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US 4,093,690 AGranted
Method for the manufacture of concrete and like products
AssigneeU.S. Terrazzo Panels, Inc.
InventorJohn A. Murray
Life of this patent
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AssigneeU.S. Terrazzo Panels, Inc.
InventorJohn A. Murray
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus is provided for the manufacture of products of concrete or like construction, in which a mixture of calcareous cementitious binder substance, such as cement, an aggregate, a vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate copolymer, and an amount of water sufficient to make a relatively dry mixture is initially compressed into the desired configuration. This compressed shaped article is then subjected to an accelerated curing process in a chamber that is charged with carbon dioxide gas to provide a hardened product in an accelerated cure state having excellent physical properties, although the apparatus may be used, if desired, to provide only a desired amount of curing, as the circumstances may dictate. The method and apparatus of this invention is especially useful in the manufacture of panels, such as of terrazzo and terrazzo-like types and building panel elements of both load-bearing and non load-bearing types, concrete blocks, ceramic products, cinder blocks, bricks, adobe constructions, concrete pipe, drainage tile, silo block or staves, pre-cast tile, filler base, load bearing structures, non-load bearing or curtain wall structures, and pre-stressed products, among others.
A method of rapidly manufacturing concrete or like products having an advanced state of cure comprising the steps of blending together a calcareous cementitious binder, an aggregate, the binder being present in a percentage of about 6-100, based upon total of binder plus aggregate;
In a method of rapidly manufacturing concrete or like products having an advanced state of cure comprising a sufficiently low moisture cementitious mix to maintain its shape after molding into a shape and during subsequent curing, said mix comprising water and a vinyl acetate - dibutyl maleate copolymer, wherein the weight of vinyl acetate - dibutyl maleate in the mix is within the range of about 1% to 2% based on weight of solids of the mix, the percentage by weight of water not exceeding 10%, the steps which comprise molding the mixture into a predetermined shape by compressing the mixture under sufficient pressure to maintain the mixture in the predetermind shape upon removal of the shape relative to the mold, moving the shape in a predetermined direction, exposing the shape while it is so moving to preignition in an atmosphere containing a controlled amount of carbon dioxide which is moving countercurrent to the movement of said shape, then exposing said shape to an atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas admixed with minor amounts of air by moving the shape through a chamber the inner surfaces of which are substantially non-metallic, the height of the chamber being about 1.025 to about 4 times the height of the shape, but not exceeding the height of the shape by more than about 41/2 inches, simultaneously feeding carbon dioxide gas to the chamber during the movement of the shape therein, maintaining the pressure, and continuing the feed to cause an exothermic temperature rise throughout the shape of at least 20.degree. F - 40.degree. F in less than about 5 minutes.
The method of treating a mix having concrete forming characteristics or the like for facilitating the curing thereof comprising the steps of adding water and a vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate copolymer, said mix comprising water and a vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate copolymer, wherein the weight of vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate is within the range of about 1% to about 2% based on the weight of solids of the mix, the percentage by weight of water in the mix not exceeding 10%, molding the mix into a formed shape in a press, discharging the then formed shape from the press onto a conveying means, moving the shape along a predetermined path on the conveying means, exposing the shape, while it is so moving, to an atmosphere consisting essentially of carbon dioxide gas during its movement along said path, causing said carbon dioxide gas to permeate said conveying means to subject said shape to said gas by flow of said gas through said conveying means, said exposing step being performed by passing the shape through a yieldingly shielded chamber while simultaneously continuously delivering carbon dioxide gas to the chamber, causing a portion of said carbon dioxide gas to flow counter-currently thereby causing a preignition of said shape before its entry into said chamber, maintaining the gas pressure in said chamber at substantially atmospheric pressure, all as part of a continuous process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.