1. A process for manufacturing concrete forms at elevated temperatures to provide improved short term and long term strengths, said process comprising the steps of:
providing masses of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water;
pre-selecting amounts of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water;
bringing the masses of aggregate and water to a temperature of between 32\xb0 C. and about 45\xb0 C.;
mixing the masses of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water at a temperature of between about 32\xb0 C. and about 45\xb0 C. to form a heated mixture with a temperature in the range of 32\xb0 C. to about 45\xb0 C.;
selecting a set retarding water reducing admixture conforming to ASTM C 494 and adding an amount of the admixture to the mixture while mixing;
casting the mixture with admixture at an elevated temperature of between 32\xb0 C. to about 45\xb0 C. to provide a product; and
curing the cast product to provide a concrete form with improved short term and long term strength.
2. A process for manufacturing concrete forms according to claim 1 in which the admixture is an ASTM C 494 Type D.
3. A process for manufacturing concrete forms according to claim 2 in which the admixture is an ASTM C 494 Type D and adding to the mixture in an amount ranging from about 200-900 milliliters (ml) per 100 kg of mass of cement.
4. A process for manufacturing a concrete form according to claim 2 in which the cement is Portland cement.
5. A concrete form manufactured by a process comprising the steps of:
providing masses of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water;
pre-selecting amounts of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water;
bringing the pre-selected amounts of aggregate and water to a temperature of between 32\xb0 C. and about 45\xb0 C.;
mixing the masses of hydraulic cement, aggregate and water at a temperature of between about 32\xb0 C. and about 45\xb0 C. to form a heated mixture with a temperature a temperature in the range between 32\xb0 C. and about 45\xb0 C.;
selecting a set retarding water reducing admixture conforming to ASTM C 494 and adding an amount of the admixture to the mixture while mixing;
casting the mixture with admixture at an elevated temperature of between 32\xb0 C. to about 45\xb0 C. to provide a product; and
curing the cast product to provide a concrete form with improved short term and long term strength.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of processing oriental sun-cured tobacco, comprising:
harvesting a predetermined amount of whole oriental tobacco plants, and
curing the leaves on the whole oriental tobacco plants by exposing them to sunlight, without separating the leaves from the stalk.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the whole tobacco plants are attached to or supported on a support material.
3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the support material is a string, wire, rod, pole, stick or similar elongate material upon which the whole tobacco plant can be attached.
4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the whole tobacco plants are attached to the support material at or through the stalk end of the plant and are hung upside-down on the support material.
5. The method according to claim 2 wherein dividers are provided on the support material between the whole tobacco plants.
6. The method according to claim 2 wherein the leaves of the cured whole tobacco plants are removed from the rest of the plants whilst plants are still attached to or supported by the support material.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the cured whole tobacco plants are stored under a cover that is open to the atmosphere.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the cured whole tobacco plants are threshed in a leaf processing facility, in order to separate leaf from stalk material.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the leaves of the tobacco plants are further cut to a width of between 0.3 to 1.3 mm, in order to create cut leaf ready for use in a smoking article.
10. The method according to claim 3 wherein the whole tobacco plants are attached to the support material at or through the stalk end of the plant and are hung upside-down on the support material.
11. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the curing the supported whole tobacco plants to form a cured whole tobacco plant.
12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the curing comprises exposing the whole tobacco plants to sunlight for a period of about ten to twenty days.
13. The method according to claim 11 further comprising bailing the cured whole tobacco plant to form a bail of cured whole tobacco plants.
14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising conditioning the bail of cured whole tobacco plants, wherein the conditioning comprises steam or water to provide a conditioned cured whole tobacco plant material having greater than 18% O.V.
15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising threshing the conditioned cured whole tobacco plant material to separate the leaf material from the stalk and stem material.
16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising drying the leaf material to form a dried leaf material.
17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the drying comprises drying the leaf material to a predetermined moisture level below 12% O.V.
18. The method according to claim 16 further comprising cutting the dried leaf material to a width of between 0.3 to 1.3 mm, in order to create cut leaf ready for use in a smoking article.
19. The method according to claim 16 further comprising cutting the dried leaf material to a width of between 0.8 to 0.9 mm, in order to create cut leaf ready for use in a smoking article.
20. The method according to claim 11 further comprising separating the tobacco leaves from the stalk of the cured whole tobacco plant.