DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2006

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A glittering cementitious binder composition and a method of preparing the same.

APPLICANTS
Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company Pvt Ltd, Plot number 1 and 1-A/1, Taloja, MIDC, Taluka- Panvel, District- Raigad- 410208, Maharashtra, India.

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a glittering cementitious binder composition and a method of preparing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a concrete mixture comprising the glittering cementitious binder composition, said concrete mixture having aesthetic appeal and also higher durability.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Conventionally, glittering substances are sprinkled over laid cement or concrete surfaces to increase the aesthetic look of the surface. However, when the glittering material is sprinkled on top of the surface, due to exposure, the glittering effect is temporary and fades away with time. Moreover, these glittering agents can be cost intensive without providing any additional property to the binder composition.
[003] Moreover, after the cementitious binder hardens, it shows high permeability or porosity and poor resistance to water pressure, thus resulting in poor durability. There is a need of a composition of a cementitious binder wherein this durability issue is reduced.
[004] Hence, there is a need of a composition of cementitious binders which solves some of the problems of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[005] According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a glittering cementitious binder composition comprising cement in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the composition and a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the composition.
[006] According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a glittering concrete mixture having high durability and low porosity comprising a glittering cementitious binder composition comprising cement in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the composition, a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the composition, fly ash in a range of 5-50% by weight of the cement, sand in a range of 20-40% by weight of the mixture, aggregates in a range of 20-40% by weight of the mixture, water in a range of 20-60% by weight of the cementitious mixture and polycarboxylic ether (PCE) based or any other admixture in a range of 0.1-3% by weight of the cementitious mixture.
[007] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a glittering putty comprising cement in a range of 15 to 25% by weight of the putty, a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 2% by weight of the cement, copolymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene or any water soluble solid emulsion polymer in a range of 1 to 20% by weight of the putty, viscosity modifying agents in a range of 0.2 to 5% by weight of the putty and inert filler in a range of 60 to 85% by weight of the putty.
[008] According to still another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of preparing a glittering cementitious binder composition comprising physically blending a glittering agent with cement and then homogenising the blend, wherein the glittering agent is in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the blend and the cement is in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the blend.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[009] Figure 1 represents a photographic comparison of a hardened cement slab prepared by (a) prior art method versus (b) method of the present invention
[010] Figure 2 is a photographic representation of (a) glittering putty applied to a wall and (b) glittering putty applied to a cement fiber tile

