WO2022167710A1

WO2022167710A1 - Paving system

Info

Publication number: WO2022167710A1
Application number: PCT/ES2022/070053
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrés VANRELL CASASNOVAS; Renee MACHADO LOPEZ; Rafael ESPINAR ALMIRON; Manuel FORTEA LUNA; Alberto PONS FERNANDEZ
Original assignee: Vanrell Casasnovas Andres; Machado Lopez Renee; Espinar Almiron Rafael; Fortea Luna Manuel; Pons Fernandez Alberto
Priority date: 2021-02-04
Filing date: 2022-02-04
Publication date: 2022-08-11
Also published as: ES1262360U; ES1262360Y

Abstract

The invention relates to a paving system (10) for covering a structural base (9) with a horizontal surface, comprising a plurality of paving parts (1) and a bed layer (2) of granular material for the settlement of the paving parts, arranged on the structural base (9). The paving parts are lightweight tiles with a prismatic configuration with flat lateral edges that border at the top with a flat top side (16) and that are provided on the underside (17) thereof with a plurality of oblong cavities (11) that penetrate towards the top side (16), being separated from each other by ribs (18). The paving parts are made from a mass resulting from a mixture of a fast-setting geopolymer mortar based on inorganic polymers of a mineral nature, without shrinkage, with water, or they are made of plastic, polymers or composite materials.

Description

“A Paving System”

Technical sector of the invention

The present invention relates to a paving system for covering an existing structural base or substrate with a horizontal surface, such as a concrete floor or compacted ground. The system is based on the arrangement and settlement of a plurality of paving pieces on a bed of granular material such as sand.

Background of the invention

It is well known that most pavements with which to cover an existing structural base or substrate with a horizontal surface are based on the manufacture of solid rectangular prismatic pavement pieces, also known as cobblestones, which are joined to the base cementing their lower faces and pressing them against the base.

It is worth mentioning that the dimensions of the pavement pieces depend on the load efforts to which they will be requested in their location, such as those generated by more or less intense road traffic or people.

This paving system entails considerable costs both for manufacturing and for transport and installation. The cost of manufacturing the flooring pieces, being solid, implies, apart from the amount of raw material, relatively long drying times until the entire volume has set. Once finished, the paving pieces have to be moved to the place where the flooring is going to be done, generally on stacked pallets transported by truck to the site, due to their weight and overall volume. Finally, laying the paving pieces on site is a laborious task that requires not only manual dexterity but also a certain amount of strength to lift the pieces, cement them on their underside and position them by pressing them against the existing structural base or substrate. Thus, the need to provide a flooring system that reduces the costs of manufacturing, transport and installation, making possible a flooring with the same or better performance and, in general, more respectful of the environment, becomes evident.

Explanation of the invention

In order to provide a solution to the aforementioned drawbacks, a paving system is disclosed for covering an existing structural base or substrate with a horizontal surface. The system comprises a plurality of paving pieces and a seating bed made of granular material for the laying of the paving pieces on it, arranged on the structural base.

In essence, the flooring system is characterized by the fact that the flooring pieces are lightened tiles with a prismatic configuration with flat lateral edges that border on the upper side with a flat upper face and that are provided on their lower face with a plurality of oblong alveoli that penetrate towards the upper face, being separated from each other by ribs. It is also characterized in that the paving pieces are made from a mass resulting from a mixture of a fast-setting geopolymer mortar based on inorganic polymers of a mineral nature, without shrinkage, with water, or else they are made of mortar, of plastics, polymers, or a composite material.

By geopolymer is designated a polymer of inorganic synthetics of aluminosilicates that come from the chemical reaction known as geopolymerization. Geopolymers are also known as inorganic aluminosilicates and also by the name of soil cements (Soil cements in English). Geopolymers are often used as substitutes for portland cements and have the advantage of generating low CO2 emissions in their production process, specifically much lower emissions (< 250 g/kg) of CO2 compared to traditional Portland cement (> 1,000 g /kg) thanks to a production process that consumes less energy. Also, they have a great resistance to chemical products, acid rain and other environmental aggressions, excellent resistance to corrosion, great thermal resistance and good mechanical and adhesion properties, both at room temperature and at extreme temperatures. Their recyclability is classified as inert and they have a very low emission of volatile organic compounds.

