Slab-shaped artificial stone element for cladding a wall or facade

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mineral composition for the production of a slab-shaped artificial stone element (10), comprising about 10 wt.% to about 25 wt.%, particularly preferably white cement; about 20 wt.% to about 35 wt.% sand, particularly preferably fine sand; about 45 wt.% to about 65 wt.% gravel; and optionally a proportion of a powdered binder which promotes the setting of a cement mixture, as well as a slab-shaped artificial stone element (10) produced from this composition for cladding a wall or a facade, which has a natural stone appearance.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a mineral composition for producing a slab-shaped artificial stone element, a slab-shaped artificial stone element for cladding a wall or a facade, a cladding consisting of the slab-shaped artificial stone elements, a method for producing a slab-shaped artificial stone element, and a method for creating a cladding of a facade or a wall using the slab-shaped artificial stone elements according to the invention.

[0002] Thin plastic facade panels, e.g. Styrofoam with a natural stone look for cladding facades, have long been known as state of the art.

[0003] Furthermore, wall coverings with a natural stone look are offered in the form of porcelain stoneware tiles, which are only 1 cm thick. These tiles can generally be adhered to a facade using a suitable adhesive. Such tiles are manufactured by dry pressing processed ceramic raw materials, which are then fired in a kiln at high temperatures of approximately 1200–1300 °C. Due to these high temperatures, the CO2 footprint of the product's production is very unfavorable.

[0004] Currently, there are a wide variety of solutions available in the state of the art for producing a clad facade that has a natural stone look or alternatively includes a visible layer of real natural stone.

[0005] German patent DE 2114971 describes cladding panels made of foam concrete. These can be nailed or glued in place. These known panels consist of foam concrete with a small amount of binder. The panels can be coated on both sides with a strong paper.

[0006] German patent DE 27 17 798 A1 describes a facade cladding system with facade panels manufactured from ceramic materials using an extrusion process. These panels neither have a natural stone appearance nor are they cast. Furthermore, the facade panels can only be suspended from the facade using fastening devices and therefore cannot be glued.

[0007] DE 37 27 157 A1 describes a natural stone cladding element with a thin natural stone slab featuring profile recesses, allowing it to be connected to an aluminum carrier plate. This differs from the present invention in that the material on the visible side consists of genuine natural stone.

[0008] From EP 0 799 949 B1, a natural stone element is also known, which likewise comprises a thin natural stone slab that is bonded over a large area to a supporting plate. The bond between the natural stone slab and the supporting plate is created by a resin layer based on a polyester resin. Unlike in the present invention, the natural stone layer is thus not cast from a substitute material, but rather consists of genuine natural stone on the visible side, in front of which a glass plate can then be placed.

[0009] The solution known from WO 2009 / 129839 A1 also uses thin natural stone slabs, which are stabilized by the material of a backing plate. The backing material consists of a matrix of synthetic resin or ceramic, reinforced with carbon fibers.

[0010] EP 2234806 B1 describes composite materials for a facade cladding in which a natural stone slab is glued onto a plastic film, with a back support made of glass being used for the slab.

[0011] EP 3 785 900 B1 describes a thin stone product with a thin, flexible outer layer of slate and a polymer layer containing fibers applied to its reverse side.

[0012] EP 1 395 721 B1 describes a facade cladding made of artificial stone consisting of individual tiles. These artificial stones imitate the appearance of natural stone and are cast. However, the casting compound consists of a polyester resin containing mineral aggregates such as quartz, sand, and marble. Therefore, the base of the material from which the panels are manufactured is not primarily sand and cement, but rather a synthetic resin. Artificial stones made of plastic are environmentally unsound, for example, with regard to recycling, and represent an increased fire load on a facade.

[0013] Starting from the aforementioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a mineral composition that enables the production of slab-shaped artificial stone elements with low energy expenditure, wherein the slab-shaped artificial stone elements are at the same time more recyclable and have improved fire protection properties.

[0014] The object of the invention is further to provide a slab-shaped artificial stone element for cladding a wall or a facade, which has a natural stone look, which can be produced with low energy consumption and at low cost, which is also more easily recyclable and has improved fire protection properties.

