MXPA05010795A - Process for conforming masonry elements based on concrete lighted with expanded polystyrene pearls and elements manufactured out therewith. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is related to a process for conforming masonry elements based on concretes lighted with expanded polystyrene pearls and elements manufactured therewith. More particularly, the invention refers to a process for manufacturing masonry elements, which mainly consists in preparing a dry mixture of concrete lighted with pearls previously impregnated with minerals, said minerals being finally powdered over the polystyrene sphere or pearl surface; the mixture is subsequently transported to a forced action mixer and combined with water, thus obtaining a homogenized mixture which is then transported to a vibrate-compactor device for molding the masonry elements, said device determining the vibration frequency level and subsequently transferring the mixture into a settling area. The elements obtained from the aforementioned process comprises a substantially lower weight, and acoustic and thermal insulation characteristics. The low-weight masonry is useful for lightening design structural loads, thereby providing slender and therefore cost effective structures. Furthermore, the use of light concrete blocks increases traditional formats, thereby covering more areas with a lower dead weight and labor since a reduced amount of structural iron is required..

Description

PROCESS TO CONFORM ELEMENTS OF MASONRY IN LIGHTED CONCRETE WITH EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE PEARLS AND ELEMENTS SO ELABORATED PREVIOUS ART OF THE INVENTION Concrete is a hardened material that is formed by mixing a cement material, typically Portland cement, with an aggregate material combined with water to form, under cure, a concrete composition. Conventionally used aggregate materials include coarse sand, stone and / or gravel. Concrete that is formulated with such conventional aggregate materials has a density typically ranging from about 2400 to about 5200 Kgr / m3. As such, concrete is suitable for use in many applications, such as structural applications.

The previous art has also recognized formulations of "light" concretes. "Light" concrete, or low density concrete, can generally be defined as a concrete with a density of less than 2400 Kgr / m3 in conventional concrete. Such lightweight concretes often have a density well below the average density of concrete with stone aggregates. The previous art has taught to prepare lightweight concrete that uses light aggregates such as perlite, pumice stone, slag, or materials such as shale and clay among others.

Many such aggregates are expensive and limited in availability. Those materials such as pumice stone or slag may require additional work with an increase in fuel costs or accessory equipment. Slag, a derivative of iron and iron and steel industries, can be extended to form a light aggregate by putting it in contact with water. However, the slag is not uniform in its properties and can be difficult to process under demanding quality control conditions.

Other development of the previous art has taught to prepare the elements of masonry from lightweight concrete using air to reduce the overall concrete density.

More recently, US Pat. No. 5,595,595 to Glenn, filed here explanatory teaches the use of "aquagels," or starch pastes, as an aggregate material in a particular composition. According to the teachings of this patent, the aggregate material has been prepared, cooking the starch until gelatinized until it is ready to be incorporated into a particular composition. The concrete compositions and aggregate materials postulated by this mentioned document are unsatisfactory in several respects. First of all, the preparation of the material of the "aquagel" in the way taught is time consuming, embarrassing and expensive. In addition, the patent teaches that "aquagels" are preferably cooled after washing to prevent bacterial growth and degradation, potentially leading to additional process costs.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing large and low weight masonry elements in an easy and efficient manner. Another object of the present invention is the need to form masonry elements with improved rigidity and mechanical strength characteristics.

According to these objects, as well as any other that will come into existence, a feature of the present invention resides in a process for forming masonry elements in lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene beads and the masonry elements thus elaborated. Particularly, the invention relates to a process for manufacturing masonry elements comprising essentially making a dry mixture of lightened concrete with pearls previously impregnated with finely powdered minerals on the surface of beads or polystyrene spheres, and, followed step, take a forced mixer in combination with water. Once a homogeneous mixture has been practiced, a vibro-compacting machine is used to mold the masonry elements, determining the level of vibration frequency and then passing to a setting patio. The elements obtained by this process comprise substantially less weight with broad thermal and acoustic insulation characteristics. The lower weight of the masonry leads to lighten the structural loads of design, making the structures more slender and therefore more economical. Similarly, with the use of lightened concrete blocks it is possible to expand the traditional formats, covering more area with less dead weight and less effort of labor since it requires less structural iron.

The novel features which are considered as the basis of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims and the additional advantages thereof, will be better understood on the following detailed description with the preferred embodiments.

OWN DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.

The present invention relates to a process for forming masonry elements in concrete lightened with expanded polystyrene beads and the masonry elements thus elaborated. Particularly, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing masonry elements comprising, essentially as a first stage, making a dry mixture of cement, stone aggregate and lightened with pearls previously impregnated with finely pulverized minerals on the surface of said beads or polystyrene spheres. The process for impregnating expanded polystyrene beads with mineral powders is widely disclosed in Colombian patent application CO03074865 filed on August 29, 2003.

Once the concrete has been mixed with the expanded polystyrene beads impregnated to the desired density, in the second stage it should be taken to a forced regime mixer, such as a paddle mixer or similar, in combination with water, in a ratio of water / cement from 0.3 to 0.4, preferably from 0.3 to 0.35, depending on the moisture of the stone aggregate such as sand.

Once a homogenous mixture has been formed, in the next third step a vibrocompactor machine is used to mold the masonry elements. During this third step of molding the masonry elements in the vibrocompactor, the following sub-stages must be practiced.

