Claims
- 1. A method for making a rock laminate, the method comprising:
providing a rock having an exposed surface; applying a polymer to at least a portion of the exposed surface of the rock such that a portion of the exposed surface is bonded to the polymer; and lifting a portion of the polymer, along with the corresponding bonded portion of the exposed surface, away from the rock to produce the rock laminate and to expose a new surface of the rock.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing the rock having the new surface; applying a polymer to at least a portion of the new surface of the rock such that a portion of the new surface is bonded to the polymer; and lifting a portion of the polymer, along with the corresponding bonded portion of the new surface, away from the rock to produce a second rock laminate and to expose a second new surface of the rock.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rock laminate is flexible.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein lifting a portion of the polymer includes rolling the rock laminate away from the rock to expose the new surface.
- 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
flexing the rock laminate until a desired shape is acquired.
- 6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
molding the rock laminate around an object.
- 7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
heating the rock laminate until the rock laminate exhibits a desired flexibility.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
curing the polymer after application of the polymer to the exposed surface of the rock.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of curing occurs after said step of lifting a portion of the polymer, along with the corresponding bonded portion of the exposed surface, away from the rock.
- 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
increasing the rate of the curing of the polymer via application of a curing technique.
- 11. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a polymer to at least a portion of the exposed surface includes use of a mold.
- 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
applying an additive to the polymer.
- 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
applying a sealer to a rock side of the rock laminate.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the rock is a metamorphic rock.
- 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the rock is a sedimentary rock.
- 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the rock is selected from the group consisting of shale, limestone, sandstone, mudstone, slate, quartzite, phyllite, mica schist, chlorite schist, gneiss, talc schist, glaucophane schist, prasinite, epidote amphibolite, amphibolite, embrechite, agmatite, calc schist and mylonite.
- 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the rock provided is in situ.
- 18. A rock laminate produced according to the method of claim 1.
- 19. A rock laminate comprising:
a layer of rock, wherein
the layer of rock has a surface, the layer of rock has a plurality of pores defined by small openings in the surface of the rock, the plurality of pores operable to receive a fluid; and a flexible layer, wherein
the flexible layer is positioned above at least a portion of the surface of the layer of rock and in at least a portion of the plurality of pores of the layer of rock, and the portion of the flexible layer positioned in at least a portion of the plurality of pores of the layer of rock is received by the plurality of pores as a fluid.
- 20. The rock laminate of claim 19, wherein the layer of rock has a thickness that is 4 mm or less.
- 21. The rock laminate of claim 20, wherein the layer of rock has a thickness that is 2 mm or less.
- 22. The rock laminate of claim 19, wherein the flexible layer is made of an organic polymer.
- 23. The rock laminate of claim 19, wherein the flexible layer includes an additive, operable to enhance the characteristics of the flexible layer.
- 24. The rock laminate of claim 19, wherein a rock side of the rock laminate includes a sealant.
- 25. The rock laminate of claim 19, wherein the layer of rock is delaminated from a rock via an initial bonding of the flexible layer to a surface of the rock, the delamination of the flexible layer along with the surface of the rock forms the rock laminate.
- 26. A method for producing a rock slab having a desired thickness, the method comprising:
providing a rock having an exposed surface and an initial thickness; applying a polymer to at least a portion of the exposed surface of the rock such that a portion of the exposed surface of the rock is bonded to the polymer; and lifting a portion of the polymer, along with the corresponding bonded portion of the exposed surface, away from the rock to produce the rock slab with the desired thickness, the desired thickness being less than the initial thickness.
- 27. The method of claim 26, wherein applying the polymer and lifting the portion of the polymer is repeated a plurality of times to produce the rock slab with the desired thickness.
- 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the initial thickness of the rock is in the range of ½ to 2 inches, and the desired thickness of the rock slab is in the range of ⅛ to ⅜ inch.
- 29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:
bonding a substrate to the rock slab to form a composite.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e), this application claims priority from, and hereby incorporates by reference for all purposes, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/432,607, entitled Rock Laminate, naming Richard J. Whiting as inventor, filed Dec. 10, 2002.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60432607 |
Dec 2002 |
US |