According to another characteristic of the paving system of the invention, the depth with which the alveoli penetrate is between 65% and 75% of the height of the paving piece measured from its lower face to its upper face.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the paving pieces have a rectangular prismatic configuration, with the plurality of oblong alveoli distributed in a matrix in rows and columns, in which the longest side of the alveoli is parallel to the longest side edges. . Preferably, the alveoli form hollows with an essentially rectangular prismatic configuration or hollows with an essentially trapezoidal prismatic configuration. According to a preferred embodiment, the alveoli can form hollows with a rectangular prismatic configuration with rounded edges or hollows with a trapezoidal prismatic configuration with rounded edges, instead of strictly straight edges.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each paving piece has fifteen cells distributed in five rows and three columns.

According to the preferred embodiment, the flooring pieces have a height between 70 and 74 mm, preferably 72 mm, a length between 584 mm and 616 mm, preferably 600 mm, and a width between 389 and 411 mm, preferably 400mm. For their part, the alveoli are separated from each other by ribs with a thickness between 19.5 and 20.5 mm, preferably 20 mm, the upper face of each piece of flooring is separated from the alveoli by a distance comprised between 19.5 and 20.5 mm, preferably 20 mm, and the cells arranged in a row or in a column adjacent to a lateral edge are separated from it by a distance between 19.5 and 20.5 mm, preferably 20 mm.

According to another characteristic of the paving system object of the invention, it also comprises a corresponding finishing layer arranged on the upper face of each one of the paving pieces. For example, according to a particular embodiment of the flooring system, the finishing layer, which can also be known as the noble layer, is a thin layer of granite, which gives an aesthetic finish and water-repellent properties to the flooring pieces. The choice of the type of finish layer by the manufacturer will depend on your taste, the environment in which the flooring is to be placed, etc.

As regards the material from which the paving pieces of the system object of the invention are made, the mass of the geopolymer fast-setting mortar mixed with water has a setting time according to EN 196-3 at 21°C and 65% humidity relative between 8 and 11 min, preferably approximately 10 min.

This rapid setting contributes to a significant reduction in the manufacturing times of the paving pieces of the paving system of the invention in comparison with those of conventional, solid, rectangular prismatic paving pieces.

According to another characteristic of the paving system, in the mass of the mixture of the geopolymer fast-setting mortar with water from which the paving pieces are made, the proportion of water per is between 10 and 20% by weight with respect to the total mass weight of the mixture. Thus, for example, if the proportion of water for the mixture is 10% by weight with respect to the total mass of the mixture, the material of the mixture turns out to be a semi-dry mortar.

According to another feature of the invention, the geopolymer rapid-setting mortar is thixotropic with the addition of synthetic fibers. Regarding its properties, the geopolymer fast-setting mortar has an apparent specific weight between 1.25 and 1.45 g/cm ³ and a granulometric range according to EN 1015-1 between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, the value of the apparent volumic mass of the fresh mortar according to EN 1015-6 being between 2020 and 2080 Kg/m ³ and the consistency of the mass according to EN 13395-1 being between 40 and 50%.

It is also noteworthy that the mass of the mixture of the geopolymer fast-setting mortar with water has a compressive strength according to EN 12190 at 28 days, with curing at more than 21°C, greater than or equal to 45 MPa, and a modulus elastic secant to compression according to EN 13412 greater than or equal to 20 GPa.

The combination of the configuration of the paving pieces and the material from which they are made, put into place with the other components of the paving system, results in a substantial lightening of the paving pieces in relation to the traditional pieces of the state of technique, while maintaining its structural consistency in accordance with current LINE-EN 1339:2004 regulations.

