CA1088409A

CA1088409A - Glass fibre reinforced foam and method of making same

Info

Publication number: CA1088409A
Application number: CA268,495A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Donald E. Hipchen; Michael J. Skowronski; Joseph R. Hagan
Original assignee: Celotex Corp
Current assignee: Celotex Corp
Priority date: 1976-01-19
Filing date: 1976-12-22
Publication date: 1980-10-28
Also published as: ES455136A1; GB1536979A; AT361718B; NL186800B; DE2700907A1; JPS5758294B2; NL186800C; LU76595A1; FR2338139A1; JPS52110791A; ATA24977A; NL7700527A; IT1192168B; FR2338139B1; DE2700907C2; ES466545A1

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to laminates and foam filled sheet products both which may be used for decorative panels or structural panels particularly it relates to structurally rigid sheets of foam having glass fibers distributed substantially evenly throughout the foam. It also relates to a method for forming such a product comprising the steps of contacting a thin substantially incompressible yet expansible mat of long straight glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture, covering at least one face of the mat with a facing sheet, and passing the facing sheet, mat and foam-forming mixture between the nip of two rotating rolls.

Description

1088~Q9 .

The field of foamed resins is wide and the choice of resin is deter~ined not only by cost and availability but also by properties such as flammability, friability, thermal -conductance, appearance, ease in foaming and application and moisture resistance. And it is, of course, well-known to include fillers and additi~es to alter the properties of the foamed material.
Many attempts have been made to create structural laminates particularly of foamed resins to be used for purposes of insulation as well as for wall and ceiling panels. Laminates have often been limited in the choice of foamed resins for this reason. Alternatively, foamed resins which are unsatisfactory in respect to certain properties have been made acceptable by the use of additives. These additives or fillers have had various disadvantages such as the toxic nature of halogen and/or phosphorus containing fire retardant additives. Self-supporting foamed laminates, such as the polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, are also well-known, . . .
I but have low structural strengths which limit the use o such lamlnates.
Laminates employing a core of batting material are also known in the art. Typically such materials suffer discontinuities and structural weaknesses.
; It is therefore an object of this invention to create a strong Iaminate which is free of discontinuities.
It is a fuxther object of this invention to form a laminate utilizing a foamed polymeric resin with ~ mat of long straight glass fibers to form a unique laminate of superior performance and of pleasing appearance.

:' ~~ '''.

Before laminates o~ this type can be used, however, ,~,~
it is necessary that they meet structural and fire safety ', standards.
Previous attempts to make similar structures utilizing foams have relied on the spongy character of a high loft batting into which a fo~l-forming resin WcLS forced and then permitted to foam and expand at the same rate as the high loft fibrous batting material expanded. An example of this process applied to making a flexible ~oam filled batting material can be foun~ in U.S. Patent 3,617,594. ' ' A distinct disadvantage is presented by using a high ,, , ' loft batting in that the batting may elastically recover faster than the foam forming mixture expands thereby producing voids or pockets within the resultant material, the pockets contri-buting directly to possible structural failure of the material when subjected to high heat conditions.
It is therefore an object of this invention to form a structural laminate using a low loft mat of long straight glass fibers, the mat being thin, substantially incompressibl yet expansible under the sole influence of the expansion of a oam-orming mixture which penetrates and complet~ly fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat.
A method of making a low loft'mat which satisfies the functional and structural requireme,nt of this invention is to be found i'n U.S. Patent 2,609,320 provided certain limi-' tations are placed on the method. For example, in a mat acceptable for US2 in a laminate according to this invention, the glass fibers are attached to one another forming interfiber bonds by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimen-sionably stable but insufficient to fill the interC;tices be- ~,' -3- ' ''"' "

10~4L09 tween the glass fibers. Preferably only a minimum amount of ,~
this fiber binder should be employed. Futher the m~t should not be expanded or puffed up in thickness as, is taught in U.S. Patent 2,609,320 but rather should bs of low loft such that pressure applied to the faces of the mat will not sub-stantially reduce the thickness of the mat cmd such that the mat doas not elastically recover to any appreciab}e amount when ' the structure is released from the faces of the mat. Of ;' course, any other method can be used which would result in a ,, L0 batt of glass fibers having a structure substantially the same as that produced by the method of U.S. Patent 2,609,320 '',,' with these restrictions.
The structural laminat2 of the present invention '' ' has at least one but preferably has two facing sheets, one on either side of the foam core. These facing sheets can be, ' , constructed of a wide variety of non-flammable materials such as asbestos, glass fibers, or metals. In the broadest aspects of the invention, any metal can be employed such as copper, brass, iron, steel, or aluminum. Aluminum is the preerred metal because of its ductility and ease with which it can be manuactured into a material of suitable thickness~
Attached to one surface of the at least one facing sheet is a rigid foam formed from a foam-forming mixture. The foam-forming mixture is one which will result in a rigid foam.
"
Polyurethanes and phenolic polymers are well-known materials in laminates in that they encompass many desirable properties for use in laminates, particularly structural-':
lan~inates. Other polymers that can be foamed include, rubber, '~
polyvinyl chloride, urea-aldehydes, melamine-aldehydes, poly- ' ', . : -, ','"'. ~.

