RU2734197C1 - Method of producing epoxy translucent artificial stone imitating onyx - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: construction; chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to methods of making mortar, concrete and cement, namely, a composition of translucent artificial stone containing polyepoxides and imitating onyx. To carry out the method of making epoxy translucent artificial stone, which imitates onyx, an active diluent of epoxy resins, a mixture of amine curing agents, is added to epoxy resin. Dye and aluminium hydroxide are added to obtained mixture. Mixture is stirred and evacuated in a mixer, divided into several parts depending on the recipe of the specific texture. Dyes and additives regulating fluidity and density are added to each separate container. Mixtures are then mixed with each other in a common vessel and poured onto a matrix. Mixture is held at rest for cross-linking and polymerisation. Produced sheets are placed into the forced ventilation oven where they are heated. After cooling sheets are removed from tooling and cut.

EFFECT: technical result is the possibility of making epoxy translucent strong high-glossy sheet material - artificial stone imitating onyx without the need for further processing.

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Description

The technical field to which the invention relates

The invention relates to methods for the manufacture of mortars, concretes and cements, namely the composition of an artificial stone containing polyepoxides.

State of the art

Known inventions "ARTIFICIAL JEWELRY STONE" (patent No. 2027390) and "RAW MIXTURE FOR OBTAINING AN ARTIFICIAL STONE" (patent No. 2665722), the disadvantages of which are that they are intended for use in the manufacture of jewelry and jewelry, but not during construction repair work.

Inventions known from the prior art are generally related to the external characteristics of an artificial stone. So, for example, there is a known "NON-SLIP ARTIFICIAL STONE" (PCT Application: JP 01/06628 (01.08.2001), publication WO 02/10087 (07.02.2002)), the essence of which boils down to the fact that the stone has a rough surface, provided with concave grooves with exposed inorganic filler for anti-slip effect.

Also known is the invention "ARTIFICIAL STONE" POLYECTR "(application for invention No. 2008122783), produced in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, characterized in that on the wide sides of the stone, hollows-sockets and protuberances-hooks are made symmetrically to each other; characterized in that it has a fracture groove (s).

Also known is the invention "ARTIFICIAL STONE AND ITS STRUCTURE" (Application: 2001130438/15, 06.11.2001), a distinctive feature of which is the presence in the composition of at least one type of material that accumulates the energy of light, and a material luminescent under ultraviolet irradiation, and resin.

The most common technology for the production of artificial stone is the so-called Solid Surface technology. Artificial stone is made on the basis of polyester resin and special fillers without using a gelcoat surface. Gelcoat is a gel-like composition used to create a decorative and protective coating for composite products. Typically, the gelcoat is a thixotropic polyester resin. The filling mixture is prepared in a vacuum mixer. Used polyester or acrylic resin and filler in the form of aluminum trihydrate and ground colored granules of the same resin, pre-cured.

At the same time, the use of this technology does not allow achieving such fundamental characteristics of the material for the consumer as transparency, high gloss without additional grinding and polishing, an original, non-repeating pattern imitating onyx, the possibility of creating a product with a lower thickness and weight, but with the required characteristics.

For Solid Surface technologies, polyester resin is used, and not epoxy, as in the claimed invention. The properties of the epoxy binder directly affect the final properties and performance of the product. Epoxy resins in the cured state are superior to polyester resins in physical and mechanical indications, while being more flexible and impact resistant. Therefore, in the manufacture of artificial stone, it is possible to obtain products with characteristics corresponding to products made of polyester resin, but with a material thickness lower by 20-30%.

The optical transparency of the ingredients used directly affects the transparency of the sheet material. With an equal filling of resins with aluminum hydroxide, the epoxy composition when using transparent amine hardeners does not lose its optical purity, unlike polyester, where an accelerator and a curing catalyst are used. The catalyst changes the color of the entire composition to a yellow-dirty tint and significantly impairs the transparency. For polyester resin, after curing, the weight is significantly reduced, shrinkage (reduction in size) occurs, the stone shrinks and becomes dull and rough.

Used in the claimed invention epoxy resin with an amine hardener during processing does not shrink at all, that is, it has a completely dry residue, since there are no solvents or catalysts in the composition. Thus, with the observance of the technology, a highly glossy finished product is obtained.

The external characteristics of artificial stone can correspond to marble or granite. You can add special decorative fillers (glitter, phosphoric additives).

In the production of artificial stone using Solid Surface technology based on a polyester binder, to simulate a stone texture, multicolored chopped crumbs are used, consisting of the same resins. Aluminum hydroxide is added to simulate granite. To imitate marble, casting is used, where multi-colored veins are machine-added to the bulk imitating granite. As a result, the drawing is repeated due to the monotonous movement of the pouring pipe.

The existing technology for the production of artificial stone does not provide for the possibility of producing a material with other characteristics, for example, imitating translucent onyx.

In the production method declared for registration, the drawing is formed manually by mixing the tinted mixtures in a separate container and then pouring onto the matrix in a certain manner of the operator. The drawing is not repeated and has a pronounced sinewness from layers differing in transparency. Thus, imitation of complex multicolored minerals such as onyx and agate is created.

The technical problem to be solved by the claimed invention is the absence of a mechanism for the production of material that imitates onyx.

The technical problem of the present invention is to develop a method for manufacturing an epoxy translucent artificial stone imitating onyx, and characterized by the complexity and originality of the pattern, high chemical resistance, the ability to create a product with a lower thickness and weight and the absence of the need for additional grinding and polishing to obtain a high gloss surface, as well as improving characteristics of this material in comparison with analogues on the market.