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[011] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying figures that form a part hereof. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments described herein, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the embodiments are defined by the appended claims.
[012] The present invention intends to address the afore-mentioned challenges of the prior art.
[013] Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention provide a glittering cementitious binder composition by blending glittering agent in it. The present composition provides a long lasting glittering effect to the said binder composition and also exhibits decreased porosity of the composition.
[014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a composition for glittering cementitious binder comprising a glittering agent, cement and water in pre-determined quantities. The ingredients of the composition are blended to form a paste such that when the paste is laid over a surface, the glittering agent comes on the surface of the laid cementitious paste resulting in a long-lasting glittering effect.
[015] Moreover, in the present invention, the glittering agent is selected such that it comes on the surface of the cementitious binder when hardened and provides a synergistic effect of improving the durability of the cementitious binder.
[016] According to an embodiment as more clearly shown in Figure 1, the hardened cement slab made with the prior art composition of Figure 1(a) exhibits pore formation on the surface which leads to high water and chloride permeability. Even when the glittering agents are sprinkled on top of laid concrete, there is still pore formation on the hardened cement slab. However, in the present invention, as shown in Figure 1(b), when the glittering agent is blended in the composition, it acts as a bridge between various cement grains and the space which would have been occupied by air (to form pores) has been occupied by the glittering agent. This results in reduction in porosity on the hardened cement.
[017] In an embodiment, the glittering agent can be any non-porous, alkali resistant, synthetic and polymeric glittering material. Usage of alternatives of glittering agents are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.
[018] In a preferred embodiment, the glittering agent can be added in the range of 0.1 – 2 %, by weight of the cementitious binder composition.
[019] In an embodiment, depending upon the requirement, one or more glittering agent can be added either separately or in a combination in pre-determined quantities.
[020] The present invention is a glittering cementitious binder composition such that the hardened binder surface exhibits glittering effect in various colours thereby presenting pleasant aesthetics. Moreover, the glittering effect is not only long-lasting but the addition of glittering agent shows a synergistic effect by reducing the water and chloride permeability of the cementitious binder composition and reduction in porosity.
[021] The present invention can be applied to white or grey cement putty. Putty formula comprises cement, water soluble polymers which aid adhesion of the putty on the substrate and viscosity modifiers which absorb water and give putty its creamy consistency. To this putty, a glittering agent is added. The glittering agent can be any synthetic polymer, or can be naturally occurring minerals such as mica or gift-wrapping sheets. i.e. it can be made of polymer, plastic, mineral etc. It can be crystalline or amorphous. It can be of any colour, shape, or can be holographic in nature. The glittering agent is chosen such that it can survive the highly alkaline environment of a wet cement putty.
[022] It is found that particle size of the glittering agent plays a key role on the overall aesthetics. The preferred average particle size of glittering agent ranges from 0.008 inch to 0.020 inch. If the particle size of the glittering agent is smaller than 0.008 inch, it is too small, not properly visible and overall aesthetics is not satisfactory. If the particle size of the glittering agent is more than 0.02 inch, then the glittering agent causes formation of scratches on the putty surface as it moves along the surface with the putty blade during application. Thus, it is found that a glittering agent of particle size in the range of 0.008 inch to 0.020 inch provides the best effect.
[023] The following experimental examples are illustrative of the invention but not limitative of the scope thereof:
Example 1:
[024] A glittering agent i.e. pieces of polymeric glittering particles commercially available / wrapping sheet in an amount of 1% by weight was physically blended with grey cement in an amount of 99% by weight and then homogenized using a mechanically blender. The particles size of the glittering agent was in the range of 0.008 inch to 0.020 inch. The glittering cementitious binder composition thus prepared was used to make regular concrete. The durability properties of said concrete were compared with control concrete which has regular cement without glittering agent. Commercially available 40MPa grade concrete mix was used for the experimentation herein.
[025] Table 1 shows the composition of regular Control concrete comprising regular cement i.e. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC cement) without any glittering agent while Table 2 shows the composition of Test concrete i.e. cement mixed with the glittering agent.
Table 1: Control Concrete
Raw Material Quantity (kg/m3)
Cement 375
Fly ash 75
Manufactured Sand 721.03
10 mm aggregate 587.62
20 mm aggregate 592.14
Water 186.21
PCE Admixture 1.81

Table 2: Test Concrete
Raw Material Quantity (kg/m3)
Cement + Glitter 375
Fly ash 75
M. Sand 721.03
10 mm aggregate 587.62
20 mm aggregate 592.14
Water 186.21
PCE Admixture 1.81
Glittering agent 1% by weight of cement

[026] The above concrete samples were cast and water cured for 28 days. Thereafter, tests were carried out on them.
Example 2: Water Permeability Test
[027] The water permeability test was done as per code DIN 1048 (Part-05) 1991. In this test, the depth of water penetration into concrete samples was measured when the samples were subjected to 0.5 MPa of hydrostatic pressure over a period of three days. After 28 days, the samples were subjected to standard hydrostatic pressure. After the allotted three days, the specimen was removed from the apparatus and cracked vertically to determine the depth of water penetration. The smaller the depth of penetration of water, the higher is the resistance to water pressure, which in turn means lower porosity. Test results obtained are shown in Table 3 as follows:
Table 3:
Sample ID Depth of water penetration in mm (Average of 3 specimen)
Control Concrete 15.3
Test Concrete 11.7

