Curved ceramic plate stair step and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a curved ceramic plate stair step, comprising a vertically curved ceramic step plate with a vertically curved outer surface and an inner surface, a groove is arranged at a vertical corner of the inner surface, a woven layer is attached to the inner surface with the groove, and a reinforcing structure layer is arranged inside the woven layer and extends horizontally to the groove. The invention also provides a mold for manufacturing the curved ceramic plate stair step as described above, and a method for manufacturing the curved ceramic plate stair step as described above using the mold. The invention selects a high-thickness ceramic plate material to ensure safety when walking on it, and the curved stair step is manufactured through post-processing, which is more aesthetic and safer than traditional spliced stair steps.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of ceramic slab production and processing technology, and particularly relates to a curved ceramic slab stair tread and its manufacturing method, as well as a mold for manufacturing the curved ceramic slab stair tread. Background Technology

[0002] Ceramic slabs can be bent into curved shapes through heat treatment, which can be used in architectural decoration at inside and outside corners to avoid sharp corners and increase safety. They can also be used to decorate columns of different shapes, such as cylindrical, elliptical, and conical columns. The application areas of ceramic slabs have been further expanded with the support of heat treatment technology.

[0003] With the increased production of large-format and thick ceramic slabs in recent years, cold-working technology allows ceramic slabs to be spliced ​​at 45° to create continuous-pattern stair treads. However, this 45° splicing results in a 90° sharp angle, which is prone to damage over time and also poses safety hazards. Hot-working technology, on the other hand, allows ceramic slabs to be directly bent into stair treads with corners. This technology creates truly seamless, continuous-pattern ceramic slab stair treads without seams, and the corner structure makes the spliced, sharp-angled structure safer to use.

[0004] Hot working of ceramic slabs is a process of reheating flat ceramic slabs. The ceramic slabs are placed in a secondary heating device (hot bending furnace), and the temperature inside the furnace is raised to the softening point of the ceramic slab under a specific temperature curve. Then, the ceramic slabs are bent into shape under the control of a mold and local conditions. Finally, the desired hot-bent product is obtained through high-temperature annealing and cooling.

[0005] The hot bending process for ceramic slabs can be adjusted according to different ceramic slab production processes. However, in a comparative analysis, for ceramic slabs produced using the same process, the difficulty of hot bending increases with the thickness of the slab. Therefore, most hot-bent products on the market are currently between 3-9mm thick. Using the same production process and the same hot bending mold, a 15mm thick slab is more difficult to bend properly than a 6mm thick slab. This problem is particularly pronounced in hot-bent products with smaller bending angles (angle radius less than 110°).

[0006] Currently, various manufacturers have a large inventory of ceramic slabs, with slabs thicker than 6mm accounting for the majority. To expand the application scenarios of ceramic slabs and promote the healthy development of the ceramic industry, it is particularly important to solve the problems of large thickness of hot-bent slabs and small bending angles of hot-bent products. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a curved ceramic slab stair tread and its manufacturing method, as well as a mold for manufacturing the curved ceramic slab stair tread. By selecting high-thickness ceramic slabs, the safety of walking on them is ensured. After processing, the curved stair tread is manufactured, which is more aesthetically pleasing and safer than traditional spliced ​​stair treads.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a curved ceramic slab stair tread, comprising a vertically curved ceramic tread having a vertically curved outer surface and an inner surface, a groove being provided at a vertical corner of the inner surface, a woven layer being attached to the inner surface with the groove, and a reinforcing structural layer extending horizontally to the groove being provided on the inner side of the woven layer.

[0009] Preferably, the groove is a U-shaped groove.

[0010] Preferably, the woven layer is selected from polyester fabric, non-woven fabric, glass fiber fabric or mesh fabric, and preferably glass fiber fabric; the reinforcing structural layer is an alloy material structural component.

