TH13305A - Structural and methodological sheets and prefabricated machines for the manufacture of this sheet. - Google Patents

Abstract

A strong structural material (10) sheet is made from the husks of sugarcane, sorghum, and similar grasses. The sheet is formed into stacks of strains (12) of clusters of typically straight and long strands of husk fibers, randomly arranged in generally parallel planes. Each strain is coated with a binder which connects it to other strains at numerous contact points (16) along the length of the strain to form voids (18). The method and equipment for making these sheets include pressing the loosely stacked, coated strain stacks (58) to a final thickness and curing to bond the strains together as desired. This curing step involves moving air through the stack of strains as it moves and is pressed between a conveyor and a press on a pair of perforated belts (48,62).

Claims (20)

1. The structural material, made from the husk of sugarcane, sorghum, or similar grasses, consists of: - Stacks of streans, clusters of husk fibers arranged randomly in significantly parallel planes. The streans are straight and elongated in such a way that they mostly have stem nodes on them. Each streans has numerous points of contact along its length with other streans in the stack; and - A coating of binding agent is applied to the streans, and they are joined together at the points of contact to form a significantly rigid structure. The coated and joined streans define the voids within the stack of streans. 2. Structural material sheets for claim 1. In this case, the material sheets will have a binder weight of approximately 5-20% by weight. 3. The structural material of the claim under Clause 1 shall have an average density of approximately 0.15-0.25 g/cm³. 4. The structural material sheet of claim 1 herein shall have sufficient void space to allow air to flow through the stack of streunce. 5. The structural material of the claim under Clause 1 shall have a minimum thickness of approximately 5 cm. 6. The structural material of claim 1, herein the stent, shall have a length of at least approximately 15 cm and a width of at least approximately 0.10 cm. 7. The structural material sheet of claim 6, herein the stent, shall have a minimum length of approximately 20-30 cm and a minimum width of approximately 0.15-0.40 cm. 8. The structural material of claim 1 herein shall have opposite sides and a layer of plaster-like substrate applied to at least one side of both sides to form the surface of the material. 9. The structural material sheet of claim 8 herein shall have such a plaster-like surface material on both sides. 10. A pair of interconnected structural sheets of claim Clause 1, which shall meet along the joint section, shall include a mortar-like material between the interconnected sheets and extend into the vacant areas of each sheet stack. 11. A pair of contactable structural sheets of the claim Clause 1, which shall meet along the joint section, shall consist of: - a mesh strip in contact with the contacting sheets and extending across the joint section of these sheets; and - a plaster-like surface material which covers the contacting sheets and the mesh strip to form the joint of these sheets. This plaster-like material shall extend into the voids of the stack of strain. 12. A pair of structural material sheets that are in contact with each other as per claim 11 herein shall be wire mesh strips. 13. The methodology for producing structural sheets from the husks of sugarcane, sorghum, and similar grasses consists of: - Loose aggregation of strands of primarily linear husk fibers of such a length as they mostly contain stem nodes; - Coating the strands with an uncured binder; - Embedding the coated strands onto a surface in a loose pile of strands of a certain thickness, randomly arranging the strands to be in primarily parallel planes; - Pressing the pile of strands to significantly reduce the final thickness while the strands remain in primarily parallel planes; and - Curing the binder to bond individual strands to other strands at numerous contact points along the length of the strand. The bonded strands form within the pile. 14. The procedure of claim 13 herein: - The surface is the moving conveyor; and - The pressing process, which includes the forward movement of the stack of strands, shall be between two opposing perforated belts, one belt being the moving conveyor. This belt shall have ends where it shall be spaced apart according to the final thickness of the sheet material. 15. The procedure for claim 14 herein involves the air movement process, which involves blowing air through a perforated belt and a stack of string between the belts. 16. Methodology of Claim 15: Here, a single airflow is directed to repeatedly move through the stack of strench. Generally, the movement of such airflow is in the opposite direction to the direction of the strench's movement and will capture moisture during this opposing movement. 17. The complete machine for producing structural material sheets from sterns, which are primarily long and rigid fibers, consists of: - An apparatus for coating the stern with an uncured binder; - A perforated belt conveyor extending away from the coating apparatus. This conveyor has opposing receiving and releasing ends; - An apparatus located between the coating apparatus and the receiving end to embed the coated stern onto the receiving end in a loosely packed pile of sterns that can be compressed, with the sterns aligned in parallel planes; - A perforated belt pressing section extending along a portion of the machine, spaced apart and movable relative to the conveyor. This pressing section has its starting end at the opposite end of the conveyor's receiving end and tapers towards the conveyor in the distal direction to compress the stern pile to the final thickness; and - An apparatus to move air through the pressing section and the conveyor, and through the stern pile between the belts, to cure the binder. Therefore, individual sterns are joined together. Contrasting with other trends at multiple points of contact along the length of the trend. 18. The complete instrument of claim 17 herein, the air-moving device, shall consist of a dryer ducting device that is structured to allow for the repeated passage of a single air stream through a stack of streats. 19. The fulfillment of claim 18 herein, the piping equipment shall be constructed in such a way that the displacement of the airflow is in the opposite direction to the movement of the conveyor. 20. The complete instrument of claim 19 herein, the piping device, consists of: - a set of transverse sections aligned for the movement of air through this press and conveyor, and a stack of strands between the belts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyor; and - a transition section connected to the adjacent transverse sections. (Clause 20, 4 pages, 9 drawings)