SOLID COMPOSITION HAVING ENHANCED PHYSICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
A method of making a treating wash includes mixing brass granules with acetone, mixing carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules and copper granules in the acetone brass mixture, and straining the liquid from the remaining solid material. Methods of treating materials such as brass granules, iron pyrite granules, carbon nanotube material, and brass granules comprises washing the materials in the treating wash, followed by straining and drying the materials.
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This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/268,315, filed Nov. 10, 2008, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to solid-material compositions having enhanced physical and electrical properties as well as products formed using the material and methods for making the material and the products.
2. The Prior Art
Products such as electrodes, electrode hangers, and bus bars for hydrometallurgy electrowinning (electroextraction) are known in the art. The electrodes are usually made from lead or lead alloys and the electrode hangers and bus bars are usually made from copper.
Body armor is usually formed from a series of plates each comprising a plurality of layers of different materials. Materials such as alloyed ceramics have been successfully employed in body armor plates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONA treating wash according to one aspect of the present invention comprises acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules. A method of making a treating wash includes mixing brass granules with acetone, mixing carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules and copper granules in the acetone brass mixture, and straining the liquid from the remaining solid material. Methods of treating materials such as brass granules, iron pyrite granules, carbon nanotube material, and brass granules comprises washing the materials in the treating wash, followed by straining and drying the materials.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a lead electrode, comprises providing a batch of molten lead, preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained, treating brass granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated brass granules, treating iron pyrite granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated iron pyrite granules, treating copper granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated copper granules, adding the treated brass granules, the treated iron pyrite granules, and the treated copper granules to the molten lead, pouring the molten lead into a pour mold coated with a thin layer of brass granules, allowing the lead to solidify into an ingot and then rolling the ingot in a pressure roller.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming one of a bus bar and a hanger bar for an electrode comprises providing a length of copper tubing, placing a first plug at a first end of the copper tubing, disposing a copper strip inside the copper tubing, preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained, treating brass granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated brass granules, treating magnetite with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated magnetite, treating iron pyrite granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated iron pyrite granules, treating copper granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated copper granules, mixing and coating with a penetrating oil the treated brass granules, the treated magnetite, the treated iron pyrite granules, and the treated copper granules to form a fill mixture, filling the copper tubing with the fill mixture; and placing a second plug at a second end of the copper tubing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a body-armor plate includes a first layer of treated brass granules, a first layer of treated glass-filled polymer, a first layer of treated iron pyrite granules, a metal sheet, a second layer of treated iron pyrite granules, a second layer of treated glass-filled polymer, and a second layer of treated brass granules. A method for making a body-armor plate comprises providing a body-armor plate mold, placing a layer of treated brass granules in the body-armor plate mold, placing a layer of treated glass-filled polymer over the layer of treated brass granules, placing a layer of treated iron pyrite over the layer of treated glass-filled polymer, placing a metal sheet over the layer of layer of treated iron pyrite, placing a layer of treated iron pyrite over the metal sheet; placing a layer of treated glass-filled polymer over the layer of treated iron pyrite, placing a layer of treated brass granules over the layer of glass-filled polymer, placing a cover on the mold, heating the mold and placing the mold in a press.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons.
The present invention relates to solid-material compositions having enhanced physical and electrical properties as well as products formed using the material and methods for making the material and the products.
Various products can be made using the composition of the present invention. One aspect of the present invention is a wash or bath used to treat ingredients used to form the composition. Since the volume of the wash or bath will vary with the particular application, an illustrative example is given for formulating the wash using one gallon of acetone. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the amounts of the ingredients disclosed in the example can be linearly scaled to formulate larger or smaller batches of the wash.
In one illustrative example shown in
When the ingredients have all been mixed as described, the liquid is strained and may be used as a wash or bath. All of the strained solid matter may be stored for further use as disclosed herein. Once materials are processed, the wash liquid used may be collected and recycled by adding it to new batches of the wash liquid.
