WO1992008678A1

WO1992008678A1 - Magnetic cement-bound bodies

Info

Publication number: WO1992008678A1
Application number: PCT/DK1991/000339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans Henrik Bache; Knud Lund Eriksen
Original assignee: Aalborg Portland A/S
Priority date: 1990-11-14
Filing date: 1991-11-12
Publication date: 1992-05-29
Also published as: DK271990D0; EP0557368B1; DE69104378D1; EP0557368A1; ATE112242T1; AU8917091A; DK0557368T3; CA2096351A1; DE69104378T2

Abstract

Castable and curable cement-based powder compositions comprising: i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and ii) a subcomposition including: cement particles, ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultrafine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 νm, and a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1-4 % by weight dispersing agent based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles, said ultrafine particles constituting 3-30 % by volume of said powder composition, said cement particles constituting 2-70 % by volume of said powder composition, said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material constituting 10-95 % by volume, preferably 30-95 % by volume of said powder composition, and said particles of said subcomposition having an average particle size of at the most 10 νm; cement-bound bodies having magnetic or magnetizable properties produced from such compositions, and methods of producing such bodies.

Description

MAGNETIC CEMENT-BOUND BODIES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to castable and curable cement-based powder compositions, to cement-bound bodies having magnetic or magnetizable properties produced from such compositions, and to methods of producing such bodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A class of extremely dense and strong cement-based materials, the so-called "DSP materials", are based on binder matrix comprising ultrafine particles such as microsilica particles homogeneously arranged between densely packed particles which are exclusively or predominantly cement particles. The dense and homogeneous structure is made possible by the use of an effective amount of a suitable dispersing agent such as a concrete superplasticizer. In typical DSP materials, the binder is made from Portland cement and 10-40% by volume of ultrafine silica dust (based on the total volume of the cement and the silica dust) having an average particle size of about 0.1 μm, using 1-4% by weight of concrete superplasticizer, calculated as dry matter based on the combined weight of the cement and the silica dust, the ratio between the amount of water used in the preparation of the binder and the combined amount of the cement and the silica dust being kept low to secure the dense structure. The DSP materials possess a number of desired qualities, such as high strength, high density (= very small porosity) , and high durability, including high frost resistance.

A number of further developments in the field of DSP materials have been reported. Thus, e.g., JP 50659/1986 discloses cement-based materials comprising metal particles of a size of 1-100 μm which may replace up to 95% of the cement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It has now been found that it is possible to prepare extremely strong and dense magnetic or magnetizable cement- bound bodies which are suitable for use in, e.g., electric motors using cement-based powder compositions which comprise a large amount of magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, a relatively small amount of cement particles, ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, and a surface-active dispersing agent.

Thus, a first aspect of the present invention relates to a castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising:

i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and

ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultrafine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μm, and

a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1-4% by weight dispersing agent based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles,

said ultrafine particles constituting 3-30% by volume of said powder composition, said cement particles constituting 2-70% by volume of said powder composition,

said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material constituting 10-95% by volume, preferably 30-95% by volume of said powder composition, and

said particles of said subcomposition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μm.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a method of producing a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable comprising the following steps:

providing a volume D of a castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising:

i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and

ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1- 4% by weight dispersing agent dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles,

said ultrafine particles constituting 3-30% by volume of said powder composition,

said cement particles constituting 2-70% by volume of said powder composition. said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material constituting 10-95%, preferably 30-95% by volume of said powder composition, and

said particles of said subcomposition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μm,

providing a volume E of water, said volume D of said castable and curable cement-based powder composition and said volume E of water fulfilling the requirement that the ratio between the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles in said volume D is at the most 0.35,

mechanically mixing said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, said subcomposition and said water so as to obtain a homogeneous, viscous to plastic mass in which the volume concentration of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, said cement particles and said ultrafine particles is not less than 0.55,

arranging said mass in a mould, and

allowing said mass to solidify to at least such an extent that said solidified mass constituting said body may be removed from said mould.

A third aspect of the invention relates to bodies prepared by the above method and using the above powder composition. This aspect of the invention thus relates to a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable, and being cast from a castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising:

i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultrafine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μ , and

said ultrafine particles constituting 3-30% by volume of said powder composition and of said body,

said cement particles constituting 2-70% by volume of said powder composition and of said body,

said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material constituting 10-95%, preferably 30-95% by volume of said powder composition and of said body,

said particles of said subcomposition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μm, and

the volume concentration of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, said cement particles and said ultrafine particles being no less than 0.55 throughout said body.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, bodies of a magnetic or magnetizable material may be glued together using a cement-based powder composition comprising fine cement particles. Thus, in accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of producing a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable is provided, comprising the following step^'s:

providing a plurality of bodies of a magnetic or magnetizable material,

cement particles,

said cement particles of said powder composition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μm,

providing a volume E of water, said volume D of said castable and curable cement-based powder composition and said volume E of water fulfilling the requirement that the ratio between the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles in said volume D is at the most 0.35,

mechanically mixing said powder composition and said water so as to obtain a homogeneous, viscous to plastic mass in which the volume concentration of said cement particles is not less than 0.55,

arranging said mass between and optionally around said bodies of said magnetic or magnetizable material so as to glue said bodies together by means of said mass, and

allowing said mass to solidify.

A fifth aspect of the invention relates to a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable, and including bodies of a magnetic or magnetizable material, which bodies are glued together by means of a solidified mass made from a castable and curable cement-based powder composition including:

cement particles,

said cement particles of said subcomposition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μm, and

the volume concentration of said particles of said cement particles being no less than 0.55 throughout said solidified mass.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term "body" as used in the context of the present invention may refer to both an independent body or to a part of a larger body, the body being, e.g., in the form of a plate, a rod, a sheet or foil, a sphere, cube or other geometrical form, a laminate, etc. It will be understood that the term "body" is not to be construed as being limited to any particular shape, and that the term therefore also encompasses any type of irregularly shaped object prepared in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

The term "particle" as used in the context of the present invention is to be understood in the broad sense as referring not only to compact shaped particles having a more or less spherical form, but also to, e.g., angular particles, flattened or flake-shaped particles, fibres or fibrous particles, etc. It is to be understood that the "size" of the particles in the context ^"of the present invention refers to the smallest transverse dimension of the particles in question, e.g. in the case of fibrous particles to the diameter.

The particles of the magnetic or magnetizable particulate material are typically particles with soft magnetic properties, e.g. particles selected from the group consisting of high-purity iron; commercial-purity iron; Armature M-43; Electric M-36; Dyname M-22; Transformer 58, M-15; oriented cube-on-edge texture, M-4; High-permeability G.O.; low-aluminium iron (3.5%); 16% Al-Fe; Sendust; Thermoperm; 45 Permalloy; 50-50 Ni-Fe; Mumetal; 78 Permalloy; Supermalloy; 27% Co-Fe; 50% Co-Fe; Supermendur; 45-25 Perminvar; 2-81 Moly permalloy powder; carbony1 iron powder; Mn-Zn Ferrite; Ni-Zn Ferrite; and amorphous Fe-B- Sl, METGLAS 2605S-2. They may alternatively or additionally include particles with permanent magnetic properties, e.g. particles selected from the group consisting of Ba ferrite; Sr ferrite; Alnico 5; Alnico 8; Alnico 9; Feg₅Cr₃2Co₃; Fe^C^sCo-^; Co₅Sm; (Co, Fe, Cu, Zr)₈Sm; elongated single domain (ESD) Fe-Co; Mn-Al-C; Co- Pt; and Fe-Nd-B.

By the term "average size" is meant the particle size which is larger than 50% by volume of the particles and smaller than 50% by volume of the particles in a given particle composition. This is thus equal to the 50th percentile (by volume) . The grain size distribution of certain particle compositions are defined below by ratios such as "D9o/D₁₀" and "D₁₀ D5", in which, unless otherwise mentioned, e.g., "Dgo" is the diameter of the 90th percentile (by volume) of the particles and "D₁₀" ^{is the} diameter of the 10th percentile (by volume) of the particles. In other words, "Dgo" represents a particle size which is larger than 90% by volume of the particles in a given particle composition and smaller than 10% by volume of the particles, while "D₁₀" represents a particle size which is larger than 10% by volume of the particles in the given particle composition and smaller than 90% by volume of the particles.

Examples of types of ultrafine particles of an inorganic material which may be used are alumina, calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, rice husk ash, metakaolin, oxides such as AI2O3, Si0₂, zirconium oxide and titanium oxide, and ground and/or sieved fly ash, quartz and slag. One important example of the ultrafine particles is

"microsilica", that is, silica-rich ultrafine dust obtained as by-product in the production of ferrosilicon or silicon metal.

