Hollow-core articles and composite materials, methods of production and uses thereof
The invention provides novel articles of composite materials having hollow interior channels or passageways, or otherwise being hollowed out, and formulations and methods for their manufacture and uses. These hollow core objects are suitable for a variety of applications in construction, pavements and landscaping, and infrastructure.
1. An article of manufacture having a body prepared from a composite material,
wherein
the body comprises one or more interior ducts or channels exhibiting one or more surfaces capable of fluid communication with an exterior of the body, and
the composite material comprises:
a plurality of bonding elements, wherein each bonding element comprises: a core comprising primarily calcium silicate, a silica-rich first or inner layer, and a calcium carbonate-rich second or outer layer; and
filler particles comprising coarse filler particles and/or fine filler particles, wherein the plurality of bonding elements and the plurality of filler particles together form one or more bonding matrices and the bonding elements and the filler particles are substantially evenly dispersed therein and bonded together,
wherein the article is a hollow core slab having a longitudinal dimension from about 4 m to about 250 m, a transverse dimension from about 0.5 m to about 2 m, and a thickness from about 10 cm to about 50 cm.
2. The article of claim 1 , further comprising one or more reinforcement elements embedded in the body.
3. The article of claim 2 , wherein the one or more reinforcement elements are bars, wires or cables.
4. The article of claim 2 , wherein the one or more reinforcement bars are made of iron, steel, polymeric materials, glass, or a combination thereof.
5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the one or more reinforcement elements are pre-stressed.
6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bonding elements have a median particle size in the range from about 5 μm to about 100 μm.
7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bonding elements are chemically transformed from ground calcium silicate, comprising one or more of natural or synthetic wollastonite, pseudo-wollastonite, rankinite, gehlenite, belite, alite and amorphous phase.
8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bonding elements are prepared by a chemical transformation from ground calcium silicate by reacting it with CO 2 via a controlled hydrothermal liquid phase sintering process.
9. The article of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bonding elements are chemically transformed from a precursor calcium silicate other than synthetic wollastonite or pseudo-wollastonite.
10. The article of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of bonding elements:filler particles is about 1:5.
11. The article of claim 1 , having water absorption of less than about 10%.
12. The article of claim 1 , wherein the body is elongated in shape comprising four or more longitudinally disposed ducts or channels.