In the first instance, the first sub-stage comprises feeding the mold with a vibration frequency of 25 to 13 cycles per minute, preferably 20 to 15 cycles per minute, so that the proper filling of the mold is achieved. This frequency is more It is reduced by 50% compared to the filling frequency used in conventional processes for shaping non-light masonry elements, since due to the low mass it requires less energy and less frequency of vibration and less amplitude of the vibration.

A second subsequent sub-step comprises compacting the mixture within the mold 3% by volume smaller than the desired format with a variable vibration that adjusts to the level of compaction of the mixture that by containing expanded polystyrene beads coated with powdered minerals, which if compressible require a filling time compression control, since part of the. Compression deformation is absorbed by the expanded polystyrene beads. For this reason, by means of an Electronic Frequency Variator, the filling vibration is progressively increased from 20 to 15 cycles per minute to a range between 60 to 50 cycles per minute, for the exact time the compaction lasts.

This only happens when in a mixture of incompressible stones and water, they contain an understandable element that temporarily absorbs the compression energy and then releases it gently when it is no longer subjected to vibrocompaction, thus obtaining a plastic element, stable and stable. exact measurements.

In a fourth stage, said molded elements pass to a setting patio in which the cement reacts with water and compact sand, leaving the spaces of expanded polystyrene beads coated with powdered minerals in their actual volume before compaction.

This is the reason why the molds for the manufacture of light masonry should be 3% in volume smaller than the conventional ones without lightening, once the pearls are expanded they will form the format of desired dimensions.

By means of the method of the invention, masonry elements such as lightened concrete blocks are obtained, which possess a rich cement paste because part of the sand has been replaced by expanded polystyrene beads coated with mineral powders, thus achieving The cement / stone ratio is greater in these blocks.

In general terms, the strength of the blocks made in lightened concrete are lower, for this reason to increase resistance it is necessary to increase the cement proportion of the mixture.

The blocks obtained, because their structure includes expanded polystyrene, have lower thermal conductivity and greater acoustic insulation, being lighter. The great production advantage of the present invention is to form masonry elements with larger format than those produced on conventional media without light aggregates.

The costs are also substantially reduced from drunk to the fact that the total energy used is lower because the frequencies and amplitudes are smaller and electronically controlled.

The final volumes to be obtained must be corrected taking into account the effect of compression absorption of the EPS beads, ie the compacted resilience module.

Among the applications of the process and the masonry elements thus shaped of the present invention, are the construction of larger formats, covering more area with less dead weight and less labor effort; the lower weight of the masonry leads to lighten the structural loads of design, making the structures more slender; and, less labor effort since it requires less structural iron. For all the above, they are cheaper Only some preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example. In this regard, it will be appreciated that the process for forming masonry elements in lightened concrete with expanded polystyrene beads and the elements thus elaborated, as well as the arrangements, can be chosen from a plurality of alternatives without departing from the spirit of the invention according to the following claims.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS Process for forming masonry elements in lightened concrete with expanded polystyrene beads, characterized in that it comprises: A first stage of making a dry mixture of cement, stone aggregate and lightened with previously impregnated pearls. of finely pulverized minerals on the surface of said beads or polystyrene spheres; A second step of bringing said mixture to a forced rate mixer, in combination with water, in a water / cement ratio of 0.3 to 0.4, preferably between 0.3 to 0.35, depending on the humidity of the water. stone aggregate; Once a homogenous mixture has been formed, a third subsequent step comprises bringing the mixture with water to a vibrocompactor machine to mold the masonry elements; during this third step of molding the masonry elements in the vibrocompactor, the following sub-stages must be practiced where the first sub-stage comprises feeding the mold 3% by volume smaller than the desired size format, | with a frequency of vibration of 25 to 13 cycles per minute, preferably of 20 to 15 cycles per minute, so that the proper filling of the mold is achieved and a second sub-stage comprising compacting the mixture inside the mold with a variable vibration that adjusts to the level of compaction of the mixture; Y, A fourth stage, where said molded elements pass to a setting patio in which the cement reacts with water and compact sand, leaving the spaces of expanded polystyrene beads coated with powdered minerals in their actual volume before compaction. Process for forming masonry elements in lightened concrete with expanded polystyrene beads according to the previous clause characterized in that the mixer used in the second stage is made of pallets or similar. Process for forming masonry elements in lightened concrete with expanded polystyrene beads according to clause 2, characterized because the stone aggregate is sand. Process for forming masonry elements in lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene beads according to clause 3, characterized in that filling frequency is lower by 50% compared to the filling frequency used in conventional processes for shaping non-light masonry elements. Process for forming masonry elements in lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene beads according to clause 4, characterized in that in order to increase the strength of the blocks made of light concrete, the proportion of cement in the overall mixture must be greater than the proportion of cements in order to form a block without lightened. Masonry element made based on the method of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it contains a structure of expanded polystyrene beads coated with mineral powders and a water / cement ratio of 0.3 to 0.4, preferably between 0.3 to 0.35, depending on the moisture of the stone aggregate. A masonry element according to claim 6, characterized in that the stone aggregate is sand. A masonry element according to claim 7, characterized in that the element possesses a rich cement paste due to the fact that part of the stone aggregate has been replaced by expanded polystyrene beads coated with mineral powders, with a higher cement / stone ratio than in traditional elements without lightening A masonry element according to claim 8, characterized in that it is a brick, a block, a tile, a wall section, a dividing wall section or a front wall section. A masonry element according to claim 7, characterized in that the format in size of the lightened masonry element is substantially higher in volume and lighter than a traditionally non-lightened format.