SE511814C2 - Sand material mixture, method of preparation and use thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A sand material mixture comprises on the one hand sand or a sand-like material of a certain grain size and on the other a binding agent which contains beeswax, a material similar to beeswax, or a material mixture similar to beeswax, or a mixture of such materials, and which is solid at room temperature but yet exhibits a tackiness matching the tackiness of beeswax. The components of the sand material mixture are mixed in such a manner that the grains (10, 11) of sand or sand-like material receive a coating (12) of the binding agent. The sand material mixture has proved useful as a material for toys, as a pedagogic material, and as a material for constructing imitated architectural landscape designs, landscape designs in museums or in aquariums.

Description

511 814 2 10 15 20 25 30 35 as a pedagogical aid and as a material for commercial use in connection with, for example, the illustration of landscape architecture and the creation of aquarium furnishings and landscape formations in the construction of hobby railways.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of producing a sand material mixture, which is suitable as a substitute for modeling and also for other uses, for example as material for aquarium interiors, landscape imitations and the like.

These and other objects of the invention are fulfilled partly with a sand material mixture or a method of producing it, as defined in the independent claim 1 and 8, respectively, and partly with the use of such a sand material mixture, as defined in the independent claim 10. The dependent claims specify particularly preferred embodiments of these inventions.

In summary, the invention lies in a sandma- which comprises partly sand or sand-like- which is formed a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture, partly material and partly a binder, of beeswax, nande material mixture and which at room temperature is solid but still exhibits the required tack . The mixing of the components of the sand material mixture has been carried out in such a way that the grains of sand or sand-like material have a coating of the binder.

Although it is known in the foundry industry to use sand and binders for mold and core production, the type of sand material mixtures used in this industry usually contains binders in the form of resins, thermosets, linseed oil or similar materials to the finished moldings, ie the molds or cores, must be able to withstand high temperatures during casting. In addition, the binders used are usually not of such a type that they can be used for the purposes for which the present invention is intended. From a health point of view ROIIOI n 0006 !! ng 10 15 20 25 30 35., _; ¶ o: s el. I:. In addition, 511 814, many of the binders intended for molds and cores are usually in fact unsuitable in toys and the like.

An example of a material for making molds is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication JP 57-1427142 (cf. JP Publication 1982-12-04 Sect. M, Section No. 176; Vol.6, No. 246, p. 55). . This publication describes a casting sand material which contains a binder and during use is heated to a temperature above the melting point of the binder, whereupon the mixture is packed in a mold box or core box and then forced cooled to a temperature below the melting point to stabilize and harden the shape or the core. A binder is used as a material which has a high binding capacity in the rigid state in order to be able to hold the mold / core together at normal handling temperatures, but which is nevertheless such that the casting sand material can be used repeatedly. The binder used for this purpose is ethylene glycol, wax, which consists essentially of paraffin, etc. This publication only deals with problems in connection with the manufacture of molds and mold cores and can therefore not be considered to affect the problems associated with educational toys. the production of landscapes during model train construction and architectural work or in aquariums.

The granular material or sand in the sand material mixture according to the present invention may be natural sand, crushed stone material such as ground marble but may, although not as preferred, be a granular plastic material or other granular material, eg cork or wood powder, in particular when the material mixture is intended to be used as material for, for example, landscape imitations. Mixtures of different types of granular materials can of course also be used. The granular material has a grain size in the range from about 0.02 mm, preferably from about 0.063 mm to about 3.0 mm, preferably to about 2.0 mm. Preferably, the average grain size of the granular material for the granular material is from about 0.1 mm to about 2.0 mm.

The binder in the sand material mixture according to the present invention shall consist of beeswax, a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture or a mixture of such materials.

Suitable binders of this type include, in addition to natural beeswax, also beeswax substitutes of ceresin or a mixture of ozokerite and paraffin or microcrystalline paraffins. An example of a usable ceresin material is CEREWAX 2T from MB-Sveda AB, Sweden, while LUNAFLEX® 4919 from H.B. Fuller GmbH, Germany can be mentioned as an example of a useful microcrystalline wax (a plastic hydrocarbon wax of the branched chain microcrystalline type from H.B. Fuller GmbH, Germany).