[0015] The object of the invention is further to provide an advantageous cladding for a facade or wall made of slab-shaped artificial stone elements.

[0016] The object of the invention is further to provide a method for producing such a slab-shaped artificial stone element and a method for creating a cladding for a facade or a wall from such artificial stone elements.

[0017] The solution to the aforementioned problems is provided by a mineral composition with the features of claim 1, a plate-shaped artificial stone element with the features of claim 5, a cladding for a facade or a wall with the features of claim 10, a method for producing a plate-shaped artificial stone element with the features of claim 11, or a method for producing a cladding for a facade or a wall with the features of claim 12.

[0018] According to the invention, the mineral composition for the production of the plate-shaped artificial stone element comprises approximately 10 wt.% to approximately 25 wt.%, preferably approximately 15 wt.% to approximately 20 wt.% cement, particularly preferably white cement; approximately 20 wt.% to approximately 35 wt.% sand, preferably approximately 25 wt.% to approximately 30 wt.% sand, particularly preferably fine sand; approximately 45 wt.% to approximately 65 wt.% gravel, preferably approximately 50 wt.% to approximately 60 wt.% gravel; as well as optionally a proportion of a powdered binder that promotes the setting of a cement mixture.

[0019] Similarly, the present invention also relates to a slab-shaped artificial stone element for cladding a wall or a facade, which has a natural stone look and is formed from the mineral composition according to the invention.

[0020] Such a composition allows for a particularly energy-efficient way of producing slab-shaped artificial stone elements with a natural stone look, intended for cladding a wall or facade, by mixing them with water, then pouring them into a suitable form and allowing them to harden at room temperature.

[0021] The artificial stone element produced in this way combines several advantages. Firstly, it has a natural stone appearance, giving the impression that a facade or wall clad with these artificial stone elements is made of or covered with natural stone. However, the slab-shaped artificial stone element is neither made of a ceramic material nor is it manufactured like a ceramic tile, since such a manufacturing process requires high temperatures for firing, resulting in very high energy consumption. High temperatures are also used in the previously known extrusion processes, where the material only solidifies upon cooling.

[0022] On the other hand, the slab-shaped artificial stone element is not made of plastic either, because this variant is also manufactured using a process in which granules are plasticized, also requiring elevated temperatures, although not as high as in the production of a ceramic tile. Furthermore, the slab-shaped artificial stone element according to the invention has the advantage over plastic in that it is more easily recyclable. In addition, the visual appearance of an artificial stone element made of a mineral material is superior to that of a stone imitation made of plastic.

[0023] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. The features listed individually in the dependent claims can be combined in a technologically meaningful manner and can define further embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the features specified in the claims are specified and explained in more detail in the description, which also presents further preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0024] Preferably, the powdered binder comprises a melamine-based polycondensation product.

[0025] Preferably, the gravel in the mineral composition is present in a particle size range of approximately 1 mm to approximately 15 mm, more preferably in the range of approximately 3 mm to approximately 13 mm, and even more preferably in the range of approximately 4 mm to approximately 12 mm. The gravel particles can thus be dimensioned such that they are visible to the naked eye after the casting process in the slab-shaped artificial stone element, thereby enhancing the visual effect of imitation natural stone.

[0026] The powdered binder for supporting the setting of cement mixtures may preferably be present in the mineral composition in an amount of approximately 0.05 wt.% to approximately 5 wt.%, and particularly preferably in an amount of approximately 0.1 wt.% to approximately 1 wt.%. In a further preferred embodiment, the powdered binder may be present in the mineral composition in an amount of approximately 0.1 wt.% to approximately 0.5 wt.%.

[0027] The slab-shaped artificial stone element has a visible side, which faces the viewer after being attached to the facade or wall, and a back side, which is used to attach the slab-shaped artificial stone element to the wall or facade, in particular by gluing it on.

[0028] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the slab-shaped artificial stone element is designed to have a textured surface and / or a surface with varying colors across its visible face. A textured surface in this sense is understood to be one with raised and recessed areas, which may alternate according to a specific pattern or be arranged irregularly and randomly. This textured surface allows the appearance of natural stone to be imitated. This effect is particularly advantageous when white cement is used.