The technical result consists in the development of a method for manufacturing an epoxy translucent durable high-gloss sheet material - an artificial stone imitating onyx.

Disclosure of the essence of the invention

For the production of the material, an epoxy resin based on bisphenol A ED-22, modified with an active diluent and technological additives, is used. Its imported counterparts with the same characteristics can be used, for example, a low-viscosity liquid epoxy resin DER-330 or epoxy resin KER-828.

A transparent amine hardener and a filler aluminum trihydrate of different fractions are introduced into a container with a resin, then a dye.

For the production of artificial stone, the mixture must have a low viscosity, otherwise it will be difficult in the future to release air in the form of micro-bubbles from the mixture.

Therefore, an active diluent of epoxy resins DEG-1 is added to the resin in a ratio of 10% of the resin mass, as well as an additive for air release - a polymer-based defoamer BYK-530 - in a volume of 1% of the resin mass. The resulting mixture is mixed for five minutes using a mixer.

Mix amine hardeners IPOX 2042 and Jeffamine D-230 in a separate container in a one to one ratio. IPOX 2042 acts as an active hardener and gives strength and reaction speed during curing, and Jeffamine D-230 is a slow hardener, gives flexibility and impact resistance to the product, and also provides, due to its low viscosity, good filling with aluminum hydroxide of the entire system, thus ensuring transparency.

The mixture of hardeners is added at a rate of 40% to the mixture of resin and thinners, mixed with a mixer. Then dye and aluminum hydroxide are introduced into the system in the amount of 100% by weight of the resulting mixture.

Then the mixture is mixed and evacuated in a mixer for half an hour to release air and homogenize the mixture, and then poured into a matrix.

A vibrating table is used as a working equipment, on which a frame made of a metal professional pipe measuring 3000 by 1250 mm is placed, on top of which tempered glass 10 mm thick in an aluminum frame is placed.

A polished heat-resistant glossy separator is applied in several layers on the glass surface. After evacuation and mixing, the mixture is divided into several parts, depending on the recipe for a particular texture, and dyes and additives are added to each separate container that affect the fluidity and density, which will be different for each color. This is an important component necessary for the drawing to imitate a real stone.

In the future, the mixtures are mixed with each other in a common container and poured onto a glass matrix until a thickness of 4 mm is reached, over the entire surface.

The frame with the sheet is retracted onto the cart. The procedure is repeated depending on the number of sheets of material to be produced.

The sheets are at rest for 10 hours for crosslinking and polymerization of the mixture, then the cart with sheets and frames is sent to the oven with forced ventilation for a period of at least 8 hours to post-cure the composite.During this time, the composite finally solidifies, and all active substances. The temperature in the oven gradually increases to 120 degrees Celsius over 3 hours, then cools down to 6 hours.

The time and temperature are determined by the hardeners used. In the case of using other analogous substances, the time may differ from the declared one.

With epoxy technology, post-curing is carried out after polymerization. If heating and curing are carried out ahead of time, the pattern will spread, and the specified physical and mechanical characteristics will not be achieved. All composites are heated and cooled slowly during post-cure to avoid internal stress that could cause damage.

After post-curing, the material becomes inert and does not release anything as the reaction is over. The material does not support combustion, as aluminum hydroxide is an effective fire retardant and releases water when melted.

After cooling, the sheets are removed from the tooling and cut out, after which they are packed in polyethylene to protect the glossy surface.

The claimed characteristics of the material are achieved due to the fact that in comparison with acrylic or polyester resin, epoxy resin has a higher strength and impact resistance, as well as a higher transparency or colorlessness of the binder. These characteristics meet the needs of the buyers.

After curing, the material does not emit harmful substances, has no odor, is not combustible and has high chemical resistance.

Before molding, the binder undergoes vacuum mixing and has no pores, therefore it can be cut, glued, grinded to the full depth of the material and used without restrictions as a self-supporting rigid material. Material when heated to 150 degrees Celsius lends itself to bending.

The epoxy binder is solvent free and has a high solids content, so it does not shrink after curing on a high gloss matrix, unlike polyester or acrylic composites, and allows you to obtain excellent aesthetically pleasing super gloss coatings without additional processing. This is the fundamental difference and novelty.

The proposed solution using hot curing epoxy resins, which are more transparent, strong and non-shrinking than any other, allows you to make sheets of larger format with a lower thickness.

The onyx pattern with this technology is achieved without the use of crushed resin granules. The drawing is achieved by laying out a pre-evacuated mixture of multi-colored and heterogeneous veins on a high-gloss matrix placed on a vibrating table.

The artificial stone created by the claimed method can be used, in particular, for the manufacture of translucent countertops, sinks, steps, lanterns, panels made of artificial onyx.

Claims (1)

A method of making an epoxy translucent artificial stone imitating onyx, characterized in that an active diluent of epoxy resins is added to the epoxy resin, then a mixture of amine hardeners, then a dye and aluminum hydroxide are added to the resulting mixture, the mixture is mixed and evacuated in a mixer, divided into several parts in depending on the recipe of a particular texture, dyes and additives that regulate fluidity and density are added to each separate container, then the mixtures are mixed with each other in a common container and poured onto a matrix, where they are at rest for crosslinking and polymerization of the mixture, then the resulting sheets are placed in an oven with forced ventilation, where they heat up and then cool down, and after cooling, the sheets are removed from the tooling and cut out.