The cement may be any hydraulic cement, that is, a powder binder which hardens by reaction with water to form a product which is durable in water. The most important cements are Portland cement and aluminate cement. Examples of cements are normal Portland cement, high early strength Portland cement, sulfate resistant cement, low-alkali cement, low heat cement, white Portland cement, Portland blast furnace cement, Portland pozzolana cement, Portland fly ash cement, and aluminate cement (high alumina cement) .

The inorganic solid particles constituting a particulate filler may be any type of inorganic particle which fulfills the above conditions with respect to particle size and which do not to any substantial extent participate in the chemical reaction which cements the various types of particles together in bodies according to the invention. Examples of types of such inorganic solid particles which may be used are fly ash, fine quartz sand, slag, alumina, calcium carbonate and calcium carbonate-containing minerals such as dolomite and calcite, metakaolin, metal particles other than magnetic and magnetizable particles, and oxides such as I2O₃, Si0₂, zirconium oxide and titanium oxide. If desired, the inorganic solid particles may advantageously be sorted, e.g. by sieving, so that the particles have a narrow particle size distribution. Special examples of the inorganic solid particles are special strong mineral particles, e.g. the strong particles disclosed in WO81/3170, such as calcined bauxite particles.

The dispersing agent selected should be able to substantially eliminate locking forces between particles in mixes consisting of the above-mentioned powder composition and water, and should have no negative effect with respect to the quality of the final structure. The dispersing agent is normally a concrete plasticizer, in particular a concrete superplasticizer, also called a water reducing agent or a high performance water reducing agent. Such agents are known to be effective with respect to rendering possible the distribution of ultrafine particles, such as ultrafine silica, between densely packed cement particles. By the use of concrete superplasticizers, such as a sodium salt of a highly condensed naphthalene sulphonic acid/formaldehyde condensate, of which typically more than 70% consists of molecules containing 7 or more naphthalene nuclei, a uniform dispersion in a system combining the ultrafine particles, cement particles and particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material and water may readily be obtained, making possible the desired dense packing of the particles in a low stress field. The amount of superplasticizer dry matter used is 0.1-4 percent, calculated on the total weight of the particles of the powder composition. An alternative manner of expressing the amount of dispersing agent would be to refer it to the particles of the subcomposition alone. In this case, the amount of superplasticizer dry matter may be expressed as being 1-4 percent by weight, calculated on the weight of the particles of the subcomposition.

It is believed that one of the main reasons for the attainment of the advantageous strength and durability characteristics in the bodies according to the invention, despite the low cement contents of. these bodies, resides in the construction of a binder with the ultrafine particles arranged densely and homogeneously and effectively cemented together by the cement particles, in particular when the cement particles are relatively small. Thus, particularly strong and durable articles are obtained when the cement particles have an average size between 2 and 20 μm, preferably an average size between 2 and 10 μm, more preferably an average size between 2 and 7 μm, and most preferably an average size between 2 and 5 μm, e.g. an average size between 2 and 3 μm. It is also often preferred that the magnetic or magnetizable particles (and optionally any inorganic solid particles constituting a particulate inactive filler material) also are relatively small, as it is believed that this provides an added structural advantage to the system containing the ultrafine particles and the cement particles.

However, the magnetic or magnetizable particles (and preferably the cement particles) should be large compared to the ultrafine particles, which means that the magnetic or magnetizable particles (and preferably the cement particles) should preferably have an average size of at least 3 times the average size of the ultrafine particles, preferably at least 10 times the average size of the ultrafine particles, and more preferably at least 100 times the average size of the ultrafine particles. It is in this connection also very advantageous that the cement particles and the magnetic or magnetizable particles have a narrow particle size distribution, e.g. do not have any substantial particle size fraction approaching the size of the ultrafine particles, so that the cement particles and the magnetic or magnetizable particles do not interfere with the packing of the ultrafine particles.

The volume concentration of the powder composition in bodies according to the invention should be high, i.e. the volume concentration of the magnetic or magnetizable particles, the cement particles and the ultrafine particles should be not less than 0.55 throughout^" said body. This is obtained in a manner known per se, by using an effective dispersing agent in a sufficient amount, and, quite generally, by using well-known measures to ensure a dense and homogeneous structure, such as careful mixing and ensuring that the components of the powder composition are mutually compatible, which may be assessed, e.g., by a flow test as described in the examples. A high particle concentration in mixes prepared from the powder composition and water ensures allows the cement particles and the magnetic or magnetizable particles to arrange themselves so that they are in substantially direct particle-to-particle point contact to promote the formation of strong inter-particle bonds.

In preferred bodies of the invention, the volume concentration of the magnetic or magnetizable particles, the cement particles and the ultrafine particles is at least 0.60, more preferably at least 0.70, and still more preferably at least 0.75.

When special fine cement particles are used, in particular with a narrow particle size distribution as discussed below, bodies according to the invention can be made with a surprisingly high quality using normal mixing and casting techniques, and with an even higher quality using special mixing techniques employing vibration and pressure compaction. Furthermore, other types of concrete superplasticizers, for example melamine based concrete superplasticizers, e.g. Sikament®-FF, may also be employed.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that bodies according to the invention may be reinforced using e.g. steel bars, mesh or wire. Also, bodies prepared according to the present invention may be reinforced using fine fibres, whiskers, etc. It may be of particular interest to combine the teachings disclosed herein with the teachings of ^"US patent No. 4,979,992, to which reference is made and which is herewith incorporated in the present specification by reference. An equivalent disclosure is found in the published international patent application having publication number WO87/07597. The above-mentioned US patent discloses so-called "compact reinforced composite" ("CRC") materials. These materials comprise a combination of a rigid, dense and strong matrix comprising a base matrix which is reinforced with a high content of relatively fine fibers and which is further reinforced with a high content of main reinforcement, e.g. in the form of steel bars, wires or cables. The CRC structures provide cement-based materials which have a strength like that of structural steel, while at the same time being a composite material. This allows the achievement of various other desirable properties not available with materials such as steel, for example chemical resistance, and further allows the construction of large, massive structures for which conventional materials, e.g. steel and conventional reinforced concrete, are unsuitable. The main principle of these CRC materials is the combination of a relatively large amount of heavy main reinforcement embedded in a fiber-reinforced matrix which is strong and very rigid, but also very ductile in spite of the fact that the base matrix material per se is typically hard and brittle. The CRC materials thus function in a similar manner as conventional reinforced concrete, i.e. the pressure load is predominantly carried by the fiber-reinforced matrix and the tensile load is predominantly carried by the main reinforcement, the fiber-reinforced matrix transferring forces between the components of the main reinforcement. However, the CRC materials, with their unique combination of a strong base matrix and a high content of main reinforcement, are able to resist much greater loads than conventional steel-reinforced concrete and may be employed in a wealth of applications for which conventional reinforced concrete is not suitable, e.g. in electric motors, generators, etc. prepared in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

The bodies prepared according to the present invention may in particular constitute a component of an electric apparatus, an electric machine, or an electric system or may constitute the electric apparatus, the electric machine or electric system per se. Such bodies may for example constitute an armature of a solenoid inductor or transformer, or a stationary or movable component of an electric machine, such as a rotor or stator component of an electric AC or DC motor, or an electric generator, eg. of an asynchronous or synchronous motor.

According to a specially advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cement particles have a narrow particle size distribution with the ratio Dgo/Dio °f ^a~ ~ ^{~ ~ mos-}t about 12. In principle, the particle size distribution should be as narrow as possible, and very desirable values of the ratio Dgo/D₁₀ for the cement particles are in the range of 3-10, in particular 3-7 and more preferred 3-5.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the cement particles should preferably have as little content of very fine particles as possible, as very fine cement particles may disturb the packing of the ultrafine particles and/or may dissolve completely in the mix water and cause undesired early hardening phenomena which can disturb the attainment of an optimum homogeneity. For this reason, it is preferred that the ratio D₁₀/^D5 ^{of tlιe} cement particles is at the most 1.5.

Such cement particles are easier to incorporate into the mixes with attainment of maximum density, and apart from giving rise to a higher quality of the resulting shaped articles, they also give advantages during the production of the articles, such as a longer pot life and a lower requirement for the amount of dispersing agent.

It is preferred that the ultrafine particles have an average size in the range of 0.03-1 μm, in particular an average size of about 0.1-0.5 μm.

