Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Bituminous Stone.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 16th Jan.. 1893-Accepted. 11th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Bituminous Stone.
I, RICHARD HUPPERTSBERG. of 74 Thurmstrasse Berlin, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing bituminous artificial
stone of superior quality and hardness, not liable to become soft by subsequent
heating.
Artificial stones and pavements containing bituminous or resinous materials,
particularly asphaltus, are well known and in general use. But the mode of pre-
paring the compounds of this kind, or of applying the bituminous or resinous material,
has, in all known processes, been to submit the asphaltus to heat and to apply or
mix it in a heated or boiling state. Other materials, such as earth, gravel and the
like, being mixed with the boiling bitumen, are firmly incorporated in the mass,
which, cooling down, acquires a certain degree of hardness. But all these mixtures,
as a matter of course, are subject to softening if they are submitted to heat, which
makes the bitumen soft, such quality being particularly objectionable with street
pavement.
The new method of preparing artificial bituminous stone entirely obviates the
inconvenience of subsequent softening.
According to my invention, I prepare a cold mixture of bituminous or resinous
matter, such as asphaltus, in a finely disintegrated state with a suitable mineral
binding material, such as cement and the like, and, by adding water or another
suitable fluid, the cement, plaster, or other mineral binding material, not only
incorporates the bitumen, but, owing to the heat developed in the process of binding,
the bituminous or resinous matter is softened within the compound and thereby enters
into such intimate combination with the binding material that the product acquires
a conspicuous degree of compactness and that the same is not liable to become soft
in any available degree by subsequent heating.
In carrying my invention into practice, I proceed as follows:-
Asphaltus, or other suitable bituminous material, is reduced to a fine powder by
any known disintegrator or mill, and the said powder is then intimately mixed up
with a suitable mineral binding material, such as hydrate of lime, or hydrate of
magnesia, or with a mixture of hydrate of lime and hydrate of magnesia, or cement,
or plaster, or roasted dolomite, or siliciferous carbonate of magnesia and the like.
To this mixture, a suitable quantity of water or other fluid is added to form a paste,
and to the said paste, a convenient quantity of sand or powder of quartz may be
admixed, the said addition of sand or the like varying in quantity according to
the quality of stone to be obtained. In other known methods of manufacturing
artificial stone, the solidity and resistance of the resulting product are diminished
in the same degree as the admixed quantity of sand or the like is increased.
the present method of my invention, the resistance of the stone obtained, on the
contrary, increases with the quantity of sand or powder of quartz admixed with the
mass, up to a certain degree, this result being apparently due to the process of
silification which is going on in the mass, before it becomes dry and hard.
With
The paste prepared as described, forming a kind of mortar, may be filled or cast
into any suitable forms, and, after complete solidification, obtains considerable
hardness, the degree of which depends on the quantity of bitumen contained in the
I have termed the stone or stony mass obtained by the process of my invention
or asphalt-stone.
mass.
"Bitumelith "
As stated before, the mineral binding material, being mixed up with water or a

page_text: suitable fluid, spontaneously develops a considerable degree of heat and said heat
serves to melt or soften the bitumen contained in the mass; the molten bitumen,
intimately mixed up with the alkaline mineral binding material, enters into chemical
combination with the hydroxide developed from the said binding material, and a
stony mass is obtained in which the grains of bitumen are not loosely held or bound
by the surrounding cement, but in which the bitumen forms, with the binding
material, a compound of considerable hardness and superior solidity.
An essential feature of my invention consists in replacing the heat, hitherto
mechanically applied for melting or softening the bitumen, by the spontaneous heat
developed by the binding material in the process of formation of the stone.
Owing to the moderate heat arising from and continuing in the mixture for a
considerable length of time, the bitumen undergoes a process of saponification and
not only mechanically adheres to the binding substance, but enters into such intimate
combination with the same that a superior solidity is obtained, together with a
considerable degree of elasticity of the resulting stone.
The "Bitumelith," as I call the artificial stone obtained, is not liable to
deformation by heat subsequently applied, but its surface, nevertheless, may still
receive a more homogeneous structure by applying to it heated rollers, stamps or
heated metal, which serves to smooth the outside and impart to it a durable, lasting,
unchangeable surface.
As stated before, the proportions of the ingredients to be mixed, namely, of the
bituminous or resinous substance and the binding material, as also of the quantity
of sand or indifferent matter to be added, may be varied within wide limits to
obtain various qualities of artificial stone to answer the differing purposes of use
and the desired degrees of impermeability, elasticity, solidity and resistance against
strain and heat.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Bituminous Stone.
1, RICHARD HUPPERTSBERG of 74 Thurmstrasse, Berlin in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing artificial stone
containing asphalt or similar bituminous or resinous matter, and has for its object
to obtain a quality of stone superior in hardness and not liable to become soft by
subsequent heating.
-
Artificial stones and pavements containing bituminous or resinous matter
particularly asphalt, are well known and in general use. But the method of
preparing the compounds of this kind, or of applying the bituminous or resinous
material, has, in all known methods of manufacture been to submit the asphalt to
heat and to mix with it while boiling other material, such as sand, gravel and
the like, which are firmly incorporated in the mass. These mixtures, having
cooled down, acquire a certain degree of hardness, but are subject to annealing
if they are again exposed to heat, which makes the bitumen soft. Artificial
stones and pavements of this kind are objectionable, particularly for street
pavements.
This improved method of preparing artificial bituminous stone entirely obviates
the inconveniences generally connected with artificial stones of the kind containing
asphalt or bituminous material.
According to my invention, I prepare a cold mixture of asphalt or a similar
bituminous or resinous matter, in a finely disintegrated state, with a suitable

