LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE COMPOSIT COMPONENT AND METHOD OF FORMING THE COMPONENT

Abstract

A method of forming a light transitive composite component. The method comprises inserting at least one light transmitting component 3, an organic substrate 6 and bonding agent 10 into a mould 1. Allowing the bonding agent 10 to mature to bond both the light transmitting component 3 and the organic substrate 6. Treating the contents of the mould with either heat or chemicals to terminate the maturation process of the bonding agent. The organic substrate is preferably a woody substrate while the bonding agent is preferably fungal mycelium.

Claims

1. A method of forming a light transitive composite component, the method comprising inserting at least one light transmitting component into a mould; introducing an organic substrate into the mould; introducing a bonding agent into the mould, allowing the bonding agent to mature to bond both the light transmitting component and the organic substrate; treating the contents of the mould with either heat or chemicals to terminate the maturation process of the bonding agent.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the organic substrate comprises one or more of: leaf litter, wood chips, twigs, weeds, grass cuttings, cardboard, agricultural waste, corn husks, rice husks and straw.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bonding agent comprises fungal mycelium.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment to terminate the maturation of the bonding agent is the application of heat sufficient to kill the bonding agent.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the treatment to terminate the maturation of the bonding agent is the application of fungicidal compounds.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the fungicidal; compound is 2-aminoisobutyric acid.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the organic substrate is coated with mucilage before being introduced into the mould.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising including inorganic material together with the organic substrate.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the inorganic material is one or more of sand, clay, gravel, plastic waste or rubble.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light transmitting component is at least one plastic optical fibre.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises forming at least one light transmitting component by moulding a layer of light transmissive plastic at a surface of the mould.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the plastic optical fibres are embedded in the layer of light transmissive plastic in the mould.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one outer surface of the composite component is coating with resin.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one step of compressing the fungal mycelium and organic substrate during the stage where the mycelium is growing.

15. A composite component formed of at least one light transmitting component embedded in a matrix of mycelium comprising a mesh of hyphae which are embedded in an organic substrate.

16. A component according to claim 15, wherein the organic substrate comprises one or more of: leaf litter, wood chips, twigs, weeds, grass cuttings, cardboard, agricultural waste, corn husks, rice husks and straw.

17. A component according to claim 15, further comprising a non-organic substrate.

18. A composite according to claim 17, wherein the non-organic substrate is one or more of sand, clay, gravel, plastic waste or rubble.

19. A component according to claim 15, wherein the at least one light transmitting component is at least one plastic optical fibre.

20. A component according to claim 15, wherein a portion of one face of the component is formed as a layer of light transmissive plastic to form the light transmitting component.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

Description

[0023] Examples of method and component in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section of a first stage in the process of forming a first component;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second stage of the process;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a third stage of the process;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a fourth stage of the process;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a isometric view showing the component after the completion of a fifth stage of the process;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing a sixth stage to the method;

[0030] FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of the finished component. FIG. 7 also shows an optical junction that attaches to the finished component, which directs the light emanating from the finished component into fibre optic cables.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a second component made of a plurality of sub-components at the same stage of processing in FIG. 6;

[0032] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the component of FIG. 8;

[0033] FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8 of the finished component;

[0034] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a third component in the form of an infill wall panel, prior to the addition of the organic substrate

[0035] FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 showing the finished third component.

[0036] FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate various stages in a method according to a first example of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, there is a steel mould 1 in the form of a rectangular tray. The mould can, of course, be of any desired shape. Above the mould 1 is a steel separator 2 into the top of which a bundle of plastic optical fibres 3 are fed. The separator 2 then distributes the fibres 3 in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The fibres 3 are held by a movable clamp 4 as described in greater detail below.

[0037] As a first stage in the moulding process, a molten light transmissive numeric plastic such as molten polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) 5 is provided in the base of the mould 1. This can either be poured in molten form or may be melted in situ.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the clamp 4 is then moved downwardly dipping the ends of the optical fibres 3 into the molten plastic. The clamp 4 is then raised as shown in FIG. 3 such that each optical fibre 3 draws some of the plastic 5 up with it from an undulating top to the layer of the plastic which is continuous with the fibres 3.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows the introduction of a thin layer of dry organic substrate, added when the molten plastic has almost solidified. As this layer of substrate will be visible through the plastic, flakes of dry leaf litter are particularly suitable, due to their pleasing visual appearance. Once the molten plastic has solidified, the mould is ready to be filled with the organic substrate and the bonding agent.

[0040] At this stage, the separator 2 and clamp 4 are raised and the fibres 3 are gathered and cut, forming the component shown in FIG. 5. The ends of the fibres are preferably squeezed together in a hot mould, to form an annulus or other shaped surface 8. Light which hits the outer surface 11 of the light transmitting plastic 5 is channeled through the fibres 3, leaving the component through the surface 8.

[0041] This component is then placed in a mould 15, which is then filled with an organic substrate 6 and the bonding agent 10, as shown in FIG. 6. The organic substrate may be leaf litter, wood chips, twigs, weeds, grass cuttings, cardboard, corn husks, rice husks, straw or other agricultural or municipal waste.