3409 ~

styrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, cellulose acetate, : :
e~oxy resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer and ..
silicones.
A suitable foam-forming resin co~position is ~ ~:
described in U.S. Patent 3,799,896.
A suitable foam-forming mixture comprises the following reactants:
A. a mixture of polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanates of Formula I: .
~I) NCO r NCO - NCo ~C~2 ;~3C~

. ' ..
wherein n is an integer from 0 to 8 inclusive, and . B. a diol having-an equivalent weight of 30 to 100 of Formula II:
~II) IIO-R -OH
wherein Rl is selected from the group consisting of lower alkylene and lower-alkoxyalkylene.
wherein the equivalent~-ratio of A-B is 2:1 .
;~ to 6:1, '' '''', ~

, , . ~:

~5- . ' ' ~ 88~9 `,. :

Another suitable foam forming resin composition is : ~
- - .~ . .
described in U.S. Patent 3,876,620. The foam forming mixture .
comprises:

A. an alkylol group containing phenolic polymer of.
. .. , , , ,~ .
i Formula!I` .

~ OH
R~

wherein: 4 f (a) Rl is HOCH- , hydrogen or a radical of Formula II:
~II) R3 HO ~ R2 R3 ~ / ~ C~
~ 14 ~b) the R2's are independently selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, halo, nitro and hydrogen, (c) the R3's are independently selected from the group consisting of HOCH- , hydrogen or a ~adical of Formula II, ..
R4 . .

(d) the R4's are independently selected from the group . .::
consisting of lower alkyl, hydrogen,phenyl, benzyl,- or furyl, ~-(e) m is an integer from 2 to 10 inclusive, and -(f) th~ ph~nolic polymer has a molecular weight between ::
Z00 and Z000;

'.,'.'''''~.

-6- . ;
' .

1~8i~

B. a compound of Formula V: :

(V) R2 ~ OH
Il I
..

~2 C. a catalyst composition in an amount and of a type sufficient to give the foam forming mixture ~.
the desired cream time and the desired firm time;
D. a blowing agent in an amount sufficient to give the resultant ~oam the desired ~ulk density; and ~ . a suractant;
Additional suitable oaming resin compositions are disclosed in ~U.S. Patents-2,577,277, 2,498,621, 2,572,568, 2-,623,023 and 2,461,942. Other foamable resin compositions may be used. . .
Foaming resin compositions contain blowing agents .~:
.~Jhich:give gases when heated to proper tamperatures such as carbon dioxide, ammonium carbonate, potassium carbonate, hydrogen : .
peroxide and-chlorinat6d and fluorinated hydrocarbons such as ~luorotrichloromethane. ... .
Catalysts,-surfactants, dyes and other special additives may be added to the composition as is well-known in thP art in order to effect certain propertiesO Surfactants such as polyoxyethylene-sorbitani monopalmitates¦, polyoxyethylene : :~
sorbitan polydimethyl siloxane and polydimethyl siloxane . .
polyoxyalkylene block copolymers can serve as wetting agent in adhering fibers:to foam and can affect the foam cell size by lowering surface tension..
' '' , -7- ~

The structural laminates of the present invention include a mat of long strai~ht glass fibers. The fibers of ~ . . .
the mat are arranged in layers which are distrlbuted substan-tially evenly throughout the rigid foam, each layer being sub-stantially parallel to the facing sheet and the rigid foam completely filling the interstices between the glass fibers of the mat. The glass fibers are generally straight and not crimped, crinkled, or the like. The glass fibers are not short but rather long, generally having a length greater than one . .
foot and preferably 5 to 12 feet. Interminqled with the glass fibers is a relatively minor proportion of a binder, preferably a silane modified polyester binder amounting to about 2 to 10 percent by weight of the combined glass fiber and binder. The glass fiber mat having this amount of fiber binder is dimension-ally stable yet is expansible under the influence of the expan-sion of any foam-forming mixture caused to penetrate into the interstices between the fibers of the mat.
The glass fiber mat is incorporated into the structural laminate in an amount which will insure the continued structural integrity of the laminate when it is exposed to high temperature and open flames yet not so much as to result in the deterior-ation of the surface of the structural laminate due to exposed single fibers. The glass fiber mat is functionally effective when included in the range of 4-24 gms/board foot of structural laminate. A structural laminate preferably comprises 6-20 gms -of glass fiber mat per board foot of structural laminate.
It is to be understood that a board foot is a unit of volume measurement being a piece of board of size one foot square and one inch thick. A board foot is 144 cubic inches in i`
volume. Gra~s per board foot is a unit of density.

