MEANS AND METHOD FOR FORMING A CEMENT-PAPER COMPOSITE ARTICLE
Technical Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to the field of cement and paper composite articles and a process for manufacturing cement and paper composite articles utilizing a chemical binder.
Background Art.
Currently, one of the most used materials in civil construction is concrete, which is actually made up of cement, sand or gravel and hydrated lime Conventional concrete has the fundamental property of possessing good resistance to compression, in addition to having good characteristics of adherence to various surfaces with which it contacts To improve strength and stability of concrete, it is known to place steel rods, also known as rebar, within the concrete There have been various attempts to place other materials within the concrete to improve strength and stability
U.S. Patent Number 4,133,928 issued to Riley et al describes Fiber Reinforcing Composites Comprising Portland Cement Having Embedded Therein Precombined Absorbent and Reinforcing Fibers The composites comprise a portland cemetitious matrix material having interwoven, twisted together, spun together or combination thereof yarn having absorbent fibers and reinforcing fibers Cellulose is described as one of the absorbent fibers, and one source of the cellulose is described as paper fibers The reinforcing fibers are selected from the group consisting of glass, steel, carbon, polyethylene and polypropylene A thermoplastic coating is utilized to enhance the adhesion between the cement and the reinforcing fiber
Lempfer et al. describes a Method Of Producing Shaped Articles Of
Fiber/Binder Mixtures in U.S. Patent Number 5,102,596. The process only blends milled paper with water and uses gypsum or hydraulic cement as a binder. Apparently, no chemical binder is used other than the gypsum or hydraulic cement.
Environmentally Stabilized Products Formed From Ash And Papermill Waste are described in U.S. Patent Number 5,346,549 by Johnson. As described, this process utilizes ash and papermill waste which are bound together by an oxidant selected from the group consisting of sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, calcium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide and calcium peroxide to form a plastic admixture. The plastic admixture is subsequently exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Another variation of this invention utilizes portland cement to increase the strength of an article manufactured thereby.
U.S. Patent Number 5,582,682 issued to Ferretti describes a Process
And A Composition For Making Cellulosic Composites. This process combines a cellulosic feedstock with a protein-containing material in the presence of ammonia or a dry ammonia-evolving compound that is heated to produce the cellulosic composite. The cellulosic feedstock is a fibrous lignocellulosic, a refined cellulosic or delignified cellulose powder or any mixture thereof. The
Protein-containing material is whey, a protein-containing whey-derivative, or a flour made from pulse or a protein-rich wheat, or a mixture of these materials. Additionally, the cellulosic feedstock can be paper-recycling sludge.
Disclosure of Invention.
In accordance with the present invention and the contemplated problems which have and continue to exist in this field, the objectives of this invention are to provide a process for manufacturing a cement-paper composite article which is environmentally beneficial particularly when the source of the paper is waste or scrap paper which normally would be disposed within a land fill.
One of the principal problems with concrete, which is made up of cement, sand or gravel and hydrated lime, is it has no resistance to expansion and requires that a structure formed therefrom have rebar disposed within the concrete. The result is that such a structure is excessively dense and voluminous. Therefore, it is another object of this invention to eliminate the need for rebar within a structure fabricated with cement.
As an external facing, plaster made from cement offers good adherence to various surfaces to which it is applied. Because the plaster lacks dimensional stability, various superficial cracks often form in the plaster. Additionally, there is a low level of surface finish which results from the large amounts of sand and impurities. Furthermore, the surface can not be properly patched, because once the concrete is cured, any addition to the material will cause cracks in the surface due to the shrinking of the added material as it loses liquid during the curing process. These cracks also can result from the low resistance to traction, which keeps the two surfaces from forming a strong bond. Accordingly, it is yet another object of this invention to provide a plaster comprising a cement-paper composite which has good bonding characteristics and resists cracking.
Generally, neither cement nor concrete have good acoustical or thermal insulating properties. It is still another object of this invention to provide a cement-paper composite that provides improved acoustical and thermal insulating capabilities.
