U.S. patent application number 10/851393 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-24 for abrasive cleaning device.
Invention is credited to Palushaj, Simon.
Application Number | 20050260940 10/851393 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35375806 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050260940 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Palushaj, Simon |
November 24, 2005 |
Abrasive cleaning device
Abstract
A cleaning element (36) for a cement floor surface mounted to a
housing (32). Each cleaning element has a flat flexible abrasive
surface (39) that is transversely positioned to the direction of
motion to provide flex during cleaning of a cement floor
surface.
Inventors: |
Palushaj, Simon; (Shelby
Twp., MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Steven L. Permut
Resing, Ethington, Barnes, Kisselle
P.O. Box 4390
Troy
MI
48099-4390
US
|
Family ID: |
35375806 |
Appl. No.: |
10/851393 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
451/490 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 13/008 20130101;
A46B 2200/3093 20130101; A46B 13/02 20130101; B24B 1/00 20130101;
B24B 7/186 20130101; B24D 13/16 20130101; B24D 11/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
451/490 |
International
Class: |
B24D 017/00 |
Claims
1. An abrasive cleaning device comprising: a housing a plurality of
cleaning strips having a front abrasive face with a width and
length; said cleaning strips mounted to said housing such that the
front abrasive face is aligned substantially transverse to the
normal direction of motion of said housing; said cleaning strips
having a substrate and an abrasive material at the surface of said
cleaning strips and secured to said substrate; and the length of
said cleaning strips being substantially greater than its thickness
to provide flexibility of said cleaning strips.
2. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 1 further
comprising: said abrasive material being hard abrasive particles
being embedded in said substrate; and said substrate is a plastic
matrix.
3. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 2 further
comprising: said plastic matrix being a high temperature
plastic.
4. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 1 further
comprising: said housing being a rotatable pad made for rotation
about a central point; and said cleaning strips having its front
abrasive faces substantially radially aligned with the center of
said pad.
5. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 1 further
comprising: said housing being tubular and made for rotation about
its major axis; and said cleaning strips extend radially from said
housing with the front abrasive faces co-aligned with the major
axis.
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. (canceled)
14. An abrasive cleaning device comprising: a housing; a plurality
of cleaning strips having a substrate with a mounting end mounted
to said housing and a distal end with an abrasive material at the
surface of said substrate and secured to said substrate; the length
of said cleaning strips being substantially greater than its
thickness to provide flexibility of said cleaning strips; and said
cleaning strips in cross-section having a major axis and a minor
axis with one of said axes positioned to be transverse to the
normal motion of said housing.
15. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 14 further
comprising: said major axis being positioned transversely to the
normal motion of said housing.
16. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 15 further
comprising: said housing being a rotatable pad made for rotation
about a central point; and said cleaning strips having their
respective major axis substantially radially aligned with the
center of said pad.
17. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 16 further
comprising: said abrasive material comprising diamond particles
having a brazed connection with said substrate.
18. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 15 further
comprising: said abrasive material comprising diamond particles
having a brazed connection with said substrate.
19. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 18 further
comprising: said substrate being a metallic material
20. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 15 further
comprising: said cleaning strips having a major and minor axis
greater than {fraction (1/8)} inch such that it is larger than the
diameter of cement pores.
21. An abrasive cleaning device for a concrete surface comprising:
a brush with a plurality of resiliently flexible bristles having a
major and minor axis larger than the pores of said concrete; said
brush having a scrub working surface with abrasive particles
affixed thereto; said brush having a flat edge at its distal end to
scrape away dirt and residue; and said brush providing a
replenished scrub working surface as worn abrasive particles abrade
from the scrub working surface and as the scrub working surface
abrades away for honing the concrete surface.
22. (canceled)
23. (canceled)
24. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 1 further
comprising: said front abrasive faces being substantially flat.
25. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 15 further
comprising: said front abrasive faces being substantially flat.
26. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 21 further
comprising: said scrub working surface being substantially flat and
substantially transverse to the normal direction of motion of said
cleaning device.
27. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 1 further
comprising: said abrasive material at the surface of only the front
abrasive face.
28. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 24 further
comprising: said abrasive material at the surface of only the front
abrasive face.
29. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 15 further
comprising: said abrasive material at the surface of only the front
abrasive face.
30. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 25 further
comprising: said abrasive material at the surface of only the front
abrasive face.
31. An abrasive cleaning device as defined in claim 26 further
comprising: said abrasive particles affixed only at said scrub
working surface.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The field of this invention relates to a cleaning device for
polished concrete surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Normal cleaning of concrete whether by a power wash, power
sweep or scrub progressively deteriorates concrete by breaking
apart smaller particles from the concrete surface, thereby making
the concrete surface more porous and more suspect to further
deterioration.
[0003] Known cleaning brushes also progressively deteriorate
concrete surfaces. The small bristles tend to undesirably add
porosity to the concrete surface by poking into the holes that
naturally occur in the concrete and breaking away the smaller
particles of the concrete.
[0004] While concrete or cement is a very popular material for use
in floors and construction materials because of its strength,
durability and low costs, if the concrete or cement is left
unfinished, the floor will inherently produce dust by the constant
scuffing it undergoes whether by foot traffic or wheeled traffic
and be susceptible to staining due to the porosity. One is then
faced with a dilemma of cleaning a concrete floor with the
disadvantage of the deterioration of its relatively smooth
surface.
[0005] One way to achieve a better concrete surface look is to add
a densifier such as sodium silicate to the concrete floor which
closes the porosity of the floor. One then polishes the concrete
with successive finer grit sand paper or polishing pads. This known
process provides for a relatively attractive concrete polished
surface. However this surface also needs maintenance when it gets
dirty.
[0006] What is needed is a durable cleaning brush for mounting to a
cleaning or buffing machine that is suitable for cleaning a
polished cement floor. What is also needed is an expedient method
to clean a polished concrete floor. What is also needed is a
bristle that is durable and with a cross-sectional diameter larger
than the cement floor pores in order to hone and smooth a concrete
floor rather than degrade it during the cleaning process, the same
brush can also be used as a durable abrader. What is also needed is
a bristle that has a durable abrasive particle securely affixed to
the bristle that is capable of honing a concrete surface.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an abrasive
cleaning device has a housing and a plurality of cleaning strips
having a front abrasive face with a width and length. The cleaning
strips are mounted to the housing such that the front abrasive face
is aligned substantially transverse to the normal direction of
motion of the housing. The cleaning strips include an abrasive
material at the surface of the cleaning strips and secured to a
substrate of the strips. The length of the face is substantially
greater than the thickness of the strip to provide flexibility of
the cleaning strips.
[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an
abrasive cleaning device has a plurality of cleaning strips with
one end mounted to the housing. The strip has a distal end with an
abrasive material at the surface of a substrate and secured to the
substrate. The length of the cleaning strips is substantially
greater than its thickness to provide resilient flexibility.
Preferably the substrate is made from a steel or plastic that
provides the resilient flexibility to the bristle. Preferably,
abrasive particles are secured to the strip such that when the
strip wears it is exposing fresh abrasive particles at its working
scrub surface. The distal working surface provides a flat edge to
scrape away dirt and residue while the sharp abrasive particle cut
and hone the cement surface. As the abrasive particles wear out,
i.e. round down and loose its effectiveness, they eventually abrade
away as the bristle shortens to expose new abrasive particles to
the work surface.
[0009] In one embodiment, the abrasive material is formed by hard
abrasive particles being embedded in the substrate that is a high
temperature plastic matrix. In one embodiment, the housing is in
the form of a rotatable pad made for rotation about a central
point. The cleaning strips have their respective front faces
substantially radially aligned with the center of the pad. In
another embodiment, the housing is tubular and made for rotation
about its major axis. The cleaning strips extend radially from the
housing with the faces co-aligned with the major axis.
[0010] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an
abrasive bristle includes a plastic matrix, and an abrasive
material embedded in a distal end section of the bristle. A
proximate mounting section of the bristle is devoid of the abrasive
material.
[0011] In one embodiment, the distal end with the abrasive material
extends toward the proximate mounting section with the abrasive
ending at a point where the flexibility degrades a sufficient
amount and the point being used as a wear indicator. In one
embodiment, the abrasive material includes diamond particles. In
one embodiment, the bristle includes abrasive material at opposing
distal ends of the bristle element with a middle section being a
mounting section to a support base. The middle section is devoid of
the abrasive material. It is preferred that the abrasive material
is embedded in the plastic matrix. It is also preferred that the
plastic matrix is a high temperature plastic material.