[0011] Preferably, the fiberglass mesh layer is bonded to the inner surface of the ceramic pedal by a first adhesive, and the reinforcing structure layer is bonded to the fiberglass mesh layer by a second adhesive; the first adhesive and the second adhesive are independently selected from epoxy resin, PU adhesive or nail-free adhesive, preferably, the first adhesive is epoxy resin and the second adhesive is nail-free adhesive.

[0012] Preferably, the ceramic pedal is made of rock slab.

[0013] Preferably, the thickness of the ceramic pedal is 1-15mm, and more preferably 5-15mm.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention provides a mold for manufacturing curved ceramic slab stair treads as described above, comprising:

[0015] The first support member includes a support plane for supporting an unbent ceramic pedal. The unbent ceramic pedal has a groove facing downwards. When placed, the groove is placed on a long edge of the support plane. A step is provided on the long edge of the support plane, and the width of the step is consistent with the space where the groove needs to be bent.

[0016] The second support member includes a ramp, a platform at the top of the ramp, and a slot at the bottom of the ramp. The second support member abuts against the side of the first support member. When the unbent ceramic pedal is placed on the first support member, one side of the unbent ceramic pedal abuts against the slope of the ramp.

[0017] A pressure bar, which can be placed on the second support member and can roll down from the platform of the second support member along the ramp onto an unbent ceramic pedal located on the support plane.

[0018] Preferably, the mold is made of high-temperature resistant corundum-mullite gouging material.

[0019] According to the present invention, the high-temperature resistant corundum-mullite refractory material is a refractory material whose main crystalline phase is mullite and which also contains alumina and corundum.

[0020] Thirdly, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing curved ceramic slab stair treads as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0021] Construct the mold described above for making curved ceramic slab stair treads and place it in a hot bending furnace;

[0022] To create unbent ceramic pedals;

[0023] The unbent ceramic pedal is placed on the platform of the second support member of the mold, with the groove of the unbent ceramic pedal facing down on the long edge of the support plane of the first support member;

[0024] Place the pressure bar of the mold on the platform of the second support member;

[0025] Heating is performed according to the set temperature curve until the ceramic pedal reaches its softening temperature;

[0026] Once the softening temperature of the ceramic pedal is reached, the pressure bar is pushed from the platform of the second support member and rolled down the ramp onto the unbent ceramic pedal located on the support plane, and the ceramic pedal is bent until it is in close contact with the side of the first support member.

[0027] Perform high-temperature annealing according to the set temperature curve, stop the furnace to cool, and remove the bent ceramic pedal from the hot bending furnace.

[0028] A layer of glass fiber mesh is adhered to the grooved inner surface of the curved ceramic pedal;

[0029] A reinforcing structural layer extending horizontally into the groove is adhered to the inner side of the glass fiber mesh layer.

[0030] Preferably, the softening temperature of the ceramic pedal is 1000-1300℃.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0032] (1) The present invention provides a method for making curved stair treads using ceramic plates. By using a hot processing mold built with refractory materials and excavating a U-shaped groove on the bottom of a flat ceramic plate, a curved ceramic plate stair tread with a corner radius between 15-30° can be made by using a specific combination method of flat ceramic plate and hot processing mold.

[0033] (2) The hot-working mold used in this invention is based on the refractory material of the production kiln. By changing the mold combination parameters and U-shaped groove parameters, the flat ceramic plate can be customized to bend into a corner radius of 15-30°, which is highly operable. The refractory materials used to build the hot bending mold in this method are mainly high-temperature slabs and rollers, which are widely available in various production kilns, have a large market share, are easy to obtain, and have low cost.

[0034] (3) Compared with the traditional 45° spliced ​​ceramic board stair treads, the curved ceramic board stair treads produced in this invention can avoid the glue gaps formed after splicing, achieving truly seamless continuous texture stair treads. Replacing the right angles of flat board splicing with the rounded corners of the curved panel can greatly reduce the possibility of edge chipping and damage; at the same time, it avoids the appearance of sharp corners, increasing the safety of use.

