Masonry construction material with a cellulose matrix and method for obtaining same

Abstract

The present invention is related to materials of construction in the technical field of architecture and civil engineering, known as construction material for masonry; specifically, it is a compound made with a mixture of biodegradable cellulose matrix which is obtained from recyclable materials through an innovative method. Such compound, reaches higher resistance to compression in comparison to the known quality standards, even thought the resultant clusters, blocks or bricks, etc., are lighter due to their high cellulose content. This compound might be used, but not limited to, as raw material to produce hollow bricks, blocks, clusters and other conglomerates to build houses and buildings.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a construction material having a cellulose matrix, the method comprising: a. crushing cellulose pulp to provide particle sizes able to pass a No. 4 sieve (holes of 4.75 mm) to provide crushed pulp; b. mixing 58%-62% crushed pulp, 10%-14% lime, 10%-14% cement and 13%-17% water, to create a uniform mixture; c. drying the uniform mixture to obtain an artificial aggregate; d. sieving the artificial aggregate to provide a Fineness Modulus between 4.34-4.54 distributed as follow: 100% able to pass through mesh ½″ (holes of 12.5 mm), 95%-100% able to pass through mesh ⅜″ (holes of 9.5 mm), 60%-82% able to pass through mesh No. 4 (holes of 4.75 mm), 16%-30% able to pass through mesh No. 10 (holes of 2.0 mm), 13%-19% able to pass through mesh No. 40 (holes of 0.425 mm), and 11%-17% able to pass through mesh No. 200 (holes of 0.075 mm); to provide a sieved artificial aggregate; e. mixing 53%-57% sieved artificial aggregate, 12%-16% cement, 12%-16% lime, 8%-14% water and 4.5%-6.5% plaster powder until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, to provide the construction material.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising compacting the uniform mixture in a mold having sides and an open top, the compacting including tamping down layers of the uniform mixture and tapping the sides of the mold, to provide a compacted uniform mixture.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the layers are of up to 10 cm in height, and the tamping is accomplished with a compacting bar using 25 tamps for each layer, the tamping being uniformly distributed over each 100 cm.sup.2 of the surface of the uniform mixture.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein 6-10 taps are applied with a rubber hammer for each tamped layer, the taps being distributed uniformly on the sides of the mold.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the compacted uniform mixture is air dried for 28 days, maintaining a constant humidity content the first seven days, to provide a cured, dried construction material.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein the mold is greased or waxed in order to permit easy removal of the mold.

7. A construction material prepared according to the process of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1: It shows a curve of granulometry distribution with the maximum and minimum limits resulting from step 4 of the procedure object of this invention, which is explained in written form in the description of this invention.

(2) FIG. 2: It shows a curve of granulometry distribution with the maximum and minimum limits resulting from step 4 of the procedure object of this invention, which is explained in written form in the description of this invention, adding the granulometry distribution used in the realization of the preferent modality.

(3) FIG. 3: It shows the effort curve-deformation, product of the laboratory results of the broken test pieces between the preferent modality and the closest background.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERENT MODE OF THE INVENTION

(4) The procedure to obtain a construction material for masonry with matrix of cellulose pulp, has as the best-known method to do the invention as follow: 1. Crushing the cellulose pulp until getting particle sizes able to go through mesh No. 04 (holes of 4.75 mm). 2. Weigh and mix the following components until creating a homogeneous mixture: 100 kg of pulp of cellulose previously crushed, 20 kg of lime, 20 kg of cement and 25 liters of water. 3. Let the resultant product air or oven dry to eliminate the humidity, to obtain an artificial aggregate made with cellulose pulp. 4. Sieve the artificial aggregate made with pulp of paper (cellulose) until getting a fineness module between 4.34-4.54 distributed as follow: 100% able to go through mesh ½″ (holes of 12.5 mm), 100% able to go through mesh ⅜″ (holes of 9.5 mm), 75% able to go through mesh No. 4 (holes of 4.75 mm), 21% able to go through mesh No. 10 (holes of 2.0 mm), 16% able to go through mesh No. 40 (holes of 0.425 mm), and 14% able to go through mesh No. 200 (holes of 0.075 mm). 5. Weigh and mix the following components until getting a homogeneous mixture: 100 kg of the artificial aggregate previously sieved in step 4, 25 kg of cement, 25 kg of lime, 15 liters of water, and 10 kg of plaster powder. 6. Compaction of the resultant paste from step 5 in molds, tamped in layers and lateral taps. 7. Let the brick or block in the mold air dry for 28 days, maintaining a constant humidity content the first 7 days through the curing process.

(5) The molds used in the process must be previously greased or waxed in order to easily removed the final product from them when the compound gets dry and hard.

(6) The tamping process described in the step No. 6, is done by layers of up 10 cm of height through 25 taps with a compaction bar distributed in its surface every 100 cm2.

(7) The lateral taps described in the step No. 6 previously described, is done by applying 6-10 taps with a rubber hammer for each tamped layer; which must be distributed uniformly in the lateral sides of the mold.

(8) Therefore, the construction material for masonry with matrix of cellulose as the resultant product of the procedure described above has a weight of 33% of cellulose pulp, 20.6% of lime, 20.6% of cement, 6% of plaster powder and 19.8% of water.

(9) The tests done in the Laboratory of Materials of the School of Engineering of the University of Carabobo-Venezuela indicate that the block, resulting from the procedure of this invention described above, molded with dimensions according to the COVENIN Norm 42-82 for hollow blocks of concrete has a resistance to compression of 73.52 kp/cm.sup.2, being able to resist a maximum load of 3.95 tons before it breaks; which is superior to the stablished in the COVENIN Norm 42-82 for blocks of concrete, which stablishes a minimum resistance of 25 klp/cm.sup.2 per unit, or the COVENIN Norm 2-78 for clay blocks for walls, or the Peruvian Technical Standard of construction E.080, whose admissible value stablishes 2 kg/cm.sup.2.

(10) Because of these reasons, this construction material for masonry with biodegradable cellulose matrix beats the similar inventions mentioned in the invention background in relationship to their resistance and compression properties.

(11) The inventive level of this invention is demonstrated when even though the proportion of cemental materials as lime, plaster powder, and cement (47.2%) is decreased, and the proportion of cellulose pulp is increased (33%); the resistance to compression of the final product obtained through the previously described procedure, is maintained and it is even greater than the similar inventions beating the requirements of the different technical norms for construction elements to be used for masonry.

(12) Also, the increment of the proportion of cellulose pulp make that the invented product can have less specific weigh, making the masonry walls built with it lighter, environmentally friendly and it does not require confinement, but up to 3.5-4.0 meters of height.

(13) This is possible because in the second step of the procedure described above, is created an artificial aggregate with cellulose pulp, where the crushed matrix of cellulose is surrounded and soaked in cemental materials that get dry and hard; forming an intermediate granular product similar to fine sand, but more homogeneous, harder and with biodegradable matrix. Such artificial aggregate previously sieved according to a defined and determined researched granulometry is the main component of the construction elements to be used for masonry like bricks and hollow blocks.

(14) The cost to elaborate the invented compound is very low, inclusive lower than the cost of the similar inventions mentioned in the invention background, because the raw material used is the cellulose pulp which can be obtained for a low cost or from recyclable materials.