The ultrafine particles are preferably spherical particles. A relatively broad particle size distribution of the ultrafine particles will give the most dense packing under ideal conditions, but this may in certain cases be counteracted by an increased difficulty in obtaining a homogeneous arrangement of the particles, the finer the particles are. For this reason, it may be preferred that the ultrafine particles also have a narrow particle size distribution, such as a particle size distribution with the ratio Dgø/D₁₀ of at the most about 20, preferably at the most about 10, more preferably at the most about 5. The ultrafine particles may also comprise two particle size fractions, such as one in the range of 0.5-1 μ and another one in the range of 0.05-0.1 μm, preferably with one or both of the fractions being narrowly graded as mentioned above.

Interesting magnetic or magnetizable particles are those having an average size in the range of 50-100 μm, or particles having an average size in the range of 2-40 μm, in particular 2-20 μm, e.g. 2-10 μm and as small as 2-5 μm. It is especially valuable to have larger magnetic or magnetizable particles which have a narrow size distribution with the ratio D o/Dio being at the most about 10, preferably at the most about 6.

The magnetic or magnetizable particles may comprise two fractions with gap grading, one fraction having an average size in the range of 50-100 μm and the other fraction having an average size in the range of 2-10 μm. It is especially preferred that at least one of the magnetic or magnetizable particle fractions has a narrow particle size distribution, the ratio Dg₀/D₁₀ ^{of the} fraction having an average size in the range of 50-100 μ being at the most 4, and/or the ratio Dg₀/D₁₀ of the fraction having an average size in the range of 2-10 μ being at the most about 8. All of these measures serve to increase the density and quality of the binder and to facilitate processing, corresponding to what is explained above.

It is to be understood that the powder composition may, e.g., be one which contains the ultrafine particles, the cement particles, and the magnetic or magnetizable particles, and optionally a particulate inactive filler material, and to which water and the dispersing agent are added to form a mix, or it may be one which additionally contains the dispersing agent, and to which only water is to be added to form a mix. The magnetic or magnetizable particles may also be added to e.g. a mixture of the cement particles and the ultrafine particles, after which water and the dispersing agent may be added. In any case, the types and amounts of the constituents and, with respect to the particles, their particle sizes and particle size distributions, can suitably be adapted in accordance with the above discussion.

The production of bodies according to the present invention may be performed in accordance with normal mixing and casting techniques as known, e.g., for dense materials with a binder matrix comprising microsilica particles homogeneously arranged between densely packed cement particles. Such techniques, which are aimed at arranging the particles in a homogeneous and dense system, involve sufficient mixing and sufficiently long mixing times to obtain a well-saturated, homogeneous, dense system. Such methods and additional methods which employ pre-mixing of the finest components and subsequent addition of the somewhat larger particles are described in the examples. In many cases, it will be preferred that the curing is performed without any initial heating, so as to make it possible for the small amount of cement^' to diffu a throughout the material before any substantial hardening takes place, but it is also possible to utilize heat curing and other curing methods known to increase the strength of conventional cement-bound materials.

It is believed that magnetic or magnetizable bodies prepared according to the present invention are able to tolerate considerably higher temperatures than conventional magnetic or magnetizable materials, since the cement-based binders prepared from powder compositions according to the invention are able to tolerate such high temperatures. Thus, it is contemplated that bodies according to the invention may be able to tolerate temperatures up to the Curie point.

It will be understood that the components of the particle system should be compatible from a chemical and surface chemical point of view, in particular the ultrafine particles, the cement particles, and the dispersing agent should be selected so that they will be compatible with each other. This may, e.g., be accomplished as described in W088/00575, which discloses that the cement particles and the ultrafine particles A should be selected and/or the mix adapted so that the content of water-soluble alkali in the mix originating from the mineral solids in the mix is at the most 0.30%, calculated as Na2θ equivalents, relative to the weight of the cement in the mix.

As explained above, the bodies according to the present invention may constitute an electric apparatus, an electric machine or an electric system, for example a generator or a motor, or a part thereof. However, it is also contemplated that the bodies of the invention may be employed for a variety of other purposes which take advantage of their strength and durability as well as their high content of magnetic or magnetizable particles. Among the possible uses for such bodies are the following:

As permanent magnets for fastening and transport applications in industry, for example by casting magnetic or magnetizable material into a shop floor, for fastening applications in the home, and in situations in which "plastic magnets" currently are used

Shielding of high and low frequency electrical installations, e.g. by constructing such installations inside magnetic concrete prepared according to the invention

For purposes in which durability and/or resistance to corrosion is essential, e.g. underwater applications

As filler material for obtaining a more optimal control of the magnetic field in e.g. electric motors

Regardless of how the magnetic or magnetizable bodies of the invention are employed, they have the advantage that they can easily be cast in the desired shape and, if desired, readily subjected to processing after casting. However, due to the fact that the bodies generally can be cast in the exact shape desired, the cast bodies will normally require little or no subsequent processing. Furthermore, by adapting the binder to the intended application, lightweight magnets that are easily transported may be prepared. The present invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective, schematic and partly broken away view of a solenoid implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Figs. 2a and 2b are schematic views disclosing a segment of the material of the solenoid shown in Fig. 1 manufactured from DSP material and from conventional cement material, respectively, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a mold for casting or molding a component of an AC electric motor in accordance with the teachings of the present invention also disclosing a step of introducing DSP material into the mold, Fig. 4 is an exploded and perspective view of an AC elec- trie motor, the components of which are manufactured from DSP material in accordance with the teachings of the pre¬ sent invention,

Fig. 5 is a schematic and sectional view of a segment of a stator of the AC electric motor shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a schematic and perspective view disclosing a mold for casting a transformer comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding from a DSP material in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, Fig. 7 is a perspective and schematic view of a transformer cast in accordance with the teachings of the present inven¬ tion and as disclosed in Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the transformer shown in Fig. 7 disclosing various structures and layers of the trans¬ former, Fig. 9 is a schematic and sectional view of an armature of a transformer or an electric motor, which armature is implemented in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, and

Figs. 10 and 11 are schematic and sectional views illustra- ting two steps of manufacturing a winding in accordance with a particular aspect of the present invention in an electric component, viz. a transformer, including magnetic or magnetizable material.

In Fig. 1, an inductor or solenoid 10 is shown comprising a helically wound conductor 12, which is connected to ter- minals 14 and 16 for connection to external electric or electronic components or circuitry and further a supporting and encapsulating casting 18. The casting 18 basically, serves the purpose of supporting and protecting the heli¬ cally wound conductor 12 and of supporting the terminals 14 and 16.

Still further, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the supporting and encapsulating casting 18 serves the purpose of providing a magnetic or magnetiz¬ able body, which encapsulates the helically wound conductor 12 and also constitutes a magnetic core of the solenoid or inductor 10. Thus, the material of the casting 18 includes particles of a magnetic or magnetizable material, which casting material also fills out the entire inner space of the helically wound conductor constituting the above men- tioned magnetic core. Although the casting 18 may consti¬ tute a homogeneous casting, which, as will be described in greater detail below with reference to Figs. 2a and 2b, includes magnetic or magnetizable particles, the casting 18 may be made from homogeneous non-magnetic or non-magneti- zable material, while the core of the helically wound conductor 12 is manufactured from a magnetic or magnetiz¬ able particle-containing material, preferably a DSP materi¬ al.

Still further, the casting 18 may constitute a two-layer casting, an inner part of which includes magnetic or mag¬ netizable particles and an outer layer of which constitutes a solid high strength supporting and protecting casing.

In Fig. 2a, an enlarged sectional view of a segment of the supporting and encapsulating casting 18 is disclosed, illustrating the advantageous, homogeneous and intimate packaging of magnetic or magnetizable particles 20 within a DSP supporting matrix including cement particles 22 and ultrafine particles of an inorganic material. As is evident from Fig. 2a, the magnetic or magnetizable particles 20 are arranged in a compacted yet spaced apart relationship.

In Fig. 2b, a conventional cement-based structure is shown including magnetic or magnetizable particles also shown in Fig. 2a and cement particles 22. As is evident from Fig. 2b, the magnetic or magnetizable particles 20 are arranged in a less compacted relationship as compared to the struc¬ ture shown in Fig. 2a. Thus, the conventional cement-based matrix structure disclosed in Fig. 2b provides a less compact packaging of the magnetic or magnetizable particles 20 as compared to the DSP-based structure disclosed in Fig. 2a, in which the magnetic or magnetizable particles 20 are packed so intimately that they are almost equivalent to a sintered magnetic or magnetizable solid body.