As beeswax you can use natural beeswax or treated, natural beeswax material can be mentioned Bivax M.S from Bire-purified beeswax. As an example of a useful beehive factory AB, while bleached beeswax from Joel Svenssons (Bl0l5) from MB-Sveda AB can be mentioned as an example of useful treated and clean- Vaxfabrik AB and Bivax white no. 1 Another useful beeswax-like material is LUNACERAC) M (from HB Fuller GmbH, Germany), which is a microcrystalline wax of ozokerite structure and has one of the beeswaxes. well-balanced mixture of straight-chain and branch-chain hydrocarbon waxes.

Examples of useful beeswax-like material mixtures are mixtures of LUNAFLEX® 4919 (a plastic hydrocarbon wax of branched chain microcrystalline structure from HB Fuller GmbH, Germany) and paraffin 52-54 (melting point 52-54 ° C) with a maximum of 0.5 % oil (PAOO7 paraffin wax from MB-Sveda AB).

For the purpose of the invention, it is important that the binder has tackiness properties which approximately correspond to the tackiness properties of beeswax or ordinary beeswax replacement materials. If the basic component used in the binder no. IOC 10 15 20 25 30 35 511 814 does not have these properties, modifiers or extenders may be added. Fine particles (with average grain sizes below 0.01 mm) can be used as excipients, this fine particulate material being added only after the binder has been mixed with the sand material. By adding the excipient afterwards, the advantage is obtained that the even distribution of the binder on the sand grains is not prevented or hindered by the simultaneous presence of fine particulate material, which has a large surface area and would therefore require the addition of more binders to reach the same coverage ratio, if all the components were mixed at the same time.

If you want to achieve an increased cohesive ability of the sand material mixture, when it is to be used, for example, for landscape formation in model railway construction or architectural floor plans or in the decoration of aquariums, you can also add fiber reinforcement material in the form of relatively short fine fibers of suitable type .

If the adhesive is insufficiently sticky, this can be counteracted by mixing a stickier type of beeswax-like material with another beeswax material with lower tack. It is also possible to add tackifiers such as small amounts of paraffin oil, isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate or pine oil. If such tackifying materials are added, however, it is important that the amounts of addition be kept so low that the binder mixture will not emit oily materials which may adhere to fingers and surfaces with which the material comes into contact.

If you want a special color in the sand material mixture, you can of course choose a sand material that already has the desired color. However, it is also possible to dye the sand material before it is mixed with the binder layer. If you want to prevent the paint from migrating through the binder formed from beeswax or beeswax-like material, the dyeing of the sand material can take place D00 CO 1 -w 'p p-onö n: 00 511 814 10 15 20 25 30 35 with the help of a pigment paste, which consists of pigment dispersion in a polymer or wax material with a higher melting point than the beeswax or beeswax-like material used as a binder in the sand material mixture.

The amount of mixture depends on the color strength and color shade you are striving for. Mixing amounts of 0.01-1% by weight, calculated on the sand material, have proved useful, and 0.05-0.5% by weight are preferred. Examples of color pigment dispersions which have been found to be suitable and useful are the pastes manufactured by Bayer AG, Germany and sold under the designations LEVANYL® LR (organic organic fine paste) and LEVANOXC (inorganic fine paste). To improve the coverage / wetting, you can use, for example, the same company's emulsifiers KS, OS and WNS.

To reduce the risk of color migration, the above pigment pastes can be mixed with a polymer or wax dispersion. Examples of such dispersions are the dispersions PoLIGEN® PE: and PoLIGEN® WB manufactured and sold by BASF AB, Germany and the dispersions HORDAMEP® PE 34 NEU and LICOMER® Wll manufactured and sold by Hoechst AG, Germany. When such dispersions are to be used in connection with the dyeing of the sand material, a mixture of pigment paste and such a dispersion is added to the sand and the mixing is continued until the mixture of pigment paste and dispersion is thoroughly mixed with the sand. After drying, the mixture forms a layer on the sand grains, the color pigment being in principle encapsulated in the polymer or wax material in the dispersion used.

