EP2610383B1 - Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Matte aus Schnittglasfasern - Google Patents

Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Matte aus Schnittglasfasern Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2610383B1
EP2610383B1 EP20120199714 EP12199714A EP2610383B1 EP 2610383 B1 EP2610383 B1 EP 2610383B1 EP 20120199714 EP20120199714 EP 20120199714 EP 12199714 A EP12199714 A EP 12199714A EP 2610383 B1 EP2610383 B1 EP 2610383B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
glass chopped
chopped strands
strand mat
glass
strands
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP20120199714
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP2610383A1 (de
Inventor
Tsuyoshi Seko
Satoshi NISHIE
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nippon Electric Glass Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Nippon Electric Glass Co Ltd
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Publication date
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Publication of EP2610383A1 publication Critical patent/EP2610383A1/de
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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/4209—Inorganic fibres
    • D04H1/4218—Glass fibres
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/4209—Inorganic fibres
    • D04H1/4218—Glass fibres
    • D04H1/4226—Glass fibres characterised by the apparatus for manufacturing the glass fleece
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
    • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged
    • D04H1/732—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged by fluid current, e.g. air-lay
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
    • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged
    • D04H1/736—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged characterised by the apparatus for arranging fibres

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to methods for manufacturing a glass chopped strand mat by shaping, into a sheet, glass chopped strands obtained by cutting a glass fiber.
  • a glass chopped strand mat is conventionally used as a reinforcement member in a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) molded product, such as a bathtub or a septic tank.
  • the glass chopped strand mat is also employed as a reinforcement base in a car molded ceiling material.
  • the car molded ceiling material in which the glass chopped strand mat is attached to the front and rear sides of a foamed polyurethane sheet has been developed.
  • the glass chopped strand mat is manufactured as follows. Initially, a glass fiber is cut into pieces having a predetermined length using a plurality of cutters provided at a ceiling portion of a chamber, to obtain glass chopped strands. Next, the glass chopped strands are allowed to fall in the chamber so that the glass chopped strands are distributed and deposited on a conveyor to form a sheet. The glass chopped strands are subjected to a plurality of steps while being conveyed by the conveyor. For example, the steps include spraying a binder to the glass chopped strands, heating the glass chopped strands to which the binder adheres, and cooling and pressing the glass chopped strands after the heating, and the like. The glass chopped strand mat produced by these steps is wound around a core into a roll by a winding machine or the like before shipment.
  • the glass chopped strands falling in the chamber may not be uniformly deposited on the conveyor due to an influence of airflow, a position relationship between the cutters, or the like. If there is a local region in which a smaller or larger amount of glass chopped strands is deposited on the conveyor, the resulting glass chopped strand mat may have a non-uniform thickness. A thinner region of the glass chopped strand mat may have a lower tensile strength, and a thicker region may have a lower flexibility. Therefore, in order to stably manufacture a high-quality glass chopped strand mat, it is important to deposit the glass chopped strands in a uniform thickness on the conveyor.
  • Patent Document 1 describes that a glass chopped strand mat having a uniform mass distribution can be obtained.
  • Patent Document 2 There is also a known glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method in which a rectangular chamber is provided below a plurality of cutters for cutting a glass fiber, and a partition plate is provided in the chamber in a width direction for each cutter (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
  • Patent Document 2 describes that a glass chopped strand mat having less variations in mass, particularly in the width direction, can be obtained.
  • Document 3 discloses an apparatus for outting and spraying glass fibers having a plurality of chambers divided by partitions and an air nozzle directing an air stream downwardly inside the face of the walls preventing the adhesion of the chopped strands on the upper parts and the walls of the partitions.
  • the partition plate is provided to take measures against the sticking together of glass chopped strands obtained by adjacent cutters, the disturbance in the falling direction of glass chopped strands due to airflow in the chamber, and the like. However, if a glass chopped strand contacts the partition plate, the glass chopped strand adheres to the partition plate and does not fall. If this state is continued, more and more glass chopped strands adhere to the partition plate, so that the amount of glass chopped strands falling on the conveyor decreases. As a result, a local region occurs in which a smaller amount of glass chopped strands is deposited.
  • a glass chopped strand mat having light weight (as used herein, the term "weight” with respect to a glass chopped strand mat refers to mass per unit area) for which there has been an increasing demand is manufactured, the reduction in the amount of falling glass chopped strands may lead to a hole, a break, or the like in the completed glass chopped strand mat (a glass chopped strand mat having light weight is also referred to as a "lightweight glass chopped strand mat").
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to establish a technique of a high-quality glass chopped strand mat (particularly, a lightweight glass chopped strand mat) which is applicable to a molded ceiling material for recent cars which have excellent design and a reduced weight.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method according to the present invention is the method according to claim 1.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method of this configuration includes the distribution and putting step of distributing and putting the glass chopped strands while allowing the glass chopped strands to fall in the chamber, and the adjustment step of adjusting the state of the falling glass chopped strands.
  • the chamber includes the plurality of supply units for supplying the glass chopped strands, and the partition member for separating the plurality of supply units from each other.
  • the adjustment step is performed so that the glass chopped strands do not contact the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling. As a result, the glass chopped strands can be prevented from contacting and adhering to the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling in the chamber.
  • the glass chopped strands can be put in a uniform thickness.
  • a glass chopped strand mat having a uniform thickness can be reliably manufactured.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method of this configuration including the adjustment step is effective when a lightweight glass chopped strand mat is manufactured, in which a hole, a break, or the like is likely to occur due to variations in the amount of glass chopped strands deposited.
  • the plurality of supply units are preferably accommodated in respective separate cells separated by the partition member, and the adjustment step is preferably performed so that the glass chopped strands fall to a portion in the vicinity of a center of the cell as viewed from above.
  • the plurality of supply units are accommodated in the respective separate cells separated by the partition member, and the adjustment step is performed so that the glass chopped strands fall to a portion in the vicinity of a center of the cell as viewed from above.
  • the glass chopped strands are reliably prevented from contacting and adhering to the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling. Therefore, the decrease and variations in the amount of the glass chopped strands which fall due to the adhering to the partition member can be more reliably prevented. Therefore, the glass chopped strands can be reliably put in a uniform thickness. As a result, a glass chopped strand mat having a uniform thickness can be more reliably manufactured.
  • the plurality of supply units are arranged and equally spaced in the chamber.
  • the plurality of supply units are arranged and equally spaced in the chamber.
  • the glass chopped strands can be put so that the thickness of the entire glass chopped strands which have been deposited to form a sheet is reliably caused to be uniform.
  • a glass chopped strand mat having a uniform thickness can be more reliably manufactured.
  • a glass chopped strand mat manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus for manufacturing a glass chopped strand mat by shaping, into a sheet, glass chopped strand obtained by cutting a glass fiber, including a chamber including a plurality of supply units for supplying the glass chopped strands, and a partition member for separating the plurality of supply units from each other, distribution and putting means for distributing and putting the glass chopped strands while allowing the glass chopped strands to fall in the chamber, and adjustment means for adjusting a state of the falling glass chopped strands.
  • the adjustment means adjusts the state of the falling glass chopped strands so that the glass chopped strands do not contact the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing apparatus of this configuration has substantially the same advantages as those of the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing apparatus of this configuration includes the chamber including the plurality of supply units for supplying the glass chopped strands, and the partition member for separating the plurality of supply units from each other, the distribution and putting means for distributing and putting the glass chopped strands while allowing the glass chopped strands to fall in the chamber, and the adjustment means for adjusting the state of the falling glass chopped strands.
  • the adjustment means adjusts the state of the falling glass chopped strands so that the glass chopped strands do not contact the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling.
  • the glass chopped strands can be prevented from contacting and adhering to the partition member when the glass chopped strands are falling in the chamber. Therefore, the decrease and variations in the amount of the glass chopped strands which fall due to the adhering to the partition member can be prevented. Therefore, the glass chopped strands can be put in a uniform thickness. As a result, a glass chopped strand mat having a uniform thickness can be reliably manufactured.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method of this configuration including the adjustment step is effective when a lightweight glass chopped strand mat is manufactured, in which a hole, a break, or the like is likely to occur due to variations in the amount of glass chopped strands deposited.
  • FIGS. 1 to 5 Two embodiments relating to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass chopped strand mat will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 . Note that, for the sake of convenience, the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing apparatus is described before the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an apparatus 100, 200 for manufacturing a glass chopped strand mat M (hereinafter simply referred to as a "manufacturing apparatus").
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram common to the first and second embodiments described below.
  • a region X enclosed by a dashed line is a main portion of the manufacturing apparatus 100, 200.
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the region X (the main portion).
  • the manufacturing apparatus 100, 200 is an apparatus for manufacturing the glass chopped strand mat M from glass chopped strands.
  • the manufacturing apparatus 100, 200 includes a chamber 10, a plurality of cutting devices (supply units) 20, a distribution conveyor (distribution and putting means) 30, adjustment means 1 which adjusts a state of falling glass chopped strands, a partition plate (partition member) 2, a binder sprayer 40, a first conveyor 50, a second conveyor 60, a heating furnace 70, a cold press roller 80, a winding machine 90, and the like.
  • the partition plate 2, the chamber 10, the cutting devices 20, the distribution conveyor 30, and the adjustment means 1 have characteristic features of the present disclosure, and are main components of the present disclosure. The components will be described hereinafter.
  • a direction (indicated with an arrow in FIG. 1 ) in which glass chopped strands are conveyed is defined as a flow direction.
  • the distribution conveyor 30, the first conveyer 50, and the second conveyor 60 are successively positioned in this stated order from upstream to downstream. These conveyors are driven by respective motors D.
  • the conveying speeds (the movement speeds of the belts) of the conveyors are controlled by a computer (control means) 11. Note that a worker may manually adjust the conveying speed of each conveyor as appropriate.
  • the distribution conveyor 30 includes a belt on which glass chopped strands are distributed and put.
  • the distribution conveyor 30 is positioned below the chamber 10 which accommodates glass chopped strands.
  • the cutting devices 20 which cut a glass fiber F described below to produce glass chopped strands are attached to a glass fiber inlet 10c provided in a ceiling portion of the chamber 10.
  • the cutting devices 20 have a role in supplying glass chopped strands to the chamber 10, and are equally spaced.
  • the term "equally spaced" with respect to the cutting devices 20 means that the cutting devices 20 are substantially uniformly arranged at the ceiling portion of the chamber 10.
  • the cutting devices 20 may each be a single cutting device or may be a group of single cutting devices equally spaced in a line.
  • FIG. 3 is a top view of a main region X1 of the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.
  • eight cutting device groups 20A to 20H are arranged in the ceiling portion of the chamber 10 and equally spaced in a direction in which glass chopped strands are conveyed.
  • the cutting device groups 20A to 20H each include 12 cutting devices 20 which are equally spaced in a line.
  • the cutting devices 20 each include a cutter roller 21 and a rubber roller 22.
  • the glass fiber F which has been pulled out of a glass cake C is fed into between the rotating cutter roller 21 and rubber roller 22 to be continually cut, whereby glass chopped strands S having a length of about 50 mm are produced.
  • the glass chopped strands S fall by their own weight in the chamber 10 and are substantially uniformly distributed and put on a belt of the distribution conveyor 30.
  • the belt of the distribution conveyor 30 has a width which is large enough to allow the glass chopped strands S falling in the chamber 10 to be reliably put on the belt of the distribution conveyor 30, as viewed from above.
  • a lower end portion of the chamber 10 is separated from the distribution conveyor 30 so that the deposited glass chopped strands S can pass therebetween.
  • a partition plate 2a is provided between each of the cutting device groups 20A to 20H arranged side by side so that the cutting device groups 20A to 20H are separated from each other.
  • An optimum material for the partition plates 2a is aluminum, ceramic, or the like, whose surface is smooth and which is difficult to charge with static electricity.
  • Lower end portions of the partition plates 2a are separated from the distribution conveyor 30 so that the deposited glass chopped strands S can pass therebetween.
  • the partition plates 2a are attached to the ceiling portion of the chamber 10, and are connected to an intersecting internal wall 10b. As a result, separate cells for accommodating the respective cutting device groups 20A to 20H are formed, as viewed from above.
  • the partition plates 2a can prevent, for example, the glass chopped strands S which have been obtained using adjacent ones in the conveying direction of the cutting device groups 20A to 20H from sticking together, and the direction in which the glass chopped strands S fall from being disturbed due to airflow in the chamber 10.
  • the cutting devices 20 included in the cutting device groups 20A to 20H each include the adjustment means 1 which adjusts a state of the falling glass chopped strands S in the chamber 10.
  • the adjustment means 1 adjusts the state of the falling glass chopped strands S so that the glass chopped strands S do not contact the partition plates 2a as the glass chopped strands S fall.
  • the glass chopped strands S can be prevented from contacting and adhering to the partition plates 2a as the glass chopped strands S fall in the chamber 10, whereby the decrease and variations in the amount of the glass chopped strands S which fall due to the adhering to the partition plates 2a can be prevented. Therefore, the adjustment by the adjustment means 1 allows the glass chopped strands S to be put in a uniform thickness.
  • a suction device 33 described below can adjust the state of the falling glass chopped strands S, to some extent, using force which causes air to be suctioned. Therefore, the suction device 33 may be included in the adjustment means 1.
  • a binder sprayer 40 is provided above the first conveyor 50 to spray a binder (resin powder) A toward the glass chopped strands S on the belt of the first conveyor 50.
  • the binder A is preferably a powder of thermoplastic resin (e.g., powdered polyester resin (NEW TRACK 514 manufactured by Kao Corporation)).
  • thermoplastic resin e.g., powdered polyester resin (NEW TRACK 514 manufactured by Kao Corporation)
  • Other examples of the available thermoplastic resin powder include resin powders of nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
  • a water sprayer (not shown) may be effectively provided above or below the first conveyor 50 and upstream of the binder sprayer 40 in order to allow the binder A to more easily adhere to the glass chopped strands S.
  • the water sprayer sprays water toward the glass chopped strands S on the belt of the first conveyor 50. If the glass chopped strands S are previously wetted with water, the binder A more easily adheres to the surfaces of the glass chopped strands S due to the action of the surface tension of the water, and therefore, the glass chopped strands S stick together more effectively.
  • a vibrator 51 is provided below the belt of the first conveyor 50 on which the glass chopped strands S are deposited.
  • the belt of the first conveyor 50 is vibrated by the vibrator 51. This causes the binder A sprayed to the surfaces of the glass chopped strands S to enter gaps between the glass chopped strands S which have been deposited to form a sheet. As a result, the binder A adheres uniformly to all the glass chopped strands S.
  • the heating furnace 70 is provided halfway through the second conveyor 60, surrounding the belt on which the glass chopped strands S have been deposited.
  • the heating furnace 70 performs a heating treatment on an object on the second conveyor 60 which is being moved through the heating furnace 70.
  • the temperature of atmosphere in the heating furnace 70 is controlled by the computer 11 to be appropriately adjusted to a temperature higher than or equal to the melting point of the synthetic resin included in the binder A, depending on the type of the sprayed binder A. Note that the temperature of the heating furnace 70 may be manually adjusted by a worker. Because the belt of the second conveyor 60 is exposed to high temperature, the belt is formed of a heat resistant material, such as a metal.
  • the cold press roller 80 is provided downstream of the second conveyor 60.
  • the cold press roller 80 presses a heated object while cooling the object.
  • the cold press roller 80 includes a pair of rollers.
  • the glass chopped strands S' (the glass chopped strands S after being heated are referred to as "glass chopped strands S"' to discriminate from those before being heated) with the melted binder A are conveyed to the cold press roller 80 and passed through the nip.
  • the glass chopped strands S' are cooled and pressed by being passed through the cold press roller 80, whereby the glass chopped strands S' are bound together.
  • the cold press roller 80 air-cools the glass chopped strands S'.
  • the glass chopped strands S' may be actively cooled with cooling water flowing inside the cold press roller 80.
  • the glass chopped strand mat M produced by passing the glass chopped strands S' through the cold press roller 80 is wound around the core of the winding machine 90 to form a roll product.
  • the winding machine 90 may wind the glass chopped strand mat M on surface rollers while the glass chopped strand mat M is being rotated on the surfaces of the surface rollers.
  • FIG. 4 is a top view of a main region X2 of the manufacturing apparatus 200 of the second embodiment.
  • the manufacturing apparatus 200 of the second embodiment is similar to the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, except that a plurality of partition plates 2b are provided in parallel to the conveying direction of the glass chopped strands S in addition to the partition plates 2a. Therefore, the components other than the partition plates 2b will not be described in detail.
  • the partition plates 2a can prevent the glass chopped strands S obtained by ones of the cutting device groups 20A to 20H which are adjacent to each other in the conveying direction of the glass chopped strands S from sticking together.
  • the glass chopped strands S obtained by adjacent cutting devices 20 in each cutting device group may stick together. Therefore, in the second embodiment, in each of the cutting device groups 20A to 20H, the partition plates 2b are newly provided to separate the cutting devices 20 from each other.
  • the glass chopped strands S obtained by adjacent cutting devices 20 can be substantially perfectly prevented from sticking together, and the direction in which the glass chopped strands S fall can be substantially perfectly prevented from being disturbed by airflow in the chamber 10.
  • lower end portions of the partition plates 2b is separated from the distribution conveyor 30 so that the glass chopped strands S which have been deposited on the distribution conveyor 30 can pass therebetween.
  • the partition plates 2b are attached to the ceiling portion of the chamber 10, and are connected to an intersecting internal wall 10a.
  • a glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method (hereinafter simply referred to as a "manufacturing method") according to the present invention can be performed using the manufacturing apparatus 100 or 200 of the first or second embodiment.
  • the glass chopped strand mat M is manufactured by a glass chopped strand preparation step, a distribution and putting step, an adjustment step, a binder spraying step, a heating step, a cold press step, and a winding step.
  • the distribution and putting step and the adjustment step have characteristic features of the present invention and are main steps of the present invention. The steps will be described hereinafter.
  • the glass chopped strands S are prepared from the glass fiber F.
  • the glass fiber F extracted from a glass cake C is cut into pieces having a length of about 50 mm (i.e., the glass chopped strands S) by the cutting devices 20 provided at the ceiling portion of the chamber 10.
  • the glass chopped strands S do not necessarily need to be prepared immediately before the manufacture of the glass chopped strand mat M, and alternatively, may be previously prepared.
  • the glass chopped strands S which are accommodated in a container are put directly into the chamber 10 through the glass fiber inlet 10c.
  • the glass chopped strands S obtained by the preparation step fall in the chamber 10 and are put on the belt of the distribution conveyor 30 to form a sheet.
  • the cutting devices 20 or the cutting device groups 20A to 20H are equally spaced. As a result, variations in the thickness of the entire glass chopped strands S which have been deposited to form a sheet are reduced. If the number of cutting devices or cutting device groups is increased, the amount of the glass chopped strands S (i.e., the amount of the glass fiber F processed) which are produced per unit time by each of the cutting devices 20 or each of the cutting device groups 20A to 20H can be reduced.
  • a suction device 33 including a suction duct 31 and a blower 32 is provided below the belt on which the glass chopped strands S are deposited so that a negative pressure is applied to the belt.
  • the glass chopped strands S are attracted to a surface of the belt while being substantially uniformly distributed and put on the belt of the distribution conveyor 30, and therefore, are settled without being scattered around.
  • FIG. 5 (a) is a top view of one of the cutting devices 20 which cuts the glass fiber F, showing an enlarged view of a portion of a separate cell (indicated by the region Z in FIG. 3 ) formed by the partition plates 2a.
  • FIG. 5(b) is a side view of FIG. 5(a) .
  • a region Y enclosed by a dash-dot-dot line of FIG. 5 (a) indicates a range within which the glass chopped strands S fall when the glass chopped strands S are produced by one cutting device 20.
  • the adjustment means 1 which adjusts the state of the falling glass chopped strands S performs the adjustment step so that the glass chopped strands S fall to a region in the vicinity of the center of the cell, as viewed from above.
  • the glass chopped strands S are prevented from being scattered around immediately after being cut.
  • the cutting devices 20 are each positioned so that a portion where the cutter roller 21 and the rubber roller 22 contact each other is located at a middle point between the adjacent partition plates 2a (the partition plate 2a and the inner wall 10a of the chamber 10 for the cutting device groups 20A and 20H), whereby the glass chopped strands S obtained by the cutting are allowed to fall to a portion directly below that portion, i.e., a portion in the vicinity of the center of the cell. As shown in FIG.
  • the adjustment step allows the glass chopped strands S which fall in the chamber 10 to be deposited on the belt of the distribution conveyor 30 without contacting the partition plates 2a.
  • the glass chopped strands S can be reliably prevented from adhering to the partition plates 2a, whereby the decrease and variations in the amount of the glass chopped strands S which fall due to the adhering to the partition plates 2a can be reliably prevented. Therefore, the glass chopped strands S can be reliably put in a uniform thickness.
  • the glass chopped strands S which have been deposited on the belt of the distribution conveyor 30 to form a sheet are conveyed to a downstream point for the next step.
  • the glass chopped strands S which have been deposited to form a sheet are moved to the first conveyor 50.
  • the binder sprayer 40 is provided above the first conveyor 50.
  • the binder sprayer 40 sprays the binder (resin powder) A to the surfaces of the glass chopped strands S.
  • the addition of the binder A1 to the glass chopped strands S allows the glass chopped strands S to stick together by a heating treatment described below, so that the mat shape can be maintained.
  • the glass chopped strands S with the binder A are moved to the second conveyor 60.
  • the glass chopped strands S are subjected to a heating treatment while being passed through the heating furnace 70, so that the binder A1 is softened and melted.
  • the glass chopped strands S stick together (the resulting glass chopped strands S are referred to as the "glass chopped strands S'").
  • the glass chopped strands S' after the heating treatment are passed through the cold press roller 80 which is provided downstream of the second conveyor 60 (cold press step).
  • the glass chopped strands S' are cooled and pressed by the cold press roller 80 into the glass chopped strand mat M.
  • the glass chopped strand mat M is wound by the winding machine 90 which is provided downstream of the cold press roller 80 (winding step).
  • the glass chopped strand mat M is wound around the core of the winding machine 90 to form a roll product.
  • a glass chopped strand mat manufacturing test was performed using the glass chopped strand mat manufacturing method of the present invention.
  • a manufacturing apparatus including a chamber having a rectangular shape of 3 m (width direction) ⁇ 5 m (conveying direction) as viewed from above, which is of the same type as that of the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 , was used.
  • four cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices) each including 12 cutting devices are provided in the ceiling portion of the chamber and aligned side by side in the glass chopped strand conveying direction.
  • the number of cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices) was increased one by one, and finally, a manufacturing apparatus having eight cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices) was used.
  • the same steps as those described in the above "Glass Chopped Strand Mat Manufacturing Method" section were performed. Note that the amount of the binder A sprayed by the binder sprayer 40 per unit time was the same among the example manufacturing apparatuses.
  • Tests 1 to 5 were performed under five sets of conditions including different numbers of cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices), different numbers of cutting devices per unit area, and different amounts of glass chopped strands produced per unit time by one cutting device.
  • Tests 6 and 7 were performed under two sets of conditions including the same number of cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices) and number of cutting devices per unit area as those of Test 5, and different amounts of glass chopped strands produced per unit time by one cutting device. A total of seven sets of conditions were used. Under these conditions, glass chopped strand mats having a weight (mass per unit area of glass chopped strands) of 142 g/m 2 (Tests 1 to 5), 90 g/m 2 (Test 6), and 80 g/m 2 (Test 7) were manufactured.
  • the standard deviation of the weights of the glass chopped strand mats obtained by the manufacture tests was measured.
  • the standard deviation of the weight was obtained by cutting a sheet of completed glass chopped strand mat into 60 square pieces with 300-mm sides and measuring the mass of each glass chopped strand mat piece.
  • the present inventors have empirically determined that the standard deviation of the weight is preferably 7.5 or less.
  • test results (Tests 1 to 7), if the number of cutting devices per unit area is 4.0 devices/m 2 or more, the amount of glass chopped strands produced per unit time by one cutting device is 0.60 kg/min/device or less, and therefore, it is unlikely that glass chopped strands are scattered to contact the partition member as glass chopped strands are falling. Therefore, the standard deviation of the weight is 7.5 or less, and a glass chopped strand mat which has less variations in thickness and a high commercial value can be manufactured.
  • a cutting device group includes 12 cutting devices, at least 5 cutting device groups (lines of cutting devices) need to be provided in order to manufacture a glass chopped strand mat having less variations in thickness.
  • a glass chopped strand mat having less variations in thickness can be manufactured.
  • the manufacturing technology of the present invention in which the state of falling glass chopped strands is adjusted is effective when a lightweight glass chopped strand mat is manufactured, in which a hole, a break, or the like is likely to occur due to variations in the amount of glass chopped strands deposited.
  • the glass chopped strand mat manufactured by the method of the present invention is applicable to car molded ceiling materials, and in addition, interior materials for other vehicles and buildings and other structures.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
  • Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)

Claims (2)

  1. Verfahren zum Herstellen einer Matte (M) aus Schnittglasfasern durch Formen von durch Zerschneiden einer Glasfaser (F) erhaltenen Schnittglasfasersträngen (S, S') in einen Bogen, umfassend:
    einen Verteilungs- und Beladungsschritt des Verteilens und Beladens der Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S'), während die Schnittglasfaserstränge in eine Kammer (10) fallen können, und
    einen Anpassungsschritt des Anpassens eines Zustandes der fallenden Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S'),
    wobei die Kammer (10) mehrere gleichmäßig beabstandete Zuführeinheiten (20) zum Zuführen der Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S') und ein Trennelement (2) zum Trennen der mehreren Zuführeinheiten (20) voneinander umfasst, und
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
    der Anpassungsschritt so durchgeführt wird, dass die Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S') nicht das Trennelement (2) berühren, wenn die Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S') fallen, und
    die Anzahl der Zuführeinheiten (20) pro Einheitsfläche 4,0 Vorrichtungen/m2 oder mehr beträgt und die Menge der pro Zeiteinheit hergestellten Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S') pro Schneidevorrichtung 0,60 kg/min/Vorrichtung oder weniger beträgt.
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei die mehreren Zuführeinheiten (20) in durch das Trennelement (2) jeweils getrennten Zellen untergebracht sind und der Anpassungsschritt so durchgeführt wird, dass die Schnittglasfaserstränge (S, S') in einen Abschnitt fallen, der sich von oben gesehen in der Nähe der Mitte der Zelle befindet.
EP20120199714 2011-12-28 2012-12-28 Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Matte aus Schnittglasfasern Active EP2610383B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2011288876 2011-12-28

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EP2610383A1 EP2610383A1 (de) 2013-07-03
EP2610383B1 true EP2610383B1 (de) 2015-02-25

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Cited By (1)

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CN105803667A (zh) * 2016-05-05 2016-07-27 嘉兴市宏宇新材料有限公司 一种玻璃纤维短切毡的生产系统

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP7567476B2 (ja) 2019-07-16 2024-10-16 東レ株式会社 繊維散布ブースおよびそれを用いた強化繊維マット製造装置

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JPS5363419A (en) * 1976-11-18 1978-06-06 Asahi Glass Co Ltd Spraying appratus for grc
JPS5739271A (en) * 1980-08-19 1982-03-04 Nippon Glass Fiber Co Ltd Production of chopped strand mat
US4355438A (en) * 1981-02-17 1982-10-26 Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation Mat forming apparatus
JPS58163767A (ja) * 1982-03-19 1983-09-28 日東紡績株式会社 高密度チヨツプドストランドを製造する方法及び装置
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JPH0616492U (ja) * 1992-07-31 1994-03-04 日本電気硝子株式会社 チョップドストランドマットの製造装置
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JP2003278067A (ja) * 2002-03-20 2003-10-02 Daikin Ind Ltd 疑似綿製造装置
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105803667A (zh) * 2016-05-05 2016-07-27 嘉兴市宏宇新材料有限公司 一种玻璃纤维短切毡的生产系统
CN105803667B (zh) * 2016-05-05 2018-02-16 嘉兴市宏宇新材料有限公司 一种玻璃纤维短切毡的生产系统

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JP2013151773A (ja) 2013-08-08
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