Brief description of the drawings

The attached drawings illustrate, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the paving system object of the invention and two preferred embodiments of the paving piece that forms part of the system. In said drawings: Fig. 1 is a sectional view according to a vertical section of the paving system object of the invention placed on an existing structural base or substrate with a horizontal surface; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the two paving pieces shown in Fig. 1 on whose upper face the noble layer also shown in Fig. 1 is arranged; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the paving piece of Fig. 2 with its lower face facing upwards to better appreciate the plurality of alveoli; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the paving piece of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an elevation view of the paving piece of Fig. 3, in which the alveoli are shown with hidden lines; Fig. 6 is a side view of the paving piece of Fig. 3, in which the alveoli are shown with hidden lines; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the paving piece that forms part of the paving system object of the invention, with its lower face exposed upwards to appreciate the alveoli; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the paving piece of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a side view of one of the two short lateral edges of the paving piece of Fig. 7; Fig. 10 is an elevation view of the paving piece of Fig. 7, in which the alveoli are shown with hidden lines; Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the equivalent stresses in a simulation with an empty pavement piece (without the seat bed, supported on a firm surface) according to a finite element calculation model; Fig. 12 is a graph of the bending, traction and compression behavior of the empty pavement piece that finally shows that the pavement piece only works under compression; and Figs. 13 to 16 show views of another embodiment of the flooring piece with a continuous vault-shaped alveoli configuration arranged longitudinally along the piece.

Detailed description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows a paving system 10 arranged on top of a structural base 9 with a horizontal surface to cover it. The paving system 10 comprises, from bottom to top, the following components: a bedding 2 of granular material, particularly sand; a plurality of paving pieces 1 (two pieces are shown in Fig. 1) arranged with their lateral edges adjacent and separated by a joint gap 5 filled with a grouting material; and a plurality of pieces of noble layer 4 arranged respectively on the upper faces of the paving pieces 1 (see also Fig. 2). The paving pieces 1 have the peculiarity that, unlike conventional solid cobblestones, the paving pieces 1 are lightened tiles with a rectangular prismatic configuration with four flat lateral edges 12, 13, 14 and 15 that are bounded at the top by an upper face 16 flat. The lightening of the paving pieces 1 is due to the fact that on their lower face 17 there are a plurality of oblong alveoli 11 that protrude towards the upper face 16 (see Figs. 3 and 7).

In particular and according to two preferred embodiments of the flooring piece 1, shown respectively in Figs. 3 to 6 and in Figs. 7 to 10, the cells 11 are distributed in a matrix in rows and columns, in which the longest side of the cells is parallel to the longer side edges 12 and 14. Each paving piece 1 has fifteen alveoli 11 distributed in five rows and three columns, separated from each other by corresponding ribs 18.

The alveoli 11 form hollows with an essentially rectangular prismatic configuration, as in the piece of flooring 1 in Figs. 7 to 10, or they form hollows with an essentially prismatic trapezoidal configuration, as in the paving piece 1 of Figs. 3 to 6. The first tilt angle a in Fig. 5 measures 87.24° and the second tilt angle in Fig. 6 also measures 87.24°. In addition, of the trapezoidal prismatic shape, the alveoli of the paving piece 1 of Figs. 3 to 6 are the rounded edges 19, as opposed to the straight edges of the paving piece 1 in Figs. 7 to 10.

Each flooring piece 1 according to the represented preferred embodiments, shown in Figs. 3 to 6 and in Figs. 7 to 10, has a height H of 72 mm, a length L of 600 mm and a width A of 400 mm. In the first embodiment of Figs. 3 to 6, the flooring piece 1 has a height H of 72 mm, while in the second embodiment of Figs. 7 to 10, the height H is 70 mm.

The alveoli 11 are separated from one another by ribs of thickness e of 20 mm, and from the lateral edges 12, 13, 14 and 15, when the alveoli form part of an extreme column or row, by a distance of 20 mm. The depth with which the alveoli 11 penetrate is between 65% and 75% of the total height H of the paving piece 1 measured from its lower face 17 to its upper face 16. Thus, the upper face 16 is separated of the alveoli 11 for a distance ds of 20 mm in the paving pieces 1 represented in the drawings.

All the cells 11 represented in the figures have a cell width Aaiv equal to 56 mm. In the case of the flooring piece 1 of Figs. 3 to 6, all the alveoli 11 have the same length L _aiv of approximately 173.33 mm, while in the flooring piece 1 of Figs. 7 to 10, the cells 11 of the first and third columns have a cell length Law equal to 173.5 mm and those of the second column have a cell length Laiv equal to 173 mm.

In this way, the design of the lower part of the paving piece 1 is configured with a honeycomb design in order to give sufficient internal structure to each paving piece 1, in addition to lightening it and speeding up its manufacturing process.

