Search

US-12617722-B2 - Polymeric composite, product with polymer composite, dry process for preparing polymer composite, process for preparing a sleeper

US12617722B2US 12617722 B2US12617722 B2US 12617722B2US-12617722-B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a polymeric composite, polymeric composite product, dry polymeric composite preparation process, sleeper preparation process. The polymeric composite comprises: sand; at least one load; a thermosetting resin selected from at least one of dicyclopentadiene, neopentyl glycol or a combination of these; at least two additives, wherein one of the additives is a phase compatibilizing additive and the other additive is a flexibilizing additive; and a fiber selected from at least one of: carbon fiber, metallic fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, basalt fiber, graphite fiber, polymeric fiber or a combination of these.

Inventors

  • Geiza Esperandio De Oliveira

Assignees

  • SILETO TECHNOLOGIES LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20230908
Priority Date
20220909

Claims (18)

  1. 1 . Polymeric composite, comprising: sand; at least one load selected from at least one of: granular silica or microspheres, alumina quartz, foundry sand, fine or ultrafine sand, limestone, talc, crushed stone powder, gypsum, lime, dolomite, calcite, barite, in natura or organophilic bentonite, in natura or organophilic kaolinite, natural or organophilic metakaolinite, in natura or organophilic attapulgite, in natura or organophilic montmorinolite, raw or organophilic illite, raw or organophilic hinorite, raw or organophilic anite, sepiolite, vermiculite, porous magnetite, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, mica, graphite, gypsum, gilsonite or a combination of these; a thermosetting resin selected from at least one of dicyclopentadiene, neopentyl glycol or a combination of these; at least two additives, wherein one of the additives is a phase compatibilizing additive and the other additive is a flexibilizing additive, wherein the phase compatibilizing additive is selected from at least one of: vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, methacryltrimethoxysilane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, calcium diacrylate, calcium diacrylate zinc or a combination of these, and wherein the flexibilizing additive is selected from at least one of: butylacrylate, butylmethylacrylate, methylmethacrylate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, dialylphthalate, triethylene glycol methacrylate, ethylhexyl methacrylate or a combination of these; and a fiber, wherein the fiber is carbon fiber and has a fiber length between 88% and 92% of the piece length.
  2. 2 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising ground rubber in an amount of 0% to 30% by mass.
  3. 3 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising layered fiber blankets, the fiber being selected from at least one of: metallic fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, basalt fiber, graphite fiber, polymeric fiber or a combination of these.
  4. 4 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising screens and/or frames made of metallic and/or polymeric material in layers and/or structures.
  5. 5 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising a reaction promoting system, wherein the reaction promoting system is cobalt naphthenate and is comprised in an amount of 0.25% to 2.5% by mass of the composite.
  6. 6 . Polymeric composite of claim 5 , wherein the reaction promoting system is associated with dimethylaniline, DMA, in an amount of 0.025% to 0.10% by weight based on the total weight of the composite.
  7. 7 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising a launcher in an amount ranging from 0.05% to 6.00% by mass based on the total mass of the composite.
  8. 8 . Polymeric composite of claim 1 , further comprising: from 38% to 96% by mass of medium sand based on the total mass of the composite; from 3% to 33% by mass of load based on the total mass of the composite; from 3% to 33% by mass of dicyclopentadiene and/or from 5% to 30% by mass neopentylglycol based on the total mass of the composite; from 0.1% to 1.5% by mass of phase compatibilizing additive based on the total mass of the composite; from 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of flexibilizing additive based on the total weight of the composite; and from 0.1% to 5%, by mass of carbon fiber based on the total mass of the composite.
  9. 9 . Product with polymeric composite, wherein the product is a sleeper that comprises the polymeric composite as defined in claim 1 .
  10. 10 . Dry polymer composite preparation process to prepare the polymeric composite of claim 1 , comprising: mixing sand and load for a period of 5 minutes to 40 minutes to form a mixture of dry components; mixing at least one phase compatibilizing additive and at least one flexibilizing additive with a thermosetting resin for a time of 10 seconds to 30 seconds to form a syrup; transporting the dry mix and syrup to the molding site, ensuring that the syrup has a chemical stability period of at least 7 days; mixing the syrup with the mixture of dry components for a time of up to 5 minutes; pouring the mixture into the mold or distribute and level the mixture in the molding location according to the final product to be obtained; inserting, into the material obtained, at least one anchoring element comprising bundles of fibers, wherein the fiber is carbon fiber; pre-cure the material obtained in an ambient pressure oven with air circulation or with thermal blankets, at a temperature of 50 to 80° C. for a period of 60 minutes to 180 minutes; and perfoming the cure of the material obtained for at least 7 days at ambient pressure and room temperature.
  11. 11 . Process for preparing a dry polymeric composite of claim 10 , further comprising a step of drying the sand and load before these components are mixed.
  12. 12 . Process for preparing a dry polymeric composite of claim 10 , further comprising a step of mixing a launcher with the syrup for a time of 10 seconds to 30 seconds before the step of mixing the syrup with the mixture of dry components.