: ' .
' ~884()9 A particularly suitable process for producing a structural laminate according to this invention comprises the steps of contacting the previously formed, thin, substantially incompressible yet expansible mat of long straight glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture as outlined above, placing a facing sheet in contact with at least one face of the mat, and passing the facing sheet, mat and foam-forming mixture between the nip of two rotating rolls thereby forcing the foam-forming mixture into the interstices between the glass fibers of the mat. The mixture having the glass fibers distributed substantially evenly therethrough is subjected to the influencP of heat :
controllably added by the circulation of hot air bet~een 150F
and 250F and cured to a rigid ~oam structural laminate. This rigid structural laminate is then periodically severed into . ~:
~inite.lengths.thereby forming discrete panels. .

According to another.aspect of the present invention :
it has been discovered that-stretching of the mat of.glass :~
fibers in a dir~ction parallel to the running length of the .
mat by a certain amount aids in the production o a structural laminate having a more unifoxm distribution of the glass fibers throughout the mat. The stretching is accomplished by..an.amount.sufficient to rupture only some of the inner fiber bonds and generally between one and ten percPnt based upon the length of the mat prior to stretching. .:
The laminates may be used for decorative panels in which case one side of the laminate is decorated or embossed. However, . ~.:
both facing sheets may be decorated. .

_ 9_ ~081~40~

Brief Description of the Drawings .
Figure 1 is schematic representation of an apparatus suitable for practicIng the process of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a structural laminate taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is plan view of the structural laminate of :
Figure 2 taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is plan view of the structural laminate of ~Figure 2 taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the test . ' .
structure for a Factory Mutual-Building Corner Fire Test perormed on selected materials made according to this invention.
Description o~ the Pre~erred Embodiments :In Figure l,,there is.shown sch~matically an apparatus 10 suitable~for use in connection,with th~ present invention. .
The apparatus 10 comprises tanks.ll, 12 and 13 for containing the ' foaminy ingredients and additives such as blowing agent, sur- ', .,' '~actant,.etc., eaah.respectively connected to outlet lines :
14, 15 and 16. The lines 14, 15 and 16 form the inlet to ~ , metering pumps 17, 18 and 19~ The pumps 17, 18, and 19 ,: :
discbarge respectlvely through lines Z0, 21 and 22 which are .