The paving pieces 1 are made from a mass resulting from a mixture of a fast-setting geopolymer mortar based on inorganic polymers of a mineral nature, without shrinkage, with water. The geopolymer fast-setting mortar is thixotropic with the addition of synthetic fibers. This material has better structural behavior than current cements and with a density lower than that currently existing. It should be clarified that the paving pieces 1 do not have any metal reinforcement inside, since the material they are made of, together with the design of the pieces, is capable of withstanding the stresses to which the paving will be subjected.

The mass of the geopolymer fast-setting mortar mixed with water has a setting time according to EN 196-3 at 21 °C and 65% relative humidity between 8 and 11 min, preferably approximately 10 min.

As for the mixture, the dough is made by adding a quantity of water between 10 and 20% by weight with respect to the total weight of the mass of the mixture of fast-setting geopolymer mortar and water. The pH of the dough is approximately between 11.5 and 12.5.

The geopolymer fast-setting mortar has an apparent specific weight between 1.25 and 1.45 g/cm ³ and a granulometric range according to EN 1015-1 between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, the value of the apparent volumic mass of the fresh mortar according to EN 1015-6 between 2020 and 2080 Kg/m ³ and the consistency of the mass according to EN 13395-1 between 40 and 50%.

The mass of the mixture of the fast-setting geopolymer mortar with water has a compressive strength according to EN 12190 at 28 days, with curing at more than 21°C, greater than or equal to 45 MPa, and a secant compressive elastic modulus according to EN 13412 greater than or equal to 20 GPa.

As for the pieces that make up the finishing layer 4, various materials are contemplated depending on the aesthetic finish and functionality that you want to give it, for example it can be a layer of granite about 8 mm thick that makes the upper face water-repellent 16 of the paving piece 1 on which it is placed.

The procedure for carrying out the paving or flooring on the structural base 9 with the paving system 10 described comprises the following steps: a) spread a seating bed 2 of granular material, preferably sand, on the structural base 9 and level it; b) place on the seat bed 2 a plurality of paving pieces 1 with their alveoli 11 oriented towards the seat bed 2, having previously attached a respective finishing layer 4 to the upper face 16 of each paving piece 1 ; c) push the flooring pieces 1 with their finishing layer 4, partially sinking them into the seat bed 2 until the alveoli 11 are partially occupied, for the most part, by the granular material of the seat bed 2 and the upper layers 16 of the coplanar flooring pieces 1 forming a horizontal plane, leaving between the lateral edges of the pieces a gap between the joint 5 ; d) grout the joint separation space 5 with a dry mixture of sand with natural hydraulic lime and sprinkle with water.

The combination of the structural design of the flooring pieces 1 and the material from which they are made allows, among other advantages:

- Weight reduction per m ² manufactured.

- Optimization of the cost of the pallets, by being able to load more m ² per pallet.

- Cheaper production process, by reducing the volume of material in each piece of flooring 1 , savings in electricity consumption in manufacturing facilities, etc.

- Increase in the capacity of the manufacturing process for paving pieces 1 , as they dry faster.

- Considerable reduction in the cost of transport per m ² of paving pieces 1 transported.

- Considerable reduction of the CO2 generated in the manufacturing process of the paving pieces 1 .

- Increased performance of the placement of the paving pieces 1 on site, due to their lightness.

- Improvement of the adhesion of the paving pieces 1, due to their alveolar configuration, generating more gripping surface with the bedding of granular material.

- Improvement of the rolling acoustics, by generating internal air chambers, and therefore reduction of noise pollution, since there is an air space inside the alveoli that is not completely occupied by the granular material of the seat bed two

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the equivalent stresses in a simulation with an empty paving piece placed on the bedding of granular material according to a finite element calculation model. Dynamic loads have been applied to all axes and to the entire surface, increasing the loads and reducing the resistances with a lambda coefficient of 1.35 and considering both the resistance of the material and the behavior of the lattice geometry. Considering the isometrics, the chronogram of Fig. 11 has been determined, which describes the areas where the most stress and the least stress is supported by the piece of pavement considered, establishing ultimate limit states from a load of 400 kg/cm ² . Fig. 12 graphically shows the behavior in bending, tension and compression, showing that the simulated element, the piece of pavement 1 on the bed of the seat 2, only works in compression.

The paving pieces, according to other embodiments, can be made of mortar, plastics, polymers or be made of a composite material.