  13. 13 . Process for preparing a dry polymeric composite of claim 10 , further comprising a step of pressing, with a press or compressor roller, the material obtained for a time of 20 seconds to 60 seconds, or alternatively vibrate the material before the pre-curing step.
  14. 14 . Process for preparing a dry polymeric composite of claim 10 , further comprising a step of removing moisture using an oven comprising exhaust fans.
  15. 15 . Process of preparing a product, comprising: preparing a polymeric composite according to the preparation process as defined in claim 1 , and shaping the material into a product mold before the step of inserting the anchoring elements.
  16. 16 . Process for preparing a product of claim 15 , wherein the pressing step is carried out with a load of 10 to 30 tons of force, alternatively the pressing step can be replaced by the to vibrate, in at least 5 different positions of the product for at least 10 seconds in each position.
  17. 17 . Process for preparing a product of claim 15 , wherein the anchoring elements comprise intermediate layers of blanket made of at least one of: carbon fiber, metallic fiber, glass fiber, fiber of aramid, basalt fiber, graphite fiber, polymeric fiber or a combination of these, in which the fibers are long longitudinal to the product, being distributed in layers or grouped in bundles.
  18. 18 . Process for preparing a product of claim 15 , further comprising a step of removing moisture using an oven comprising at least two side exhaust fans.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase Application of International Application No. PCT/BR2023/050297, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, which claims priority to Brazilian patent application Ser. No. 102022018065-2, filed on Sep. 9, 2022, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention relates to a polymeric composite, a product with a polymeric composite, a process for preparing a dry polymeric composite, a process for preparing a sleeper. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART Materials called polymeric composites are used when there is a need to obtain materials that are more resistant than pure polymers or for applications in which it is desired to obtain specific qualities for the material. In general, these materials comprise polymeric matrices, loads, additives and/or agents, such components being in varying quantities depending on the application. An example of use for polymer composite materials is the application in sleepers. Known sleepers use concrete and structural reinforcements that limit their mechanical strength, durability and application, in addition to presenting disadvantages in the manufacturing process and high weight. Advances in this area have sought to provide new advantages to sleepers, as is the case with the Brazilian addition certificate document BRC10403092-3 which describes a plastic concrete sleeper that uses sand and resin in its composition. However, the mechanical properties obtained by the sleeper described in this document have limitations, such as, for example, the tensile strength that is similar to that of concrete. Another example of a known sleeper is described in document BR102014007171-7, which describes a sleeper formed by overlapping layers of wooden sheets bonded together using structural synthetic polymer resin. However, the use of wood in sleepers, especially eucalyptus wood described in this document, presents considerable disadvantages, such as low durability, risk of fungal attack and insect proliferation, water/humidity absorption with consequent alteration of mechanical properties. It is noted that known polymer composites have mechanical limitations that limit their use. This gap can be observed, for example, in the area of sleepers, where the results obtained by known and commercially exploited materials are still insufficient. In addition, polymeric composites and processes for manufacturing polymeric composites and/or products that use such materials require the use of water and/or do not take into account the hygroscopy of the plaster. Materials commonly used in sleepers have disadvantages that can be summarized as follows: hardwood is currently prohibited for the manufacture of wooden sleepers; eucalyptus wood has low durability when compared to other sleepers; concrete presents rapid deterioration in the reinforced structure, due to corrosion. Objectives of the Invention In view of the problems described in the state of the art, the present invention aims to provide a polymeric composite with high mechanical resistance (resistance to axial compression and 4-point bending, as well as high resistance to abrasion), excellent dielectric properties, low porosity and water absorption; chemical and corrosion resistance, in addition to a lower density than that commonly found in other structural composites. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a polymeric composite that potentially presents several applications, among which we can mention: metric gauge sleepers, wide gauge sleepers, crosses, purlins, beams, precast tiles, pre-shaped gutters, molded floors, interlocking floors, precast civil construction panels, artificial stone for countertops and floors, paving slabs used on bridges, road coverings on bridges and highways, precast slabs, covering and cobogó hollow bricks. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a polymeric composite that, compared to wood, does not suffer fungal attack and consequent proliferation of insects and does not deteriorate over time; it is resistant to rot, insect attack and solar radiation; and eventual absorption of water does not result in the loss of hardness or other mechanical properties, as it occurs due to eventual porosity, without chemical reaction with water, acids, bases and organic compounds in eventual spills. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a polymer composite that, compared to reinforced concrete, is lighter and waterproof as it does not require an iron frame similar to that of reinforced concrete in its structure; and does not contain toxic components after curing. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a polymeric composite free of voids or shrinkage; has insulating properties; admits any dimension; it is inert and impermeable; highly homogeneous generating reliability. The present invention also aims to provide a product comprising the polymeric composite of the pre