Process for manufacturing cement plates reinforced with fibrillated

Abstract

A process is provided for continuously manufacturing plates containing an open net fibrillated polymeric film reinforcement. A net having a plurality of fibrillated polymeric film layers is unwound from a continuous reel, and the net is cut into pieces having a length approximately equal to a circumference of a forming roll for forming a plate to be manufactured. The net pieces are impregnated with a cement mix and then deposited onto a conveyor belt on which a cement mix layer has been previously deposited. After contacting the net with the cement layer, the net is subjected to vibration. A vacuum is applied to the net contacting the cement layer to remove excess water and to increase the compactness between the net and the cement layer. The net-cement panel resulting from the above is wound onto the forming roll, which has a circumference approximately equal to the length of the net piece, with simultaneous application of pressure, so that the ends of the net piece are disposed adjacent to a notch located at a periphery of the forming roll. The net-cement panel is cut at the notch adjacent to which the ends of the net pieces are arranged to form a plate, and finally the plate is compressed.