Once the wash liquid is formulated, constituent materials of products to be fabricated are washed using it. A sticky film merges with the constituent materials. The constituent materials are bonded together by drying and application of pressure, either in an oven or at room temperature.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the composition is usefully employed in fabricating calcium-tin lead anode and cathode electrodes for hydrometallurgy electrowinning (electroextraction) processing applications such as refining processes performed in the mining industry and batteries. According to one example of a process for forming an anode described with reference to
The bottom of the mold is lined with a mixture of the treated materials and the lead is then poured into the mold at reference numeral 30. As the treated-lead anode ingot is being cooled, it is removed from the mold at reference numeral 32 and transported to a rolling press where, at reference numeral 34, it is rolled to a desired thickness such as about 0.25 inches and cut to size into finished anodes having desired dimensions such as about 3 ft. by about 4 ft. by about 0.25 inches.
Anodes formed in accordance with the present invention are more conductive than conventional lead anodes. It is believed that these anodes will last longer than conventional anodes.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the composition is usefully employed in hanger bars used to support and supply current to anodes and cathodes. Different views of two illustrative examples of hanger bars according to the present invention are shown in
Plug 50, made out of a material such as copper, are used to seal the tubing and may be held in place by, for example, press fitting, welding, brazing or soldering. A copper plug 50 having a length of about 2 inches has been found to be satisfactory for this purpose although other lengths could be employed.
Prior to filling the tubing, the mixture of brass, iron pyrite, and copper 48 as described above is washed using the acetone solution and drained as described above. Additionally, about 2 gms of magnetite washed and drained using the acetone solution is added to the mixture. The drained mixture is coated with penetrating oils such as oils sold under the trademark WD-40 and is then packed into the tubing around the inserted strip. At reference numeral 68, a second plug 50 is inserted into the other end of the tubing and may be held in place by, for example, press fitting, welding, brazing or soldering.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a bus bar may be formed using the same process used to form the hanger bar. A center copper strip 44 is sandwiched between perforated steel sheets 46 and is disposed in a suitable length of copper tubing 42 as previously shown in
According to another aspect of the present invention, electrodes including anodes and cathodes for zinc hydrometallurgy electrowinning (electroextraction) processes is formed using substantially the same mixing process as used for the copper anode with only one exception. That exception is the substitution of substantially equal amounts of additional brass and iron pyrite in place of the copper at reference numeral 26 in the process illustrated in
According to another aspect of the present invention, the composition is usefully employed to form a plate that may be used in body armor. According to one example of a process for fabricating body armor according to the present invention, a mold for an armor plate is provided. At reference numeral 70, the mold is sprayed with a mold release agent. At reference numeral 72, the top and bottom mold plates are completely covered with brass powder (about 100 mesh). A depth of about 0.03125 inch has been found to be satisfactory. At reference numeral 74, a layer of glass-filled nylon polymer is washed using the wash liquid and is placed over the brass granules. A depth of about 0.125 inch has been found to be satisfactory. At reference numeral 76, a layer of iron pyrite is placed over the glass-filled polymer. A depth of about 0.125 inch has been found to be satisfactory. At reference numeral 78, a sheet formed from a material such as titanium (for example about 0.125 inch thick) or carbon steel (about 0.0625 inch thick) is placed above the pyrite layer. The process is then reversed, and at reference numeral 80, a layer of iron pyrite is placed over the sheet. A depth of about 0.125 inch has been found to be satisfactory. At reference numeral 82, a layer of glass-filled nylon polymer washed using the wash liquid is placed over the layer of iron pyrite. A depth of about 0.125 inch has been found to be satisfactory. At reference numeral 84, a layer of brass granules (about 35 mesh or finer) is placed over the layer of glass-filled nylon polymer. A depth of about 0.0625 inch has been found to be satisfactory.
At reference numeral 86, a cover is placed on the mold and the mold is placed in an oven at a temperature of, for example, 800° F. for an interval of about 15 minutes, or until the glass-filled nylon polymer begins to melt. At reference numeral 88, the mold is then removed from the oven and immediately placed in a press rated about 50-100 tons where the mold cover is uniformly pressed into the mold until the material cools to a temperature of about 140° F. At reference numeral 90, the finished placed is then released from the mold.