[0029] Furthermore, the surface of the artificial stone element can vary in color on its visible side, whereby "color" variation here also includes different shades of gray and lighter and darker, white, gray, and black areas. This can also imitate a natural stone look, so that, for example, the artificial stone appears to have inclusions and / or veins and / or lighter and darker areas and / or possibly bluish, reddish, or brownish areas like natural stone. The aforementioned variations, individually or in combination, constitute what is meant by a "natural stone look" in this application.

[0030] A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the structured surface is subdivided into two or more first, approximately rectangular areas, each imitating the appearance of natural stone, and second, recessed, approximately straight, narrower areas that run between the first areas and imitate the appearance of a joint between two natural stones. With this embodiment of the invention, the appearance of a wall can be imitated, in which several stones lie side by side and / or on top of each other, with vertical and / or horizontal joints running between each pair of stones. This makes it possible to imitate an arrangement of several bricks with joints using a single artificial stone element.

[0031] Of course, the visible surface of the artificial stone element according to the invention can also be largely smooth or have a regular or irregular pattern with a more or less pronounced surface structure, which makes the artificial stone element appear as a uniform cladding element without the aforementioned division into stone areas and joints between them. Even with such a smooth or only slightly structured surface of the visible side, a color variation across the surface is possible, for example with different shades of gray, differently light or dark areas, etc.

[0032] A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the artificial stone element has a material thickness of at most approximately 4 cm, preferably at most approximately 3 cm, and particularly preferably at most approximately 2.5 cm, in a direction approximately perpendicular to the visible side, and / or that it has a material thickness of at least approximately 1 cm, preferably at least approximately 1.5 cm, in a direction approximately perpendicular to the visible side, wherein the plate-shaped artificial stone element particularly preferably has a material thickness of approximately 1.8 cm to approximately 2.2 cm. Thus, if the dimensions of the visible side are defined as the x- and y-directions, the artificial stone element according to the invention is comparatively thin in the z-direction, thereby reducing its weight and simplifying its installation on a facade or wall. Furthermore, the amount of material used in the manufacture of the artificial stone element is also reduced.A material thickness of approximately 1 to a few centimeters is sufficient, as the artificial stone element is assumed to serve as cladding and has no load-bearing properties. However, the material thickness should not be too thin in order to ensure sufficient breaking strength of the slab-shaped artificial stone element.

[0033] The artificial stone element according to the invention preferably has an approximately rectangular outline, particularly preferably with length dimensions of approximately 50 cm to approximately 70 cm, more preferably of approximately 55 cm to approximately 65 cm, and width dimensions of approximately 20 cm to approximately 40 cm, particularly preferably of approximately 25 cm to approximately 35 cm. Alternatively, for example, square, round, triangular, polygonal or other outline shapes are also conceivable, in particular those that allow several artificial stone elements of this type to be joined together as seamlessly as possible in two spatial directions to form a flat cladding.

[0034] The present invention further relates to a cladding of a facade or a wall, which comprises at least one slab-shaped artificial stone element of the type described above.

[0035] The present invention also relates to a method for producing a plate-shaped artificial stone element of the type described above, which comprises at least the following steps: -Slurrying of the mineral composition according to the invention; -Casting the slab-shaped artificial stone element in a mold made of this mineral composition; and -Setting and hardening of the cast mineral composition at room temperature.

[0036] In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for creating a cladding for a facade or a wall, in which two or more plate-shaped artificial stone elements with the features described above, which were produced in particular according to the method described above, are glued side by side to an existing wall or facade by means of an adhesive.