Still yet it is another object to provide a process for forming a chemical binder that assists in the binding of the cement to the paper to provide enhanced strength to the cement-paper composite.
This invention accomplishes the above and other objectives and overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a means and method for forming a cement-paper composite article that is simple in design and construction, inexpensive to fabricate, and easy to use. These composite articles are formed by mixing paper particles with water to form a mash,
blending a chemical binder with the mash and then adding cement. Afterwards, calcium hydroxide, hydrated lime or carbonated lime is mixed therein and the composite is poured into a mold or extruded to form a cement-paper composite article. The chemical binder comprises a mixture of water (H2O), formaldehyde (CH2O), acetic acid (HC2H3O2), Iodine (l2), methanol (CH3OH), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), ammonium carbonate ((N2H4)2CO3) and sodium hyposulfite (Na2H2SO3).
It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings.
Figure 1 is a flow diagram for a process of manufacturing a cement- paper composite made in accordance with the present invention; and.
Figure 2 is a graphic illustration of sonoric isolation compared to frequency of sound of a cement-paper composite made in accordance with the present invention.
Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and desired objects of this invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, reference is made first to Figure 1. Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a process of manufacturing a cement-paper composite made in accordance with the present invention. The process for creating the cement- paper composite comprises basically the conduction of paper 2, preferably waste paper, through a grinder 4 where the paper 2 is processed until reaching a particle size adequate to promote the maximum interaction between the fibers of the paper 2, which varies from coarse to powdery depending on the final use of the product, to form a particlized paper. Particlized paper is then placed into a container 6 and mixed with water to form a mash 8. The mash 8, after resting for a period of time, is placed into a mixer 10 and a chemical binder 12 is added and thoroughly mixed into the mash 8. A cementious material 14, preferably portland cement, and a calcium compound 16 is then added to the mixer 10 and thoroughly mixed with the mash 8 and chemical binder 12 to form a cement-paper composite. A cement-paper composite article can then be manufactured either by pouring the cement-paper composite into a mold or by extruding the cement-paper composite and then allowing the cement-paper composite to cure.
The cement-paper composite can be used, for example, to construct structural framing, plaster, walls, foundations, tiles, roofs, pellets, slabs, panels, blocks, curbs, pillars, thermo-acoustic insulation, decorative coatings and cylinders. These examples are only illustrative, and the use of the cement- paper composite is not limited to these examples.
The chemical binder 12 is manufactured by a process comprising the following steps: (a) Placing water into a first vessel in an amount between 4 to 6 liters, preferably 5 liters;
(b) Mixing formaldehyde (CH2O) into the water in an amount between 60 to 140 milliliters, preferably 100 milliliters, to form a water- formaldehyde solution;
(c) Mixing acetic acid (HC2H3O2) into the water-formaldehyde solution in an amount between 10 to 30 milliliters, preferably 20 milliliters, to form an acid solution;
(d) Resting the acid solution for a period of at least 20 minutes;
(e) Mixing and dissolving caustic soda (NaOH) into the acid solution in an amount between 500 grams to 1500 grams, preferably 1000 grams, to form a neutralized solution;
(f) Mixing and reacting ammonium carbonate ((N2H4)2CO3) into the neutralized solution in an amount between 50 grams to 110 grams, preferably 80 grams, to form an ammonium solution;
(g) Placing methanol (CH3OH) into a second vessel in an amount between 35 milliliters to 65 milliliters, preferably 50 milliliters;
(h) Mixing and dissolving iodine (l2), preferably granulated iodine, into the methanol in an amount between 10 grams and 30 grams, preferably 20 grams, to form an iodine solution;
(i) Mixing the ammonium solution and the iodine solution to form a base solution; and,
(j) Mixing and reacting sodium hyposulfite (NaH2SO3) into the base solution in an amount between 25 grams to 55 grams, preferably 40 grams, to form the liquid chemical binder 12.