page_text: mineral binding material, such as cement and the like and with chloride of
magnesium and by adding water or other suitable fluid the cement, plaster, or other
mineral binding material not only incorporates the bitumen but, owing to the heat
developed in the process of binding, the bituminous or resinous matter is softened
within the compound and thereby enters into such intimate combination with the
binding material, that the product acquires a conspicuous degree of compactness
and solidity and is not liable to become soft in any appreciable degree by subsequent
heating.
In carrying my invention into practice, I proceed as follows:-
Asphalt or other suitable bituminous material is reduced to a fine powder by any
kuown disintegrator or mill, and the said powder is then intimately mixed up with
a suitable mineral binding material, such as oxide of lime and oxide of magnesia, or
cement, or plaster, or roasted dolomite, or siliciferous carbonate of magnesia, and
the like. To this mixture, a suitable quantity of chloride of magnesium and water
or other fluid is added to form a paste, and, to the said paste, a convenient
quantity of sand, or powder of quartz, may be admixed, the said addition of
sand or the like varying in quantity according to the quality of stone to be
obtained.
In other known methods of manufacturing artificial stone, the solidity and
resistance of the resulting product are impaired proportionally to the quantity of
sand admixed to the mass. The stone obtained by the improved method of my
invention, on the contrary, increases in solidity and resistance proportional to the
quantity of sand or quartz admixed, up to a certain degree. This remarkable
result is apparently due to the process of silicification which is going on in the mass
before it becomes dry and hard.
The paste prepared, as described, forming a kind of mortar, may be filled or cast
into any suitable forms, and, after complete solidification, obtains considerable
hardness, the degree of which depends on the quantity of bitumen contained in the
mass.
As stated before, the mineral binding material, being mixed up with water,
spontaneously develops a considerable degree of heat, and said heat serves to melt
or soften the bitumen contained in the mass. The melting bitumen intimately
mixed with the alkaline mineral binding material enters into chemical combination
with the hydroxide developed from the said binding material, and, owing to the
chemical process going on in the mass, a stony product is obtained, in which the
grains of bitumen are not loosely held or bound by the surrounding binding
material, as is the case with the methods hitherto practised, but the bitumen forms,
with the binding material, a compound of considerable hardness and superior
solidity.
An essential feature of my invention consists in replacing the heat which has
been hitherto applied for melting or softening the bitumen by the spontaneous heat
developed by the binding material in the process of formation of the stone, said
heat being moderate but continuing for a considerable length of time, whereby the
bitumen is made to undergo a process of saponification, and not only mechanically
adheres to the binding substance, but enters into such intimate combination with
the same, so that a superior solidity is obtained, retaining, nevertheless, a con-
siderable degree of elasticity of the resulting stone.
The "Bitumelith," as I call the artificial stone produced by the method above
described, is not liable to deformation by heat subsequently applied, but its surface
may, nevertheless, receive a more homogeneous structure by applying to it heated
rollers, stamps or heated metal, which serves to smooth the outside and impart to
it a durable, lasting and unchangeable surface.
The proportions of the ingredients to be mixed, namely, of the bituminous or
resinous substance and the binding material, as also of the quantity of sand,
quartz, or indifferent matter to be added, may be varied within wide limits, to
obtain various qualities of artificial stone to answer the desired degree of imper-
meability, elasticity, solidity, and resistance against strain and heat.

page_text: I am well aware that artificial stones have been made and used before, con-
sisting of a mixture of asphalt and mineral binding material, but the mixture used
to be made while the bitumen was molten by heat, and the result of such mixture
is quite different from that obtained by the method of my invention as above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvements in the manufacture of artificial bituminous stone, consisting
in preparing a mixture, in a cold state, of finely reduced asphalt or similar
bituminous or resinous matter with a mineral binding material (such as cement,
plaster, dolomite, and the like) and with chloride of magnesium and water or other
fluid, the said mixture forming a mortar, which, after solidification, obtains great
solidity, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th dow of January 1893
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.