Method of producing a thermoplastic composition comprising essentially bitumen and an elastomer, and product thus obtained

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITION COMPRISING BITUMEN, AN ELASTOMER AND POSSIBLY A MINERAL FILLER, BY USING A DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY, WHEREN THERE IS USED AD AN ELASTOMER A RANDOM ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER REFERRED TO AS EPR INCLUDING THE RANDOM ETHYLENE-PROPYLENEDIENE TERPOLYMER REFERRED TO AS EPDM OF WHICH THE DIENE COMPONENT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HEXADIENE(1.4). DICYCLOPENTADIENE, 5-METHYLENE-NORBORNENE-(2), 5ETHYLENE-NORBORNENE-(2) AND 1-METHYL-CYCLOOTADIENE, SAID EPR COPOLYMER CONSISTING OF 54 TO 77% BY WEIGHT OF ETHYLENE, 0 TO 5& BY WEIGHT OF DIENE AND THE BALANCE TO 100% BY WEIGHT OF PROPYLENE, A SOLID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY IS USED WHICH CONSISTS OF AT LEAST ONE POLYOLEFIN, SATURATED OR UNSATURATED, LINEAR OR BRANCHED, HAVING A MEAN MOLECULAR WEIGHT WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2,0000 TO 500,000 AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE, ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE AND ATACTI POLYPROPYLENE, SAID ELASTOMER IS MIXED UP WITH SAID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY IN THE PROPORTIONS OF 99 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID ELASTOMER AND 1 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY, AT A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF SAID DISSOVING INTERMEDIARY, WHICH RANGES FROM 70* TO 150*C IN THE CASE OF POLYETHYLENES AND FROM 150* TO 160*C FOR POLYPROPYLENES, THE MIXTURE IS SUBSEQUENTLY GRANULATED TO A PARTICLES SIZE OF ABOUT 2 TO 3 MM., TO YIELD A GRANULATED ELASTOMER AND DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY PRE-MIXTUR, WHEREAFTER SAID GRANULATED PRE-MIXTURE IS KNEADED WITH SAID BITUMEN AND SAID POSSIBLE MINERAL FILLER, IN THE PROPORTIONS OF 1 TO 15% BY WEIGHT OF SAID PRE-MIXTURE GRANULAR SUBSTANCE, 99 TO 35% BY WEIGHT OF SAID BITUMENE AND 0 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID MINERAL FILLER, PROVIDED THAT THE TOTAL OF THESE THREE COMPONENT ELEMENTS IS 100% BY WEIGHT, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 180* TO 250*C, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A FINE PARTICULATE DISPERSION OF SAID GRANULATED PRE-MIXTURE IN THE BITUME N MASS, SAID BITUMEN BEING OF PETROLEUM ORIGIN AND HAVING A PENETRATION AT 25*C OF 1 TO 500 ACCORDING TO THE FRENCH STANDARD NF T 66 004.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITION COMPRISING BITUMEN, AN ELASTOMER AND POSSIBLY A MINERAL FILLER, BY USING A DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY, WHEREN THERE IS USED AD AN ELASTOMER A RANDOM ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER REFERRED TO AS EPR INCLUDING THE RANDOM ETHYLENE-PROPYLENEDIENE TERPOLYMER REFERRED TO AS EPDM OF WHICH THE DIENE COMPONENT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HEXADIENE(1.4). DICYCLOPENTADIENE, 5-METHYLENE-NORBORNENE-(2), 5ETHYLENE-NORBORNENE-(2) AND 1-METHYL-CYCLOOTADIENE, SAID EPR COPOLYMER CONSISTING OF 54 TO 77% BY WEIGHT OF ETHYLENE, 0 TO 5& BY WEIGHT OF DIENE AND THE BALANCE TO 100% BY WEIGHT OF PROPYLENE, A SOLID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY IS USED WHICH CONSISTS OF AT LEAST ONE POLYOLEFIN, SATURATED OR UNSATURATED, LINEAR OR BRANCHED, HAVING A MEAN MOLECULAR WEIGHT WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2,0000 TO 500,000 AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE, ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE AND ATACTI POLYPROPYLENE, SAID ELASTOMER IS MIXED UP WITH SAID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY IN THE PROPORTIONS OF 99 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID ELASTOMER AND 1 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY, AT A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF SAID DISSOVING INTERMEDIARY, WHICH RANGES FROM 70* TO 150*C IN THE CASE OF POLYETHYLENES AND FROM 150* TO 160*C FOR POLYPROPYLENES, THE MIXTURE IS SUBSEQUENTLY GRANULATED TO A PARTICLES SIZE OF ABOUT 2 TO 3 MM., TO YIELD A GRANULATED ELASTOMER AND DISSOLVING INTERMEDIARY PRE-MIXTUR, WHEREAFTER SAID GRANULATED PRE-MIXTURE IS KNEADED WITH SAID BITUMEN AND SAID POSSIBLE MINERAL FILLER, IN THE PROPORTIONS OF 1 TO 15% BY WEIGHT OF SAID PRE-MIXTURE GRANULAR SUBSTANCE, 99 TO 35% BY WEIGHT OF SAID BITUMENE AND 0 TO 50% BY WEIGHT OF SAID MINERAL FILLER, PROVIDED THAT THE TOTAL OF THESE THREE COMPONENT ELEMENTS IS 100% BY WEIGHT, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 180* TO 250*C, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A FINE PARTICULATE DISPERSION OF SAID GRANULATED PRE-MIXTURE IN THE BITUME N MASS, SAID BITUMEN BEING OF PETROLEUM ORIGIN AND HAVING A PENETRATION AT 25*C OF 1 TO 500 ACCORDING TO THE FRENCH STANDARD NF T 66 004.