Metal Compound Coated Perlite Compressing Strength

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing particulate mineral materials, such as perlite and diatomite, face limitations in compressive strength, hardness, and coloration, which affect their performance in various applications, and existing coatings do not effectively address these issues, particularly with metal silicate or metal oxide coatings.

Innovation Solution

Coating particulate mineral materials with metal silicate compounds like zirconium or zinc silicates, and applying metal oxide coatings at low temperatures to enhance their compressive strength, hardness, and color properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If existing coatings are applied to particulate mineral materials, then the materials maintain their original properties, but the compressive strength, hardness, and coloration remain insufficient for high-performance applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompressive strengthVSAvoidapplication range

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies metal silicate and metal oxide coatings with specific compositional parameters to fundamentally change the surface properties of particulate mineral materials. The coating composition (metal silicate or metal oxide) and application parameters (low temperature process) are optimized to achieve up to 10x increase in compressive strength and 20% increase in hardness, enabling the materials to meet requirements for high-performance applications such as catalysts and advanced fillers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Strength

If metal silicate or metal oxide coatings are applied to enhance compressive strength and hardness, then the mechanical properties improve significantly, but the manufacturing process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovehardnessVSAvoidcoating process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical coating systems with a low-temperature chemical coating process. Instead of using high-energy physical methods or complex multi-step mechanical applications, the invention uses a simplified low-temperature process that allows metal silicate or metal oxide coatings to form on the particulate mineral materials, achieving enhanced hardness and compressive strength with reduced process complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Illumination intensity

If existing coatings are used on particulate mineral materials, then the application process remains simple, but the coloration and yellowness do not meet the requirements for high-quality pigments and fillers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoloration qualityVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates composite structures by coating particulate mineral materials with metal silicate or metal oxide layers. This composite approach combines the base material properties with the coating's optical properties, achieving superior coloration quality and reduced yellowness. The composite structure enables the materials to function as high-quality pigments and fillers while maintaining ease of manufacture through the low-temperature coating process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The coatings significantly increase compressive strength by up to 10 times and hardness by 20%, while improving coloration by reducing yellowness, making the materials more suitable for diverse applications such as fillers, pigments, and catalysts.

Implementation Method 1

particulate mineral materials coated with at least one metal compound

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCoating: Coatings

Implementation Method 2

the at least one metal compound is a metal oxide compound

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCoating: Coatings

Data Source

PatentUS8728573B2Metal compound coated particulate mineral materials, methods of making them and uses thereof

Publication Date: 2014.05.20 IMERYS USA INC

AI summary

Particulate mineral materials comprising at least one coating comprising at least one metal compound are disclosed. In one embodiment, the at least one metal compound is a metal silicate compound. In another embodiment, the at least one metal compound is a metal oxide compound. In one embodiment, the particulate mineral material is perlite. In another embodiment, the particulate mineral material is perlite microspheres. In a further embodiment, the particulate mineral material is diatomite. Methods of making particulate mineral materials coated with at least one metal compound are also disclosed. In one embodiment, the at least one metal compound may be injected into a perlite expander to form a metal compound coated perlite material. In another embodiment, the at least one metal compound may be applied through a low temperature coating process to the at least one particulate mineral material. Uses for metal compound coated particulate mineral materials are also disclosed.