[028] From the results, it is clear that the depth of water penetration is less for the Test Concrete than for the Control Concrete. This implies that the Test Concrete has higher resistance to water pressure than the Control Concrete. In other words, the Test Concrete has higher durability than the Control Concrete.
Example 5: Rapid Chloride Penetration Test (RCPT)
[029] As per ASTM C1202, a water-saturated, 50mm thick, 100mm diameter concrete specimen is subjected to a 60V applied DC voltage for 6 hours, inside a permeability cell. The permeability cell consists of two halves, each with a reservoir being capable of holding 250 ml of chemical solution and copper mesh of 100 mm diameter to act as an electrode. The upstream reservoir contains 3% NaCl solution of 2.4N, while 0.3M NaOH solution is present in the downstream reservoir (the concrete disk is in between the 2 cells). This electrochemical cell results in the migration of chloride ions from the solution to the sodium hydroxide solution, via the concrete disk. The total charge in Coulombs is determined using the formula given below and this is used to rate the quality of concrete according to the criteria rating. Test results obtained are shown in Table 4 as follows:
Table 4:
Sample ID Results in Coulombs (Average of 3 specimens)
Control Concrete 2796.0
Test Concrete 2365.0

[030] Therefore, it is understood from the results that the Test Concrete with glittering agent has low permeability (i.e. reduced porosity) compared to the Control Concrete without glittering agent. Thus, it is evident that the glittering agent not only gives aesthetically pleasing glittering effect to the concrete surface, but also improves the durability of the concrete thus prepared, as well.

Example 6: Preparation of Glittering Putty
[031] Glittering putty was prepared according to the composition provided in Table 5 below:
Table 5:
Raw material Weight %
Cement (grey or white) 15-25
Copolymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene or any water-soluble solid emulsion polymer 1-20


Viscosity modifying agents1 0.2-5



Inert filler2 65-85
Glittering agent 0.01-2 of the cement

[032] It must be noted that the viscosity modifying agents include Methyl Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Guar gum, super absorbent polymers like sodium polyacrylate or any other water absorbing material. Also, inert filler means a filler which is non-reactive with cement and non-reactive with polymers. The inert filler could dolomite, limestone, TiO2 or clay or calcined clays or any other mineral. Also, a fairly broad range of “Copolymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene or any water-soluble solid emulsion polymer” is provided because it is seen that with the increase in its percentage, the smoothness of the putty surface also increases.
[033] Figure 2(a) shows the result of glittering putty applied on a wall while Figure 2(b) shows the result of glittering putty applied on a cement fiber tile. The aesthetic appeal of the glitter is evident in the figures, apart from the favourable features of high durability, lower porosity and higher resistance to water pressure, as already explained above.
[034] The foregoing description of specific embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
[035] The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application thereby enabling others, skilled in the art, to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
[036] The scope of the invention is defined by the claims that follow.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A glittering cementitious binder composition comprising cement in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the composition and a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the composition.
2. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the average particle size of glittering agent ranges from 0.008 inch to 0.020 inch.
3. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glittering agent is crystalline or amorphous and is selected from the group consisting of synthetic polymer, glittering sheet and naturally occurring minerals such as mica.
4. A glittering concrete mixture having high durability and low porosity comprising a glittering cementitious binder composition comprising cement in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the composition, a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the composition, fly ash in a range of 5-50% by weight of the cement, sand in a range of 20-40% by weight of the mixture, aggregates in a range of 20-40% by weight of the mixture, water in a range of 20-60% by weight of the cementitious mixture and polycarboxylic ether (PCE) based or any other admixture in a range of 0.1-3% by weight of the cementitious mixture.
5. A glittering putty comprising cement in a range of 15 to 25% by weight of the putty, a glittering agent in a range of 0.1 to 2% by weight of the cement, copolymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene or any water soluble solid emulsion polymer in a range of 1 to 20% by weight of the putty, viscosity modifying agents in a range of 0.2 to 5% by weight of the putty and inert filler in a range of 60 to 85% by weight of the putty.
6. A method of preparing a glittering cementitious binder composition comprising physically blending a glittering agent with cement and then homogenising the blend, wherein the glittering agent is in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the blend and the cement is in a range of 99 to 99.9% by weight of the blend.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the cement is in a range of 99 to 99.99% by weight of the composition.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the glittering agent is in a range of 0.1 to 1% by weight of the composition.
9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the average particle size of glittering agent ranges from 0.008 inch to 0.020 inch.
10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the glittering agent is crystalline or amorphous and is selected from the group consisting of synthetic polymer, glittering sheets and naturally occurring minerals such as mica.
Dated this 2nd day of April 2020