BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION it has long been known that cement, and fiber reinforced cement, can be cast in a mold to form specific shapes. During the process of casting cement, the cement is typically not moved while it is in the mold. The cement is left in the mold until it has cured completely, having dried to a point of solidity.

Existing molds for cement may be either rigid or flexible. The advantage of using a flexible mold derives from the ease of removal of the mold after the cement has cured. However, in many cases, flexible molds are not sufficiently strong to provide the support needed to bear the weight of the cement. If the walls of the flexible mold bend while the cement is curing, cracks may form in the cement cast. Flexible molds are most often used for large cement cast construction, where the concerns regarding cracking or breaking are small.

Rigid molds are generally preferred to prevent curing cement from cracking or breaking.

Regardless of the type of mold used, it is the usually accepted practice to leave the cement undisturbed in its mold until the cement hardens. It is generally known that wet (uncured) cement will fall out of a mold if the mold is tilted or adjusted while the cement is still wet.

Consequently, it is not accepted practice to move or shape the cement while the cement is wet.

There is a need in the art for improved methods of preparing cement casts that allow the production of cement casts in a wide variety of shapes.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for shaping cement into various shaped objects while the cement is wet.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a process for casting sturdy cement shapes of a relatively thin thickness.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a process for creating cement objects in colors, shapes and textures previously unknown in cement construction.

The present invention is a process for casting and shaping cement into various shaped objects such as furniture, general partitions, and construction materials. The process of casting and shaping cement of the present invention comprises the steps of: 1) mixing fiber reinforced cement; 2) pouring the cement mixture into a flexible liner; and 3) manipulating the liner into a desired shape.

Various additives may be mixed in with the cement in order to vary the strength, weight, color, and general appearance of the resulting cement cast.

Before pouring the cement mixture into the liner, additional martial may be spread over the inside of the liner in order to produce a texture on the surface of the cement once it has cured.

The cement mixture of the present invention may include any known fiber reinforced cement, as is well known in the art. Preferably, the cement mixture contains glass, fiberglass, rubber fibers, and mixtures therefrom, but may contain any similar fibers, including organic and inorganic fibers, such as dacron, nylon or graphite. Rubber shavings from spent motor vehicle tires may also be used as a fiber source.

Aggregate filler is added to the cement mixture. The filler is preferably a fine silicate, but may be of any coarseness. Where the cement is desired to be cast in a thin sheet, however, fine aggregate is preferred over coarse pebbly aggregate.

Water is added to the mixture as is commonly known in the art.

A super plasticizer, which makes wet cement more pliable during mixing, is often added to the cement mixture.

Various additives may be introduced to the cement mixture to improve the strength of the cured cement. The addition of acrylics and or any polymers, such as latex, to the cement mixture results in the cured cement being considerably stronger than it would be otherwise. It has been shown that the addition of carbon monoxide (CO) to the cement mixture increases the strength of the resulting cured cement by approximately 85%.

When added into the cement mixture, a product sold under the name "Concrete Supplement" by CONCRETE SUPPLEMENT, accelerates the cure, increases the long term strength and stops dusting of the surface of the cement cast.

A product sold under the brand name "Eclipse" by W.R. GRACE may be added to the cement mixture to reduce shrinkage of the cement after drying.

Various colored paints may be added to the mixture during the mixing process to provide a uniform color to the resultant cement.

Mixing of the cement mixture is preferably done in a tumble mixer, as is used in the food industry, rather than in a blade mixer as is generally done in the cement industry. A tumble mixer is preferred because the blades in a blade mixer separate the fibers in the cement mixture from one another, thereby reducing the cement's strength. Mixing may also be accomplished with a high speed mixer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following is an example of the composition of a specific cement mixture produced according to the processes of this invention: Example 1 1. 50 ibs - PORTLAND CEMENT (WHITE OR GREY) 2. 50 Ibs - SILICA FINE (NO MORE THAN 20 MESH) 3. 31 lbs -FIBER 1/2 INCH CHOPPED 4. 1 LB E GLASS - FIBER GLASS 1/2 INCH CHOPPED E GLASS 5. 6 oz - SUPER PLASTICIZER (i.e. the Super Plasticizer produced by WR Grace 100) 6. 6 oz - Acrylic Latex 7. 16 oz - CONCRETE SUPPLEMENT (mixed with 11/2 gallons of water) Other components which may be added to the mixture are: 8. Airentraining such as WR Grace 1000 9. A shrink control chemical such as "Eclipse" by WR Grace 10. Rubber Buffing 11. Mica, Synthetic fiber, and other filling materials The process of casting the cement mixture of the present invention is described with reference to Figures 1 through 5.