The process for manufacturing the chemical binder 12 is based upon the initial volume of water. Accordingly, if the amount of water is more or less than
4 to 6 liters, the amounts of formaldehyde, acetic acid, caustic soda, ammonium carbonate, methanol, iodine and sodium hyposulfite should be proportionally increased or decreased, respectively. Upon the addition of ammonium carbonate in step (f), the reaction produces a boiling-like appearance with foam. When iodine is added to methanol, the iodine solution has a deep red color. After the iodine solution is mixed with the ammonium solution, the base solution has a red color as well. Sodium hyposulfite generally should be allowed to react for at least 30 minutes with the base
solution. Additionally, during the endothermic reaction of the sodium hyposulfite with the base solution, a characteristic odor of sulfur is detected. Upon the completion of the sodium hyposulfite and base solution reaction, the chemical binder 12 is generally colorless. Also, the chemical binder 12 generally has a pH of approximately 13.
The cement-paper composite is manufactured by a process comprising the following steps:
(a) Conducting paper 2 to a grinder 4;
(b) Grinding the paper 2 to form particlized paper of 5 mm or less in size, preferably 2 mm;
(c) Placing the particlized paper into a container 6;
(d) Placing water in an amount between 50% to 95% by weight of the particlized paper into the container 6;
(e) Mixing the water and particlized paper thoroughly to form a mash 8;
(f) Resting the mash 8 for a period between 12 to 24 hours;
(g) Placing the mash 8 into a mixer 10;
(h) Blending the mash 8 with a chemical binder 12 in an amount of
10 milliliters to 80 milliliters of chemical binder 12 per 10 liters to 50 liters of mash 8 for a period of 15 to 30 minutes, preferably 20 minutes, to form a mash/chemical binder mixture; (i) Adding and mixing thoroughly a cementious material 14, preferably portland cement, with the mash/chemical binder mixture in an amount of 30% to 90% by weight of mash 8 to form a mash/cement mixture; and,
(j) Adding and mixing thoroughly a calcium compound 16 selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), hydrated lime (CaO) or carbonated lime (CaCO3) with the mash/cement mixture in an amount between 10% and 60% by weight of cement, preferably between 30% and 40% by weight of cement, to form a cement-paper composite.
It is preferred, although not required, for the paper 2 to be ground prior to hydration. The mash 8 should be allowed to rest for the 12 to 24 hour period so that the particlized paper becomes completely saturated with water prior to adding the chemical binder 12. A cement-paper composite article can be manufactured by either extruding the cement-paper composite, placing the cement-paper composite into a mold or manually shaping the cement-paper composite into a desired shape and allowing the cement-paper article to cure for a period of 2 to 15 days. Clearly, curing time is less for small articles.
EXAMPLE 1 A test for sonoric isolation in a reverberation room of panels comprising the cement-paper composite to compare sonoric isolation to frequency is shown in Figure 2. Two isolation room size for the test measures 60 cubic meters. The cement-paper composite panels of the test comprise approximately 29% cement, 30% calcium hydroxide, 40% particlized paper and 1 % chemical binder and have a density of 1.4 kilograms per cubic meter. Panel size is
2.710x1.025x100 millimeters and the panels are void of plaster.
EXAMPLE 2
A test for resistance to the impact of a soft body against a panel comprising the cement-paper composite is displayed in Table 1. The panel is submitted to an impact load action, composed of a sand bag weighing 40 kilograms that is allowed to fall from various heights. The shock is produced by the increase of the impact charge perpendicularly to the panel until the desire height, letting it fall freely to enter in pendulum movement until the sand bag collides with the panel. The cement-paper composite panels of the test comprise approximately 29% cement, 30% calcium hydroxide, 40% particlized paper and 1 % chemical binder and have a size of 2.410x1.025x100 millimeters.
Table 1
Impact Horizontal Medium
Energy Deflections (0.1 mm)
(Joules) Instantaneous Residual
60 3.1 0.1
120 8.9 0.2
180 11.4 0.4
240 14.9 0.9
360 16.4 2.0
480 18.9 4.5
720 27.1 6.0
960 35.8 11.7
Wth respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, various modifications may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and which are set forth in the appended claims.