Regarding the geometry, other configurations are possible for the paving system 10, such as the paving piece 1 according to the embodiment shown in Figs. 13 to 16, where a piece of flooring 1 with alveoli configuration in the form of a continuous vault can be seen, arranged longitudinally along the piece.

Claims

1. A paving system (10) for covering a structural base (9) with a horizontal surface, comprising a plurality of paving pieces (1) and a seat bed (2) made of granular material for settlement on the same of the paving pieces (1), arranged on the structural base (9), characterized in that the paving pieces (1) are lightened tiles of prismatic configuration with lateral edges (12, 13, 14, 15) planes that limit superiorly with a flat upper face (16) and that are provided on their lower face (17) with a plurality of oblong alveoli (11) that protrude towards the upper face (16), being separated from each other by ribs (18), and because the paving pieces (1) are made from a mass resulting from a mixture of a fast-setting geopolymer mortar based on inorganic polymers of a mineral nature, without shrinkage, with water, or they are made of plastics, polymers , or of a material Market Stall.

2. The paving system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the depth with which the alveoli (11) penetrate is between 65% and 75% of the height (H) of the paving piece ( 1) measured from its lower face (17) to its upper face (16).

3. The paving system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the paving pieces (1) have a rectangular prismatic configuration, with the plurality of oblong alveoli (11) distributed in a matrix in rows and columns, in the that the longest side of the alveoli is parallel to the longer side edges (12, 14).

4. The paving system (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the alveoli (11) form hollows with an essentially rectangular prismatic configuration or hollows with an essentially trapezoidal prismatic configuration.

5. The paving system (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the alveoli (11) form hollows with a rectangular prismatic configuration with rounded edges (19) or hollows with a prismatic configuration trapezoidal with rounded edges (19).

6. The flooring system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each piece of flooring (1) has fifteen alveoli (11) distributed in five rows and three columns.

7. The paving system (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the paving pieces (1) have a height (H) between 70 and 74 mm, a length (L) between 584 mm and 616 mm and a width (A) between 389 and 411 mm, because the alveoli (11) are separated from each other by ribs (18) with a thickness (e) between 19.5 and 20.5 mm, because the upper face (16) is separated from the alveoli (11) by a distance (ds) comprised between 19.5 and 20.5 mm and by which the alveoli (11) arranged in a row or in a column adjacent to a lateral edge (12, 13, 14, 15) are separated from it by a distance (de) between 19.5 and 20.5 mm.

8. The paving system (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the paving pieces (1) have a height (H) of 72 mm, a length (L) of 600 mm and a width (A) of 400 mm, because the alveoli (11) are separated from each other by ribs with a thickness (e) of 20 mm, because the upper face (16) is separated from the alveoli (11) by a distance (ds) of 20 mm and because the cells (11) arranged in a row or in a column adjacent to a lateral edge (12, 13, 14, 15) are separated from it by a distance (from) of 20 mm.

9. The flooring system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a corresponding finishing layer (4) arranged on the upper face (16) of each one of the flooring pieces (1).

10. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass of the geopolymer fast-setting mortar mixed with water has a setting time according to EN 196-3 at 21°C and 65% humidity relative between 8 and 11 min, - 14 - preferably 10 min.

11. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass of the mixture of the fast-setting geopolymer mortar with water comprises between 10 and 20% by weight of water with respect to the weight of the mass of the mixture.

12. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the geopolymer fast-setting mortar is thixotropic with the addition of synthetic fibres.

13. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the geopolymer fast-setting mortar has an apparent specific weight between 1.25 and 1.45 g/cm ³ and a granulometric range according to EN 1015-1 between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, with the value of the apparent volumic mass of the fresh mortar according to EN 1015-6 between 2020 and 2080 Kg/m ³ and the consistency of the mass according to EN 13395- 1 between 40 and 50%.

14. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass of the mixture of the fast-setting geopolymer mortar with water has a compressive strength according to EN 12190 at 28 days, with curing at more than of 21°C, greater than or equal to 45 MPa, and a compression secant elastic modulus according to EN 13412 greater than or equal to 20 GPa.

15. The paving system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass of the mixture of the fast-setting geopolymer mortar with water has a pH of between 11.5 and 12.5.