In Fig. 3, a mold 40 is shown, which comprises a support 42, on which an outer cylindrical wall component 44 is supported and on which an inner cylindrical wall component 46 is also rigidly supported. Between the outer cylindrical wall component 44 and the inner cylindrical wall component 46, an annular space 48 is defined. The annular space 48 constitutes a mold cavity of the mold 40. The inner cylin¬ drical wall component 46 is provided with two lugs 50 with through-going holes 52. The mold 40 further comprises a lid 54 with two through-going holes 56, which are to be ar¬ ranged in registration with the holes 52 of the lugs 50. The inner cylindrical wall component 44 is at its lower end, i.e. its end supported on the support 42, provided with lugs corresponding to the lugs 50 shown in Fig. 3 for fastening the inner cylindrical wall component 44 relative to the support by means of bolts and nuts. The outer cylin- drical wall component 46 is registered relative to the support 42 by means of a central protruding part of the support 42.

Apart from the two holes 56, a plurality of circumferen- tially spaced apart through-going holes 58 is provided in the lid 54, which holes 58 are provided in a specific number corresponding to a number of segments of a stator component to be cast within the mold 40. The through-going holes 58 serve the purpose of maintaining a corresponding plurality of core elements 60, which are to produce lon- gitudinally or axially extending trough-shaped inner reces¬ ses of the body cast in the mold 40, as will be evident from the below description of an electric motor shown in Fig. l, which electric motor is manufactured from compo¬ nents cast from DSP-based magnetic or magnetizable par- ticle-containing compositions as taught by the present invention.

In Fig. 3, a feeding tube 62 is further disclosed, which serves the purpose of feeding a homogeneously and intimate¬ ly mixed casting compound 64 into the annular space 48 of the mold 40 for casting a body from a magnetic or magnetiz¬ able particle-containing DSP material. The introduction of the magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP com¬ pound 64 into the annular space 48 continues until the annular space 48 is filled, whereupon the lid 54 is moun- ted. The lid 54 fits within the outer cylindrical wall component 44, rests on top of the end wall of the inner cylindrical wall component 46 and is fixed relative to the inner cylindrical wall component 46 by means of bolts which are introduced through the through-going holes 52 of the lugs 50 and further through the through-going holes 56 of the lid 54, which through-going holes 52 and 56 are ar¬ ranged in registration.

A plurality of bolts are further introduced through the circumferentially spaced apart through-going holes 58 so as to maintain the core elements 60 in fixed positions rela- tive to the lid 54 within the annular space 48. The core elements 60 are further maintained in fixed positions relative to the support 42 by means of an identical plural¬ ity of bolts, which are mounted in through-going holes of the support 42 for maintaining the core elements 60 in position relative to the support 42 of the mold 40, while the DSP and magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing casting compound is allowed to cure within the mold 40.

After the magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP- based material has cured to such an extent that the cast or cured body cast within the mold 54 may be removed from the mold 40, the lid 54 is removed by removing the bolts ex¬ tending through the through-going holes 56 and further the plurality of bolts extending through the circumferentially spaced apart, through-going holes 58, and cooperating with meshing internal threads of the core elements 60, whereupon the above-discussed bolts maintaining the core elements 60 in position relative to the support 42 are also removed in order to allow that the core elements 60 are removed. The inner cylindrical wall component 46 is also removable from the support 42.

After disassembling the lid, the core elements 60 and the inner cylindrical wall component 46, the outer cylindrical wall component 44 is removed from its support 42 allowing the cast magnetic or magnetizable component to be removed.

In Fig. 4, an exploded view of an electric motor 70 is shown, the components of which are manufactured from DSP- based material, and some of which in accordance with the teachings of the present invention are magnetic or mag- netizable particle-containing components cast from magnetic or magnetizable particles containing DSP-based composi¬ tions. The electric motor 70, which is an AC electric motor and may constitute a synchronous motor or an asynchronous motor, comprises a central housing component 80, which is basically composed of two integrally cast components, viz. an annular component 82 and a base component 84. As is illustrated at 86, which refers to a cut away segment of the annular component 82, the annular component 82 is manufactured from reinforced high density DSP cement mater- ial. Thus, the annular component 82 includes fibre reinfor¬ cement 88, such as steel reinforcement, glass fibre rein¬ forcement or any other appropriate metallic or non-metal¬ lic/magnetic or non-magnetic fibre reinforcement. The annular component 82 is further, as is evident from Fig. 4, provided with a lifting eyelet 90 and a terminal box 92. The annular component 80 is further provided with four through-going and axially extending apertures 94, which serve the purpose of receiving through-going bolts for fastening two housing end components 96 and 98 relative to the housing component 80 by means of through-going bolts 100, which extend through the axially extending through- going apertures 94 of the housing component 80 and further through through-going apertures 102 and 104 of the housing end components 96 and 98, respectively, and cooperate with nuts 106.

The housing end components 96 and 98 are cast from the same high density material as the housing component 80 and are provided with central bearing components 108 and 110, respectively. The central bearing components 108 and 110 serve the purpose of cooperating with a journalling shaft 112 of a rotor assembly 114 constituting a rotor of the electric motor 70.

Apart from the rotor assembly 114, the electric motor 70 comprises a stator assembly 116. The rotor and stator assemblies 114 and 116, respectively, are cast from a magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP composi¬ tion as discussed above with reference to Fig. 3. Thus, the rotor assembly 114 comprises a magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP body 118, in which rotor segments 120 are received in helical recesses produced in the body 118, as the body 118 is cast from the DSP-based castable or curable composition in accordance .with the teachings of the present invention.

Similarly, the stator assembly 116 comprises a stator body 122, which stator body 122 is identical to the body de- scribed above with reference to Fig. 3 and cast by means of the mold 40. The stator body 122 is provided with a plurality of internal, axially extending recesses 124, which are produced by means of the core elements 60 dis¬ cussed above with reference to Fig. 3, when the stator body 122 is cast, and in which recesses 124 coil assemblies 126 are received.

Basically, the electric motor 70 shown in Fig. 4 is of a conventional structure and may constitute an asynchronous motor, a synchronous motor or any other AC or DC electric motor, the components of which are cast from high-strength DSP material. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the magnetizable components of the electric motor are cast from magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP material. Apart from the steel reinforcement 88 of the central housing component 80, the housing component 80 and the housing end components 96 and 98 may comprise reinforcing shielding and/or material serving the purpose of reinforcing and/or magnetically shielding the electric motor relative to the environment, for reducing the magnetic field radiation of the electric motor in order to comply with environmental regulations or requirements and further for eliminating any impact on magnetic, sensitive external components or apparatus ar¬ ranged adjacent to the electric motor.

In Fig. 5, a segment of the stator body 122 received within the central housing component 80 of the electric motor 70 is shown. Within the axially extending recesses 124 of the stator body 122, the above-described coil assemblies 126 are received. In Fig. 5, which is an enlarged sectional view of the stator assembly 116, the direction of the currents passing through the coil, assemblies 126 are il¬ lustrated by the conventional electro-technical symbolism which also comprises the conventional North and South pole magnet generation.

In the specification above, a solenoid or inductor imple¬ mented in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is described with reference to Fig. 1, and an electric motor is also described above with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The teachings of the present invention readily makes it possible to produce literally speaking any magnetic or magnetizable component of any electric or electro-technical system, plant, machine or the like. By producing the component or alternatively the entire ma¬ chine, such as the above-described electric motor 70 shown in Fig. 4, from DSP material, an extremely high strength combined with an extremely low weight is obtained, as due to the extremely high strength of the DSP material, a weight reduction on the order of 30-50 per cent as compared to a conventional electric motor or machine is obtainable.

In Fig. 6, a mold 130 for casting a transformer in accor¬ dance with the teachings of the present invention is shown. The mold 130 comprises a base wall component 132, two side wall components 134 and 136, two end wall components 138 and 140, and further a top wall or lid component 142. A mold cavity 144 is defined within the inner space defined by the mold 130, in which mold cavity 144 a core 146 is arranged together with a primary winding 148 and a secon¬ dary winding 150. The primary winding 148 has its terminals connected to sockets 152 and 154 received in the end wall component 138, and the secondary winding 150 has its ter¬ minals connected to sockets 156 and 158 received in the end wall component 140.

The primary winding 148 may constitute a previously cast component, such as the component 10 discussed above with reference to Fig. 1, while the secondary winding 150 is a self-supporting helically wound secondary winding. The terms "primary winding" and "secondary winding" are generic terms, which are by no means to be construed limiting the possibility of providing one or more primary or secondary windings of a transformer in accordance with alternative techniques as compared to the technique discussed above with reference to Fig. 6. Thus, one of the windings or both windings may be provided in accordance with the technique discussed above with reference to Fig. 1, may constitute self-supporting components or may alternatively constitute conventional components supported by a magnetic armature or a coil former.

