AU609225B2

AU609225B2 - A tile and method for making same

Info

Publication number: AU609225B2
Application number: AU26414/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Brian Augustine Boserio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-30
Filing date: 1988-11-30
Publication date: 1991-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-30
Also published as: AU2641488A

Description

9~ 1609225 This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant(s): BRIAN AUGUSTINE BOSERIO Address of Applicant(s): 132 Vernon Street Atherton, in the State of Queensland, 4883 9.9* 9r *9#4 9rr *999 9,I 99 Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: BRIAN AUGUSTINE BOSERIO G.R. CULLEN COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, Dalgety House, 79 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

r9 99 9 &1 4 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: A TILE AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us.

2 This invention relates to a tile and to a method of making it. In particular, the invention is directed to a composite slate tile and a method of making such a tile.

Although the invention will be described by way of example with reference to slate tiles, it will be appreciated that the method, is also applicable to tiles incorporating stone other than slate.

Traditionally, slate flooring or the like is laid by random plate laying which involves spreading mortar over the surface to which the slate is to be applied and then .I pressing the pieces of slate by hand into the mortar. The mortar is then allowed to set and once this has occurred, the surface of the slate and mortar is then sealed by the S application of a suitable sealant.

it Considerable skill is required to lay slate in this Sfashion to ensure that a level finish is produced. The difficulty in laying slate in this way is compounded if the slate is to be placed on a wall rather than a floor. The 20 traditional method of laying slate on a wall requires

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initially positioning of the slate in a random fashion on the wall and holding it in place with nails. It is also difficult to obtain an even finish.

Another disadvantage of conventional slate laying techniques is that it is not possible to obtain differences in mortar colouring over the whole job. Such variation may 7 a 9 9c~ q9r 9 *94 9, i 4 9 2Q be desired for aesthetic reasons.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tile and a method of making it which overcomes, or at least alleviates, the disadvantages referred to above.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a tile ge -~ree3mi doonig.f.gaon comprising a hardened matrix of settable material, a plurality of irregularly configured stone elements of varying thickness embedded in said hardened matrix and separated from each other such that said matrix extends between parts of adjacent stone elements, at least some of said stone elements having an exposed upper surface on one face of said matrix, and reinforcment means extending at least partially accross said matrix.

In the preferred embodiment, the stone elements are flat slate pieces which are embedded in the top of the tile such that the top surfaces of the slate pieces are substantially level.

The settable matrix can suitably comprise mortar or other settable bonding material such as epoxy resin.

The tile is preferably of uniform thickness and regular predetermined configuration for example, square or rectangular. Typically, the tile has edge dimensions of 250mm, 500mm or 750mm, and a thickness of approximately For larger sized tiles, such as a rectangular tile of 1m x 4m dimensions, the reinforcement means can be prestressed in order to provide the proper amount of reinforcement.

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3(a) The tiles can be provided with suitable attachments such as clips, or tongue and groove edges, to facilitate a 5~9

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0 ;'~-DYnl 4 positioning and/or attachment to other tiles.

The upper peripheral edge of the tile may be chamfered or otherwise contoured to facilitate laying tiles next to each other.

The reinforcement means may extend over and be secured to the underside of the matrix, or otherwise be embedded in the matrix. Preferably, the reinforcement consists of wire mesh.

3"9, The mortar from which the matrix is made may be i.•0 coloured with a suitable dye.

In another form, the present invention provides a r.

tile having one or more slate or stone pieces secured or bonded to a settable backing material with gaps provided between adjacent pieces of stone or slate and upper surfaces 9,*4s15 of the pieces being substantially in a common plane.

S i r According to another aspect of the invention there It: is provided a method of forming a tile of predetermined configuration comprising the steps of forming a settable matrix of predetermined shape; embedding at least one stone t q

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'0 element in said settable matrix such that the upper surface t f of said stone element is exposed; and providing said settable matrix with reinforcement meens.

In yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a tile of predetermined configuration comprising the steps of placing at least one stone element onto a support; providing a mould or formwork r-r- of predetermined shape around said stone element; filling said mould or formwork with a settable matrix around the stone element such that the stone element is at least partially embedded within said settable matrix with part of sa! stone element being exposed; and providing said settable matrix with reinforcement means..

In a preferred embodiment, the settable matrix is vibrated to settle more closely around the stone element(s) t't" and remove air from the matrix, which typically is mortar or 10 other cementitious material.