, ; , ' ' ~ 08~09 in turn respectively connected to flexible lines 23, 24 and 25.
The flexible lines 23, 24, and 25 discharge to mixing head 29.
The apparatus 10 is also-provided with a roll 30 of lower facing sheet material 43, a roll 30' of upper facing sheet material 43', and a roll 31 of glass fiber mat material. The apparatus 10 is also provided with metering rolls 32 and 33 and an oven 35 provided with vents 36 and 36' for introducing and circulating hot air. The apparatus 10 is also provided with pul:L rolls 38 and 39 each of which preferably has a flexible outer sheath 40 and 41. The apparatus 10 is also provided with cutt:ing means 44 for severing the structural laminate produced by this process into finite lengths thereby producing discrete panels.
In operation the tanks are charged with the foam ~orming mixture in whatever manner is convenient and preferred for the specific-polymer. For instance, for a urethane foam, the polyol can-be in-one-tank, the polyisocyanate in another and catalyst in a third. Other polymers such as polyvinyl chloride can be used as a dispersion in plasticizers and a blowing agent;~introduced. Or polyvinyl chloride can be extruded as can polystyrene, cellulose acetate and the poly-olefins among others. Rubber and uraa-formaldehyde aan be frothed and admixed with the appropriate blowing agen~
and surfactant. The speeds of the pumps 17, 18 and 19 are adjusted to give the desired ratios of the ingredients in -25 I the tanks 11, 12 and 13. These ingredients pass respectively through line 20, 21 and 22 as well as lines 23, 24 and 25 whereupon they are mixed in the mixing head 29 to form the foam-forming mixture 45 which contacts the thin, substantially ~ -incompressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers 42 fed from the roll of glass fiber mat 31 toward the nip 34 between the .. ', -11- .
',' ~' two rotating metering rolls 32 and 33.
By virtue of rotation of the pULll rolls 38 and 39, th~ lower facing shPet 43 is pulled from the roll 30, the upper ,'' ' .
facing sheet 43' is pulled from the roll 30', and the glass fiber mat 42 is pulled from the roll 31. The facing sheets ,: '' 43 and 43' having the mat 42 and foam-forming mixture 45 there between pass through the nip 34 of thP two rotating metering .
rolls 32 and 33. The mixing head 29 is causad to movle back . ' and forth, normal to the plane of the paper by virtue of a `~
reciprocating means,49. In this manner, an even amount of ",~ .~
foam-forr.ling mixture 45 can be maintained upstream from the ' ~.
nip 34 and in contact with the mat 42 o glass ibers. The mat ,' 42 of glass 1bers being substantially incompressible ~et expansible has such a low loft that the pressure applied to the mat,42:by the rotating rolls 32 and 33 does not substantially '' reduce the thickness of-the mat 42 but rather -the foam-forming , ~' mixture 45 is caused to penetrate and completely fill the interstices-between the glass fibers forming the mat 42.
Further the mat 42 is of such a low loft that after passing through the nip 34 the glass fibers do not thams~lves elastically recover but expand under the sole~influence o the expansion of the foam-forming mixture 45. ~he velocity of the mat 42 as it passes between the nip 34 of the two rolls 32 and 33 substantia-l y-equals-the velocity o the acing sheets.43 :~
and 43'. After passing between ~he nip 34 o~ the two rolls 32 and 33, the composite structure 48 now comprises a lower ~ ', and upper facing she t 43 and 43l having therebetween a glass ', fiber mat 42 completely permeated by the foam-farming mixture 45 which wets the glass fibers of the mat 42.
. .

;

. ~ .

~38409 This composite structure 48 now passes into oven 35 and while in the oven 35 the foam-forming mixture expands in ;
an expansion zone 37. This expansion is initiated by heat generatcd in an exothermic reaction between the components of the foam-forming mixture 45 and is-regulated by heat addPd to the oven 35 by the hot air from vent 36. The temperature within the oven 35 is controlled by varying the temperature of th~ hot air from vent 36 and 36' in order to insure that the oven temperature is maintain~d wifhin the desired limits necessary to cure the foam employed. While in the expansion zone 37 the layers of fib2rs 50 of the glass fiber mat separate under the in1uence of the expanding ; foam 53 in such a manner as to be evenly distributed throughout the foam 53 in planes substantially parallel to the plane o the acing shests 51 and 52.
~. . . . . . .
The foam 53, under continuing influence of the heat add~d to the oven 35 by the controlled introduction of hot air .
from vent 36 and 36', cures to form the structural laminate 55 of this invention. The structural laminate 55 then leaves the ovan 35, passas between the pull rolls 38 and 39, and is cut by cutting means 44 into finite lengths thereby forming discrete panels 57 and 57' of the structural laminate 55.
In Figure 2 there is shown an enlarged sectional view of a structural laminate 55 of the present invention taken -. . -: . .
along line 2-2 of Figure 1. The structural laminate 55 shown in Figure 2 comprises two facing sheets 58 and 60. It will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art that a structural laminate of this type can be made in such a manner as to only have a single facing sheet, or one of the acing sheets 58 or 60 can be removed from the structural laminat:e without : ' --1 3-- i :
:.; .
`' ' , : ~.