[0037] The invention and its technical context are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the invention is not intended to be limited by the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is also possible to extract partial aspects of the situations explained in the figures and combine them with other components and findings from the present description and / or figures. It should be noted in particular that the figures, and especially the depicted proportions, are only schematic. The same reference numerals denote the same objects, so that explanations from other figures can be consulted as needed. The figures show: Fig. 1 a schematically simplified view of the visible side of an exemplary plate-shaped artificial stone element according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 a front view of the slab-shaped artificial stone element of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a schematically simplified view of the visible side of an exemplary slab-shaped artificial stone element according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 4 a schematically simplified view of a plate-shaped artificial stone element according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] The following section will first address the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 Reference is made to this, and a first embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to it. The in Fig. The slab-shaped artificial stone element 10, shown in a top view of the visible side 11, has, for example, an approximately rectangular outline extending in the x-direction along its two approximately parallel, opposite long sides 12, 13. The two transverse sides 14, 15 extend transversely and approximately perpendicular to these two long sides 12, 13, with the transverse dimension defined here as the y-direction. The dimensions of the slab-shaped artificial stone element 10 in the x- and y-directions are, in principle, arbitrary and are limited only by its weight, which should not be too high so that the operator can still handle the artificial stone element comfortably. The outline shape of the artificial stone element can also vary as desired. In this embodiment, the slab-shaped artificial stone element 10 has a rectangular outline and dimensions of, for example, approximately 60 cm in length (x-direction) and 30 cm in width (y-direction).

[0039] The front face 16 of the plate-shaped artificial stone element 10 of Fig. 1 is in the Fig. 2 shown. In the third dimension (z-direction), the material thickness of the plate-shaped artificial stone element 10 can be comparatively small, as can be seen from the end-face view according to Fig. 2 results. For example, the slab-shaped artificial stone element 10 is about 2 cm thick, so that it has a total weight of, for example, about 7 kg and is still easy to handle when attaching it to the wall or facade.

[0040] The following refers to the Fig. 3 Reference is made to this. In the embodiment according to Fig. 3. The surface of the artificial stone element 10 is structured in such a way as to imitate the appearance of a natural stone surface. This results in raised areas 17 and depressions 18 in an irregular pattern. Furthermore, the surface is also structured in that it is subdivided, so that it appears as if a single slab-shaped artificial stone element 10 comprises several separate imitation natural stones. Thus, several, for example, approximately rectangular natural stone areas 20 are present on the surface of the single artificial stone element 10, each of which projects slightly further in its center 19 than in its edge areas 21, so that a curvature is formed towards the center 19 of each natural stone area in the z-direction. As a result, the individual imitation natural stone areas 20 look similar to so-called bossed blocks.Between the individual imitated natural stone areas 20 of a slab-shaped artificial stone element 10, joints 22 run horizontally and vertically, which, viewed in the z-direction, lie in a recessed plane compared to the imitated natural stone areas 20, creating the optical impression that several natural stones have been mortared together, with joints 22 running between them.

[0041] In the embodiment of Fig. 1 The surface of the artificial stone element is also structured in such a way that it imitates the appearance of a natural stone surface. Here too, raised areas 17 and depressions 18 are created in an irregular pattern. However, the surface looks as if the artificial stone element 10 consists of only a single natural stone; that is, the division by joints 22 into individual imitation natural stone areas is not present.

[0042] The Fig.Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment in which the surface of the artificial stone element is only slightly structured or not structured at all. However, the concrete-like material exhibits a larger number of inclusions 23, which may be irregularly distributed across the surface of the artificial stone element 10 on its visible side. These inclusions 23 result from gravel particles embedded in the hardened, cement-based mineral mass from which the artificial stone elements are cast. These gravel particles can have different particle sizes, for example, in a range of approximately 4 mm to approximately 12 mm. They may be spaced closer together or further apart. For example, the gravel particles may be denser and more concentrated in certain areas and less densely packed or even absent in other areas.Due to the darker color of these gravel particles compared to the lighter color of the rest of the surface, which appears particularly when white cement is used in the mineral mixture from which the slab-shaped artificial stone element is cast, the gravel particles stand out in color and an irregular random pattern appears on the surface of the slab-shaped artificial stone element, creating the impression that it is a natural stone element. Example

[0043] The following is an example of the production and installation of a slab-shaped artificial stone element according to the invention. The production process is based on a cement-based mineral composition comprising the following components: approximately 17.2 wt.% white cement; approximately 27.6 wt.% fine sand with a grain size of approximately 1 mm; approximately 55 wt% gravel particles, with a particle size of approximately 4 mm to approximately 12 mm; a proportion of approximately 0.2 wt% of the powdered binder Melment F10 (Melment® F10 is a sulfonated polycondensation product from BASF based on a melamine.).