The pressing of the stone elements into the matrix 4* may be carried out by hand or may be performed by a press or t* a platen. The pressure employed to embed the stone pieces into the matrix may vary depending upon the consistency of *-15 the mortar used. A pressure of approximately is generally suitable for this purpose. It is preferred that the pressing and vibrating steps are carried out simultaneously.

After the reinforcement has been positioned against the underside or embedded within the matrix and the 4 vibrating step has been completed, the upper periphery of the tile may then be chamfered prior to allowing the matrix to set, or alternatively where the tile is made in a mould, the mould may be shaped to provide a chamfered edge around the tile.

The tiles of the invention can be laid with a i: 6 minimum amount of mortar since each tile has a substantially flat underside. If desired, coloured grout or the like may be used between adjacent tiles of the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the tile of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Part of the tile 10 is shown broken away to illustrate other aspects of the tile. The tile 10 has an upper surface 11 and an underside (not visible). A mesh 9*9* S1,, 0 reinforcement 12 extend across the underside of the tile *999 9. and is fixed thereto or embedded therein. The tile has a .9 predetermined, substantially constant, thickness indicated by ri S" the letter T. The upper periphery of the tile is provided with a chamfer 13 which extends completely around the tile.

5 The tile comprises a matrix 14 of suitable mortar with a *g plurality of slate pieces 15 embedded in its topside, the slate pieces being exposed so as to be visible when the tile 10 is viewed from above. The pieces 15 are pressed into the matrix before the substrate has cured and arranged to ensure that the upper surface of the tile is as flat as possible.

These tiles of "standard" shape are thereby easier to lay than random sized and shaped s. ate pieces.

The slate embedded in the tile may be chosen to have a particular or desired colour or texture, but it is not necessary for each piece in a particular tile to be identical.

11 n 7 As the tile is provided with reinforcement, it is particularly suitable for transportation and is not as prone to damage as slate itself.

Furthermore, by merely laying out a plurality of the tiles, a customer can obtain an instant impression of what the final floor or wall may look like and this has not previously been possible using raw slate laid by the random slate laying method. As the tiles are of standard design and configuration, no particular skill or craftsmanship is necessary in laying the tiles.

If spaces are left between adjacent pieces of slate or stone, those spaces may be filled with grout having any

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desired colour.

Once the mortar has set, the tile may be treated t 4 with a sealant and thus, the finished tile has the appearance t II it would have when the slate is laid in situ.

By standardising the making of tiles according to i the invention it is possible to produce tiles which have substantially flat upper and lower surfaces and thus, when I''4 laid in place, provide a substantially flat floor or wall.

The tiles can be made conveniently in a factory, and on site laying time is minimized.

Various other changes and modifications may be nmade to the embodiment described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the foll~iwing claims.

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Claims

9.99 V1 i *p i o o, *a* 0I 8 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A tile .of- prodotormined-~onfi..Urti i ecomprising a hardened matrix of settable material, a plurality of irregularly configured stone elements of varying thickness embedded in said hardened matrix and separated from each other such that said matrix extends between parts of adjacent stone elements, at least some of said stone elements having an exposed upper surface on one face of said matrix, and reinforcement means extending at least partially across said matrix. 2. The tile as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of stone elements comprise slate pieces. 3. The tile as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said matrix is a cementitious substance. 4. The tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tile has a rectangular predetermined configuration and is of substantially uniform thickness. The tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tile has an upper surface which is coated with a sealant. 6. The tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcement means comprises a mesh embedded in or fixed to the underside of said matrix. 7. The tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one edge of said tile is chamfered. 8. A method of forming a tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims comprising the steps of 'A I ~i 11 I( r U4 *l I I 4 4 4 1 9 forming the settable material into a predetermined configuration, embedding said plurality of stone elements of varying thickness in said settable material, said stone elements being spaced apart such that the settable material extends between parts of adjacent stone elements, the upper surface of each said stone element being exposed on one face of the settable material, providing said settable material with reinforcement means extending across said matrix, and hardening said settable material. 9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said settable material is formed into a predetermined shape by providing a mould. The method as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, comprising the stop of vibrating said settable material after embedding said plurality of stone elements therein.
11. A tile substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
12. A method of forming a tile as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 substantially as hereinbefore described. DATED this 14th day of November 1990 BRIAN AUGUSTINE BOSERIO By his patent attorneys CULLEN CO.