultra violet light, under darkness and once the crystals In the mixture have been sufficiently charged the images will emit a violable light that will glow: for many hours The mixture may comprise a plurality of Strontium Aluminate photoluminescent crystals with different coloured effects.

The ble may then be applied In a normal way to a wall, floor or swimming pool to form a mural or; decorative theme that Will glow In the dark for up to 20 hours Thus Is described a decoration method which permits walls, floors or swimming pools to be decorated In a relatively straight forward manner with a novel decoration, In view of the good finish provided by the decoration and the fact it is substantially weather proof the decoration does not detract but provides considerable enhancement with the decoration It Is to be realised that a wide range of decorations can be provided using a method according to the present invention, to provide for example decorations which glow In different colours or for different time scales Therebeneath, it is possible for a plurality of different crystals with different colours and perhaps also different colours to be mixed, a wide range of colours can be used as Is available Vanous other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example, the mixtures could be applied by different techniques and to perhaps only cover part of the i surface of a wall or floor to provide particular effects, the technique whilst ideally suited to decorating I can be used on a wide range of other articles. ! Whilst endevouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hennbefore referred to whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon

Claims

Page 3

1 A method of producing an article, the method comprising mixing a photolumnescent crystal with a crushed glass material.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein water is added to the mixture to act to bind mixed materials together 3. A method according to claim 1 and 2 wherein the crushed glass material Is made by breaking down and grinding and milling pieces of pre formed normal window type soda lime glass sheet into a fine powder consistency to a size of between 15 and 45 microns and washing and cleaning to get nd of any impunties.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the pre formed glass Is substantially transparent and preferably clear.

A method according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the photoluminous material Is treated against deoxdsaton by the water molecule by coating the photoluminous crystals with a silicate layer.

6. A method according to any of claims 1-5 wherein the photolumnous material is treated against oxidisation or decomposition above me temperature of 820 degrees celcius by coating the phoyoluminous crystals with a silicate layer.

7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the water added to the mixture is between the proportion of 5-10% by weight 8. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the proportion of photoluminous material in the mixture is within the range 1 to 50% by weight.

9. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the mixture including the watems mixed together for a period of between 20 and 40 minutes to disperse the photoluminescent material fully and form a homogenous mixture.

10. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the homogenous mixture is placed into a hopper and then fed into steel mould and pressed into the shape of the mould using a mechanical or hydrolc press with pressure between 4 and 15 tonnes per square centimeter to form an artical of the shape desired.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the formed article has depth of between 3 and 10 centimters.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the formed article has a length and breadth of between 8 and 50 centimeters.

13. A method according to claim 11 to 12 wherein the article Is then fed or placed into an electric or gas fired roller kiln at a temperature of between 840 and 1000 degrees Celsius for period of time between 20 and 45 minutes.

14. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the mixture comprises a plurality of photolumnescent materials with different colours and bightness's; A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the photoluminescent materials Page 4 are of different colours.

16. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein the mixture comprises a plurality of transparent coloured glass materials 17. A method of producing an article 1 the method being substantially as herenbefore described 18 Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.