EP0792976A1

EP0792976A1 - Improvements in and relating to panels, boards and the like

Info

Publication number: EP0792976A1
Application number: EP97301190A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bak Ling Au
Original assignee: REP TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Current assignee: REP TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Priority date: 1996-02-28
Filing date: 1997-02-24
Publication date: 1997-09-03
Also published as: AP9700932A0; ID18380A; CA2198551A1; KR970062225A; AR008040A1; ZA971617B; JPH09323346A; BR9701131A; MX9701493A; GB9604236D0; AU1480297A; IL120349A0

Abstract

A board or panel member having a width of at least one foot is made partly of a plastic material, and partly of a paper material, wherein the plastic material provides between 30% and 60% of the total weight of the board or panel member, and the paper material provides between 15% and 30% of the total weight of the board or panel member.

Description

This invention relates to a panel or board preferably for use in the building industry.
A number of boards and panel members already exist for use in the building industry, namely solid wood boards, plywood boards, hard-boards, medium density fibre boards (MDF), particle boards, straw boards and gypsum boards.
Each of these prior art board has a number of disadvantages for instance, they are not either waterproof, weather-proof, decay-proof, damp-proof, sound-proof, corrosion-proof, chemical-resistant, abrasive-resistant, fungi-repellent or UV-resistant.
It is the object of this invention to overcome at least one of the above problems.
In accordance with the invention, a board or panel member having a width of at least one foot is made partly of a plastic material, and partly of a paper material, wherein the plastic material provides between 30% and 60% of the total weight of the board or panel member, and the paper material provides between 15% and 30% of the total weight of the board or panel member.
Suitably, the panel or board member is partly made of sawdust material.
More preferably, the panel or board member is made partly out of other materials such as nylon, ash, etc.
Suitably, the plastic materials comprise between 40% and 50% of the total weight of the board or panel member, whilst the paper material provides between 20% and 25% of the total weight of the board or panel member.
The sawdust material meanwhile suitably provides between 10% and 30%, nylon provides between 5% to 10%, and ash provides between 5% to 10%, of the weight of the board or panel member.
Preferably the components are made substantially from waste material, and in particular waste plastic, waste paper, waste sawdust, waste nylon and waste ash.
Preferably the panel/board member is at least 2 feet wide, and even more preferably at least 3 feet wide, and most preferably at least 4½ feet wide.
Suitably the panel/board member is at least 4 feet long, and more preferably 6 feet long (up to a maximum of 40 feet long).
Such a board is particularly advantageous in that it is waterproof, weather-proof, decay-proof, damp-proof, sound-proof, corrosion-resistant, chemical resistant, fire-retardant, abrasion-resistant, termite-resistant, fungi-repellant and UV-resistant.
The board/panel member is also safe to use, in that, it does not include any toxic glues or other potentially harmful materials.
The panel/board member, in accordance with the invention, is also easy to use, in that it can be sawn, drilled, chiselled, nailed, sanded, foiled, veneered, varnished and painted, and furthermore it has excellent nail-holding ability and is ideal for concrete form work without tar application.
The board/panel member in accordance with the invention, is also fully recyclable, and has a life span of an estimated 250 years, maintenance free.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawing which shows a panel/board member in accordance with the invention.
The drawing to this application shows a panel or board member (either 3 feet x 6 feet or 4 feet x 8 feet in size), preferably for use in the building industry, which is made from a mixture of industrial and commercial waste, such as plastic, paper, sawdust, nylon, ash, etc.
Examples of plastic materials used are low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP). The only plastic material that cannot be used is polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Suitably, the plastic materials comprise between 40% and 60%, whilst the paper material comprises between 15% and 30%, the sawdust between 10% and 30%, nylon between 5% and 10%, and ash between 5% and 10%, of the total weight of the board.
The board is odourless, toxin-free and is extremely durable, lasting up to an estimated 250 years. The board is safe to use, and easy to use like wood. One can work on it like wood, ie saw, drill, chisel, rout. It is better, more useful and stronger than wood, having excellent nail-holding ability but no lumber defects, such as cracking, splintering, peeling, delaminating, water absorbency or becoming brittle. The board is waterproof, weather-proof, decay-proof, damp-proof, sound-proof, corrosion-resistant, chemical resistant, fire-retardant, abrasion-resistant, termite-resistant, fungi-repellent and UV-resistant.
The board is also fully recyclable and thus is 100% environmentally-friendly.
In particular, the board is waterproof since it never swells, buckles or deteriorates under water; weather-proof since it is unaffected by any climatic condition; decay-proof since it never rots in open air, water or underground; damp-proof since it resists moisture from humid air to heavy rain; sound-proof since it provides acoustic and electric insulation; corrosion-resistant since it never corrodes in salt water, alkalies, or acids; chemical-resistant since it resists the damaging effect of any chemicals; fire-retardant since it resists fire better than wood; abrasion-resistant since it withstands abrasion, scraping or a heavy impact; termite-resistant since it prevents rodent insect and termite attacks; fungi-repellent since it eliminates damage from fungi; UV-resistant since it resists ultraviolet rays deterioration; safe to use since it contains no asbestos, fibreglass, urea/phenol formaldehyde or toxic resins; easy to use like wood since it can be sawn, drilled, chiselled, routed, sanded, foiled, veneered, varnished, painted and with superb nail-holding ability; and is better than wood since it never cracks, splinters, peels, delaminates or becomes brittle.
The panel is more useful than wood since it is versatile and its usage is limitless, from roofing to sub-flooring, sheathing to siding, walling, partitioning, ceiling, windows, doors, skirting, countertops, underlay for maple/oak flooring, outdoor decking, hoarding, fencing, road signs and noise barriers, and from underlayment to underwater applications. It is stronger than wood since it has 19 times greater impact strength than wood, and is economical and adaptable since it needs no tar application for concrete form work and the same boards can be constantly re-used year after year, thus saving considerable costs and labour. It is also adaptable to rounded walls or intricate architectural styles, and is extremely durable since it is almost everlasting - up to an estimated 250 years, maintenance free. Finally, it is fully recyclable, thus 100% environmentally-friendly since there is no waste.
The following table shows comparisons between the board in accordance with invention, and other board or panel materials:-