Referring to Figure 1, once the cement mixture (1) of the present invention is made, it is poured into a flexible liner (10). The liner (10) may be of any desired shape. The liner may be made of rubber, polycarbonate or plastic, or any synthetic material. A ridge (12) of flexible material similar to that which may comprise the liner, is attached along the edge of the liner. Th height ofthe ridge (12) determines the thickness ofthe cement (1). In accord with the purposes of the present invention, cement is preferably cast in thicknesses ranging from 1/8 to 3/4 of an inch. The shape of the liner (10) and the height of the ridge (12) may be varied to direct the resultant shape ofthe cast cement (1).

A textured material may be placed in the liner prior to pouring of the cement mixture to provide a texture to the cured cement.

The cement mixture (1) is leveled within the liner (10) to provide a uniform depth.

Preferably, the leveling may be accomplished by rolling a smooth cylindrical object over the cement mixture (1). Leveling may also be accomplished by mechanically vibrating the liner (10), as by placing the liner (10) on a table and vibrating the surface of the table.

After leveling, the cement mixture (1) is treated to reduce air bubbles or other variances in density from the mixture (1), and to increase the density of the mixture (1) in the liner (10). It is preferred to roll a ridged cylindrical object over the mixture (1) to achieve this goal. A spiked roller, such as a lawn aerator or dough spiked rolling pin may be used to increase the resultant density. The spiked aerator also provides the function of placing the fibers within the cement in an interlocking relationship. The steps of vibration and rolling with the ridged cylindrical object may be repeated. Alternatively, air bubbles may be left within the cement mixture to provide a different texture to the cured cement.

The cement mixture (1) may then be dried to reduce the water content, or otherwise be allowed to partially cure. The sooner the water is removed from the cement mixture (1), the stronger the resultant material becomes, however, it is desired that the cement mixture (1) be kept flexible and not cured to hardness. Drying may be accomplished by placing a screen over the cement mixture (1) in the liner (10), and then vacuuming the water through the screen.

Alternate methods include blotting the mixture (1) or rolling a water absorbing roller over the mixture (1).

After the initial treatment of the cement mixture, the liner containing the still-flexible cement mixture (1) is manipulated to take on a desired shape (Figures 2 through 5). The liner may either be placed inside a mold (Figure 2), wrapped around a mold (Figure 3) or a core material (Figure 4), or shaped manually and left freestanding (Figure 5).

When placing the liner (10) in a mold (20), the liner (10) may be bent or twisted at any angle, and may even be folded. The cement mixture (1) remains within the liner (10) and maintains its uniform thickness. The liner (10) is secured to the mold (20) and left to cure to hardness.

The liner (10) and the cement mixture (1) may be folded on to itself, where desired. The folded cement mixture (1) will laminate to itself and provide an increased structural strength to the cured construction.

With reference to Figure 3 and 5, the liner (10) may be wrapped around a mold (22) of any shape, such as a cylinder for example. Once the cement mixture (1) cures, the mold (22) is removed, and the liner (10) is peeled therefrom. When the cement mixture (10) is wrapped around a core material (24), the cement (1) adheres to the core material (24), and the liner (10) is peeled away from the surface not in contact with the core material (24).

Looking at Figure 5, it is shown that the liner (10) filled with the cement mixture (1) may be left free standing or draped if the mixture is allowed to cure to a sufficiently stiff state.

An image may be impregnated onto the surface of the cement (1) by laying onto the cement (1) a plastic film bearing an image printed in water soluble ink. When the film is applied onto the cement (1) , bringing the water soluble ink in contact with the cement's surface, the ink image on the film transposes onto the cement surface. After the image has been transposed, the cement (1) may be manipulated into a desired shape.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.