~8~409 seriously aegrading the desired functional performance. The . . .
structural laminate 55 shown in Figure 2 further comprises a :~ ' rigid foam 61 formed from the foam-forming mixture 45 of Figure 1. Distributed substantially even:Ly-throughout the foam 61 is a multitude of long straight g:lass fibers 62 '' .
arranged in layers 64, 64' which are substantially parallel ' to the facing sheets 58 and 60. The rigid foam 61 completely fills the interstices 65 betw~en the glass fibers 62. The - ' glass fibers in each layer 64, 64' ara at an acute angle to the glass fibPrs in each next adjacent layer. This is shown schematically by examining two adjacent sections, the first '. ;~
along line 3-3 and shown in Figure 3 and the second along line 4-4 shown in ~igure 4. In the two Figures 3 and 4, a plan view of the structural l~ninate of Figure 2 is shown with reference.lines A-A representing the same direction in the two figures. In FIgure::3 th2-glass fibers 62 are shown to be running predominantly.at-~an angle a to the reference line A-A'while in Figure 4 the glass fibers 62 are shown to be running pradominantly at an angle ~ with respbc~ to reference line A-A. The ~ibers in these two adjacent layers reprasented '.
.by the.sections.shown in Figures 3 and 4 are aligned such th'at -the fibers'in ona layer are at.an angle of ~ plus ~ with respect to the fibers in the next adjacent -}ayer. The angle ~ plus ~
; is generally an acute.angle and is typically less than'60 in a ::
~5 structural laminate produced according to this invention. Whil~
the glass fibers 62 are generally long and straight, that is not crimped or twisted, the fibers 62 becoms slightly un~ulated within-the plane lay~rs 64, 64' which are substantially parallel to the facing sheet or sheets 58, 60 of the structural laminate 55. The slight non-contiguous undulations are 1088~9 induced in the fibers 62 as the foam-forming mixture 45 ~
expands and disperses the fibers 62 throughout the laminate :~:
55. The overall thickness "d" of a lami.nate 55 produced ~- :
according-to this invention is typically from 0.4 to 2.
inches while the initial thickness of the glass fiber mat 42 is less than 0.1 inches and more typically 0.010 to 0.050 . inches. The initial thickness of the glass fiber mat 42 .
is-generally less than 1 and 1/2 times the separation of the ~acing sheets at the nip 34 of the two rotating rolls 32 and 33, the low loft of the mat 42 preventing any substantial compression by the two rolls 32 and 33.
. The preferr~d apparatu5 by which stretching of'the fiber mat is accomplished is shown ih Figure 1. ~8 shown in ,` Figure l.the-mat-42 passes-first.between the nip 70 of a ~ :
: 15 first pair.of rolls-71, 72 and then through the nip 74 of .:
a~.~econd.-pair of rolls 75,-76 the~-axes of the rolls 71, 72, 75, 76 are perpendicular to the running length of the mat ... .
42. The nips 70, 74 of each pair of rolls 71, 72 and 75, 76 engage the mat 42. The peripheral speed of the second ~:
pair of rolls;.. ~amely, rolls 75, 76 is grea~er than the periph~ral.speed of.khe first pair of rolls; namely, the rolls-71,~.72. The.d~ference in peripheral speed-is adjusted ;:~:
such that stretching of the mat 42 is accomplished in the ~ -running or machine direction. This direction is parallel .:~
: 25 to the running length of the mat 42. An alternative to the .
arrangement of the two pairs of rolls is to provide the roll 31 with a.brake which.slows the advance of the mat 42 ~ ;
from the roll 31 as the mat 42 ~s pulled by the rolls 32, :~
33. .~ ; :

: .. .

.: -15~

;:

1081 34al9 EXA~IPT~
A structural laminate was produced according to this invention by contacting a mat of glass fibers with a foam-.: :
forming mixture. The mat of glass fibert; was suhstantially S incompressible and had an overall thickness of 0.030 inches.
The glass fibers forming the mat were long, straight fibers having an average diamet2r of less than 25 microns and lengths varying from 5 to 12 feet with an average length of over 5 feet. The ingredients o~ the foam-forming mixture were arranged in three tanks as follows:
In tank 11:
polymethylenepolyphenyl isocyanate sold under th2 trademark*"PAPI-20" from Vpjohn Chemical Company................................................ 100 parts fluorotrichloromethane............................ .18.8 parts polydimethylsiloxane polyoxyalkylene copolymers sold-as~L-5340 available from Union Carbide............ ..2.16 part In tank 12:
diethylene glycol................................. ..8.3 parts`~
~i In tank 13~

2,*4, 6-tris (dLmethylaminomethyl) phenol ~;
sold as D~-30 from Rohm & Haas Company................ .Ø84 part ` potassium-2-ethyl-hexoate......................... ..1.75 part~
~ .
poiyoxyethylene glycol (m.w. 200) sold as *Carbowax 200 from Union Carbide Company............... ..7.41 part The pull rolls are then started as are the pumps -~hich deliver the contents of the tan~s 11, 12 and 13 to the -~
mixing head 29 in a weight ratio of 100:6.87:3.04. This 1 ~. ~ ' ' '.'":
.' ' ' ~,... .

