AU2007211878A1 - Container - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO:

LODGED:

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED:

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PUBLISHED:

RELATED ART: NAME OF APPLICANT: Matrix Asia Pacific Pty Ltd ACTUAL INVENTOR(S): ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: LORD AND COMPANY, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, of 4 Douro Place, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005, AUSTRALIA.

"CONTAINER"

DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO: Australian Provisional Patent Application Number 2006904538 filed on 22 August 2006 The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

TITLE

01)

;"CONTAINER"

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 00 r- The present invention relates to a container and a method of manufacture thereof. The 00 container of the present invention is particularly envisaged for use in the construction of electrowinning and electro refining cells.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Containers used in the construction of electrowinning and electro refining cells must be suitable for securely holding corrosive liquids.

Typically, such containers are formed from a vinyl ester resin combined with filler materials such as glass, sand and gravel. The containers may be laminated, with an outer layer comprised virtually entirely of a vinyl ester resin.

Containers formed according to known methods are likely to be heavy, and thus relatively cumbersome. In some circumstances, air trapped in the container during the manufacturing process can cause a degree of porosity in the container, leading to an increased chance of cracking over time.

The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part the aforementioned disadvantages of previous containers used in the construction of electrowinning and electro refining cells.

toSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of

(N

N manufacture of a container, the method comprising the steps of forming a mould, filing 00 5 the mould with a primary filling material, then injecting a filled resin into the mould so as r- 00 to fill about the primary filling material, and subsequently allowing the filled resin to cure.

Preferably, the primary filling material comprises substantially hollow balls.

(Ni In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a container suitable for use in the construction of an electrowinning and an electro refining cell, the container being formed from a material comprising substantially hollow balls set within a resin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 2 is a magnified cross-sectional view of a wall of the container of Figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the Figures, there is shown a container 10 for use in the construction of an electrowinning and electro refining cell.

The container 10 is constructed according to the following method.

O A mould for the container 10 is constructed from a suitable material such as steel, aluminium, or a composite material. The mould has an internal cavity which is substantially of the same dimensions as required for the container 10, with some allowance made for possible shrinkage of the container 10 during a curing phase.

00 5 Preferably, the mould is constructed in two or three parts to allow for easy assembly and r- 00 disassembly during construction of the container In order to form a container 10 within the mould, the internal cavity is first lined with a Ssuitable outer layer 12 as shown in Figure 2. Preferably, the outer layer 12 comprises a glass fibre matting material which is adhered to the walls of the internal cavity using a suitable adhesive, such as a spray adhesive. The outer layer 12 is not resin enriched or pre-impregnated with resin.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other materials such as cloths formed from carbon fibre material may be used to form the outer layer 12.

It may be desirable in some cases to pre-treat the internal cavity with a coating such as a "gel coat" or a "corrosion coating" prior to lining with the outer layer 12. Where such a coating is used the coating is generally allowed to cure partially before the outer layer 12 is applied.

Once the internal cavity has been lined, the mould is assembled and injection fittings are attached.

The internal cavity is then filled with a primary filling material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the primary filling material comprises substantially hollow balls or "macro spheres" 14. The macro spheres 14 are substantially spherical, with a nominal diameter of about 8mm. The macro spheres 14 are preferably formed using a laminated fibreglass/resin construction. Alternatively, the macro spheres 14 may be made from other suitable materials such as pure resin, syntactic foam, ceramic b material or thermoplastics material.

Once the internal cavity is filled with the primary filling material, the mould is readied for injection.

00 5 As a first stage of the injection process, a vacuum is applied to the internal cavity. This 00 may be achieved by the use of vacuum pumps, or by placing the mould into a vacuum chamber.

When air within the internal cavity has been evacuated, a filled resin 16 is injected into the cavity about the primary filling material. Preferably, the resin 16 is a syntactic binder.

The syntactic binder comprises a resin, such as an epoxy resin, which has been blended with "micro spheres". Micro spheres are small hollow balls, typically 50 microns in diameter. Preferably, the micro spheres are formed from glass, but may also include ceramic or thermoplastic material.

It will be appreciated that other suitable resins such as vinyl ester, polyester and polyurethane may also be used to form the syntactic binder.

As the resin 16 is injected into the cavity, it infuses about the macro spheres 14 and through the outer layer 12, filling the internal cavity with a substantially void-free resin based casting.

The container 10 thus formed is then cured, either at ambient temperature or in an oven as required. During curing the adhesive used on the outer layer 12 degrades to allow ready release of the container 10 from the mould.

Once the container 10 is cured, it is removed from the mould and repaired or trimmed as desired.

The container 10 thus formed is formed by a composite foam within an outer layer 12, Stypically fibreglass. The composite foam comprises macro spheres 14 encapsulated by a micro sphere filled resin 16. The container 10 is suitable for use in the construction of an electro winning and an electro refining cell because it is capable of withstanding high temperatures, and has a low moisture permeability.

00 5 Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to r- 00 be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. 2. A method according to claim I, wherein the primary filling material comprises Ssubstantially hollow balls.
2. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the primary filling material is formed of macro spheres.
3. 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the filled resin is injected into the mould to infuse about the macro spheres and form a void free resin based cavity. A method according to claim 4, wherein the filled resin is a syntactic binder containing a resin filled with macro spheres.
4. 6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mould has an internal cavity, and the internal cavity is first lined with an outer fibrous layer.
5. 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the outer fibrous layer is formed from glass fibre matting or carbon fibre material cloth.
6. 8. A method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the internal cavity is pretreated with a resin coating prior to the lining thereof.
7. 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the resin coating is allowed to cure partially before application of the outer layer. A method of manufacturing a container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
8. 11. A container suitable for use in the construction of an electrowinning and an tb electro refining cell, the container being formed from a material comprising substantially hollow balls set within a resin. (N
9. 12. A container manufactured by the method of any one of claims 1 to 00 o- 0",