Within the mold cavity 144, the castable and curable ce¬ ment-based powder composition characteristic of the present invention is introduced in a homogeneous, viscous to plas¬ tic mix with water for filling out the entire mold cavity. After the cement-based material has cured to such an extent that the cast product may be handled without any risk of breaking or cracking, the components of the mold 130 are removed, and the core 146 is further removed whereupon the structure disclosed in Fig. 7 is provided. This structure constitutes a transformer 160, in which a cast magnetic or magnetizable particle-containing DSP-based body 162 con¬ stitutes the armature of the transformer 160.

The transformer 160 may, as is evident from Fig. 8, be encapsulated within a high density and high strength encas¬ ing 164 and further within a magnetic shield 166. The encasing 164 and the magnetic shield 166 are preferably cast from a cement-based powder composition, the basic material of which is identical to that of the armature body 162. Thus, it has been realised that the DSP material may readily be cast after a very short period of curing has lapsed so that a new molding or casting step may be carried out on a "green" body, i.e. a previously cast body which has not yet totally cured to maximum strength, by which casting process an intimate contact and extremely high strength connection between the original "green" body and the new casting material is obtained. In Fig. 8, a filler material is also arranged within the cavity originally produced by the core 146 while the armature body 162 is cast within the mold 160.

As discussed above, the windings, such as the primary winding 148 and the secondary winding 150, of the trans¬ former 160 in Figs. 7 and 8, may be provided in accordance with any appropriate technique as the previously cast component shown in Fig. 1, as a coiled core supported component or as a self-supporting component. In accordance with a particular aspect of the present invention, the winding of the transformer 160 and the corresponding wind¬ ing of an electric component or an electronic component, such as a winding of an electric machine or motor, may be provided after the magnetic or magnetizable body, such as the armature body 162 of the transformer 160 has been cast.

In Fig. 9, a sectional and schematic view of an armature 180 is shown constituting a component of an electrotechni- cal plant, machine or the like, such as a transformer or an electric motor. Contrary to the above described components provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention from a castable and curable cement-based powder composition including magnetic or magnetizable particles, the armature disclosed in Fig. 9 comprises a plurality of segments 182, which are made from a magnetic or magnetiz¬ able material such as iron or an iron alloy, e.g. iron powder as described in Example l. The segments 182 are in accordance with a particular aspect of the present inven- tion glued to one another by means of a cement-based glue comprising cement particles, ultrafine particles and a surface-active dispersing agent. The curable cement-based glue is introduced between the segments 182 in an extremely fine layer, as the dimensions disclosed in Fig. 9 are extremely exaggerated. After curing, the cement-based glue defines layers 184, which may be as thin as 20 μm.

A very important aspect of providing a magnetic or mag¬ netizable component, such as an armature of a transformer, in accordance with the teaching of the present invention from a castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising magnetic or magnetizable particles and further comprising cement-particles and ultrafine particles of an inorganic material and optionally a surface-active dispers- ing agent, or alternatively or additionally from magnetic or magnetizable bodies, which are glued together by means of a cement-based mass made from a solidifies or dried cement-based powder composition comprising cement-particles and ultrafine particles of an inorganic material and op- tionally a surface-active dispersing agent, relates to the capability of cement-based, cured materials to tolerate elevated temperatures, such as temperatures of the order of or in excess of 500-600°C. In contrast to conventional armature structures which are made from armature segments sintered and optionally glued and encased within an epoxy- based encasing, and which cannot tolerate exposure to a temperature on the order of 500°C, e.g. a transformer implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present invention may be arranged in an environment in which the transformer is exposed to a temperature of the order of

500-600°C. The limitation as to the temperature exposure of the transformer is by no means defined by the components of the transformer in question, however, defined or limited by the Curie point or the so-called magnetic transition tem- perature of the magnetic or magnetizable material involved. Thus, the Curie point of the magnetic or magnetizable particles or the solid magnetic or magnetizable segment, such as the segment 182 disclosed in Fig. 9, defines the maximum temperature to which the component in question may be exposed, as the cement-based material of the component may tolerate exposure to temperatures far in excess of the Curie point of the magnetic or magnetizable material in question.

Fig. 10 discloses a vertical sectional view through an armature body 170 of a transformer, which armature body 170 is produced basically in accordance with the above descrip¬ tion with reference to Fig. 6, however, deviating from the above description in that the self-supporting secondary winding 150 is substituted by a helically wound core body 172, which is removed after the armature body 170 has cured, e.g. removed by melting the material of the core body 172, which may be manufactured from core materials well-known within the art per se. such as a plastic, stear¬ in, wax, etc.

After the core body 172 has been removed, a helical passage is provided within the armature body 170, into which pas¬ sage a highly conductive metal material is introduced as a liquid which is then allowed to solidify, thereby generat¬ ing a solid conductor filling out the entire passage origi¬ nally defined by the core 172.

In Fig. 11, a solid conductor is shown designated the reference numeral 174. Alternative techniques may be used for introducing the highly conductive metal material into the passage originally defined by the core 172, such as techniques involving the provision of a metal paste, such as a thick-film paste or a polymer-based paste, which techniques are per se well-known within the art and invol¬ ves the provision of a paste, the introduction of the paste into the passage, curing the paste and optionally burning or sintering the paste. List of References

10 Solenoid or inductor

12 helically wound conductor 14 terminal

16 terminal

18 supporting and encapsulating casting

20 magnetic or magnetizable particles

22 cement particle 24 ultrafine particles

40 mould

42 support

44 outer cylindrical wall component

46 inner cylindrical wall component 48 annular space

50 lugs

52 hole

54 lid

56 hole 58 hole

60 core element

62 feeding tube

64 supply of material

70 electric motor 80 housing component

82 annular component

84 base component

86 cut away segment

88 reinforcement 90 lifting eyelet

92 terminal box

94 axially extending through-going aperture

96 housing end component

98 housing end component 100 bolt

102 hole 104 hole

106 nut

108 central bearing component

110 central bearing component 112 journalling shaft

114 rotor assembly

116 stator assembly

118 body

120 rotor segment 122 body

124 recess (axially extending)

126 coil assembly

130 mold

132 base wall component 134 side wall component

136 side wall component

138 end wall component

140 end wall component

142 top wall or lid component 144 mould cavity

146 core

148 primary winding

150 secondary winding

152 socket 154 socket

156 socket

158 socket

160 transformer

162 body 164 casing

166 magnetic shield

168 filler material

170 armature body

172 core 174 solid conductor

180 armature

182 segment

184 layer EXAMPLES

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the following, a general description is given of the materials and methods which may be used to prepare bodies according to the invention.

Cement

In examples 2-6, a white Portland cement, e.g. a cement having a density of 3150 kg/m³, a Blaine surface of 411 m²/kg and approximately the following grain size distribu- tion may be employed:

%< 50 μm 99.0

%< 20 μm 94.0

%< 10 μm 47.0

%< 5 μm 25.0 %< 2 μm 10.0

%< 1 μm 4.0

The white Portland cement may also be finely ground (see Example 4 and 5) , giving it a Blaine surface of e.g. 757 m²/kg, a BET surface of e.g. 2950 m²/kg and approximately the following particle size distribution:

%< 63 μm 99.58

%< 50 μm 99.0

%< 20 μm 97.0

%< 10 μm 79.0 %< 5 μm 47.0

%< 2 μm 21.0

%< 1 μm 8.0

%< 0.5 μm 1.0 In Example 7, an aluminous cement, such as Alcoa CA-14, e.g. with a density of 2999 kg/m³ and approximately the following chemical composition (% by weight) may be em¬ ployed:

Si0₂ 6.28

A1₂0₃ 63.92

Fe₂0₃ 0.07

CaO 27.48

MgO 0.11 so₃ 0.01

Loss on ignition 0.17

K₂0 0.03

Na₂0 0.32

Na₂0 eq. 0.34 Tiθ₂ 0.02

The aluminous cement may, e.g., have the following particle size distribution:

%<50 μm 94

%<20 μm 59 %<10 μm 35

%<5 μm 19

%<2 μm 6

%<1 μm 1

The aluminous cement may also be finely ground (see Example 8) , e.g. with approximately the following particle size distribution:

%<50 μm 100

%<20 μm 91

%<10 μm 64 %<5 μm 41

%<2 μm 19

%<1 μm 9 Iron powder

Iron powder with an average particle size of e.g. 20 μm and a density of about 7800 kg/m³ may be employed.