-16- ~i ; ~ * Trade Mark . ~ -.~J
; ` ' ~884~9 ,; ', .:

corresponds-to-an equivalent ratio-of isocyanate to diethylene . ~ .
glycol of 4.6:1. The contents of tank 11 are maintained at . : :
65F, whereas the contents of tanks 12..and 13 are at 65-75F.
The foam-forming mixture completely fills the interstices between the individual fibers of the glass fiber mat ~7etting the ~-individual fibers of the glass fiber mat. Two facing sheets of aluminum.foil, each having a thickness of about 0.0015 inches are positionPd one on each side of the glass fiber mat and.foam-forming.mixture, one of the facing sheets having an embossed decorative surface design. The facing sheets , .
. .,'.
having the mat and foam-forming mixture therebetween then . .
pass through the nip 34 of the two rotating rolls into oven .
35 maintained at a.. te~perature of 225F where the foam- ~.
forming:.mixture expands in the expansion zone 37.to a substantially .
uniform thickness of--one inch, the glass fiber mat being included ~ ~
at the rate of 9.5 grams of glass fiber per.. board~foot of . ~ ... .

laminate produced. ¦-The structural laminate produced according to ~ .
this example.was given the..name CE~OTEX TEC~NIFO~1-600 THE~X
INSULATIOI~l BO~RD.
~ : ..;

:~: , . . 1,. :, :' , i ~ - .

.

,: :
C* Trade Mark . . ! ::
~ . ~

: .-17- ... .. .

EXAMPLE 2 ~8409 ~ `
A structural laminate made according to this invention and given the name C~LOTEX T~C~NIFOA~l lrF-6oo was subjected to the Factory liutual Building Corner Fire Test. This test is aesigned to evaluate the burning characteristics of interior finish materials and is designed and constructed with special physical proportions to simulate an actual fire within the corner of a building. The purpose of the test is to demonstrate the true ~ire hazard of wall and ceiling construction materials under typical building fire environments. The physical dimensions 0 of the test structure are designed to eliminate all questions ' that are inherent in small reduced scale tests.
As shown in Figure 5, the tes~ ~tructure 70' comprises a free standing structural steel frame 71'~ade of supporting ' , ' colu~ns 72' and horizontal girts 73 designed for attachment of ~he material 74"to be tested. The roof or ceiling of the frame work 75'consists of bar joists 76'and metal furring strips 77. '~
Corrugated steel sheeting 78 is installed on the inside of this metal struct,ure. The wall 79 is 50 feet in length while ~7all 80 '~
, is 37 and 3/~ feet in length. ~oth walls 79 and 80 are 24 and .'. , ~,.

3/4 feet high.
The panels of the iaminated structure 74'are secured to'the inside of the corrugated steel while sheets of gypsum ; boa~d (not shown) were installed behind the corrugated steel 78 to help contain the heat in the area. ~ ' ~5 The fire exposure was a 5 foot high pile of 4 by 4 foot wood pallets 81 weighing about 750 pounds. -Ignition was achieve'd ~ith the aid of two heptane-soaked cotton rolls 82 placed inside the bottom pallet 83. The stack of wood pallets 81 as'.located l foot a~ay from each wall 79 and 80. ~1hen ignited 0 the exposure is arranged to 5imulate the AST~ TLme/Te~per~ture - ~ .

curve for a minimum of lS minutes producing 1000F in '; minutes `

or less. ' . . ~, ,~.
* Trade Mark ' `

~08B409 If the material 74' does not produce a self propagating . fire within the limits of the structure as evidenced by flaming or material damagej,the.material b'eing tested'-is considered.'ac~ ,, ceptable. When tested in this manner, samples of CELOTEX TECHNI- '.
FOAM TF-600 as given in Example 1 were deemed acceptable even ' when not protected by automatic sprinklers.
...

EXAMPLE 3 - --~ .
A phenolic polymer such as that described in USP''3,876, 620 is used to synthesize a.cellular material. .... :' ' The following ~uantities of the following ingredients .; .
are combined as indicated: . "' Ingredients , Quantity ,.
; Item Name . ~ms ' ..... .., phenolic polymer 80 '~' B phenol 11 ' ;,'." ;;~

C ' Catalyst p-toluene sulfonic acid 4.3 ~,' .
~, ' . xylene sulfonic acid 4.3 water 4.3 13 .~^~... '."~' .j D C 3 , 10 ,~

E polydimethyl siloxane ~' ~`,:
. polyalkylene oxide block copolymer 2 i,tj ', i,''~ ., " ,'. ~
. F . water , g .
Items A throuyh F are mixed in an open vessel whereupon '.'. ., , a reaction ensues. Items A, B and F are added together in the .' " form of (100 g) of the phenolic composition of Example 1 of U.S.
,s, Patent No. 3,876,620.

', , The phenolic composition is distributed to the three ':,:' tanks. Tank 11 is charged with the'phenolic composition admixed , ':
with blowing agent, tank 12 with phenolic composition and sur~ .
~ factant and t;ank 13 is charged with~the catalyst. . , .
,~ ~ O ' ', ~ . . .
.. :;. . .
~. ' ''~. ,, :" `'~
,, * Trade Mark ~,;
,, ~\ . - 19 - "'~ .

