Rubber barytes compositions and methods of preparation

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PREPARING A POWDERY, FREE FLOWING RUBBER-MINERAL COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF THE STEPS OF (1) ADJUSTING THE WATER CONTENT OF A MINERAL BARYTES COMPOSITION CONTAINING AT LEAST 40% BY WEIGHT OF BARIUM SULFATE UNTIL A SLURRY OF ABOUT 25-75% BY WEIGHT BARYTES COMPOSITION-WATER IS FORMED, SAID MINERAL PARTICLES RANGING IN SIZE FROM ABOUT 5 MICRONS IN DIAMETER TO ABOUT 50 MICRONS IN DIAMETER, 90% OF WHICH ARE LESS THAN 10 MICRONS IN DIAMETER, (2) ADJUSTING THE PH OF SAID SLURRY TO ABOUT 8.5 BY ADDING SODIUM HYDROXIDE THERETO (3) MIXING THE SLURRIED MINERAL WITH A RUBBER LATEX, SAID LATEX BEING IN THE FORM OF ABOUT A 30-70% BY WEIGHT RUBBER-SERUM RELATION AND BEING PRESENT IN SAID MIXTURE IN THE PROPORTION OF ABOUT 20% BY WEIGHT OF RUBBER AND ABOUT 80% BY WEIGHT OF BARYTER COMPOSITION, (4) CO-PRECIPITATING THE RUBBER AND BARYTES COMPOSITION BY ADDING ALUMINUM SULFATE SOLUTION TO INDIVIDUALLY COAT THE BARYTES PARTICLES WITH FILMS OF RUBBER, (5) FILTERING THE CO-PRECIPITATED MIXTURE UNTIL ONLY ABOUT 33% BY WEIGHT OF WATER REMAINS, AND (6) DRYING AND PULVERIZING THE RUBBER-BARYTES COMPOSITION UNTIL ONLY ABOUT 0.5% BY WEIGHT OF WATER REMAINS AND ABOUT 95% OF SAID COMPOSITION IS CAPABLE OF PASSING THROUGH A 100-MESH STANDARD SCREEN AND TO RUPTURE SAID FILMS OF RUBBER TO CAUSE SURFACE AREAS OF SAID BARYTES PARTICLES TO PROTRUDE THROUGH THE FILMS, AND RECOVERING COMPOSITE PARTICLES COMPOSED OF BARYTES AND ASSOCIATED DISCONTINUOUS RUBBER PARTICLES, AS THE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.