[0044] This mixture is blended with water and stirred until a pourable, slurry-like consistency is obtained. This mixture is then poured into a mold for a slab-shaped artificial stone element with an approximately rectangular outline, a length of about 60 cm, a width of about 30 cm, and a thickness of about 2 cm. The mineral mixture hardens and sets at room temperature. Once hardened, the slab-shaped artificial stone element weighs approximately 7 kg and can be adhered to a facade, for example, using tile adhesive. Reference symbol list 10 slab-shaped artificial stone elements 11 Viewing side 12 first long side 13 second long side 14 first side 15 second side 16 Front 17 sublime areas 18 depressions 19 Middle of a natural stone area 20 natural stone areas 21 Edge areas of a natural stone area 22 joints 23 storages QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 2114971

[0005] DE 27 17 798 A1

[0006] DE 37 27 157 A1

[0007] EP 0 799 949 B1

[0008] WO 2009 / 129839 A1

[0009] EP 2234806 B1

[0010] EP 3 785 900 B1

[0011] EP 1 395 721 B1

[0012]

Claims

[1] Mineral composition for producing a plate-shaped artificial stone element (10), comprising about 10 wt% to about 25 wt%, preferably about 15 wt% to about 20 wt% cement, more preferably white cement; about 20 wt% to about 35 wt% sand, preferably about 25 wt% to about 30 wt% sand, most preferably fine sand; about 45% to about 65% by weight gravel, preferably about 50% to about 60% by weight gravel; and optionally a proportion of a powdered binder which promotes the setting of a cement mixture. [2] Mineral composition according to claim 1, wherein the powdered binder comprises a melamine-based polycondensation product. [3] Mineral composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gravel is contained in a particle size in the range of about 1 mm to about 15 mm, preferably in the range of about 3 mm to about 13 mm, more preferably in a particle size in the range of about 4 mm to about 12 mm. [4] Mineral composition according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the powdered binder is present in an amount of about 0.05 wt% to about 5 wt%, preferably in an amount of about 0.1 wt% to about 1 wt%. [5] Plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) for cladding a wall or a facade, which is formed from a mineral composition according to one of the preceding claims and has a natural stone appearance. [6] Plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to claim 5, wherein it has a structured surface on one visible side and / or a surface that changes color over the surface. [7] Plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the structured surface is divided into two or more first, approximately rectangular regions (20), each imitating the appearance of a natural stone, and second, recessed, approximately rectilinear, narrower regions which run between the first regions and imitate the appearance of a joint (22) between two natural stones. [8] Plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) has a material thickness of at most about 4 cm, preferably of at most about 3 cm, particularly preferably of at most about 2.5 cm in the direction approximately perpendicular to the visible side and / or that said plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) has a material thickness of at most about 1 cm, preferably of at least about 1.5 cm in the direction approximately perpendicular to the visible side, wherein the plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) particularly preferably has a material thickness of about 1.8 cm to about 2.2 cm. [9] Plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to one of claims 5 to 8, wherein it has an approximately rectangular outline shape, preferably with dimensions in length of about 50 cm to about 70 cm, preferably from about 55 cm to about 65 cm and dimensions in width of about 20 cm to about 40 cm, preferably from about 25 cm to about 35 cm. [10] Cladding of a facade or a wall, comprising at least one plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to one of claims 5 to 9. [11] Method for producing a plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) according to one of claims 5 to 9, comprising at least the following steps: -suspension of a mineral composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4 with water; -casting the plate-shaped artificial stone element (10) in a formwork made of this mineral composition; and -Setting and curing of the cast mineral composition at room temperature. [12] Method for producing a cladding of a facade or a wall, wherein two or more plate-shaped artificial stone elements (10) having the features of at least one of claims 5 to 9, which were produced in particular by a method according to claim 11, are glued next to one another to an existing wall or a facade by means of an adhesive.

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