Explosively-split fragments obtained by water-vapor explosion of wooden source materials, wooden material containing such fragments as its aggregate, their manufacturing methods and machines

• US 6,461,472 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
• Inventors: Fujii, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): YAO, SAMCHUAN CUA
• Application Number:
  US09/962,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20020011307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 162/21, 162/22, 162/247, 241/1, 241/12, 241/2
• US Class Current: 162/21
• CPC Class Codes: B27L 11/08 of wood fibres, e.g. produced by tearing
• CPC Class Codes: B27L 7/00 Arrangements for splitting wood
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 1/00 Pretreatment of moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/525 containing organic fibres, e.g. wood fibres B28B1/526, B28B1/527 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 17/02 Conditioning the material prior to shaping for mixtures containing clay or cement B28C
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/26 Wood, e.g. sawdust, wood shavings
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/026 Comminuting, e.g. by grinding or breaking; Defibrillating fibres other than asbestos
• CPC Class Codes: D01B 1/50 Obtaining fibres from other specified vegetable matter, e.g. peat, Spanish moss
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/36 Explosive disintegration by sudden pressure reduction
• CPC Class Codes: D21J 1/00 Fibreboard preparation of pulp compositions or addition of chemical agents D21B, D21C, D21H; formation of the wet web D21F
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/16 of fibres, chips, vegetable stems, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete

Abstract

In order to inexpensive construction materials effectively utilizing timber resources and realizing any desired properties by using so-called low-quality materials including slim timbers, old timbers, wood cuttings produced by lumbering, bamboo, and so forth, wood, bamboo and other wooden source materials are split into fragments along their fibers by water vapor explosion, and such explosive-split fragments are shaped and hardened by adding an adhesive, mortar or expandable resin into a new wooden material such as multi-layered board, cement board or foamed resin board of explosive-split fragments. The explosive-split fragments are also usable in various fields other than fabrication of the new material.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials comprising the steps of:

(a) adjusting water content of said source materials, said source materials comprising at least one of wood and bamboo;

(b) stacking a plurality of said source materials to align fibers of said source materials substantially in parallel;

(c) conveying the source materials along a conveyor belt to a splitting means having converging pressure plates;

(d) compressing said source materials as said source materials are conveyed at a predetermined pressure under a predetermined temperature for a predetermined amount of time by applying pressure to said source materials in a first direction via said converging pressure plates;

(e) restricting the source materials in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction; and

(f) instantaneously releasing the pressure as the source materials are conveyed out of the splitting means to invite water vapor explosion in said source materials resulting in partly or entirely releasing fiber coupling in said source materials along fibers thereof, thereby to obtain at least one of powdered explosive-split fragments, cottony explosive-split fragments, string-shaped explosive-split fragments, or rod-shaped explosive-split fragments.

3. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, further comprising:

restricting said source materials in a direction parallel to a width of said source materials prior to compressing said source materials; and

simultaneously releasing the restriction and releasing the pressure to obtain said explosive-split fragments.

4. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source material according to claim 1, further comprising:

varying at least one of the predetermined pressure, the predetermined amount of time, and the predetermined temperature to obtain a particular one of said powdered explosive-split fragments, cottony explosive-split fragments, string-shaped explosive-split fragments, or rod-shaped explosive-split fragments.

5. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined temperature is a temperature in the range between 100°

C. and 150°

C.

6. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined temperature is a temperature in the range between 200°

C. and 300°

C.

7. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined pressure is a pressure in the range between 1 MPa to 4 Mpa.

8. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined pressure is a pressure in the range between 5 MPa to 15 Mpa.

9. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined time period is a time period in the range between 20 seconds to 200 seconds.

10. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined time period is a time period in the range between 20 seconds to 360 seconds.

2. The method for manufacturing explosive-split fragments from wooden source materials according to claim 2, wherein:

the stacked wooden source material is gradually compressed to said predetermined pressure while being simultaneously heated to said predetermined temperature.