In Example 5, a fine iron powder with a density of about 7800 kg/cm³ and an average particle size of about 5 μm may be employed.

Microsilica

Microsilica (e.g. density 2220 kg/m³, specific surface (BET) 21,400 m²/kg) with e.g. the following chemical com- position may be used:

Si0₂ 84.92

A1₂0₃ 1.30

Fe₂0₃ 3.25

CaO 0.48 MgO 1.32

S0₃ 0.75

Loss on ignition 3.32

K₂0 2.81

Na₂0 0.93 Na₂0 eq. 2.78

Iron sand and stone aggregate

Instead of regular sand and stone normally used in con¬ crete, bodies according to the invention may be prepared using e.g. iron "sand" (particle size 0-4 mm) or "stone" (particle size 4-16 mm) .

Dispersing agent and water

As a dispersing agent, a concrete super-plasticizer with the trade name "Flube" may be used. Flube is a sodium salt of a highly condensed naphthalene .sulphonic acid/formal¬ dehyde condensate, with an estimated powder density, refer¬ ring to the density when dissolved in water, of 1600 kg/m³. The water employed is typically common tap water.

Mixing

Two types of materials may be prepared: mortar having a maximum particle size of less than 4 mm and concrete con¬ taining particles larger than 4 mm and having a maximum particle size of either 11 mm or 16 mm. In preparing con- crete, the mortar portion is prepared first, after which the stone is added, so that the mixing of the mortar is the same regardless of whether the mortar is used alone or together with the stone to form a concrete.

Mixing of the mortars may, e.g., take place in a 20 1 paddle mixer (for the preparation of mortar samples) or in a 50 1 paddle mixer (Eirich) (for the preparation of mor¬ tars to be used in concrete) . The dry materials, i.e. all the materials except water, are first mixed for one minute, after which the water is added while the mixer rotates. The addition of water takes about 10-20 seconds. Mixing is then continued for 10 minutes (in certain cases somewhat longer) .

During the mixing after addition of water, the consistency is typically in the beginning dry and the colour is light, but afterwards the mass gradually acquires a darker colour and a moist consistency, whereby a plastic and more homoge¬ neous material is gradually obtained, the material finally becoming a more fluid homogeneous mass.

After mixing, the mortars' consistency may be determined by flow table measurements according to the ASTM flow table measurement technique (ASTM C230-83) . With this technique, the diameter of a mortar sample is measured first prior to impact and subsequently after impact performed by letting the mortar sample fall a distance of about 1 cm 20 times.

Mixing of concrete

Mixing of concrete takes place after premixing of the mortar (in a 50 1 mixer) as described above, after which stone is added and mixing is carried out for 5 minutes. The consistency of the mixes is typically moist and the struc¬ ture is open with a thin layer of mortar attached to the surface of the stones. After subsequent compaction by vibration as described below, the mass becomes homogeneous and coherent.

Casting of samples

Samples may be cast as cylinders with a length of 200 mm and a diameter of 100 mm. The samples may be cast on a vibrator table at a relatively low effect at a frequency of e.g. 50 cycles/sec. and an amplitude of e.g. 0.44 mm (peak to peak 0.88 mm). The samples may also be prepared on a vibrator table with a greater effect working at a frequency of e.g. about 150 cycles/sec. and an amplitude of e.g. 0.3 mm. The preparation of samples on the 50 cycles/sec. vibrator table may be accomplished by filling the mix in cylindrical molds in 4-5 portions over a period of 1 to 2 minutes. To avoid excessive swelling of the material during vibration (a resonance phenomenon which often occurs during vibratory compaction of soft materials in an open mold, especially fine grained materials) , a steel rod with cross- sectional dimensions of e.g. 3 x 3 cm may be used as a counterweight. After filling, the molds are closed by fastening a lid on the cylinders.

The preparation of samples on the 150 cycles/sec. vibrator table may be accomplished with vibration under combined static and dynamic pressure, established with a steel cylinder (weight e.g. 8 kg) placed on top of the material during vibration. The samples are.cast by pouring the mix in 4 to 5 portions over a period of 1 to 2 minutes. After filling, the molds are closed as described above.

Hardening/curing

A series of different hardening procedures may be used.

Hardening at 80°C

The cast samples in the sealed molds are placed in water having a temperature of 80°C within 1 to 2 hours after casting. The samples are removed from the hot water after 24 hours and placed (still in the sealed molds) in air having a temperature of 20°C for approximately 24 hours, after which the molds are removed and the samples are kept in air (20°C, approx. 70% relative humidity) until they are tested for strength.

Hardening at 20°C

The cast and sealed samples are kept for 24 hours at 20°C (covered by wet towels and sealed in plastic) , after which the molds are removed and the samples are placed in water with a temperature of 20°C for extended hardening. Some of these samples may be tested for strength immediately after curing in water. Others may be kept for 5 to 7 days at a temperature of 45°C in air before testing for strength.

EXAMPLE 1

Casting of magnetizable materials according to the inven¬ tion

A series of casting experiments with magnetizable low- cement materials according to the invention was carried out.

The following materials were employed:

Steel powder, density 7628 kg/m³, with the following grain size distribution:

< 125 μm 97%

< 106 μm 96%

< 90 μm 78%

< 75 μm 73%

< 63 μm 55% < 38 μm 27%

Iron powder (NC 100.24) with the following grain size distribution:

< 200 μm 100%

< 90 μm 58% < 63 μm 32%

< 45 μm 26%

Iron powder (ABC 100.30). This iron powder is substantially similar to iron powder NC 100.24.

The white Portland cement, microsilica, Flube and water are described under "Materials and Methods".

Steel fibres: cylindrical brass coated fibres ("Dramex", from Bekaert, Belgium), diameter 0.15 mm, length 6 mm. The fibres have a tensile strength of about 2900 MPa. The mix compositions (in grams) are given in the following table.

The materials were prepared by mixing the powder components in a Hobart mixer for 1-3 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of mixing after addition of the water and a further 3 minutes of mixing after addition of the steel fibres. A series of samples were cast in the form of 1) cylinders with a diameter of 45 mm and a height of 90 mm, 2) cylin¬ ders with a height of about 50 mm and a diameter of 50 mm, 3) E-shaped articles with a thickness of 32 mm, and 4) prisms with dimensions of 20 x 125 x 32 mm.

The mixes were easily flowable before addition of the fibres and flowed well during vibration (about 50 Hz, acceleration about 45 m/s²) . The following observations were made:

Mix 1 was too soft and separated. Mix 2 without the fibres resulted .in brittle materials, as shown by the fact that the E-shaped articles broke as the molds were removed.

A cylindrical sample (45 x 90 mm) from mix 3 was provided with a smooth finish by sanding with sand paper, after which an axial hole was drilled in the sample. This il¬ lustrates the possibility of subjecting the bodies accord¬ ing to the invention to various treatments after casting, as is the case with steel bodies.

Since the primary purpose for preparing these articles was to test the processing techniques, no magnetic measurements were made. However, simple experiments showed that the materials did in fact have magnetic properties, as they were attracted by permanent magnets. It was also shown by simple experiments (winding a wire around the E-shaped articles, after which a current was sent through the wire) that the materials can function as part of an electromag¬ net.

EXAMPLE 2

Mortars with varying cement contents

Mortars containing silica fume and binders with different contents of cement and iron powder may be prepared. The 5 mortars are referred to according to the cement content by volume based on the content of cement in mix C-100%, which contains no iron powder.

C-100% C-50% C-25% C-12.5% C-6%

The binders may comprise white Portland cement as the active particles, iron powder and microsilica.

The mix compositions may be as follows: g per approx. 101 mortar

C-IOO⁰ C-50% C-25% C-12.5^~ C-63

EXAMPLE 3

Magnetic concrete

A concrete with a fine mortar binder and a high concentra¬ tion of irregularly shaped iron stone (5-12 mm) may be prepared as described below.

The fine mortar of this example may comprise the same binder material as in Example 2 (C-25%) .

The mix composition may be as follows:

The samples may be produced as described above in "Materi¬ als and Methods" by mixing in a 50 1 paddle blender in a two-step process, i.e. first the mortar is mixed, after which (after addition of the stone) the concrete is mixed.

EXAMPLE 4

Mortars comprising finely ground cement

The effect of using particularly fine ground cement in two mortars with a very low cement content may be investigated.

