High-performance environmentally friendly building panel and related manufacturing methods

Abstract

Various embodiments of a high-performance environmentally friendly building panel and related manufacturing methods are disclosed. Certain example embodiments described herein relate to various high-performance building panel configurations that utilize at least one engineered mixture produced with a desired thickness, shape and dimension, and manufactured through several preferential manufacturing methods. To selectively enhance some of the high-performance building panel characteristics such as its ability to withstand significant loads, mitigate possible contamination by bacteria growth, as well as its ability to be fire-retardant or fire-suppressant, and other credible operating scenarios the characteristics of different engineered mixtures may be combined during the panel forming process. Some of the manufacturing steps may involve sterilization and utilization of light-sensitive chemicals so as to sterilize as well as to enhance certain thermal-physical and mechanical characteristics of the high-performance building panel.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 996,588, filed on Nov. 27, 2007, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Certain example embodiments described herein relate to several distinct panel-forming mixtures and manufacturing unassembled elements which, when assembled, result in an efficient and cleaner manufacturing process dedicated to the production of functional, low-cost, highly-performing, and environmentally friendly building panels. More particularly, certain example embodiments described herein relate to various panel-forming mixtures and manufacturing configurations that may utilize multiple distinct mixtures comprising chemical elements which when combined, at the proper temperature and pressures, accurately and repeatedly generate an engineered mixture ready to be poured or pressure injected into a shape-forming and curing system. Once the engineered m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]Therefore, it will be appreciated that it would be beneficial to provide high-performance, environmentally friendly, lighter building panels, easier to cut, more resistant to mechanical stresses, and whose manufacturing processes require less curing time. In addition, the high-performance building panel of an example of the present invention is flexible as, for example, it may be used in contoured environments such as curved walls, substrate for paneling, siding, or roofing shingles, and for various applications, including marine applications.

[0007]The manufacturing methods described herein utilize recycled materials, and / or minimize, or eliminate, the usage of perlite or silicates, or other aggregates which may have negative environmental or health-related consequences. Materials as perlite, or other aggregates can be replaced by recycled glass (e.g., glass beads), and / or micro-sphere based or inert materials so as to reliably provide high-quality, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly building panels.

[0008]Therefore, the utilization of perlite may be reduced or eliminated by substituting it with recycled industrial glass, for example, made into a powder forms and mixed with certain engineered mixtures of the present invention. Alternatively, or in addition, recycled or engineered ceramic powder may be used. In this manner the resulting building panels show enhanced thermal-physical, mechanical, fire, water, and bacterial growth resistance characteristics. The methods described herein do not rely on fixed geometry forms as the engineered mixture, once brought to the desired thickness and proper rigidity, may be cut to adjustable shapes and dimensions, thereby allowing separation, and later curing in a racking system. In addition, the ambient conditions surrounding the now separated curing panel(s), cured when stationed within the racking system, may be controlled so as to enhance production rates, and quality assurance.

Problems solved by technology

In U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,907, for example, curing is executed under the variability and uncontrollability of environmental pressure and temperature conditions, and the addition of perlite in large proportions results in a final product generally very hard, brittle, difficult to cut, and with generally rough surfaces.

Variability of the weather conditions (i.e. sunny dry days versus high humidity rainy days) may result with variable enhanced or deteriorated mechanical characteristics of the final product also affecting the panel surface roughness, and stability of its shape.

However, in some of these applications there is still uncertainty in their long-term stability as warping, or repeated cyclic stresses, impact, and so on can cause layers to separate and delamination of the layers exposed to the environment may occur.

In these cases controlling the expansion of the “reactive” mixture is difficult and maintaining a desired geometric shape during the curing of the mixture requires complex and expensive methodologies.

In addition these manufacturing processes may produce large amounts of green-house gases.

Generally, products manufactured with high percentages of perlite are rigid and brittle, thereby prone to cracking, they are heavy and hard to cut, especially with a utility blade.

In addition, prior art manufacturing methods require relatively long curing times.

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