This colored sand is then mixed with the binder used for the final product, ie beeswax, beeswax-like material or beeswax-like material mixture.

The sand material mixture according to the invention can be used for many purposes, for example a toy material, a pedagogical material, a landscape architectural aid, a material for museum furnishings or aquarium furnishings. Because the material in compressed form forms a liquid impervious material, it can also be used to form a compressed, liquid-tight layer in birdbaths and basins.

Some particularly preferred examples of sand material mixtures according to the invention will be described in the following. In these examples the following materials have been used: - Brogårdssand 15KT, hereinafter referred to as "sand l5KT".

Average grain size 0.15 mm. Manufactured by Brogårdssand AB, Sweden.

- Brogårdssand TB-fin, hereinafter referred to as "sand TB-fin". Average grain size 0.246 mm. Manufactured by Brogårdssand AB, Sweden.

- Brogårdssand 30KT, hereinafter referred to as "sand 3OKT".

Average grain size 0.30 mm. Manufactured by Brogårdssand AB, Sweden.

- Brogårdssand 7OKT, hereinafter referred to as "sand 70KT".

Average grain size 0.70 mm. Manufactured by Brogårdssand AB, Sweden - Brogårdssand 1-3 MM, hereinafter referred to as "sand l-3 MM". Average grain size 1.4-1.8 mm. Manufactured by Brogårdssand AB, Sweden - Fylesand 80 G, hereinafter referred to as "sand 80 G".

Grain size 64% <0.045 mm. Manufactured by Fyleverken AB, Sweden.

- Bivax M.S. Purified beeswax from Biredskapsfabriken AB, Sweden - LUNAFLEXC) 49l9. Branched microcrystalline wax from H.B. Fuller GmbH, Germany - LUNACERA® M. Mixture of straight and branched chain microcrystalline wax from H.B. Fuller GmbH, Germany - CERAWAX 2T. Beeswax substitute from MB Sveda AB, Sweden - Paraffin 52-54. Paraffin with a melting range of 52-54 ° C and with a maximum of 0.5% oil. Sold under the designation PAO07 by MB Sveda AB, Sweden - LEVANYL®, a fine pigment paste of organic type from Bayer AG, Germany 511 r-MOOIC .v IIIG UC WWW iii iliilhliš fi mšm vv. no 511 814 10 l5 20 25 30 35 - LEVANOX®, a fine inorganic pigment paste from Bayer AG, Germany - POLIGEN® PE, a polymer dispersion from BASF AG, Germany EXAMPLE 1 The sand l5KT was mixed with paraffin 52-54 in a for the production of casting sand intended mixers. The sand made up 90% by weight and the paraffin 10% by weight of the finished mixture. The material was heated to a temperature of about 55 ° C, i.e. a temperature at which the paraffin was melted.

After a substantially uniform and homogeneous mixture was obtained, the material mixture was cooled with continued stirring so that the product present at room temperature had the form of paraffin-coated sand grains which were free from each other or possibly formed small aggregates of beeswax-coated sand grains.

The sand material product present at room temperature was then formed into substantially parallelepipedic small blocks by compression into a mold. The blocks were very hard but could be broken for re-use of the sand material.

EXAMPLE 2 Example 1 was repeated with 90% by weight sand 1-3 MM and 10% by weight beeswax M.S. The product obtained was sticky but malleable despite the large grain size. The product proved to be suitable as a material for the production of wall imitations and stone sections in landscape models and as a material for aquarium interiors.

EXAMPLE 3 Example 1 was repeated with 95% by weight sand l5KT, stained with a yellow version of the color pigment paste LEVANOXCÄ and 5% by weight beeswax M.S. The product obtained turned out to give very fine bricks when compressed and these were easy to process with a knife, spoon and drill and other tools. The sand material mixture was suitable as building block material for castles etc. -nrIIÛ fl v var .. I: 10 l5 20 25 30 35 The sand material mixture could be easily formed with the help of hands and fingers. In this case, the sand grains were pressed together so that they were bound to each other by means of the beeswax. The finished shaped bodies with the desired shape could then be joined to larger units by joining and printing.

