Process for making spheroidal agglomerates

Abstract

Abstract PROCESS FOR MAKING SPHEROIDAL AGGLOMERATES OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS, SUCH AS METALLIC MATERIALS, BONDED BY A MATRIX OF AN ORGANIC POLYMER, WHICH COMPRISES MIXING THE SOLID PARTICLES WITH AN ORGANIC LIQUID PREPOLYMER CURABLE TO A SOLID POLYMER, AND A VOLATILE LIQUID WHICH IS IMMISCIBLE WITH THE PREPOLYMER AND DOES NOT DISSOLVE THE SOLID PARTICLES; AND CONTINUOUSLY AGITATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE WHILE REMOVING THE VOLATILE LIQUID. DURING SUCH SIMULTANEOUS AGITATION AND REMOVAL, THE PREPOLYMER AND SOLIDS COALESCE INTO GLOBULES CONTAINING THE PARTICLES DISPERSED THEREIN. THE AGITATION AND REMOVAL CONTINUES UNTIL THE PREPOLYMER CURES INTO A SOLID POLYMER. BY LIQUID "PREPOLYMER" IS MEANT A LIQUID POLYMER WHICH IS FURTHER CURABLE INTO A HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT OR CROSSLINKED SOLID POLYMER. CURE OF THE PREPOLYMER CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED THERMALLY AND/OR BY ADDITION OF CURING AGENT. IT IS GENERALLY PREPERRED TO INCLUDE CURING AGENT IN THE PROCESS MIXTURE. THE SOLID PARTICLES MAY BE THE SAME OR DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES. IF DIFFERENT, THEY ARE INTIMATELY ADMIXED IN EACH AGGLOMERATE SPHEROIDAL PARTICLE IN DESIRED RATIOS OF CONCENTRATION.

Inventors

• 👤 Bruno J Macri

Bibliographic Details