The specifications and properties of the board, in accordance with the invention, is shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Testing Item	Testing Standard	Test Result
Density	ASTM	887 kg/m³	55.4 lbs/ft³
	D2395-83
Impact Strength	ASTM	9 mm/kg	65.5 ft/lbs
	D3029-90
Flexural Strength	ASTM	Long. 36.4 MPa	5,114.2 psi
	D790-91	Trav. 40.1 MPa	5,634.0 psi
Modulus of Elasticity	ASTM	Long. 572 N/mm²	80,346 psi
	D790-91	Trav. 557 N/mm²	78,258 psi
Tensile Strength	ASTM	Long. 9.0 MPa	1,264.5 psi
	D4761-88	Trav. 7.2 MPa	1,011.6 psi
Moisture Content	ASTM	0.35%	0.35%
	2395-83
Water Absorption	ASTM	1.9%	1.9%
	D370-81
Flammability	*FMVSS No.302	0.15 in/min	0.15 in/min

* Specification: It shall not burn or transmit a flame front across its surface at a rate of more than 4 inches per minute

The board is extremely strong since it has the flexural strength, tensile strength and elasticity, as shown in Table 2, to withstand a heavy impact.

The various thicknesses, weights, sizes, textures and millings of the board are shown in Table 3:

Table 3

Thickness:	1/4"	3/8"	1/2"	5/8"	3/4"
	6mm	9mm	12mm	16mm	19mm
Weight in lbs per sq ft:	1.1	1.4	1.9	2.7	2.9
Sheet Size:	Standard sizes - 4' x 8' / 3' x 6', or any custom - cut sizes and length up to 40 feet
Texture:	Smooth - matt surface/woodgrain Beige/chalk white/brown
Millings:	Square Edge Tongue and groove

The board/panel is made up of various waste components, namely waste plastics, waste paper, waste sawdust, waste nylon and waste ash.
The board in accordance with the invention is produced by a production method based on a large volume continuous extrusion process using plastic waste, sawdust, paper, etc. as basic materials to produce the board in a sheet form of 54" width, and any desired length. The board is of standard sizes 4 ft x 8 ft or 3 ft x 6 ft, and sheets of any custom - cut sizes and length required can be made available.
The board is the world's first to use specially - designed custom - built plant and equipment, and formulae to produce fully recyclable boards of such large size by homogenising the various ingredients with different melting points in a continuous extrusion process.
All other panel materials are produced by a pressing system, using wood-based or straw-based raw materials to be compressed into panel/board form with toxic glues, such as urea/phenol formaldehyde, MDI resin, etc.
The board in accordance with the invention can be used in numerous applications - indoors, outdoors, underground and underwater.
For example, the board can be used in the following industries:-

a) Building Construction Apart from ordinary uses such as roofing, walling, sheathing, siding, partitioning, flooring, etc, it is particularly ideal for concrete form work because it needs no tar application as a release agent, nor is any board replacement necessary as the same boards can be reused constantly year after year. This eliminates the dumping of broken plywood boards which is increasingly becoming an environmental problem.
b) Shipping The board's almost indestructible but recyclable characteristics make it particularly suitable for making pallets and skids. It is becoming increasingly prohibitive to dump broken wooden pallets into a landfill because such takes up space quickly, and such is also slow to bio-degrade. As sheets of any length can be made available, the board is ideal for container-flooring as it can offer a seamless, almost everlasting floor up to 40 ft. which is waterproof, abrasion-resistant in that it can withstand scraping, abrasion and heavy impact. The board is especially good for Reefer service, decks, docks, piers, pontoons, pool surrounds, boardwalks, etc, and underwater installations or any marine use.
c) Land/Sea/Air Transport The board is ideal for protective linings and flooring for buses, trucks, railcars, cargo trains, cargo ships, cargo planes, etc.
d) Agriculture The board is waterproof, weather-proof, decay-proof, termite-resistant, fungi-repellent and it is therefore ideal for pig farms, cattle ranches, horse stables, chicken farms, fish farms, tropical plantations, etc. Well-supported fences and shelters made of this board can withstand hurricane force winds up to 150 mph.
e) Mining The board is also ideal for use in mining-shafts, tunnel wall coverings or drainage and sewage, dump truck liners, retaining walls, etc.

It is also ideal for public places, such as parks, playgrounds, zoos, ocean parks, theme parks, exhibition and Expo venues, as well as bird-watching swamps, chronically-flooding places, etc.

Claims

A board or panel member having a width of at least one foot is made partly of a plastic material, and partly of a paper material, wherein the plastic material provides between 30% and 60% of the total weight of the board or panel member, and the paper material provides between 15% and 30% of the total weight of the board or panel member.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the plastic material comprises between 40% and 50% of the total weight of the board or panel member, whilst the paper material provides between 20% and 25% of the total weight of the board or panel member.
A member as claimed in either claim 1 or 2 wherein the components of the panel or board member are made substantially from waste material.
A member as claimed in claim 3 wherein one of the components is waste plastic.
A member as claimed in either claim 3 or 4 wherein one of the components is waste paper.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel or board member is partly made of sawdust material.
A member as claimed in claim 6 wherein the sawdust material provides between 10% and 30% of the weight of the board or panel member.
A member as claimed in either claim 6 or 7 wherein the sawdust material is waste.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel or board member is made partly out of nylon.
A member as claimed in claim 9 wherein the nylon provides between 5% and 10% of the weight of the board or panel member.
A member as claimed in either claim 9 or 10 wherein the nylon is waste.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel or board member is made partly out of ash.
A member as claimed in claim 12 wherein the ash provides between 5% to 10% of the weight of the board or panel member.
A member as claimed in either claim 12 or 13 wherein the ash is waste.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is at least 2 feet wide.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is at least 3 feet wide.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is at least 4½ feet wide.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is at least 4 feet long.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is at least 6 feet long.
A member as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the panel/board member is less than 40 feet long.