Method for preparing coated binder units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053579-B2
Application number	US-201214123862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2012
Priority date	Jun 7, 2011
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A method and apparatus for preparing a plurality of coated binder units are disclosed. A coated binder is divided into a plurality of coated binder units by applying a pair of dividing elements to the coated binder and applying a welding element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preparing a plurality of coated binder units wherein each of the coated binder units comprises a core of a binder coated with a layer of coating material, which method comprises the steps of:
(a) providing a coated binder which comprises a core of a binder coated with a layer of coating material; and
(b) dividing the coated binder into the plurality of coated binder units by
(i) applying a pair of dividing elements to the coated binder,
(ii) moving the pair of dividing elements from a closed configuration to an open configuration, thereby removing the binder from a region of the coated binder such that two layers of coating material are adjacent to one another; and
(iii) applying a heated welding element to the two layers of coating material that are adjacent to one another in the region of the coated binder wherein the binder has been removed by the pair of dividing elements, wherein the heated welding element has a temperature sufficient to weld and cut the coating material and effectively seal the coated binder units such that the layer of coating material is substantially continuous.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the binder is a bituminous binder or is a synthetic binder comprising a resin, an oil and optionally a polymer.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the binder is a bituminous binder.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the coating material is a polymer or a blend comprising at least 50 wt % polymer.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the dividing elements are heated to a temperature of from 25 to 140° C.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding element is heated to a temperature of from 100 to 300° C.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises the step of:
(iv) removing the welding element and the pair of dividing elements from the coated binder, and returning the pair of dividing elements to the closed configuration.

8. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the coating material is polyethylene or a blend comprising at least 50 wt % polyethylene.

9. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the dividing elements are heated to a temperature of from 40 to 60° C.

10. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the welding element is heated to a temperature of from 120 to 165° C.

Assignees

• De Amorim Novais Da Costa Nobrega Joao Miguel
• Gomes Covas Jose Antonio Colaco
• Soubigou Chantal
• Dias Pessoa Eurico Filipe
• Rodrigues Barros Bruno Henrigue
• Rodrigues Catherine
• Shell Oil Co

Inventors

• De Amorim Novais Da Costa Nobrega João Miguel
• Gomes Covas José António Colaço
• Soubigou Chantal
• Dias Pessoa Eurico Filipe
• Rodrigues Barros Bruno Henrigue
• Rodrigues Catherine

Classifications

• C08L95/00 Primary

  Compositions of bituminous materials, e.g. asphalt, tar, pitch · CPC title

• B32B38/0004

  Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details (cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T156/1313

  Cutting element simultaneously bonds [e.g., cut seaming] · CPC title

• B32B37/0046

  characterised by constructional aspects of the apparatus · CPC title

• B29C47/065

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic