Thermoplastic composite building material and method of making same

Abstract

Polymer composite building materials are provided which contain about 30-80 weight percent resin, 20-70 weight percent fillers and additives, in which the fillers contain at least one bulk filler for reducing the amount of resin needed to make the building material, and at least one aesthetically functional filler for providing the building material with an aesthetic appearance. The bulk filler and the aesthetically functional filler are non toxic, resistant to bacterial attack, and have a Mohs hardness of less than about 5.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 281,795 filed Oct. 28, 2002. The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 988,985, filed Nov. 19, 2001, and is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 281,796, filed Oct. 28, 2002, which are all hereby incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a consolidated form of the commingled continuous filaments of glass fibers and polymeric fibers as reinforcement. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Most fence and rail materials are either traditional lumber or thermoplastics. Typical plastics in these applications are PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and polyethylene. PVC typically does not have the strength and rigidity of wood and lumber and therefore, the rail for the fence and railing needs the steel or aluminum reinforcement channel inside the rail. These metal reinforceme...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In a first embodiment of this invention a polymer composite building material is provided which contains about 30-80 weight percent resin, and about 20-70 weight percent fillers and additives. The fillers preferable include a bulk filler for reducing the amount of resin needed to make building material and aesthetically functional filler for providing the building material with an aesthetic appearance. The bulk filler and the aesthetically functional filler are non-toxic, resistant to bacterial attack, and have a Mohs hardness of less than about 5.

[0009] The biggest growth in the synthetic building materials market has occurred in composite lumbers for decking, boardwalk and railing applications. The use of wood plastic composite lumbers in place of traditional wood materials is driven by lower maintenance and better appearance customer demands. Color is a key component in the appearance of wood plastic composites (“WPC”). Most successful companies have a product line which includes four colors, namely, red, dark brown, tan and grey, to duplicate main premium woods, for example, mahogany, red cedar, oak, etc. Companies with only one or two colors enjoy only a limited market share. The ideal color mix is estimated to be 70% dark colors such as dark brown or red and 30% clear colors such as grey and tan. The use of industrial pigments to obtain dark colors represents a significant component of the raw material cost. Industrial pigments made of iron oxide usually cost about $1.50 per pound while other pigments can be as expensive as about $4.00 per pound.

[0010] The present invention replaces industrial pigments and dyes to the use of low cost fillers and provides plastic composite building materials with permanent colors relatively inexpensively. In addition, the present invention can provide a grain or surface texture component to the appearance of plastic composite lumbers. While many companies have started to engrave or emboss the plastic composite products to duplicate a wood grain, such techniques are expensive and time consuming. Even so, wood plastic composites with a low wood flower content tend to have a very plastic appearance, while wood plastic composites with a high wood flower content usually have a better touch and appearance due to the wood particles, which appear at the surface of these products. The present invention also attempts to achieve a unique grain, surface texture and touch by using aesthetically functional fillers.

Problems solved by technology

Companies with only one or two colors enjoy only a limited market share.

The use of industrial pigments to obtain dark colors represents a significant component of the raw material cost.

While many companies have started to engrave or emboss the plastic composite products to duplicate a wood grain, such techniques are expensive and time consuming.

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