Method of forming syntactic foams
AssigneeNewcastle Innovation Limited
InventorHo Sung Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of forming a syntactic foam, including the steps of providing a predetermined amount of constituent materials, said constituent materials including hollow microspheres or buoyant particles, a solvent and a first binder; mixing the constituent materials; allowing the constituent materials to separate into at least a phase substantially including said hollow microspheres or buoyant particles and a binder phase; transferring the hollow microsphere/buoyant particle phase into a mould; and forming a syntactic foam in said mould. Also an apparatus for forming the syntactic foam and syntactic foam.
Claims31
A method of forming a syntactic foam, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a predetermined amount of constituent materials, said constituent materials including buoyant particles, a solvent and a first binder;
- mixing the constituent materials;
- allowing the constituent materials to separate into at least a buoyant particle phase including said buoyant particles and said first binder and a binder phase including said solvent and said first binder;
- transferring the buoyant particle phase into a mould;
- and
- forming a syntactic foam in said mould.
An apparatus for forming a syntactic foam, said apparatus including:
- a mixer for mixing a predetermined amount of constituent materials, said constituent materials including buoyant particles, a solvent and a first binder;
- a separator in communication with said mixer for separating said constituent materials into at least a buoyant particle phase including said buoyant particles and said first binder and a binder phase including said solvent and said first binder;
- a mould for forming said syntactic foam;
- and
- means for transferring the buoyant particle phase into said mould.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.