The resulting shaped bodies could then be easily disintegrated or crumbled by machining with hands and fingers, so that the sand material mixture could again be used to form further shaped bodies.

The sand material mixture was also used to form a landscape imitation for a model railway construction.

The sand material was then poured onto the substrate and could be shaped approximately like wet sea sand. After the compaction of the sand material and the design of depressions in the surface, the water without significantly penetrating, these depressions could be filled with water. remaining in the depressions into the underlying material layers. The density could be further increased by directing a jet of hot air from, for example, a hair dryer towards the depression to temporarily melt the beeswax around the sand grains at the surface of the depression.

EXAMPLE 4 Example 1 was repeated with 95% by weight sand 7OCT, which was dyed with a mixture of a green version of the color pigment paste LEVANYLC> and the polymer dispersion POLIGENC) PE, and 5% by weight of beeswax M.S. The obtained sand material product was found to be slightly stickier than the sand material mixture in Example 3 but had good modeling properties. It was suitable as a material for the production of landscape imitations.

EXAMPLE 5 In this example, 85% by weight sand 7OCT, 5% by weight beeswax M.S. and 10% by weight sand 80 G. First, sand 70 KT was mixed with beeswax M.S. in a mixer intended for the production of casting sand. The material was heated to a temperature of about 65 ° C, i.e. a temperature at which the beeswax was melted. Then a substantially uniform and homo- f-nuuc 511. 8514 opel u. F! scythe; 9 Ü. Annual lllx fi l 511814 1 ° 10 15 20 25 30 35 gen mixture was obtained, sand 80 G was added as excipient while further mixing. The excipient was taken up by the wax layer on the individual grains of sand 70 KT. Finally, the material mixture was cooled with continued stirring so that the product present at room temperature was in the form of sand grains which were free from each other or possibly formed small aggregates of sand grains with a coating of beeswax and excipients.

The resulting product was drier than the product obtained in Example 4, and was suitable as a building block material for castles etc.

EXAMPLE 6 Example 1 was repeated with 95% by weight of sand 1KT and 5% by weight of an SO / SO mixture of LUNACERA® M and LUNAFLEX® 4919. The obtained sand product was drier than a sand product formed of the same sand and 5% by weight. % LUNAFLEXCÄ and was suitable for the production of landscape imitations.

EXAMPLE 7 Example 1 was repeated with 96% by weight of sand TB-fine and 4% by weight of a 50/50 mixture of beeswax M.S and paraffin 52-54. The obtained sand product ran as sand between the fingers and gave strong bricks on compression. It turned out to be easy to carefully fill the mold cavity of the mold used.

EXAMPLE 8 Example 1 was repeated with 95% by weight of sand 15KT and 5% by weight of LUNACERA® M. The obtained sand product was found to have very good modeling properties. The compressed sand could easily be formed with a spoon or the like, as the sand grains came loose grain by grain. Even after such modeling, the shaped body or product had a well-coherent surface of particles bonded together.

EXAMPLE 9 Example 1 was repeated with 97% by weight of sand TB-fin, which was dyed with a mixture of a green version of the color pigment paste LEVANYL® and the polymer dispersion POLIGENC) PE, 10 15 20 25 30 35 c <r f | ll 511 8154 and 3% by weight LUNAFLEX® 4919. The product obtained had a good particle size distribution and was very suitable for constructions of water landscapes, ie landscape imitations with ponds and watercourses, as the sand had very good cohesion and therefore did not pollute the water surfaces.

EXAMPLE 10 Example 1 was repeated with 98% by weight sand 3OCT and 2% by weight CEREWAX 2T. The obtained sand product could be used for the same purpose as the sand material mixture according to example 9.

