High-performance environmentally friendly building panel and related manufacturing methods

Abstract

Various embodiments of a high-performance environmentally friendly building panel and related manufacturing methods are disclosed. Certain example embodiments described herein relate to various high-performance building panel configurations that utilize at least one engineered mixture produced with a desired thickness, shape and dimension, and manufactured through several preferential manufacturing methods. To selectively enhance some of the high-performance building panel characteristics such as its ability to withstand significant loads, mitigate possible contamination by bacteria growth, as well as its ability to be fire-retardant or fire-suppressant, and other credible operating scenarios the characteristics of different engineered mixtures may be combined during the panel forming process. Some of the manufacturing steps may involve sterilization and utilization of light-sensitive chemicals so as to sterilize as well as to enhance certain thermal-physical and mechanical characteristics of the high-performance building panel.

1 . A building panel comprising:
 a core mix; and   one or more fillers or binders, including at least about 2-3% by weight of glass.   
   
   
       2 . The building panel of  claim 1 , wherein the glass takes the form of recycled glass beads. 
   
   
       3 . (canceled) 
   
   
       4 . A building panel comprising:
 a core mix; and   one or more fillers or binders, including little or no Perlite.   
   
   
       5 . A building panel comprising:
 a core mix; and   one or more fillers and/or binders, including little or no silica.   
   
   
       6 . The building panel of  claim 5 , wherein the silica comprises no more than about 2% by weight of the composition. 
   
   
       7 . The building panel of  claim 5 , wherein the core mix comprises 70-85% by weight of the composition, with the balance in said fillers and/or binders. 
   
   
       8 . The building panel of  claim 5 , wherein the core mix comprises MgO and MgCl 2 . 
   
   
       9 . The building panel of  claim 5 , wherein the fillers and/or binders include a light-radiation-sensitive compound. 
   
   
       10 . The building panel of  claim 5 , further comprising microspheres. 
   
   
       11 . The building panel of  claim 10 , wherein the microspheres may be coated or uncoated and filled or unfilled. 
   
   
       12 . An apparatus for manufacturing a building panel, comprising:
 at least one main reactor including a plurality of tanks, each said tank including a tank mixture material;   a mixer to receive the tank mixture material from each of the tanks and to provide a mixture of materials collected from all of the tanks;   a conveyer surface to receive the mixture of materials from the mixer and to form the mixture into a board having a predetermined shape;   a curing unit to receive the board from the conveyer surface; and   a controller to control environmental processing conditions in the main reactor, the mixer and/or the conveyer.   
   
   
       13 . (canceled) 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the environmental processing conditions include temperature, humidity and/or pressure. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a heating/cooling unit provided to the conveyer surface, wherein the controller is set to control the heating/cooling unit. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising at heater provided to each of the tanks, wherein the controller is set to control the heater of each of the tanks. 
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a heating/cooling unit provided to the mixer, wherein the controller is set to control the heating/cooling unit. 
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the pressure inside each of the tanks is controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the mixer includes a pressurizer controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       20 .- 22 . (canceled) 
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a diffuser to spread the mixture of materials onto the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 23  wherein the temperature and/or pressure inside the diffuser are controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       25 .- 26 . (canceled) 
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising at least one roll placed above the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       28 .- 29 . (canceled) 
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a light or electron beam source to irradiate and/or sterilize the mixture of materials along the path of the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       31 .- 34 . (canceled) 
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a lubricating system, controllable by the controller, to lubricate the conveyer surface prior to application of the mixture of materials on the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       36 .- 45 . (canceled) 
   
   
       46 . A method for manufacturing a building panel, comprising:
 providing at least one main reactor including a plurality of tanks, each said tank including a tank mixture material;   providing a mixer to receive the tank mixture material from each of the tanks and to provide a mixture of materials collected from all of the tanks;   providing a conveyer surface to receive the mixture of materials from the mixer and to form the mixture into a board having a predetermined shape;   providing a curing unit to receive the board from the conveyer surface; and   controlling, via a controller, environmental processing conditions in the main reactor, the mixer and/or the conveyer.   
   
   
       47 . (canceled) 
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the environmental processing conditions include temperature, humidity and/or pressure. 
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising a heating/cooling unit provided to the conveyer surface, wherein the controller is set to control the heating/cooling unit. 
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising at heater provided to each of the tanks, wherein the controller is set to control the heater of each of the tanks. 
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising a heating/cooling unit provided to the mixer, wherein the controller is set to control the heating/cooling unit. 
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the pressure inside each of the tanks is controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the mixer includes a pressurizer controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       54 .- 56 . (canceled) 
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising a diffuser to spread the mixture of materials onto the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the temperature and/or pressure inside the diffuser are controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       59 .- 60 . (canceled) 
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising at least one roll placed above the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the at least one roll includes a heating/cooling element controllable by the controller. 
   
   
       63 . (canceled) 
   
   
       64 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising a light or electron beam source to irradiate and/or sterilize the mixture of materials along the path of the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       65 .- 68 . (canceled) 
   
   
       69 . The method of  claim 46  further comprising a lubricating system, controllable by the controller, to lubricate the conveyer surface prior to application of the mixture of materials on the conveyer surface. 
   
   
       70 .- 79 . (canceled)