[0035] (4) The curved ceramic plate stair treads produced by this invention have a two-component epoxy resin as the adhesive and a composite fiberglass mesh at the bottom. Soft, nail-free adhesive composite aluminum strips are used as structural components at the corner grooves. This double reinforcement enhances the structural stability of the stair treads, facilitates transportation, reduces the breakage rate, and allows for quick and easy on-site installation.

[0036] (5) The method for making curved stair treads using ceramic plates provided by the present invention can be applied to ceramic plates with a thickness greater than 10.5mm. Through this method, the technical problem of hot bending products with bending angles less than 110° can be overcome. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a curved ceramic plate stair tread according to the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 This invention relates to a schematic diagram of a flat ceramic plate used for manufacturing curved ceramic plate stair treads.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hot working mold for curved ceramic plate stair treads, which relates to the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hot-working mold for curved ceramic slab stair treads, which is used to place an unbent ceramic tread.

[0041] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ceramic pedal of the present invention after bending. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following embodiments. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0043] Currently, there are several problems with the hot processing of curved ceramic slabs and traditional 45° spliced ​​stair treads: (1) The hot processing mold is difficult to process. If the mold for the curved stair treads is made of traditional hot-bent stainless steel, it will be more demanding in terms of welding precision, flatness requirements and cost than the form of refractory material construction. It also lacks flexibility and efficiency. (2) With the same ceramic slab production process, as the thickness of the slab increases, the hot bending process will also become more difficult. In particular, for hot-bent products with smaller bending angles (angle radius less than 110°), it is still difficult to bend such products to the correct position, and the precision error is relatively large. (3) Traditional 45° spliced ​​stair treads will have a splicing glue seam of about 1mm at the splicing position. In addition, the material loss caused by cutting will still break the continuity of the original ceramic slab surface texture. Moreover, the sharp corners formed by splicing are prone to chipping and breakage in later use, which also poses a safety hazard. (4) This method is prone to damage during transportation and results in high installation costs. Some factories pre-bend flat ceramic slabs to 45° before shipping them to construction sites for installation as stair treads. This transportation process easily causes chipping of the edges of the pre-bent 45° slabs. Furthermore, it requires hiring splicing workers to complete the splicing and installation of two flat ceramic slabs, increasing labor costs. This invention proposes a convenient and flexible hot-processing mold that allows flat ceramic slabs to be bent into curved ceramic stair treads, as well as a method for manufacturing these stair treads. This method presents a new application scenario for curved ceramic slabs and represents a new type of curved ceramic slab product.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a novel curved ceramic stair tread, including a vertically curved ceramic tread 1 with a vertically curved outer surface and an inner surface. A groove 3 is provided at the vertical corner of the inner surface. A woven layer 4 is attached to the inner surface with the groove 3. A reinforcing structural layer 5 extending horizontally to the groove 3 is provided on the inner side of the woven layer 4.

[0045] In one embodiment, the groove 3 is a U-shaped groove dug at the bottom of the corner position when cutting a flat ceramic plate, such as... Figure 2 As shown, after measuring the required size of the ceramic pedal 1, a groove is cut. The size of the groove is determined by the radius of the corner.

[0046] In one embodiment, the woven layer 4 is selected from polyester fabric, non-woven fabric, fiberglass fabric or mesh fabric, preferably fiberglass fabric; the reinforcing structural layer 5 is an alloy material structural component.

[0047] In one embodiment, the woven layer 4 is bonded to the inner surface of the ceramic pedal 1 by a first adhesive, and the reinforcing structural layer 5 is bonded to the woven layer 4 by a second adhesive; the first adhesive and the second adhesive are independently selected from epoxy resin adhesive, PU adhesive or nail-free adhesive, preferably, the first adhesive is epoxy resin adhesive and the second adhesive is nail-free adhesive.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the ceramic plate is a rock slab with a thickness of 1-15 mm, preferably 5-15 mm, for example, greater than 10.5 mm.