While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method for forming a lead electrode, comprising:
- providing a batch of molten lead;
- preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained;
- treating brass granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated brass granules;
- treating iron pyrite granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated iron pyrite granules;
- treating copper granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated copper granules;
- adding the treated brass granules, the treated iron pyrite granules, and the treated copper granules to the molten lead;
- pouring the molten lead into a pour mold coated with a thin layer of brass granules;
- allowing the lead to solidify into an ingot and then rolling the ingot in a pressure roller.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- providing a batch of molten lead comprises providing about 635 Kg of molten lead;
- preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained;
- treating brass granules comprises treating about 9 Kg of brass granules having a size of about 100 mesh or finer for each about 635 Kg of molten lead;
- treating iron pyrite granules comprises treating about 2.3 Kg of powdered iron pyrite having a size of about 0.025 inch or finer for each about 635 Kg of molten lead; and
- treating copper granules comprises treating about 4.5 Kg of copper granules having a size of about 100 mesh or finer for each about 635 Kg of molten lead.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein preparing the wash liquid comprises:
- mixing brass granules with acetone;
- mixing brass granules, iron pyrite granules and copper granules in the acetone brass mixture; and
- straining the liquid from the remaining solid material.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein:
- mixing brass granules with acetone comprises mixing about 454 grams of brass (about 100 mesh or finer) per gallon of acetone in a commercial blender at high speed for about 10 minutes or until a gold color appears at the surface of the acetone when the blender is stopped;
- mixing carbon nanotube material comprises mixing about one gram of multi-walled carbon nanotube material per gallon of acetone at high speed for about 5 minutes;
- mixing iron pyrite comprises mixing about 33.5 grams of iron pyrite per gallon of acetone, the iron pyrite having an average grain size of about 0.125 inch for a minimum of about 3 minutes at high speed;
- mixing copper comprises mixing about 517 grams of copper per gallon of acetone, the copper having a mesh size of about 35 mesh or finer for about 8 minutes until a slurry begins to form on the surface after the blender is turned off.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein rolling the ingot in a pressure roller comprises rolling the ingot in a pressure roller as it is cooling.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein rolling the ingot in a pressure roller comprises rolling the ingot to a thickness of about 0.25 inches.
7. The method of claim 1 further including cutting the ingot to a finished size.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the finished size is about 3 ft. by about 4 ft.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a batch of molten lead comprises providing a molten calcium-tin lead composition.
10. A method for forming a lead electrode, comprising:
- providing a batch of molten lead including molten silver;
- preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained;
- treating brass granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated brass granules;
- treating iron pyrite granules with the wash liquid, and straining and drying the brass granules to form treated iron pyrite granules;
- adding the treated brass granules, and the treated iron pyrite granules to the molten lead;
- pouring the molten lead into a pour mold coated with a thin layer of brass granules;
- allowing the lead to solidify into an ingot and then rolling the ingot in a pressure roller.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein:
- providing a batch of molten lead comprises providing about 635 Kg of molten lead;
- preparing a wash liquid comprising acetone, brass granules, carbon nanotube material, iron pyrite granules, and copper granules, mixed at high speed and strained;
- treating brass granules comprises treating about 11.25 Kg of brass granules having a size of about 100 mesh or finer for each about 635 Kg of molten lead; and
- treating iron pyrite granules comprises treating about 4.55 Kg of powdered iron pyrite having a size of about 0.025 inch or finer for each about 635 Kg of molten lead.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein providing a batch of molten lead including molten silver comprises providing a batch of molten lead including about 0.46% molten silver by weight.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein preparing the wash liquid comprises:
- mixing brass granules with acetone;
- mixing brass granules and iron pyrite granules in the acetone brass mixture; and
- straining the liquid from the remaining solid material.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein:
- mixing brass granules with acetone comprises mixing about 454 grams of brass (about 100 mesh or finer) per gallon of acetone in a commercial blender at high speed for about 10 minutes or until a gold color appears at the surface of the acetone when the blender is stopped;
- mixing carbon nanotube material comprises mixing about one gram of multi-walled carbon nanotube material per gallon of acetone at high speed for about 5 minutes;
- mixing iron pyrite comprises mixing about 33.5 grams of iron pyrite per gallon of acetone, the iron pyrite having an average grain size of about 0.125 inch for a minimum of about 3 minutes at high speed.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein rolling the ingot in a pressure roller comprises rolling the ingot in a pressure roller as it is cooling.
16. The method of claim 10 wherein rolling the ingot in a pressure roller comprises rolling the ingot to a thickness of about 0.25 inches.
17. The method of claim 10 further including cutting the ingot to a finished size.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the finished size is about 3 ft. by about 4 ft.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 7, 2010
Publication Date: Feb 3, 2011
Applicant:
Inventor: John M. Bourque (Tucson, AZ)
Application Number: 12/755,601
International Classification: B22D 19/14 (20060101);