The mortars in this example are equivalent to the mortars C-12.5% and C-6% of Example 2, with the exception that the cement in Example 2 is replaced by a very finely ground cement.

Possible mix compositions (in grams) are shown in the following table:

II C-6.0%

465

1845

17519

235

5940

11835

32670

1285

The same procedure as described for Example 2 may be used. EXAMPLE 5

Mortars with finely ground cement and ine iron powder

Materials (mortar) comprising about 25% by volume of cement and about 75% by volume of "regular" iron powder (average particle size e.g. 20 μm) and fine iron powder (average particle size e.g. 5-10 μm) may be prepared. In order to ensure a homogeneous distribution of the binding materials, a very fine cement may be employed.

The mix composition may be as follows:

Grams

Iron powder 13640

Fine iron powder 6818

Finely ground white cement 1935

Flube 235

Iron sand 0-0.25 mm 5940

0.25-1 mm 11835

1.0-4.0 mm 32670

Water 1400

Mixing and casting may take place as described in Example 2 and in "Materials and Methods".

EXAMPLE 6

Mortars with iron powder

Mortars may be prepared using iron powder and iron sand. The following mix may be employed:

White Portland cement 7724 g

Microsilica 7377 g

Iron powder 43480 g Flube 931 g

Iron sand 0-1 mm 61280 g

Iron sand 1-4 mm 81667 g

Water 5631 g

The iron powder may e.g. have an average particle size of about 50-60 μm.

EXAMPLE 7

Mortars with aluminous cement

Mortars may be prepared using a refractory high alumina cement (e.g. Alcoa CA-14) and the following mix composi- tions (in grams) :

C-25 C-12.5-1 C-63

EXAMPLE 8

Mortar with finely ground aluminous cement and iron sand

The aluminous cement of Example 7 may be finely ground and used to prepare the following mix (6% by volume cement, based on cement + iron powder) :

Fine aluminous cement 1540 g

Microsilica 6458 g

Iron powder 61319 g

Flube 823 g Iron sand 0-1 mm 56212 g

Iron sand 1-4 mm 78,946 g

Water 4498 g

EXAMPLE 9

Materials prepared with fine narrowly graded and extremely dense binders

The following materials may be prepared: 1) fine binders with a maximum particle size of about 12 μm, and 2) ex¬ tremely dense binders prepared by adding fine sand (63-90 μm) to the fine binders.

MATERIALS

Cement: e.g. air-classified white Portland cement with a narrow particle size distribution and a small particle size (e.g. average size 5 μm and substantially all of the particles between 2 and 10 μm) , density e.g. 3150 kg/m³.

Iron powder: iron powder with a narrow particle dis¬ tribution and a small particle size (average size e,g. 6 lm and substantially all of the particles^' between 2 and 12 lm) , density about 2320 kg/m³.

Microsilica: e.g. as described in "Materials and Methods".

Dispersing agent: e.g. Flube

Fine iron sand: particle size e.g. between 63 and 90 lm.

Iron sand: 0-4 mm (as in Example 2)

The mix compositions (in g) may be as follows.

Fine mortar IV plus 2250 g fine iron sand (63-90 lm)

PREPARATION OF THE MIXES AND DETERMINATION OF FLUIDITY

The dry materials for the fine mortar (everything except the water) may e.g. be mixed for 1 min. in a Hobart mixer. The water is then added, first 120 g and then gradually to 130 g, and mixing is carried out for 5-10 min. Flow mea¬ surements may then be made, after which another 5 g of water is added and mixing is carried out for another 5-10 min. , followed by flow measurements for this mix (mix II) . The same procedure may be used for mixes III and IV. 750 g of fine sand (63-90 μm) are then added and mixing is car¬ ried out for another 5-10 min., after which cylinders are cast, e.g. using vibration with a light counterweight. The samples are hardened e.g. for about 60 hours in water at 80°C in sealed molds. The samples are then removed from the molds and after cooling to 20°C density, sound velocity and compressive strength may be determined.

EXAMPLE 10

Experiments may be carried out on mortars to illustrate the effect of 1) the water requirement necessary to achieve a given flow behaviour, and 2) the flow behaviour of various factors such as the fineness and particle size distribution of the cement.

In the experiments, the individual mortars are first mixed using a certain amount of water, after which the amount of water is gradually increased and the consistency and flow behaviour of the mix is observed and measured. The consis¬ tency may be determined as described in materials and methods, i.e. using the ASTM C230-83 standard for flow table measurements. The materials which may be used in the various mixes are also described in the "Materials and Methods" section.

Mixing may e.g. take place in a Hobart mixer. The dry ingredients (including the dispersing agent (e.g. Flube, in powder form) are first mixed for one minute. Water is subsequently added. The materials are then mixed, and the consistency is determined visually. Water is subsequently added at intervals of about 2-5 minutes, and the behaviour of the mixes is recorded, including when the mix changes from a damp, lumpy condition to a plastic condition. After this change, more water is added, and the flow behaviour of the mix is determined after each new addition of water. Furthermore, the volume amount of liquid in the binder as well as the volume amount of powder in the binder may be determined. Possible mix compositions (in grams) are given below.

Mix No.

1 2

Fine iron sand 1000 2250

Fine "white Portland cement 800

Air-classified fine white cement

Microsilica

Flube

EXAMPLE 11

It is contemplated that a motor, e.g. as described with reference to the drawings, may be prepared according to the invention using a mix with the following composition (per kg) :

2 kg of steel fibres (0.4 x 12 mm) are^" added per 10 kg of the dry mix.

Mixing may e.g. comprise dry mixing of the cement, micro¬ silica, Flube and bauxite for 1 minute, addition of the water followed by mixing for 8 minutes, and addition of the steel fibres followed by mixing for 5 minutes. The material may be cast using vibration (e.g. 50 Hz) .

Claims

1. A castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising:

i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and

ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

said cement particles constituting 2-70% by volume of said powder composition,

2. A composition according to claim 1, further comprising inorganic solid particles constituting a particulate inac- tive filler material, said inorganic solid particles having an average size in the range of 3-100 μm.

3. A composition according to claim 1 or 2, at least 90% by volume of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material having a size between 1 μm and 200 μm, preferably a size between 1 μm and 150 μm, and more prefer¬ ably a size between 1 μm and 100 μm.

4. A composition according to any of claims 1-3, said cement particles having an average size between 2 and 20 μm, preferably an average size between 2 and 10 μm, more preferably an average size between 2 and 7 μm, and most preferably an average size between 2 and 5 μm, e.g. an average size between 2 and 3 μm.

5. A composition according to any of claims 1-4, said ultrafine particles having an average size between 0.03 and 1 μm, preferably an average size between 0.1 and 0.5 μm.

6. A composition according to any of the preceding claims, said cement particles defining a volume B of said composi¬ tion, said particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particu- late material defining a volume C of said composition, and said volume B being at the most 0.5 x (volume B + volume C).

7. A composition according to claim 6, said volume B being in the range of from 0.45 x (volume B + volume C) to 0.30 x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of from 0.30 x (volume B + volume C) to 0.25 x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.25-0.20) x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.20-0.15) x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.15-0.10) x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.10-0.05) x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.05-0.02) x (volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.02-0.002) x (volume B + volume C) .

8. A composition according claim 6 or 7, said ultrafine particles defining a volume A of said composition, and said volume B being in the range of (0.30-0.40) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.20-0.30) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.15-0.20) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.05-0.10) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.01 - 0.005) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) .

9. A composition according to any of claims 6-8, the sum of said volume B and said volume C constituting at least

0.425, preferably at least 0.45, more preferably at least 0.475, more preferably at least 0.500, more preferably at least 0.525, more preferably at least 0.550, more preferab¬ ly at least 0.575, more preferably at least 0.600, more preferably at least 0.626, more preferably at least 0.650, of the total volume of said composition.

10. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said cement particles are chosen from the group consisting of normal Portland cement, high early strength Portland cement, white Portland cement, Portland blast furnace cement, Portland pozzolana cement, low-alkali cement, fly ash cement, sulfate resistant cement and alum¬ ina cement.

11. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said ultrafine particles are chosen from the group consisting of alumina, calcium carbonate, calcium hydrox¬ ide, rice husk ash, metakaolin, Si0₂, Ti0₂, Zr0₂, and ground and/or sieved fly ash, quartz and slag.

12. A composition according to claim 11 wherein said ultra¬ fine particles comprise microsilica from the production of ferrosilicon or silicon metal.

13. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said inorganic solid particles constituting said particulate inactive filler material are chosen from the group consisting of fly ash, fine quartz sand, slag, alumi¬ na, calcium carbonate and calcium carbonate-containing minerals, metakaolin, A1₂0₃, Si0₂, Ti0₂, Zr0₂ and refrac- tory grade bauxite.

14. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said surface-active dispersing agent is a concrete superplasticizer in an amount of 1-4% by weight superplas¬ ticizer dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles.

15. A composition to any of the preceding claims wherein said cement particles have a narrow particle size distribu¬ tion as defined by a ratio Dg₀/D₁₀ being at the most 12, in which Dgo is the diameter of the 90th percentile (by weight) of said cement particles and D₁₀ i*³ the diameter of the 10th percentile (by weight) of said cement particles.

16. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material have an average particle size in the range of 50-100 μm.

17. A composition according to any of claims 1-15 wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material have an average particle size in the range of 2-50 μ .

18. A composition to any of the preceding claims wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material have a narrow particle size distribution as de¬ fined by a ratio Dg_0m/Diom being ^at the most 10, preferably at the most 6, in which D_90m is the diameter of the 90th percentile (by weight) of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material and D_10m is the diame¬ ter of the 10th percentile (by weight) of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material.

19. A composition according to any of claims 1-15 wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material comprise two fractions, one fraction having an average size in the range of 50-100 μm, the other fraction having an average size in the range of 2-10 μm.

20. A composition according to claim 19 wherein at least one of said fractions has a narrow particle size distribu- tion, as defined by said fraction having an average size in the range of 50-100 μm having a ratio Dgom/^D1₀m °^~- being at the most 4, and/or said fraction having an average size in the range of 2-10 μm having a ratio Dgom_/^_lOm of at the most about 8.

21. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein at least a part of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material are substantially spherical.

22. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein at least a part of said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material are in the form of fibres having a ratio between length and diameter in the range of 3-10, or in the range of 10-20, or in the range of 20-50, or in the range of 50-100.

23. A composition according to claim 22 wherein substan¬ tially all of said particles of said magnetic or magnetiz¬ able particulate material are in the form of fibres, and said volume C is in the range of (0.02-0.05) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.05-0.10) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.10-0.20) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or in the range of (0.20-0.40) x (volume A + volume B + volume C) , or more than 0.40 x (volume A + volume B + volume C) .

24. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material comprise material with soft magnetic properties selected from the group consisting of high- purity iron; commercial-purity iron; Armature M-43; Elec- trie M-36; Dyname M-22; Transformer 58, M-15; oriented cube-on-edge texture, M-4; High-permeability G.O.; low- aluminium iron (3.5%); 16% Al-Fe; Sendust; Thermoperm; 45 Permalloy; 50-50 Ni-Fe; Mumetal; 78 Permalloy; Supermalloy; 27% Co-Fe; 50% Co-Fe; Supermendur; 45-25 Perminvar; 2-81 Moly permalloy powder; carbonyl iron powder; Mn-Zn Ferrite; Ni-Zn Ferrite; and amorphous Fe-B-Sl, METGLAS 2605S-2.

25. A composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material comprise material with permanent magnetic properties selected from the group consisting of Ba ferrite; Sr ferrite; Alnico 5; Alnico 8; Alnico 9;

^Fe65^Cr32^Co3' ^Fe63^Cr25^Co12'^* Co₅Sm; (Co, Fe, Cu, Zr)₈Sm; elongated single domain (ESD) Fe-Co; Mn-Al-C; Co-Pt; and Fe-Nd-B.

26. A method of producing a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable comprising the following steps:

providing a volume D of a castable and curable cement-based powder composition comprising: i) particles of a magnetic or. agnetizable particulate material, and

ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultra¬ fine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μm, and

a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1-4% by weight dispersing agent dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine par¬ ticles,

said cement particles constituting 2-70% by volume of said powder composition,

said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material constituting 10-95%, preferably 30-95% by volume of said powder composition, and

providing a volume E of water, said volume D of said cas¬ table and curable cement-based powder composition and said volume E of water fulfilling the requirement that the ratio between the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles in said volume D is at the most 0.35,

mechanically mixing said particles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, said subcomposition and said water so as to obtain a homogeneous, viscous to plas¬ tic mass in which the volume concentration of said par¬ ticles of said magnetic or magnetizable particulate materi¬ al, said cement particles and said ultrafine particles is not less than 0.55,

arranging said mass in a mould, and

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the ratio bet¬ ween the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine particles in said volume D is at the most 0.30, preferably at the most 0.25, more preferably at the most 0.20.

28. A method according to claim 26 or 27, said castable and curable cement-based powder composition further having any of the characteristics of the castable and curable cement- based powder composition according to any of claims 1-25.

29. A body having magnetic properties or being magnetiz- able, and being cast from a castable and curable cement- based powder composition comprising:

i) particles of a magnetic or magnetizable particulate material, and

ii) a subcomposition including:

cement particles,

ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultra¬ fine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μm, and a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1-4% by weight dispersing agent dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine par¬ ticles,

30. A body according to claim 29, said body constituting a component of an electric apparatus, an electric machine, or an electric system or constituting the electric apparatus, the electric machine or electric system per se.

31. A body according to claim 29 or 30, said body constitu¬ ting an armature of a solenoid inductor or transformer.

32. A body according to claim 29 or 30, said body constitu- ting a stationary or movable component of an electric machine, such as a rotor or stator component of an electric AC or DC motor, or an electric generator, e.g. of an asynchronous or synchronous motor.

33. A body according to any of claims 29-32, said castable and curable cement-based powder composition further having any of the characteristics of the castable and curable cement-based powder composition according to any of claims 1-25.

34. A body according to any of claims 29-32 or 34, said body being manufactured by a method having any of the characteristics of the methods according to any of claims 26-28.

35. A method of producing a body having magnetic properties or being magnetizable comprising the following steps:

providing a plurality of bodies of a magnetic or magnetiz¬ able material,

cement particles,

a surface-active dispersing agent in an amount of 0.1-4% by weight dispersing agent dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine par- tides,

said cement particles of said powder composition having an average particle size of at the most 10 μ ,

providing a volume E of water, said volume D of said cas¬ table and curable cement-based powder composition and said volume E of water fulfilling the requirement that the ratio between the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles in said volume D is at the most 0.35,

mechanically mixing said powder composition and said water so as to obtain a homogeneous, viscous to plastic mass in which the volume concentration of.said cement particles is not less than 0.55,

allowing said mass to solidify.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein said cement- based powder composition further comprises ultrafine par¬ ticles of an inorganic material, said ultrafine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μ .

37. A method according to claim 35 or 36, said cement particles having an average size between 2 and 7 μm, pre¬ ferably an average size between 2 and 5 μm, e.g. an average size between 2 and 3 μm.

38. A method according to any of claims 35-37 wherein the ratio between the weight of said volume E and the weight of said cement particles and said optional ultrafine particles in said volume D is at the most 0.30, preferably at the most 0.25, more preferably at the most 0.20.

39. A method according to any of claims 35-38, said cas¬ table and curable cement-based powder composition further having any of the characteristics of the subcomposition of the castable and curable cement-based powder composition according to any of claims 1-25.

40. A body having magnetic properties or being magnetiz¬ able, and including bodies of a magnetic or magnetizable material, which bodies are glued together by means of a solidified mass made from a castable and curable cement- based powder composition including:

cement particles, a surface-active dispersing agent in^"an amount of 0.1-4% by weight dispersing agent dry matter based on the total weight of said cement particles and said ultrafine par¬ ticles,

the volume concentration of said particles of said cement particles being no less than 0.55 throughout said solidi¬ fied mass.

41. A body according to claim 40 wherein said cement-based powder composition further comprises ultrafine particles of an inorganic material, said ultrafine particles having an average particle size in the range of 0.002-2 μm.

42. A body according to claim 40 or 41, said body constitu- ting a component of an electric apparatus, an electric machine, or an electric system or constituting the electric apparatus, the electric machine or electric system per se.

43. A body according to any of claims 40-42, said body constituting an armature of a solenoid inductor or trans- former.

44. A body according to any of claims 40-42, said body constituting a stationary or movable component of an elec¬ tric machine, such as a rotor or stator component of an electric AC or DC motor, an electric generator, e.g. of an asynchronous or synchronous motor.

45. A body according to any of claims 40-44, said castable and curable cement-based powder composition further having any of the characteristics of the subcomposition of the castable and curable cement-based powder composition ac- cording to any of claims 1-25.

46. A body according to any of claims 40-45, said body being manufactured by a method having any of the charac¬ teristics of the methods according to any of claims 35-39.