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown, the present invention provides a hot-working mold for curved ceramic stair treads as described above, comprising:

[0050] The high-temperature shelf 6 has a bearing plane for supporting the unbent ceramic pedal 1A. When placed, the side with the groove 3 is placed on a long edge of the bearing plane. The high-temperature shelf 7 has two layers, upper and lower, forming a step on the long edge. The front and rear positions of the upper and lower shelves are adjusted according to the size of the radius of the groove 3 of the ultimately formed vertically bent ceramic pedal 1, thereby adjusting the width of the step.

[0051] The high-temperature greenhouse panel 7 is processed into a slope 11, a platform 9 located at the top of the slope, and a groove 10 located at the bottom of the slope 11, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown; when the high-temperature rack 7 abuts against the side of the high-temperature rack 6, and the unbent ceramic pedal 1A is placed on the high-temperature rack 6, one side of the unbent ceramic pedal 1A abuts against the inclined surface of the slope 11.

[0052] Roller 8 is placed on a high-temperature shelf 7 and can roll down from a platform 9 of the high-temperature shelf 7 along a ramp 11 onto an unbent ceramic tread 1A located on a bearing plane.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the high-temperature refractory plate 6, the high-temperature refractory plate 7, and the roller 8 are high-temperature resistant corundum-mullite refractory plate materials, that is, refractory materials whose main crystalline phase is mullite and which also contain alumina and corundum.

[0054] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the curved ceramic stair treads as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0055] Step 1: Construct a mold for curved ceramic slab stair treads, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0056] Specifically, it should be ensured that the upper and lower high-temperature racks 6 are placed in parallel and have the same front-to-back spacing. The width of the steps should be adjusted accordingly. Then, the high-temperature rack 7 should be placed against the side of the high-temperature rack 6, and the roller 8 should be placed horizontally on the platform 11 of the high-temperature rack 7. The front-to-back distance between the high-temperature rack 7 and the lower high-temperature rack 6 should be equal to the diameter of the roller 8 plus the length of the thickness of the flat ceramic plate.

[0057] Step 2: Cut the curved ceramic slab stair treads into flat ceramic slabs according to the corresponding arc lengths of the treads, uprights, and corners.

[0058] Step 3: According to the corresponding arc length of the corner, dig a corner groove on the bottom of the brick, such as... Figure 2 As shown, after measuring the required size of pedal 1, a groove is dug. The size of the groove is determined by the radius of the groove 3.

[0059] Step 4: Place the grooved ceramic plate horizontally on the mold built in Step 1, ensuring the groove extends approximately 2-5mm beyond the upper high-temperature shelf 7. The exact distance depends on the corner radius. Figure 4 As shown.

[0060] Step 5: Place the roller 8 horizontally on the platform 11 of the two high-temperature chamber plates 7, as follows. Figure 4 As shown.

[0061] Step 6: Heat the ceramic plate to its softening temperature according to the set temperature curve.

[0062] Step 7: After reaching the softening temperature of the flat ceramic plate, push the roller 8 until the curved stair tread upright 1A is bent into place, tightly adhering to the lower high-temperature shelf 6. Figure 5 As shown.

[0063] Step 8: Perform high-temperature annealing according to the set temperature curve, then stop the furnace and cool.

[0064] Step 9: Remove the curved ceramic stair treads from the hot bending furnace and bond them to the bottom of the board with a two-component epoxy resin as an adhesive and then bond them with glass fiber mesh 4.

[0065] Step 10: Use soft, nail-free adhesive composite alloy structural component 5 at the corner groove.

[0066] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0067] (1) The present invention provides a method for making curved stair treads using ceramic plates. By using a hot processing mold built with refractory materials and excavating a U-shaped groove on the bottom of a flat ceramic plate, a curved ceramic plate stair tread with a corner radius between 15-30° can be made by using a specific combination method of flat ceramic plate and hot processing mold.

[0068] (2) The hot-working mold used in this invention is based on the refractory material of the production kiln. By changing the mold combination parameters and U-shaped groove parameters, the flat ceramic plate can be customized to bend into a corner radius of 15-30°, which is highly operable. The refractory materials used to build the hot bending mold in this method are mainly high-temperature slabs and rollers, which are widely available in various production kilns, have a large market share, are easy to obtain, and have low cost.

