Porous ceramic paving material

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention is directed to methods of making and using paving materials and, more specifically, a novel porous, ceramic paving material.

#2. Description of the State of the Art

#FIG. 1 illustrates a method of making porous, ceramic paving materials according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate shapes that may be desirable according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 illustrates a method of constructing a porous, ceramic pavement according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#As discussed in more detail below, the embodiments of the present invention generally encompass porous, ceramic paving materials. The “paving material” can include a material that provides a hardened, treated, or finished surface that may be exposed to the wear of traffic that can include foot traffic or vehicle traffic. Generally speaking, the paving material of the present invention includes a ceramic covering for any surface that can benefit from an improved durability and, particularly, those surfaces that can benefit from an added feature of permeability to aqueous solutions, such as rainwater. The teaching provided below is directed to making and using these novel porous, ceramic paving materials.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a method of making porous, ceramic paving materials according to some embodiments of the present invention. The porous, ceramic paving materials of the present invention are made by preparing 101 a composition comprising a metal oxide and a filler material. The preparing includes carefully selecting 102 a filler material to assist in producing the desired porosity in the paving material. The metal oxide and filler material are mixed together to form the composition. The composition is then formed 103 into a desired shape by carefully selecting 104 and applying 105 pressure to the composition in a mold. A virtually infinite number of shapes and designs can be formed. A final step in the process is heat-treating 106 the shaped composition to create the porous, ceramic paving material, wherein the heat-treating includes carefully selecting 107 the temperature of the treatment for control over physical properties of the paving moldule, such as pore structure and strength, and applying 108 the temperature for a predetermined amount of time. A finishing step 109 can also be used in some embodiments, for example, to modify the paving material structurally to enhance function and/or aesthetics.

#An earthy material, such as a soil, can be used as the source of metal oxides. The soil should include metal oxides selected from a group consisting of oxides of aluminum, silicon, iron, titanium, cobalt, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. In some embodiments, the metal oxide can be selected from a group consisting of Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, TiO2, CoO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, hydrated forms thereof, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the metal oxide can include Al2O3, SiO2, hydrated forms thereof, or combinations thereof. Examples of hydrated forms of the metal oxides are known to those skilled in the art. Hydrated forms of aluminum oxide include, for example, Al2O3.nH2O, where n can be an integer ranging from 1 to 3.