[0042] The substrate materials should be dried for use. In order to minimize the labour required during preparation, it is not necessary to remove small quantities of soil, mud, dead insects or other low odour contaminates which might naturally be present in the organic substrate. Other inorganic material such as sand, clay, gravel, plastic waste or rubble may be added. This will increase the thermal mass, or the thermal and acoustic insulation provided by the finished product.

[0043] Whether or not an inorganic substance has been added, the substrate is preferably poured into a hot tub of mucilage. This is a mixture of water, nutrients, polymers and fire retardant compounds chosen to compliment the substrate. Inorganic components of the substrate may require a more adhesive mucilage and some substrates may require more fire retardant forms of mucilage.

[0044] A wire mesh bag can be used to retrieve the substrate from the hot mucilage and the bag can then be placed in a centrifuge to spin off most of the mucilage. Material inoculated with fungal mycelium 10 is then introduced on top of the substrate 6 whereupon the mould is left alone for several weeks to allow time for the substrate to be colonized by the fungal mycelium potentially resulting in full colonization of the component. At one or more point during this process, the substrate and fungal mycelium may be compacted to increase the density of the component, and encourage further mycelium growth. Once it has reached this stage, the contents of the mould are either heated, or chemically treated, to kill the mycelium and prevent further maturation of the bonding agent. The finished component can then be removed from the mould 1, and a trumpet shaped optical junction 13, which concentrates the light leaving the surface 8 into a bundle of optical fibres 14, may be cold welded onto the surface 8. The finished component, complete with optical junction 13, is shown in FIG. 7.

[0045] This finished component has a lower surface 11 which is formed of the light transmissive plastic 5 which is linked by a number of the flexible plastic optical fibres 3 which lead back to a second surface 8. The matrix material 12 provides a substrate which has now been substantially colonized by the fungal mycelium, supporting and strengthening the light transmitting plastic 5 and optical fibres 3.

[0046] To prevent the drying of mucilage, or the premature maturation of the bonding agent, the mould must either be sealed with a lid, or it must be matured in a high humidity environment.

[0047] The structure forms a component which concentrates the light incident on the surface 11 into a more intense light carried by the optical fibres 14. This allows the component to concentrate and direct external light into an internal environment. Alternatively, the component may operate in the opposite sense such that it will produce a more defuse light from a concentrated source. This orientation is suitable, for example, as a light shade.

[0048] Many other configurations may be used. For example, the fibres 3 may not be gathered and may extend across the substrate in order to provide a number of smaller “pin points” of light in the upper surface. Alternatively, the fibres 3 may be dispensed with and the plastic layer 5 may, in part, extend fully through the component.

[0049] FIGS. 8 to 10 show a second composite component. This is formed of sixteen sub-components 20 each of which is broadly as disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 7. The sub-components 20 are arranged in two arrays of eight which face one another in a back to back arrangement separated by a wire mesh 21. The fibres 3 of a panel on one side of the assembly are connected via a cable 22 to an offset panel 20 such that light can be transmitted through the assembly in a scrambled manner such that no image can be determined. For greater transparency, adjacent panels on the top and bottom layer can be connected together.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, the sub-assemblies 20 can be placed into a mould 23 with the individual components of fibres 3 and plastic 5 formed as described in relation to the first example. Initially, material inoculated with fungal mycelium is provided at a number of discrete sites 24 in the substrate 6 and is then left to colonize the substrate 6, producing mycelium biocomposite 25 and a finished product shown in FIG. 10. The mycelium for each sub-component 20 will grow into and bond with the mycelium in an adjacent sub-assembly so that the sub-components 20 fuse together.

[0051] A third example is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. This time, the component is formed in situ on a structural frame 30, combining a stud wall frame 31 and the present invention to form a wall of a building. A number of partially complete panels are formed from a light transmitting plastic layer 5, fibres 3 and substrate colonized by mycelium 12, as depicted in FIG. 7. These are erected in an array similar to that shown on the side of FIGS. 8 to 10, spanning between the structural frame 30. Optical junctions 13 are preferably cold welded onto the light emitting surfaces 8 in situ, and optical cables 34 leading from the optical junctions 13 direct the external light to an internal light fitting or diffuser 35. A sheet of flexible plastic 32 is attached to the inner surface defined by the studs 31. This plastic sheet 32 can be opened to allow organic substrate to be poured or sprayed into the cavity 33. Plumbing or electrical cables may also be installed to run through the cavity 33, before it is filled with organic substrate.

[0052] The plastic sheet 32 should allow release of gas and water vapour when open, but should maintain high humidity in the cavity 33 when the sheet is closed. Once the required growth has occurred the component is heated in situ, for example using an infra-red LED heater or a hot air blower to briefly raise the temperature of the component, thereby killing the fungus and drying the mucilage. This prevents further maturation of the bonding agent and results in the finished product as shown in FIG. 12. Plasterboard or some other cover 37 is provided to cover the space where the sheet was present. Lenses 36 are formed in the moulding process on the outer face on the component to increase the amount of light captured when the light strikes a surface at an oblique angle.