EP0680459A1

EP0680459A1 - Glass fiber manufacturing process and plant

Info

Publication number: EP0680459A1
Application number: EP94904125A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Helmut Schiwek
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-01-23
Filing date: 1994-01-07
Publication date: 1995-11-08
Also published as: NO952751D0; NO952751L; PL177272B1; PL309942A1; AU5831194A; JPH08505664A; US5690715A; AU686128B2; CA2154562A1; BR9406219A; WO1994017004A1

Abstract

In a process for producing insulating materials with environmentally safe binding components, a long-chain starch is used as binder, besides silicone. The starch is heated up to 50 to 60 DEG C, held at this temperature and sprayed on the glass fibers separately from the silicone; 6 to 8 % binder, consisting of starch and silicone, are used, then a spun-glass mat or slab may be shaped and dryed at about 180 DEG C. A spun-glass mat (16), insulating mat or slab or adsorber is thus obtained which surprisingly is water-proofed and held together exclusively by starch, resin and silicone, which may be used without any problems and has a uniform bulk density throughout. In the plant (1) provided for that purpose, supply rings for water (9), for starch (10) and for silicone (11) are provided. The nozzles (13, 14) for the supply ring (11) have a larger opening and separation edges. The premixing container (17) and the supply pipe (15) are heatable or heat-insulated. In a further embodiment, an emulsion is formed from silicone resin, silicone oil, a dust binder and the starch, is atomized at 18 to 200 DEG C and sprayed onto the passing stream of glass fibers.

Description

Process and plant for the production of glass fibers

Description

The invention relates to a process for the production of glass fibers from sand, recycled glass and additives which, after melting to liquid glass, are pressed through a plurality of openings in the rotary plate, whereupon the still hot glass fibers are sprayed with water and then a binder, and then to be brought by printing in mat form or the like. The invention also relates to a system for carrying out the method with a liquid glass container with an outlet opening, a rotary plate with openings, gas burners and feed rings with downstream nozzles for the water and the binder and a premix container for the binder.

In the manufacture of glass fibers, the liquid glass is pressed through the openings of a rotary plate, which rotates at high speed. The correspondingly fine glass fibers are then rinsed off with water and sprayed with a binder so that the individual glass fibers can subsequently be folded into mats or rolls and also remain in this form when they have left the drying oven. For this purpose it is known to use a binder consisting essentially of vinyl resin and silicone, the end products then being given an intensely yellow color by the resin. The disadvantage here is that the resin can also partially escape as an insulating material during later processing or during use, which results in environmental problems. A further disadvantage is that the binding effect is completely or partially eliminated, especially when water penetrates. A binder is known from European Patent 129 227 which consists of starch to which other substances such as silicone are admixed. This product is used as a binder for paper, insulating material, plastic, textiles u. Ä. used. Finally, it is known from US Pat. No. 5,006,140 to spray the glass fibers with a binder mixture of starch and silicone after spraying with water. The procedure was obviously the same as for the use of vinyl resin, namely by spraying 4 to 4.5% of binder onto the glass fibers. The result is a white glass fiber mat which can be rolled up and also processed, but which has areas where it partially or completely collapses and which, above all, do not have bulk densities above 18 to 20 kg / m ³ . The liquid starch, which is sprayed onto the glass fibers with the silicone, tends to form lumps, so that spraying through the nozzles is also made more difficult. Finally, precipitation occurs with medium service lives, so that the binder mixture can then no longer be used at all.

The invention has for its object to provide a method and a system with which vinyl-free glass wool can be produced safely, inexpensively and permanently for practically any density.

The object is achieved in that the binder is used as a mixture of starch (polysaccharides) and silicone in an amount of 6 to 8%, that a long-chain starch is used as the starch, which is initially heated to 50 to 60 ° C. and is kept at this temperature until spraying and is stirred in the process, starch and silicone being sprayed onto the glass fibers at the same time, however, via separate nozzles.

The long-chain starch brings an advantageously uniformly bonded and glued glass fiber mixture, so that very uniform mats and plates can be produced. Despite the long-chain starch used, there are no problems with the lines and nozzles clogging, but it is possible to keep the starch so fluid that it is can be sprayed onto the glass fibers properly. Since starch and silicone are sprayed onto the glass fibers via separate devices, there can be no service life problems, and it can also be advantageously ensured over the entire batch that the correct proportions of starch and silicone are used in each case. When using the provided 6 to 8% binder based on glass wool, it is possible to coat the total amount of glass wool or glass fibers so that the desired hydrophobization is also ensured at the same time. The optimum is achieved when using 6.5% binder. Sheets of 100 kg per cubic meter bulk density and more can be produced safely. The starch is expediently also heated up to the spray nozzles during the feed, which always ensures that a uniform viscosity liquid reaches the outlet of the spray nozzles. This reliably prevents blockages and dripping flags.

A particularly stable mat or plate made of glass fibers for use as insulation material can be produced if starch and silicone are added in a ratio of 94 to 96% starch and 6 to 4% silicone as a binder in an amount of 6.5%. The starch (94 to 96% dry) must first be dissolved with an appropriate amount of water, i.e. H. be boiled, so that a correspondingly hot liquid is then advantageously available, which is stored and processed in this state or else is heated accordingly before being supplied.

Another expedient training provides that an emulsion is generated from silicone resin, silicone oil, a dust binder and the starch, which is atomized at a temperature of 18 to 200 ° C, preferably 40 to 60 ° C and sprayed onto the glass fibers passed. In this way, environmentally friendly insulation mats or corresponding insulation rolls, but also other products can be produced, with the use of uniformly produced ones and always the same metered emulsion ensures a consistently constant formation of the corresponding fibers, so that waste glass can also be used for the glass melt. The glass fibers correspondingly sprayed uniformly and prepared for consolidation can be compressed uniformly over the entire width and length due to the treatment according to the invention, so that they fully meet the properties intended for use as insulating material. Silicone resin, silicone oil and correspondingly common dust-binding agents are processed together with the starch and kept at temperature and then sprayed onto the glass fibers flowing past or passed by at a corresponding temperature. Since the glass fibers virtually turn when they are passed, the spray nozzles are directed onto the glass fiber strand from all sides and a corresponding temperature ensures the uniform distribution of the emulsion on the fibers, so the further processing of the glass fibers into mats and plates as well as rolls possible without problems. The drying temperature is 180 to 220 ° C. and is maintained in the appropriately designed drying oven in order to ensure the solidification of the mats or rolls.

For further optimization, it is provided that the emulsion is admixed with silane as a catalyst and that the starch is partially or completely replaced by epoxy, methylon, polyester resin or synthetic resins having the same or similar effect, 3 to 7% by weight of resin and 0 , 5 to 4% by weight of silicone are added. The silane offers the possibility of combining organic and inorganic substances so effectively that a uniform resin-silane emulsion is formed, which can then be processed as intended, ie sprayed onto the glass fibers. The use of a corresponding synthetic resin has the advantage that longer service lives are achieved because the organic parts of the binder are correspondingly less or stabilized by the use of synthetic resin. In addition to epoxy resin and the associated hardener, the emulsion can contain polydimethylsiloxanes, methylpoly- siloxanes or silicone methyl resin emulsions can be added for simultaneous hydrophobization and binding. Even when the starch is completely replaced by epoxy or similar resin, a stabilized and nevertheless sufficiently flexible glass fiber fabric is obtained. This product is ideal for use as an insulation material because it cannot be influenced by temperature, moisture and other factors. Outgassing or the like is also not possible, so that such an insulating material is particularly environmentally friendly. From a purely theoretical point of view, it is possible to reuse such insulation material after use only by washing it out with water to remove dust or the like, ie to recycle it.

In order to facilitate the use of the insulating material, in particular in the form of panels, particularly in the case of panels with a low spatial density, the invention provides that a thin glass fleece or tapes woven from glass fibers are applied, preferably glued, to the glass fiber mat on all or all sides . This glass fleece or the tapes gives the mats particular dimensional stability without adversely affecting their effect, in particular adsorber effects. The glass fleece or the tapes facilitate both the storage and the subsequent processing of the mats produced accordingly.

The amount of binder applied is around 6 to 10% even when using epoxy resin. The use of waste glass is possible because, in particular, the epoxy resin works in conjunction with the silicone as an optimal binder. It is provided that before spraying the binder onto the glass fibers from waste glass, which is freed of foreign matter and crushed without color and other division and brought together with additives to 800 to 1000 ° C, melted liquid glass and then ver¬ to glass fibers will work. The proportion of waste glass can be varied by increasing the proportion of binder with increasing waste glass. Ultimately, the use of 100% waste glass is possible when using up to 10% by weight epoxy resin. Through the In contrast to the phenol resin or vinyl resin, a better adhesive effect of the epoxy resin can be used according to the previously known method, a dam made of 100% waste glass or recycled material. This is an important step for the environment because it has so far not been possible to recycle 100% of the total amount of waste glass that can be achieved. It is particularly advantageous that such a recycling material can be used to produce a high-quality product which, moreover, guarantees a long service life, and therefore will not be re-used in the foreseeable future. This material can even be recycled.

A system with a liquid glass container with an outlet opening, a rotary plate with openings, gas burners and feed rings with downstream nozzles for the water and the binder and a premixing container for the binder, one feed ring for the starch or resin and an additional one Feed rings for the silicone are provided, the feed ring for the starch being followed by nozzles with enlarged nozzle openings and tear-off edges and the premix container being heatable and the feed lines to the nozzles being at least heat-insulating. With such a system, as before, a glass wool can be produced from the jet of liquid glass, which is sprayed with water and thus cooled, and then sprayed approximately simultaneously through the closely spaced feed rings for the binder components silicone and starch or resin to become. Flawless spraying and, above all, spraying which does not interfere with operation are achieved by using nozzles with an enlarged opening and a preheated premixing container for the starch. It is also conceivable to give the nozzle openings a shape such that clogging of the nozzles is ruled out even if small lumps of thickness are not provided. The tear-off edges prevent that disadvantageous product flags are formed which could later form disadvantageous nests. Seen as a whole, a system is created which can be used safely in continuous operation without producing problems, but in particular produces a uniform glass wool which can be processed into sheets or mats as desired.

With a corresponding pump output, it may be advantageous to arrange a sieve with openings adapted to the nozzles between the premixing container and the feed line and to provide a density meter in the feed line shortly before the feed ring. The lumps of starch which might still be present in the starch would then be pressed through the sieve by the pump pressure and thus crushed at the same time, so that they can then be conveyed through the nozzles. The density meter can be used to continuously determine whether a perfect starch liquid is available, in order to adjust the viscosity of the starch solution if necessary by increasing the heating temperature and other measures.

If, in addition to the starch and silicone binder, the previously customary binder vinyl resin and silicone or another resin is to be used for technical problems, this is possible without problems by providing the rotary plate with a further additional feed ring for the resin binder (Vinyl resin or epoxy resin) is assigned, which is equipped with nozzles of smaller outlet cross-section. It goes without saying that this additional feed ring, that is to say the fourth feed ring, is connected to the feed pumps and feed lines, so that it can be put into operation at very short notice if necessary. A transition from one binding agent to the other is thus practically possible without a standstill.

In order to prevent the formation of the disadvantageous product flags on the nozzles for the binder, in particular the starch, the invention provides that the nozzles on the feed ring for the starch and the silicone are covered with respect to the nozzles on the feed ring for the water, thereby eliminating the cooling effect that has previously occurred on the nozzles, which leads to the starch already cooling before it emerges from the nozzle, so that the described disadvantageous product flags arise. By covering it with the water nozzles, the starch nozzle remains unaffected in terms of temperature and the starch can be safely sprayed onto the glass fibers flowing past by the pumps.

The invention is characterized in particular by the fact that a method and a system are created by means of which glass fibers can be produced as before, in order then to be sprayed with an environmentally friendly but nevertheless very safe and inexpensive binder. The method and system ensure that spraying is so uniform over the long term that mats and panels of practically any desired spatial density can be produced. These boards and mats are advantageously suitable for processing as insulation material in any area, especially in interior construction, these products being both water-repellent and fire-retardant. This ensures that at least the area of application of the products previously bound with vinyl resin can be supplied with this new product. However, due to the environmentally friendly training, it is also possible to use these mats and panels in previous problem areas, for example also as insulation mats for stoves and ovens, where the outgassing in particular of the vinyl nests contained in mats had previously been feared due to the exposure to temperature. In addition, these mats and plates are also suitable for absorbing oil and petroleum-like products and thus as adsorbers, for example for combating oil-related catastrophes.

Further details and advantages of the subject matter of the invention emerge from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which a preferred embodiment game is shown with the necessary details and parts. Show it:

Fig. 1 a plant for the production of

Glass fibers in a schematic representation, FIG. 2 a premixing container in section, FIG. 3 a container for resin, FIG. 4 a plant for the production of corresponding glass fibers from wholly or partly recycled glass.

Fig. 1 shows first of all a glass melt in which the glass for the system 1 is melted. The liquid glass container is designated by 2, from which the liquid glass can emerge through an outlet opening 3 as a uniform glass jet 4.

This glass jet strikes a rotary plate 5, which is provided with openings 6 on the outer edge. The rotating glass plate 5 presses the liquid glass through the openings 6 and leaves the plate glass as a single fiber, with the gas burners 7 providing the necessary temperature in this area.

At a distance from the feed ring 9, a further feed ring 10 is provided, by means of which the binder component silicone is sprayed onto the glass fibers 8. The feed ring 11, via which the binder component starch is sprayed, is located closely behind it. The individual feed rings 10, 11 are equipped with nozzles 13, 14, which can be discharged uniformly via the respective binder component, the nozzles 14 having a larger diameter than the nozzles 13, in order to ensure that the binder component starch emerges evenly.

Another can be located behind the feed rings 9, 10, 11 Feed ring 12 can be provided, as indicated in FIG. 3, via which a binder mixture of vinyl resin and silicone is to be sprayed on.

1 shows an arrangement in which is arranged between the feed ring 9 for the water and the feed ring 10 for the silicone and the feed ring 11 for the starch, the feed ring 11 being provided with a cover 20 in order to To prevent the nozzles 14 from being influenced by the sprayed water. 15 denotes the feed line via which the starch is sprayed onto the glass fiber mat 16.

More correctly said, this is not yet the glass fiber mat 16, but rather the individual glass fibers 8, which are only combined into glass fiber mats 16 after spraying with the binding agent and are then fed to the drying oven, not shown here.

The feed line 15 is connected to the premixing container 17 which, according to FIG. 2, has a special design to ensure that the binder component starch can be kept uniformly warm at about 50 to 60 ° C. in order to keep it at this temperature through the feed line 15, which is at least isolated according to FIG. 2, to be fed to the nozzles 14.

The premix container 17 has a mixer 21 in order to keep the starch in motion and thus to prevent the formation of disadvantageous lumps. Heating pipes 22 can be laid in the wall of the premixing container in order to heat the starch or to maintain the temperature accordingly. The temperature can be set and maintained precisely using temperature measuring devices.

FIG. 2 shows a different design in that the feed line 15 additionally has a heating winding 23 is provided in this way to still heat the starch even during transport to the nozzles 14 or to maintain the uniform temperature thereof.

3 finally shows a container 18 in which vinyl resin or a binder made of vinyl resin and silicone is held. As explained further above, this binder is sprayed onto the glass fibers 8 by a further feed ring 12, 12 nozzles 14 being arranged or distributed over the circumference of the additional feed ring.

4 explains the overall process, 30 being the glass collection container in which the waste glass is collected, regardless of the type of origin or formation. Metallic parts have already been deposited, so that there is a more or less contaminated glass material.

This glass material is first passed through a comminution unit 31 in order to then be transferred to a washing system 32 or a corresponding belt 33. This slow-moving belt carries the glass material under a kind of shower device, which is supplied with the necessary cleaning water via a water distribution 34. Different chemicals can be mixed into this cleaning water, for which purpose the solvent tank 35 is provided. Instead of this one solvent tank 35, solid chemicals can be provided. The chemicals are mixed with the water and then sprayed onto the product to be cleaned via the nozzles 36, 37. The wash water is collected in a trough and then treated again so that it can be used again.

After the cleaning process has ended, the material passes into a mill 38, where it is ground down to the required grain size. At the same time, the required additive is fed into the mill 38, with this additive being held in corresponding additive bunkers 39, 40. will.

After the mixing and comminution process has ended, the glass dust or the waste glass material is injected into the glass melt 41. The glass material melts over the flame at 800 to 1,000 ° C., so that the liquid glass can then be fed to an intermediate container 42, where it is kept at the temperature until it can be further processed.

For further processing, a rotation plate 43 is provided on which the liquid glass jet strikes. The glass material is then pressed outwards via the nozzles provided in the rotation plate 43, so that thin glass fibers and thus a glass wool 45 are formed.

A corresponding temperature is maintained here via the gas burner 44, so that the emulsion described above, especially of epoxy resin and silicone resin, can also be effectively applied to the individual glass fibers 3, 4 via the addition of binder 46. Further details of the further processing method have been shown and explained with reference to FIG. 1.

The overall process can also be referred to as the "Schiwi process", whereby it ensures a complete reprocessing of waste glass, even of inferior quality, to high-quality end products.

All of the features mentioned, including those that can be seen in the drawings alone, are regarded as essential to the invention, alone and in combination.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Process for the production of glass fibers from sand, recycled glass and additives which, after melting to liquid glass, are pressed through a large number of openings in the rotary plate, whereupon the still hot glass fibers are sprayed with water and then with a binder. in order to then be brought into the form of a mat or the like by pressure, characterized in that the binder is used as a mixture of starch (polysaccharides) and silicone in an amount of 6 to 8%, that a long-chain starch is used as the starch, which too ¬ next heated to 50 to 60 ° C and kept at this temperature until spraying and stirring, whereby starch and silicone are simultaneously sprayed onto the glass fibers via separate nozzles.

2. The method of claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e that starch and silicone in a ratio of 94 to 96% starch and 6 to 4% silicone are added as a binder in an amount of 6.5%.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that an emulsion is produced from silicone resin, silicone oil, a dust-binding agent and the starch, which is atomized with a temperature of 18 to 200 ° C, preferably 40 to 60 ° C and onto the glass fibers being passed is sprayed on.

4. The method according to claim 1 to claim 3, characterized in that the emulsion as a catalyst is mixed with silane and that the starch is partly or wholly by epoxy, methylon, polyester resin or synthetic resins having the same or similar effect. is set, with 3 to 7 wt .-% resin and 0.5 to 4% wt .-% silicone are added.

5. The method according to claim 1 to claim 4, d a d u r c h g e k e n e z e i c h n e t that a thin glass fleece or tapes woven from glass fibers are applied to all or all sides of the glass fiber mat, preferably glued on.

6. The method according to claim 1 to claim 5, characterized in that before spraying the binder onto the glass fibers from waste glass, which is freed of foreign matter and crushed without color and other division and brought together with additives to 800 to 1000 ° C, liquid Glass is melted and then processed into glass fibers.

7. System for carrying out the method according to claim 1 and / or one or more of the following claims, with a liquid glass container with an outlet opening, a rotary plate with openings, gas burners and feed rings with downstream nozzles for the water and the binder and a premixing container for the binding agent, characterized in that a feed ring (11) for the starch or resin and an additional feed ring (10) for the silicone are provided, that the feed ring (11) for the starch is followed by nozzles (14) with enlarged nozzle openings and tear-off edges ¬ tet and that the premix container is heatable and the feed lines (15) to the nozzles are at least heat-insulating.

8. Plant according to claim 7, characterized in that between the premixing container (17) and feed line (15) a sieve with the nozzles (14) arranged openings and that in the feed line (15) in front of the feed ring (11) a density meter is arranged.

9. System according to claim 7, so that the rotation plate (5) is assigned a further additional feed ring (12) for the epoxy resin or vinyl resin binder, which is equipped with nozzles (13) of smaller outlet cross-section.

10. Plant according to claim 7, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e that the nozzles (13, 14) on the feed ring (10, 11) for the starch and the silicone are covered opposite the nozzles on the feed ring (9) for the water.