~ " ':

4~9 The foam-forming mixture completely fills the interstices between the individual fibers of the glass fiber mat wetting the individual fibers of the glass fiber mat.
Two facing sheets of aluminum foil, each having a thickness of about 0.0015 inches are positioned one on each side of the glass fiber mat and foam-forming mixture, one of the facing sheets having an embossed decorative surface design. The facing sheets having the mat and foam-forming mixture there- ~-between then pass through the nip 34 of the two rotating rolls into oven 35 maintained at a temperature of 225F where the foam-forming mixture expands in the expansion zone 37 to a substantially uniorm thickness o one inch, the glass ~iber mat being included at the rate o 9.5 grams o glass fiber per board foot of laminate produced.
lS Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described above and as defined in the ollowing claims.

'.

. .

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. contacting a thin, substantially incompressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture which completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat, II. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat, and III. passing the facing sheets having the mat and the foam-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls, the mat of glass fibers being further characterized by A. the glass fibers being arranged in layers which are substantially parallel to the facing sheets, B. the glass fibers within each layer being at least one foot long, straight and substantially parallel, C. the glass fibers in each layer being at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, D. the glass fibers being attached to one another by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, and E. the glass fiber mat comprising 4-24 grams/board foot of the laminate.

2. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. contacting a thin, substantially incom-pressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture which completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat comprising:
A. an organic polyisocyanate, and B. a diol having an equivalent weight between 30 and 100, II. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat, and III. passing the facing sheets having the mat and the foam-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls, the mat of glass fibers being further characteri-zed by A. the glass fibers being arranged in layers which are substantially parallel to the facing sheets, B. the glass fibers within each layer being at least one foot long, straight and substantially parallel, and C. the glass fibers in each layer being at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, D. the glass fibers being attached to one another by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, and E. the glass fiber mat comprising 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate.

3. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. contacting a mat of glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture comprising:
A. a mixture of polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanates of Formula I:
(I) wherein n is an integer from 0 to 8 inclusive, and B. a diol having an equivalen weight of 30 to 100 of Formula II:
(II) HO-R1-OH
wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of lower alkylene and lower alkoxyalkylene.
wherein the equivalent ration of A:B is 2:1 to 6:1, II. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat, III. passing the facing sheets having the mat of glass fibers and the foam-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls wherein:
A. the thickness of the mat remains sub-stantially the same as prior to passing through the nip, B. the velocity of the mat is equal to the velocity of the facing sheets, C. the glass fibers of the mat are arranged in layers which are substantially parallel to the facing sheets, D. the glass fibers within each layer are at least one foot long and substantially parallel, E. the glass fibers in each layer are at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next ad-jacent layer, and F. the foam-forming mixture completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat, G. the glass fibers are attached to one another by an amount of binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but in-sufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, and H. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate.

4. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. Contacting a thin, substantially in-compressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers with a foam-forming mixture which completely fills the inter stices between the fibers of the mat, comprising:
A. an alkylol group containing phenolic polymer of Formula I:

wherein:
(a) R1 is , hydrogen or a radical of Formula II:

(b) the R2's are independently selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, halo, nitro and hydrogen, (c) the R3's are independently selected from the group consisting of , hydrogen or a radical of Formula II, (d) the R4's are independently selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, hydrogen, phenyl, benzyl, or furyl, (e) m is an integer from 2 to 10 inclusive, and (f) the phenolic polymer has a molecular weight between 200 and 2000;

B. a compound of Formula V:
(V) C. a catalyst composition in an amount and of a type sufficient to give the foam-forming mixture the desired cream time and the desired firm time;
D. a blowing agent in an amount sufficient to give the resultant foam the desired bulk density;
E. a surfactant;
II. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat, and III. passing the facing sheets having the mat and the foam-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls, the mat of glass fibers being further character-ized by A. the glass fibers being arranged in layers which are substantially parallel to the facing sheets, B. the glass fibers within each layer being at least one foot long, straight and substantially parallel and, C. the glass fibers in each layer being at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, D. the glass fibers being attached to one ano-ther by an amount of binder sufficient to make the mat dimen-sionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices be-tween the glass fibers, and E. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the mat of glass fibers has an initial thickness less than 1 and 1/2 times the separation of the facing sheets at the nip of the two rotating rolls.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the mat of glass fibers is expansible under the sole influence of the expansion of the foam-forming mixture.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the mat of glass fibers has a low loft such that pressure applied to the faces of the mat will not substantially reduce the thickness of the mat.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the glass fibers in each layer of the mat are at an angle of less than 60° to the glass fibers in each of the next adjacent layers.

9. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. providing a thin, substantially incompressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers wherein:
A. the glass fibers are arranged in layers, B. the glass fibers within each layer are at least one foot long, straight and substantially parallel, and C. the glass fibers in each layer are at an a-cute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, D. the glass fibers are lightly bonded to each other at their intersections by means of interfiber bonds pro-vided by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, E. the mat of glass fibers has an indefinite running length, F. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate, II. stretching the mat of glass fibers in a direc-tion parallel to its running length by an amount sufficient to rupture only some of the interfiber bonds, and then III. contacting the mat with a foam-forming mixture which completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat, IV. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat wherein the fibrous layers of the mat are substan-tially parallel to the facing sheets, and V. passing the facing sheets having the mat and the foam-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the stretching results in an elongation of 1 to 10% based on the length of the mat prior to stretching.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein the stretching is accomplished by passing the mat through two pairs of rotating rolls wherein:
A. the axes of the rolls are perpendicular to the running length of the mat, B. the nip of each pair of rolls engages the mat, C. the peripheral speed of the second pair of rolls is greater than the peripheral speed of the first pair of rolls.

12. The process of claim 9 wherein the stretching is accomplished by providing the mat in the form on a roll and then retarding the rate of advancement of the roll.

13. A process for producing a structural laminate comprising the steps of:
I. providing a thin, substantially in-compressible yet expansible mat of glass fibers wherein:
A. the glass fibers are arranged in layers, B. the glass fibers within each layer are at least one foot long, straight and substantially parallel, and C. the glass fibers in each layer are at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, D. the glass fibers are lightly bonded to each other at their intersections by means of interfiber bonds provided by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, E. the mat of glass fibers has an indefinite running length, F. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate, II. stretching the mat of glass fibers in a direction parallel to its running length by an amount of 1 to 10% based on the length of the mat prior to stretching wherein:
A. the stretching is accomplished by passing the mat through two pairs of rotating rolls, B. the axes of the rolls are per-pendicular to the running length of the mat, C. the nip of each pair of rolls engages the mat, D. the peripheral speed of the second pair of rolls is greater than the peripheral speed of the first pair of rolls, III. contacting the mat of glass fibers with a form-forming mixture which completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat, IV. positioning a facing sheet on each face of the mat, and V. passing the facing sheets having the mat and the form-forming mixture therebetween through the nip of two rotating rolls.

14. A structural laminate comprising:
A. at least one planar facing sheet, B. a rigid foam attached to one surface of the facing sheet, the rigid foam formed from a form-forming mixture, C. a mat of glass fibers wherein:
I. the glass fibers of the mat are distributed substantially evenly through the rigid form wherein the form com-pletely fills the interstices between the fibers, II. the glass fibers are straight, III. the glass fibers are at least one foot long, IV. the glass fibers of the mat are arranged in layers, V. each layer of glass fibers is substantially para-llel to the facing sheet, VI. the glass fibers are attached to one another by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the inter-stices between the glass fibers, and VII. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate.

15. The structural laminate of claim 14 wherein there are two parallel facing sheets, one on each face of the rigid foam.

16. The structural laminate of claim 14 wherein the facing sheet is a metal foil between 0.010 and 0.001 inches thick.

17. The structural laminate of claim 14 wherein the surface of the facing sheet obverse to that attached to the rigid foam is decoratively embossed.

18. The structural laminate of claim 14 wherein the glass fibers within each layer are substantially parallel to each other.

19. The structural laminate of claim 17 wherein the glass fibers in each layer are at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer.

20. A structural laminate comprising:
A. two planar facing sheets;

B. a rigid foam attached between the facing sheets, the rigid foam formed from a foam-forming mixture;
C. a mat of glass fibers wherein:
I. the glass fibers of the mat are distributed sub-stantially evenly throughout the rigid foam, II. the glass fibers are non-crimped, III. the glass fibers are at least one foot long IV. the glass fibers of the mat are arranged in layers, V. each layer of glass fibers is substantially par-allel, VI. the glass fibers in each layer are at an acute angle to the glass fibers in each next adjacent layer, VII. the foam-forming mixture completely fills the interstices between the fibers of the mat, VIII. the glass fibers are attached to one another by an amount of fiber binder sufficient to make the mat of glass fibers dimensionally stable but insufficient to fill the interstices between the glass fibers, and IX. the glass fiber mat comprises 4 to 24 grams per board foot of the laminate.