[0012] In another embodiment, the abrasive is coated on opposing
ends. Preferably, the abrasive is brazed on the opposing ends.
[0013] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method
of claiming a polished concrete surface includes moving a plurality
of cleaning strips having a front abrasive face aligned
substantially transverse to the direction of movement. The cleaning
strips resiliently flex to accommodate high and low spots of the
concrete surface. Preferably, the cleaning strip is in the form of
a flexible plastic matrix with the abrasive face having a plurality
of abrasive particle secured onto the cleaning strip across the
face.
[0014] Preferably, the cleaning strips in cross-section have a
major axis and a minor axis with the major axis positioned to be
transverse to the normal motion of the housing. It is also
preferred that the housing is a rotatable pad made for rotation
about a central point. The cleaning strips have their respective
major axis substantially radially aligned with the center of the
pad. In one embodiment, the abrasive material is diamond particles
being brazed onto the substrate which can be steel.
[0015] According to another aspect of the inventor, the flexible
bristles with abrasive particles have a cross-sectional diameter
substantially greater than the cement pores and preferably greater
than 1/8" diameter to provide the bristles to glide over the pores
and clean and hone the surface of the polished cement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Reference now is made to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a high speed burnishing
brush with a cleaning device incorporating one embodiment of the
invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the cleaning
device on the polished concrete floor;
[0019] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one cleaning
element made in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 4-4 shown
in FIG. 3;
[0021] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a further modified
embodiment of a cleaning element;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 6-6 shown
in FIG. 5;
[0023] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of an additional
embodiment of a cleaning element;
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates a method of attaching the bristle shown
in FIG. 7 to a housing;
[0025] FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of a disc pad incorporating
wide blade shaped strips in accordance with an alternative
embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a roller brush
incorporating blades in accordance with an alternative embodiment
of the invention; and
[0027] FIG. 11 is a cross-section side elevational view of a steel
bristle with diamond abrasive particles brazed thereon in use on a
concrete floor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0028] Instead of washing and waxing as is often done with
conventional floors, the maintenance of a polished concrete floor
is accomplished by using an abrasive pad 32 used as shown in FIG. 1
on a conventional high speed machine (not shown). The machine is
set at about 175 rpm's with a pad pressure of 60-300 psi. The
cleaning can also be done by a drum brush 34 as shown in FIG. 10
also mounted to a conventional drum machine (not shown).
[0029] The pad 32 is made from a plurality of cleaning elements
called strips or bristles 36 which can be in the form of a round,
square or rectangular bristle as shown in FIG. 2 which can be
embedded with abrasive 38. The bristle 36 may be extruded from a
high temperatures thermoplastic material mixed with abrasive
particles 38. The abrasive particles 38 may be a hard particulate
such as alumina silicate or small industrial diamond particles.
[0030] In one embodiment as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bristle 36
has a distal end 40 with an abrasive flat front face 39 that
engages the polished floor 10 with the hardened abrasive particles.
The abrasive particles are sufficiently aggressive to scour any
dirt or grime that exists on the concrete floor. The square
bristles are at least {fraction (1/8)} inch wide to be larger than
the pores of most normal concrete floors. While a square bristle is
shown, rectangular or other shaped bristles are possible as long as
they have a scrub face 39 over {fraction (1/8)} inch wide.
[0031] The bristle has its mounted end 42 embedded in the pad as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by being molded directly therein. The
bristles are mounted such that the abrasive scrub face 39 is
aligned transverse to the normal direction of motion of the pad at
the face 39. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the faces 39 are
radially aligned about the center 41 of the pad when the pad
rotates about its center 41. The drum brush shown in FIG. 10 has
the faces aligned along the width of the drum brush such that as
the drum rotates in the indicated direction, the face 39 flushly
encounters the concrete floor.
[0032] When diamond particles 38 are embedded as abrasive in the
bristle, it is desirable that only the working distal end 40 is
provided with the diamond particles 38 to contain costs of the
relatively expensive diamond particles. As shown in FIGS. 3-6, two
embodiments are shown each with diamond abrasive in proximity with
the distal end 40 and the proximate mounting end 42 being devoid of
such diamond particles. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 show
a bristle with a layer of diamond particulates coated about the
distal end. The diamond particulates are coated sufficiently thick
and are secured strong enough to maintain its adherence to the
underlying bristle material. It should be noted that only the scrub
surface 39 needs to be coated. As shown, opposing surface 43 is
also coated in case there are machines that rotate the pad in the
opposite direction. The side walls 45 need not have any abrasive
coating.