EXAMPLE 11 Example 1 was repeated with 98.5% by weight of sand TB-fine, which was dyed with a mixture of a blue version of the color pigment paste LEVANYL® and the polymer dispersion POLIGENC> PE, and 1.5% by weight of LUNAFLEXCÅ The product obtained had high formability and behaved like wet pure quartz sand but had higher dimensional stability than such sand in compressed form and never dries out. The sand material mixture according to this example has good properties for packing in toy buckets and molds, etc.

EXAMPLE 12 Example 1 was repeated with 99% by weight sand 3OCT and 1% by weight beeswax M.S. The resulting product had substantially the same properties as the product of Example 11, although it had somewhat poorer dimensional stability when compressed into a shaped body. However, the product was still much better than wet pure quartz sand.

EXAMPLE 13 Example 1 was repeated with 99% by weight of sand TB-fine and 1% by weight of LUNAFLEXQÅ The product obtained had approximately the same properties as the product of Example 11, although it had somewhat poorer dimensional stability when compressed into a shaped body. However, the product was still much better than wet pure quartz sand. 1 o-nuuc !! U \ Il 4 -f-orc vw-øml fl 12 511814 10 15 EXAMPLE 14 Example 1 was repeated with 99% by weight sand l5KT, which was dyed with a mixture of a red version of the color pigment paste LEVANYL® and the polymer dispersion POLIGEN® PE, and 1% by weight of CEREWAX 2T. This sand product also had approximately the same properties as the product according to Example 11, even though it had somewhat poorer dimensional stability when compressed into a mold body. However, the product was still much better than wet pure quartz sand.

EXAMPLE 15 Example 1 was repeated with 99.25% by weight of sand 1KT and 0.75% by weight of LUNAFLEXCÄ. The obtained sand product had approximately the same properties as the product of Example 11, although it had somewhat poorer dimensional stability, when compressed into a shaped body. However, the product was still much better than wet pure quartz sand.

Claims (10)

10 15 20 '25 30 35 13 511814 PATENT REQUIREMENTS A sand-material mixture, which comprises both sand or sand-like material and a binder, characterized in that the binder forms a coating on the grains of sand or sand-like material and comprises beeswax, a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture or a mixture of such materials and which at room temperature is solid but still exhibits a tack, which corresponds to the tack of the beeswax. Sand material mixture according to claim 1, characterized in that the grains of sand or sand-like material have a grain size in the range from about 0.02 mm, preferably from about 0.063 mm to about 3.0 mm, preferably to about 2.0 mm . Sand material mixture according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the grains of sand or sand-like material are colored. Sand material mixture according to claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising from about 0.75% by weight, to preferably to about 8% by weight of binder, characterized therefrom, preferably from about 1% by weight, about 10% by weight, the weight of the sand material mixture. Sand material mixture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the beeswax binder, a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture contains an excipient. Sand material mixture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binder comprises ceresin or a mixture of ozocerite and paraffin. Sand material mixture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also comprises a fibrous reinforcing material. 14 511 814 10 15 20 25 30 35 8. A process for preparing a sand-material mixture which comprises sand or sand-like material and a binder which comprises beeswax, a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture or a mixture of such materials and which is solid at room temperature but still exhibits a tack, which corresponds to the tack of the beeswax, characterized in that the sand or sand-like material is mixed with the binder with constant stirring at a higher temperature than the melting point of the binder used to form a coating of the binder on the grains of sand or sand-like material and that stirring is continued while lowering the temperature to approximately room temperature. 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein an extender is added to the binder, characterized in that the sand or the sand-like material is first mixed with the binder with stirring to form a binder coating on the individual grains of sand or sand-like material. and that an excipient in the form of a fine-grained material is then added with continued stirring. The use of a sand material mixture as a toy material, an educational material, a landscape architectural aid, a material for museum or aquarium interiors or a liquid-tight layer, which sand material mixture comprises sand or sand-like material and a binder which forms a coating on the grains of sand or sand-like material and comprises beeswax, a beeswax-like material or a beeswax-like material mixture or a mixture of such materials and which at room temperature is solid but still has a stickiness, which corresponds to the stickiness of the beeswax. 4!