Composite materials and method of making composite materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11970586-B1
Application number	US-202318207540-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 8, 2023
Priority date	Jun 8, 2022
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

A composite material may be prepared from a solid polymeric binder and a solid filler by feeding into an extruder the solid polymeric binder at a first feed rate and the solid filler at a second feed rate. The extruder extrudes an extrudate of the solid polymeric binder and solid filler to form the composite material. The composite material has a binder to filler ratio determined by the first feed rate and second feed rate. The solid polymeric binder and solid filler have different densities. Feeding the solid polymeric binder at the first feed rate and the solid filler at the second feed rate distributes the solid filler substantially homogeneously throughout the composite material.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method comprising preparing a composite material from a solid polymeric binder and a solid filler by feeding into an extruder the solid polymeric binder at a first feed rate and the solid filler at a second feed rate, the extruder (a) melting the solid polymeric binder, (b) mixing the melted solid polymeric binder with the solid filler, and (c) extruding an extrudate of the solid polymeric binder and solid filler to form the composite material, the composite material having a binder to filler ratio determined by the first feed rate and second feed rate;
wherein the solid polymeric binder and solid filler have different densities and feeding the solid polymeric binder at the first feed rate and the solid filler at the second feed rate distributes the solid filler substantially homogeneously throughout the composite material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid polymeric binder is a recycled solid polymeric binder and the solid filler is a recycled solid filler.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first feed rate and second feed rate are controlled independently of one another.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid polymeric binder and the solid filler are not mixed together prior to feeding them into the extruder.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid filler is granular glass and the solid polymeric binder is at least one of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite material includes 15% w/w to 85% w/w solid polymeric binder and 85% w/w to 15% w/w solid filler.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid polymeric binder includes polyethylene; the solid filler includes granular glass; and the composite material includes 85% w/w to 50% w/w polyethylene and 15% w/w to 50% w/w granular glass.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid polymeric binder includes polypropylene; the solid filler includes granular glass; and the composite material includes 40% w/w to 30% w/w polypropylene and 60% w/w to 70% w/w granular glass.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first feed rate and second feed rate are independently selected in such a way that a binder to filler ratio is 85% w/w binder:15% w/w filler to 50% w/w binder:50% w/w filler.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first feed rate and second feed rate are independently selected in such a way that the binder to filler ratio is 30% w/w binder:70% w/w filler to 40% w/w binder:60% w/w filler.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid filler has an average particle size of 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising molding the composite material into a construction product selected from at least one of slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising molding the composite material into a construction product selected from at least one of slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver, wherein the composite material is 80% w/w to 25% w/w solid polymeric binder and 20% w/w to 75% w/w solid filler.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the solid polymeric binder is polyethylene or polypropylene;
the solid filler is granular glass;
the composite material includes 85% w/w to 50% w/w binder and 15% w/w to 50% w/w granular glass when the solid polymeric binder is polyethylene;
the composite material includes 40% w/w to 30% w/w binder and 60% w/w to 70% w/w granular glass when the solid polymeric binder is polypropylene;
the composite material has a compressive strength at 10% strain of 2500 psi to 6000 psi;
the composite material has a tensile strength of 400 psi to 3000 psi; and
the composite material has a flexural stress at 2% strain of 500 psi to 4000 psi.

15. A composite material comprising:
85% w/w to 50% w/w polyethylene binder; and
15% w/w to 50% w/w granular glass filler;
the polyethylene binder forming a binder matrix that binds together the granular glass filler.

16. The composite material of claim 15 , comprising 80% w/w to 60% w/w polyethylene binder and 20% w/w to 40% w/w granular glass filler.

17. The composite material of claim 15 , wherein the granular glass filler has an average particle size of 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm.

18. The composite material of claim 15 , wherein the composite material is an extrudate and the granular glass filler is substantially homogeneously distributed within the binder matrix.

19. The composite material of claim 15 , wherein the composite material is a construction product selected from at least one of a slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver.

20. The composite material of claim 15 , wherein the composite material is a construction product selected from at least one of slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver, wherein the composite material is 80% w/w to 25% w/w solid polymeric binder and 20% w/w to 75% w/w solid filler.

21. The composite material of claim 15 , having:
a compressive strength at 10% strain of 2500 psi to 6000 psi;
a tensile strength of 400 psi to 3000 psi; and
a flexural stress at 2% strain of 500 psi to 4000 psi.

22. The composite material of claim 15 , wherein the polyethylene is recycled polyethylene and the granular glass is recycled glass.

23. A composite material comprising:
40% w/w to 30% w/w polypropylene binder; and
60% w/w to 70% w/w granular glass filler;
the polypropylene binder forming a binder matrix that binds together the granular glass filler.

24. The composite material of claim 23 , comprising 32% w/w to 38% w/w polypropylene binder and 68% w/w to 62% w/w granular glass filler.

25. The composite material of claim 23 , wherein the granular glass filler has an average particle size of 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm.

26. The composite material of claim 23 , wherein the composite material is an extrudate and the granular glass filler is substantially homogeneously distributed within the binder matrix.

27. The composite material of claim 23 , wherein the composite material is a construction product selected from at least one of a slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver.

28. The composite material of claim 23 , wherein the composite material is a construction product selected from at least one of slab, brick, block, pipe, rod, walkway, driveway, wall, curb, culvert, road, and paver, wherein the composite material is 80% w/w to 25% w/w solid polymeric binder and 20% w/w to 75% w/w solid filler.

29. The composite material of claim 23 , having:
a compressive strength at 10% strain of 2500 psi to 6000 psi;
a tensile strength of 400 psi to 3000 psi; and
a flexural stress at 2% strain of 500 psi to 4000 psi.

30. The composite material of claim 23 , wherein the polypropylene is recycled polypropylene and granular glass is recycled glass.

Assignees

• Florida League Of Cities Incorporated
• Nasa

Inventors

• Kocak Salih
• Holley Ii Christopher L
• Gelino Nathan
• Gibson Tracy
• Captain James
• Mueller Robert P

Classifications

• C08J3/201 Primary

  Pre-melted polymers · CPC title

• B29B7/34 Primary

  with movable mixing or kneading devices · CPC title

• B29B7/72

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29B7/90

  Fillers or reinforcements {, e.g. fibres} · CPC title

• C08K3/40

  Glass · CPC title