[0069] (3) Compared with the traditional 45° spliced ​​ceramic board stair treads, the curved ceramic board stair treads produced in this invention can avoid the glue gaps formed after splicing, achieving truly seamless continuous texture stair treads. Replacing the right angles of flat board splicing with the rounded corners of the curved panel can greatly reduce the possibility of edge chipping and damage; at the same time, it avoids the appearance of sharp corners, increasing the safety of use.

[0070] (4) The curved ceramic plate stair treads produced by this invention have a two-component epoxy resin as the adhesive and a composite fiberglass mesh at the bottom. Soft, nail-free adhesive composite aluminum strips are used as structural components at the corner grooves. This double reinforcement enhances the structural stability of the stair treads, facilitates transportation, reduces the breakage rate, and allows for quick and easy on-site installation.

[0071] (5) The method for making curved stair treads using ceramic plates provided by the present invention can be applied to ceramic plates with a thickness greater than 10.5mm. Through this method, the technical problem of hot bending products with bending angles less than 110° can be overcome.

[0072] The invention may be embodied in various forms without departing from its essential spirit. Therefore, the embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes rather than limiting. Since the scope of the invention is defined by the claims rather than by the description, all variations falling within the scope defined by the claims, or equivalent to the scope defined by the claims, should be understood to be included in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing ceramic treads with curved surfaces using a curved ceramic slab stair tread mold, characterized in that, include: An unbent ceramic pedal is placed on a first support member of the mold having a support plane capable of supporting the ceramic pedal. A groove is provided on the unbent ceramic pedal. The unbent ceramic pedal is placed with the groove facing down on the long edge of the support plane of the first support member. An adjustable step is provided on the long edge of the support plane so that the width of the step is consistent with the space required for the groove to be bent. The mold also has a second support member, which includes a ramp, a platform at the top of the ramp, and a slot at the bottom of the ramp, such that the second support member abuts against the side of the step side of the first support member, and when the unbent ceramic pedal is placed on the first support member, one side of the unbent ceramic pedal abuts against the slope of the ramp. The mold also has a pressure bar that is placed on the second support and can roll down the ramp from the platform of the second support onto an unbent ceramic pedal located on the support plane; The mold is placed in a hot bending furnace and heated according to a set temperature curve until it reaches the softening temperature of the unbent ceramic pedal. Then, the pressure bar is pushed from the platform of the second support member and rolled down the slope onto the unbent ceramic pedal located on the support plane, and the ceramic pedal is bent until it is in close contact with the side of the first support member. High-temperature annealing is performed according to the set temperature curve, followed by furnace shutdown and cooling to obtain the ceramic pedal with curved surface.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, A woven layer is adhered to the inner surface of the groove in the ceramic pedal, and a reinforcing structural layer extending horizontally into the groove is provided on the inner side of the woven layer.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The groove is formed into a U-shaped groove.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The woven layer is selected from polyester fabric, non-woven fabric, or glass fiber fabric; the reinforcing structural layer is an alloy material structural component.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The woven layer is bonded to the inner surface of the ceramic pedal by a first adhesive, and the reinforcing structural layer is bonded to the woven layer by a second adhesive; the first adhesive and the second adhesive are independently selected from epoxy resin, PU adhesive or nail-free adhesive.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ceramic pedal is made of rock slab.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the ceramic pedal is 1-15mm.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The bearing plane has a structure with upper and lower layers, and the long edges of the upper and lower layers are recessed to form the step. The front and rear positions of the upper and lower shelves are adjusted according to the groove radius of the ceramic tread, thereby adjusting the width of the step.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the step is equal to the diameter of the pressure bar plus the thickness of the ceramic plate.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mold is made of high-temperature resistant corundum-mullite goaf material.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The softening temperature of the ceramic pedal is 1000-1300℃.

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