[0033] FIGS. 5 and 6 show where the extruded bristle is made such
that only the distal area 40 has the diamond particulate embedded
therein with the remaining or proximate section 42 being devoid of
diamond particulate. In this embodiment, the embedded diamonds
extend completely through the interior of the bristle 36 as clearly
illustrated in cross sectional view of FIG. 6. This embedded
particulate has its advantages over the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3
and 4 as the bristle abrades through extended use, its outer
surface at the distal end 40 no matter how worn always provides an
outer abrasive surface 39 with diamond particulate 38 on a working
surface.
[0034] For either embodiment, as the pad 32 is used, the distal end
40 abrades to provide a straight knife-like edge 41 on the concrete
surface 12. As the diamond particles 39 wear down and their
effectiveness becomes diminished, they eventually abrade off the
bristle as the substrate material whether plastic or steel also
wears down to provide a fresh diamond particles just above to
replenish the effectiveness of the bristle.
[0035] In this fashion an abrasive bristle maintains its abrasive
aggressiveness for a long term. The resilient flexibility of the
bristle provides relief when the pad hits a high spot of the
concrete floor and will not gouge at the high spot or opens the
pores at the high spot.
[0036] Furthermore, the bristles 36 have a length that is
sufficiently long compared to its thickness to provide resilient
flexibility of the bristle as illustrated in FIG. 2 to flex. As the
bristle is shortened through the extended wear and the bristle
becomes to short and too stiff for proper use, the diamond
particulate also becomes exhausted which provides for a sensory
indicator that the bush is worn out.
[0037] In this manner, the brush by having a bristle with a
relatively wide, flat, and resilient flexible abrasive face 39 does
not cause excessive deterioration of the concrete floor. In fact,
it hones the concrete floor to maintain its smoothness. Secondly,
by only having diamond particulate at the distal section 40, there
is less waste of diamond particulate. In addition, a sensory wear
indicator is provided when the diamond particulate is totally
abraded.
[0038] A further embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 which
provides for a double ended bristle 46 that has two opposing distal
ends 48 each with diamond particulate either coated or embedded in
the same fashion as described in the embodiments shown and
described for FIG. 3-6.
[0039] In this bristle, both distal ends 48 are positioned to be
operable against the floor surface 10. The mid-section 50 is
mounted to the brush substrate by extending through holes 52 and
being stapled in place by staple 54. Other molding techniques may
also embed the mid-section 50 in the brush with the two distal ends
48 extending outward. It should be noted that the bristle provides
for two cleaning sections with opposing abrasive faces 39. When the
bristle is mounted into the pad, both faces 39 face the same
direction. The operation of the brush bristles 46 is identical with
the previous described embodiments.
[0040] While square cross-sectioned bristles 36 have been shown and
described, wide blade bristles 36 as shown in FIG. 9 can be used
with pad 32. Bristles 36 have a cross-section with a major and
minor axis with the major axis being radially aligned about the
center of rotation 41 and transverse to the normal motion of pad
32. The blade shaped bristles 36 while shown in four staggered
sections can have a variety of configurations on pad 32. The
bristles 36 may also have an elliptical or oblong cross-sectional
shape with the major axis in the same position as shown. A bristle
with a circular cross-section is also usable for honing the
concrete surface if the diameter exceeds 1/8".
[0041] While a plastic matrix has been shown and described, the
substrate may be made from steel such as steel wire or wire strips
36 as shown in FIG. 11 with diamond particles 38 brazed or
electroplated thereon.
[0042] Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 10 with drum 34 mounting
wide blades 36 about its periphery to provide scrub faces 39 to
operate in similar fashion as described before. The brush may also
be used as an aggressive abrader. For this use, narrower bristles
may also be used.
[0043] In this fashion the use of diamond abrasive bristles becomes
cost effective and provides for easy maintenance of a polished
concrete or cement floor surface and provide honing of the floor
during cleaning maintenance.
[0044] Other variations and modifications are possible without
departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *