US1489567A - Insulating material - Google Patents

Description

April 8, 1924.

H. F. WEISS INSULATING MATERIAL Filed Aug. 12 1919 Madison, in the county of Dane, State of HOWARD I. WEISS, OI ILDISON,

SPATENT- OFFICE.

Wisconsin, Assrenoa are c. r. numrss LABORA- TORIES, OF MADISON, WNSIN, A CORPORATION 01' WISCONSIN.

irsufarmc m'rlmrhn.

Application filed August 12, ms. minim. 317,001.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD F. Wares, a citizen of .the United States, residing .at

Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulating Material Case D); and I do hereby declare the ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description/of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap ertains to make and use the same- This invention relates to msulatm materials and similar products and has or its objects the provision of an improved insulating or similar material and animproved method of making the same.

- The vention contemplates, as an article of manufacture, a product particularly adapted for use as an insulating material, a thou hI do not intend to limit either the artic e or the method of the invention to insulatin materials since both may be advantageous y ap lied to other uses. Fibrous material con ed between sheets of paper, or' the like, is extensively used as aheat insulat' construction. Ithastheretoforebeenthegeneral practice to sew the fibrous material between the liners or enclosing sheets of paper. This sewing of the fibrous material between these sheets of paper has heretofore been necessary, because the'fibres themselves are not cemented or fastened to each other in such a manner that they form a felt or fabricated sheet, and unless -'the enclosing sheets of-paper were sewed, there would be no way in which the sheets of paper could be ke t in place. The -sewing is objectionable, rst, because it is expensive, second, be-

' cause it perforates the paper, thereby admitting moistureto the brous material, and third, because the thread frequently breaks off in the rocess of manufacture, thus materially reducing the speed and capacity of the manufacturing apparatus.

In my ap lication for Letters Patentof the United States, Serial No. 237 ,446, filed May 31, 1918, I have described a method of producing a felt or mat of fibrous material, .m which the fibres are bound'or fastened together so as to form anintegral fabric of fibres in heterogeneous arrangement and cemented to ether with adhesive material. I have found that a felt or mat in which the fibres are cemented or fastened together, as

medium particularly in building.

described in the aforementioned appIication, is admirably adapted as the fibrous body portion of an nsu ating material.

provision of an insulating material having a body portion of fibres cemented together with one. or more'of the surfaces thereof covered with an adhesive coating. The article of the invention, form, comprises a body portion of fibres 'cemented to ther in hetero eneous arrangement with t e fibres exten ing in all three cubical dimensions and havin the surfaces of the body portion coated with a layer of air-resisting and-moisture resisting material, a such, for example, as asphalt, pitch, rubber,

or the like.

The air-resisting and moisture resisting coatingv of adhesive material replaces the covering sheets or liners of pa er, cloth, and the like, which have hereto ore been customarily used for enclosing or protecting the body portion of this form of insulating material; The adhesive coatin contemplated by the invention may be applied by 1passing the fibrous body portion with the fi res .ce-

in its preferred The present invention vcontemplates the mented together'through appropriately arranged coating or adhesive-ap lying rolls which serve to spread-a film or ayer of the adhesive coating on to the ex osed surfaces of the fibrous body portion, tiius forming a moisture and air resistin coverin agent which is directly cemente to the bres of I the body portion. As the adhesive coating, as halt, coal tar and similar-pitches, rubber,

so utions of gums and resins, and the likemsg be advanta eously used.

eference wil be made in the following discussion of the invention to the accompanying drawings for the purpose of more clearly explaming and illustrating certain aspects of the invention. In these drawingp- I ig. 1 dia rammatically illustrates in elevation one orm of ap aratus for carrying out theinvention but t e showing is purel diagrammatic and is given merely to facilltate a complete understanding of the invention. For this reason the precise structural details of the ap aratus are omitted, .as forming no art w atever of the present invention; an Fi' 2 is a sectional view of the improved artic eof the invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a shredding engine 5 for separating the fibres into indivi ual part1cles. this figure, the fibrous material 1s fed into the shredding engine 5 from an endless belt or conveyor 6 provided with transversely arranged baflles carries the fibrous material to the mouth of the shredding engine where it is fed into the engine and sub'ected to a shredding operation of the we -known character.

The purpose of the shredding operation is to separate the fibres into individual particles of such a character that they can be deposited on a support to form a more or less fiocculent layer of heterogeneously arranged fibres a apted to be cemented or fastened together y an adhesive agent to form an integral fabric of fibres. The shredding operation should be conducted with the view of cutting the fibres as little as possible, and only to such an extent as is necessary to secure the desired separation of the individual fibres. l have herein employed the term shredding and its derive.

.tives in a generic sense, to describe the op eration of so treating the fibres that each .fibre thereof is substantially free from any other fibre. In practice, the shredding of the fibres will usually be most satisfactorily effected in a shreddlng engine, but the desired result may be secured in other ways, as, for example, b brushin or combing. For example, a sti wire brush revolving at a high rate of speed and coming in contact with the fibrous material will separate the fibres into individual particles of the desired character.

The shredding en e 5 is arranged to discharge the shredde fibres on to a belt conveyor 8 preferably of the form of a screen conveyor. The fibrous material is thus shredded in the engine 5, and, falling through the discharge thereof, the shredded fibres are deposited on'the conveyor 8 to form a fiocculent layer of the desired thickness in which the fibres are heterogeneously arranged with the fibres extending in all three cubical dimensions.

r I find it desirable to subject the shredded fibres to a slight suction durin and directly after their deposition on t e conveyor 8. To this end a suction chamber 9 is arranged below the shredding engine 5, and directl beneath the supporting screen surface 0 the conveyor 8. The conveyor 8 ma bein the form of a screen of suitable mes or its supporting surface may be com sod of a suitabl perforated or foram" material, so that the fibres deposited on the conveyor .may be subjected to the action of the suction applied beneath the conveyor.

Sprayers 10 are suitably arranged for spra ing the fibres with an adhesive agent as t ey are deposited on the conve or 8. The Sprayers 10 serve to discharge t e ador paddles 7. The belt 6' mat or felt containing fewer loose fibres is I produced. In some instances, it has also been found desirable to deposit a very thin layer of dried fibres upon the conveyor before the application of the adhesive solution, to provide a cushion, which will act to prevent the fibres from sticking to the conve or.

dhe layer of shredded fibres deposited on the conveyor 8 is borne along by the conveyor to a drying chamber 11. A suitable drying medium may be passed through the chamber 11 for the purpose of drying the layer of fibres carried along by the conveyor 8. The chamber 11 is thus represented in the drawing as having an entrance conduit 12 and an exit conduit 13 for passing a drying or heatin medium, such as heated air, through the c amber 11. Where the adhesive for cementing the fibres together contains a volatile solvent, it will be observed that the solvent may be removed while the fibrous mat is passing through the drying chamber 11 and may be recovered by suitably treating the vapor passing from the chamber 11 through the exit conduit 13. When using an adhesive which dries or sets quickly, the drier 11 can, if desired, be entirely omitted, although its use is preferred. Thus, for example, with such adhesives as sodium silicate, I fin'd that drying in a room is suflicient, but that a drier speeds u the rate of drying and for this reason is esirable.

Numerous adhesive agents are available for cementing the fibres together such, for example, as sodium silicate, asphalt, coal tar pitch, etc. By suitably selecting the adhesive for cementing the fibres to her, the resulting fibrous mat can be ren ered fireproof, rat-proof and moisture-proof. The adhesive may consist of a solution of sodium silicate, or sodium silicate may be incorporated with the adhesive as a fire re sistant agent. Ammonium sulfate may also be incorporated in the adhesive as a fire,

hesive has set or hardened and the fibres 'sented an articl can also be used as the adhesive. I have drying chamber 17. The finished product found a solution of coal tar pitch, or asphalt passing from the drying chamber 17 may be pitch, in carbon tetrachloride, a very suitwoun'dfupon a roll or winder 20, and in orable adhesive for cementing the fibres toder to keep the convolutions of this wound etl1er.- g The greatest cu'bical lightness and resil-- be sprinkled on the material prior to the iency are secured by drying the fibres with winding operation, as indicated by referand prefence character 21 in the drawings.

a minimum of 'pressure on them erably with no pressure at all. Thus, in From the foregoing description it will practicing the invention, pressure on the be seen that the fibrous body portion of my fibres after they have been deposited in hetimproved insulating material is covered or erogeneous arrangement and formed into a coated on each surface with a. layer of moisresilient fabric of cemented-together fibres ture and air resisting adhesive material.

is kept at a minimum until after the ad- In Fig. 2 of the drawings there is reprethereby cemented together. One of the tures of the invention. The body portion characteristic features of the fibrous mat or 23 of the insulating material is composed-of felt of my improved insulating material rea layer of fibres cemented together in hetsides in the fact that the fibers extend in all erogeneous arrangement with the fibres exthree cubical dimensions, whereby a single tending in all three cubical dimen- $5 layer or integral fabric of cemented-togethsions. Each surface of this fibrous body er fibres is obtained. Such a fabric in which portion is coated or covered with a layer 24 the fibres are cemented together in heteroof adhesive material, such as asphalt, coal tar geneous arrangement to form a light and pitch, rubber. or the like, thereby providing resilient fibrous mat or felt is admirably a moisture and air resisting covering agent adapted as the. body portion of an insulatwhich is directly cemented to the fibrous ing material and when enclosed between airbody portion of the insulating material. resisting and moisture resisting adhesive I claim:

coatings, in accordance with the present in- 1 The method of forming a fibrous mat,

e embodying the novel fea- S0 vention, produces an" insulating material which comprises shredding the fiber, coating possessing many points of superiority over the fiber with an adhesive, depositing the similar roducts of the prior art. coated fiber in a loose fiocculent layer of The fabricated felt or mat of cementedheterogeneously arranged individual fibers,

together fibres, produced as herein'before dewhereby the fibers will be secured together scribed, passes fro-m the drier 11 on to a n a loose, open and p'orous formation, drybelt conveyor 14. A covering or coating of ing the layer and coating the opposite faces adhesive material is spreadon the upper with a material substanti ll impervious t surface of the fibrous mat by means of a air and moisture. coating roll 15 which is fed with the adhe- 2. The method of manufacturing insulatsive from a pan 16. The thus-coated fibrous ing material which comprises, forming a mat passes through a drying chamber 17 body portion of fibres cemented together in where the adhesive coating sets or hardens heterogeneous arrangement with the fibres into an air-resisting and moisture resisting extending in all three cubical dimensions, covering for one surface of the insulating and coating one or more surfaces of the mat. The coating roll 15 is designed to fibrous body portion with a layer of adspread on to the upper surface of the fibrous hesive material substantially impervious to mat a layer of adhesive material of the deair and moisture; substantially as described. sired thickness, and the dimensions of the 3. The method of manufacturing insulatdrying chamber 17 are such that this layer ing material which comprises, depositing of adhesive sets or hardens during the pasfibrous material upon a support to form a sage of the material therethrough. layer of the desired thickness, treating the The fibrous mat is then turned back and bres as they fall with an adhesive spray advanced through the drying chamber 17 in to cement them together, and covering one the reverse direction, being supported duror more surfaces of the resulting layer of ing this movement upon a belt conveyor 22 cemented-together fibres with a coating of arranged below the conveyor 14 and operaadhesive substantially impervious to air and tively moving in the reverse direction. Primoisture; substantially as described. or to its entrance into the drying chamber 4. The method of manufacturing insulat- 17. the other surface of the fibrous mat is ing material which comprises, forming a coated with adhesive material by means of a layer of fibres in heterogeneous arran ecoating roll 18 and cooperating pan 19 conment with the fibres extending in all three tammg the adhesive material. The adhecubical. dimensions, treating the fibres with sive/ coating or covering applied to the an adhesive to cement them together, re-

fibrous mat by the roll 18 sets or hardens moving dust and loose fibres by suction and during the passage of the mat through the coating one or more surfaces of the resulting layer of cemented-together fibres with a covering of adhesive substantially 1mper vious to air and moisture; substantially as described.

5. The method of manufiacturing insulating material which comprises, subjecting fibrous material to a shredding operation, depositing the shredded fibres upon a support to form a layer of the desired thickness, spraying the shredded fibres w1th an adhesive while the fibres are being deposite to cement the fibres together, sub eeting said layer to suction, and coating one or more surfaces of the fibrous mat so produced with a layer of material substantially impervious to air and moisture; substantially as de scribed.

6. A fibrous mat, composed of fibers heterogeneously arranged, and cemented together in a loose, open porous formation, and provided on one or more faces with coatings of material substantially impervious to air and moisture.

7. An article of manufacture comprising sive and having an inte a1 fiabrie of fibres cemented together mvhetemgeneous arrangement with the fibres extending in all three cubical dimensions and coated with a layer of material substantially impervious to air and moisture; substantially as described.

8. An article of manufacture comprisi w a body portion of heterogeneously arrange woody fibres cemented together with adheone or more surfaces thereof covered with a coating of adhesive substantially impervious to air and moisture; substantially as described.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a body portion of wood fibres cemented together in heterogeneous arrangement wit the fibres extending in all three cubical dimensions and having one or more surfaces thereof covered with a coating of adhesive material substantially moisture; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HOWARD F. WEISS.

impervious to air and

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