High performance glossy finish green hybrid composites with variable density and an improved process for making thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12227458-B2
Application number	US-201917052193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2019
Priority date	May 4, 2018
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

The present invention deals with development of a novel process for manufacturing moisture resistant glossy finish hybrid green polymeric composites with variable density in range of 0.2-1.68 g/cc, low water/moisture absorption in the range of 0.1-1.3%, tensile strength and tensile modulus in range of 6.5-105 MPa and 250-6850 MPa, respectively and to the best of our knowledge the fabricated hybrid green composites has not yet developed universally using different types of industrial wastes particulates. Moreover, hybrid composites developed using industrial wastes, natural fibres and epoxy/polyester/polyurethane polymers is a unique materials and have multifunctional applications in wider spectrum as an alternative to wood, synthetic wood, wood plastic composites, screen printing sheet, plastic, fibre and glass reinforced polymer products, including tin sheet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for making a glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet, the process comprising:
a. dry and wet processing waste particulates using water having a temperature of about 60° C. to produce processed waste particulates, the processed waste particulates consisting of a combination of non-functionalized industrial waste particulates and non-functionalized natural fibers;
b. homogeneously mixing the processed waste particulates of step a) with a polymeric binder system and a catalyst, at a temperature ranging from 60 to 80° C. for a time period ranging from 12 to 24 hours, to obtain a particulate reinforced polymer composite having 50 to 80% by volume of the processed industrial waste particulates and 5 to 35% by volume of the processed natural fibers, wherein the polymeric binder system is made of one or more of an epoxy resin, a polyester resin or a polyurethane resin;
c. using compression molding, casting and fabricating a glossy finish composite sheet from the reinforced polymer composite of step b) at varying temperature ranging from 16±2° C. to 75±2° C. and at varying casting pressure ranging from 2 to 95 kg/cm 2 in a single operation mode; and
d. natural and/or hot air oven curing the fabricated glossy finish composite sheet of step c), at a temperature ranging from 60 to 120° C. for a time period ranging from 12 to 24 hours, to obtain a glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet, wherein the hot air oven curing is performed by mechanical ejecting or automatic ejecting, wherein
the produced glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet exhibits a tensile strength in the range of 22-105 MPa and a tensile modulus in range of 2450-8400 MPa.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the industrial waste particulates are selected from the group consisting of mineral wastes, metallurgical wastes, chemical wastes, fertiliser industry wastes, mining wastes, polymeric wastes, marble waste, polymeric waste ground residues, fly ash, gypsum-containing wastes, lime-containing wastes, agricultural green residues, burned residues, smelting residues, and residues arising from secondary processing of zinc, copper, or aluminum.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processed industrial waste particulates produced in step a) have sizes in a range of 2.0-75 μm, a density in a range of 0.85-1.87 g/cc, a porosity in a range of 30-68% and a water holding capacity in a range of 25 to 110%.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein step b) is performed at a grinding rate of 900-4000 rpm.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet exhibits:
a low water absorption in the range of 0.1 to 1.32 and a variable density from 0.2 to 1.68g/cc, %.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the produced glossy finish particulate reinforced polymer composite sheet has dimensions up to 220 cm×120 cm.

7. The process of claim 5 , wherein the produced glossy finish particulate reinforced polymer composite sheet has a thickness ranging from 1.35 mm to 50 mm.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymeric binder system is made of an epoxy resin and a polyester resin, and the catalyst is a combination of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) and cobalt naphthenate.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymeric binder system is made of a polyurethane resin and the catalyst is a poly-isocyanate.

10. A process for making a glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet, the process comprising:
a. preparing processed industrial waste particulates and processed natural fibers, the processed industrial waste particulates being non-functionalized and exhibiting particle sizes in a range of 2.0-75 μm, a density in a range of 0.85-1.87 g/cc, a porosity in a range of 30-68% and a water holding capacity in a range of 25 to 110%, and the processed natural fibers being non-functionalized and exhibiting a density in a range of 1.25-1.45 g/cc, an elongation in a range of 0.3-5.0%, a tensile strength of 250-650 MPa, and a Young's modulus in a range of 5-35 GPa;
b. homogeneously mixing the processed industrial waste particulates and processed natural fibers of step a), a polymeric binder system and a catalyst to obtain a reinforced polymer composite having 50 to 80% by volume of the processed industrial waste particulates and 5 to 35% by volume of the processed natural fibers, wherein the polymeric binder system is made of one or more of an epoxy resin, a polyester resin and a polyurethane resin;
c. using compression molding, casting and fabricating a glossy finish composite sheet from the reinforced polymer composite of step b); and
d. natural and/or hot air oven curing the fabricated glossy finish composite sheet of step c) to obtain a glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet, wherein
the produced glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet exhibits a tensile strength in the range of 22-105 MPa and a tensile modulus in range of 2450-8400 MPa.

11. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the industrial waste particulates are selected from the group consisting of mineral wastes, metallurgical wastes, chemical wastes, fertiliser industry wastes, mining wastes, polymeric wastes, marble waste, polymeric waste ground residues, fly ash, gypsum-containing wastes, lime-containing wastes, agricultural green residues, burned residues, smelting residues, and residues arising from secondary processing of zinc, copper, or aluminum.

12. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein
the polymeric binder system is made of an epoxy resin and a polyester resin, and the catalyst is a combination of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) and cobalt naphthenate.

13. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the polymeric binder system is made of a polyurethane resin and the catalyst is a poly-isocyanate.

14. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the glossy finish reinforced polymer composite sheet exhibits:
a low water absorption in the range of 0.1 to 1.32 and a variable density from 0.2 to 1.68 g/cc, %.

15. The process as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the processed natural fibers exhibit sizes ranging from 100 μm to 5 cm.

16. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processed natural fibers exhibit a density in a range of 1.25-1.45 g/cc, an elongation in a range of 0.3-5.0%, a tensile strength of 250-650 MPa, and a Young's modulus in a range of 5-35 GPa.

17. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processed natural fibers exhibit sizes ranging from 100 μm to 5 cm.

Assignees

• Council Scient Ind Res
• Council Scient Ind Res

Inventors

• Asokan Pappu
• GUPTA Manoj Kumar
• Mishra Alka
• Peters Edward
• Kulshreshth Ajay
• Rathore Sanjai Kumar Singh
• Srivastava Avanish Kumar

Classifications

• C04B2201/20

  for the density · CPC title

• C04B2111/00767

  for waste stabilisation purposes · CPC title

• C04B26/16

  Polyurethanes · CPC title

• C04B18/248

  from specific plants, e.g. hemp fibres · CPC title

• C04B18/20

  from macromolecular compounds · CPC title