US2365970A

US2365970A - Method and apparatus for mineral wool manufacture

Info

Publication number: US2365970A
Application number: US416813A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gale T Pearce
Original assignee: Johns Manville
Current assignee: Johns Manville Corp; Johns Manville
Priority date: 1941-10-28
Filing date: 1941-10-28
Publication date: 1944-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1961-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1944. G. T. PEAR CE 2,365,970. A

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MINERAL WOOL MANUFACTURE Filed Oct. 28, 1941 INVENTOR $44: Z PEA/P W A ORNEY Patented Dec. 26, 1944 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR. MINERAL WOOL MANUFACTURE Gale '1. Pearce, Somervlile, N. 1., asslgnor to Johns-Manville Corporation, New York, N. .Y.,' a corporation of New York Application October 28, 1941, Serial No. 416,813

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of mineral wool felts and,

more particularly, "to an apparatus and method for producing relatively low density felts. It will be understood that the term mineral wool is employed herein in a generic sense to denote fibres or products formed from fibres made from rock, slag, glass and other such raw materials and mixtures thereof.

conventionally, mineral wool is manufactured by disintegrating a molten stream of a suitable raw material into a multiplicity of fibres by means of a steam blast or the like. A binder is usually applied adjacent the blast by dripping, spraying, or otherwise injecting the binder into the suspension of fibres. The suspension is carried at a high velocity, due to the high pressure blast employed for disintegrating the molten material, into a blow chamber where the fibres settle from the stream onto the floor to for a felt. Due to the high velocity of the air stream carrying the fibres, the fibres are retained until sufilciently large masses have accumulated to break through or around the air stream. Particularly where low density felts are desired, the

, accumulations of fibres have prevented the at-' tainment of a successful product and have caused non-uniformity of density and the presence of rope-like masses in the felt.

An object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatus which will produce a more individual felting of the fibres than heretofore obtained.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus including a baffle located in the path of the stream of fibres, the baflie being of a character to divert the stream and provide a quiet zone wherein the fibres may settle in more or less individualized form.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bafiie of the type referred to above, which is constructed and arranged to prevent any substantial building up of binder and unfiberized particles thereon.-

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a method of forming mineral wool felts in which individualized felting of the fibres is increased.

My invention will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the more detailed description thereof which is to follow and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, with parts broken away for cleamess of illustration, of an apparatus in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a melting furnace, which may be of any conventional design such as a cupola or tank furnace,.

wool forming materials flow from the cupola and fall in the form of a stream into the path of a jet '2 of high pressure steam or the like issuing from a nozzle M. The jet shreds the molten material into a great multiplicity of fine fibres and some proportion of unfiberized particles or shot, all of which are suspended in and carried by the high velocity gaseous stream created by the jet. A suitable binder may be projected into the suspension of fibres, for example, as by spraying the binder by means of a nozzle It. The suspended fibres "settle on the floor of the chamber which preferably comprises a continuously moving foraminous conveyor, as indicated at 22. The steam and air entering with the fibres escape thr ugh a suitable port in the upper end of the changer (not shown), or, if a suction chamber is located below the conveyor to aid in the felting action, the steam and air are drawn through the conveyor by the suction. The conveyor 22 carries the newly formed felt from the blow chamber.

In accordance with the instant invention, a baflie 24 is located within the blow chamber in the path of the fibrous stream and relatively ad-= jacent to entrance port 20. In the preferred embodiment, the baffle comprises a rotatable relatively smooth-surfaced, cylindrical drum with its axis below the line of the main force of the blast entering the blow chamber. As indicated particularly in Fig. 2, the drum may be mounted on a suitable axle 25 carried in bearings 28 secured to the walls of the blow chamber. However, it will be understood that any suitable arrangement may be provided for rotatably mounting the drum. Preferably, the drum is freely rotatable and is of such diameter and width that the major portion of the fibre stream will impinge thereon above the axis of the drum.

In operation the steam and air or other gases carrying the fibres enter the blow chamber at high velocity and impinge against the surface of the drum ill'substantially as indicated in Fig. 1. The gases are deflected upwardly by the drum whereby there is created beyond the drum and upon conveyor 22. Due to the deflection of thestream from the main felting zone, the tendency of the fibres to build up ropes or masses before they will settle from the stream is eliminated and a substantially individualized felting results.

Drum 24 may be mounted for free rotation whereby it is rotated by the impingement oi the gaseous stream thereon, or it may be rotated by any suitable mechanical means, (not shown) as desired. In any event, its direction of rotation is as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, so that its upper surface travels. in the same direction as and at a speed comparable with the velocity of the stream. The rotation of the drum baiile prevents the building up thereon of substantial accumulations of binder and nnfiberized particles, which at this stage retain substantial adhesiveness, without in any way deleteriously afiecting the deflecting action of the baffle.

Having thus described my invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to but that various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled inthe art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus including means for forming mineral wool fibers and suspending them in a gaseous stream and a chamber including an entrance for receiving said stream, the improvement comprising a rotatable battle in the path of said stream and within said chamber relatively adjacent said entrance with its axis below the center line of said stream and at substantially a right angle thereto, said baiiie diverting said stream upwardly and creating a relatively dead air zone beyond th baffle through which said fibers will settle by gravity onto the floor of said chamber beyond said battle in interfelted relation- 1 ship.

2. In an apparatus comprising means for forming mineral wool fibers and suspending them in a gaseous stream, and a blow chamber including an entrance port for receiving said stream, the improvement comprising a cylindrical battle within said blow chamber adjacent said port and in the path of said stream, and rotatable on an axis below the center line of said stream and at substantially a right angle thereto, said banle extending substantially across'said stream and diverting said stream upwardly and creating a relatively dead air zone beyond said baiiie through which said fibers settle by gravity onto the fioor of the chamber beyond said baille in interielted relationship.

3. In an apparatus comprising means for forming mineral wool fibers and suspending them in a gaseous stream, and means for receiving said fibers, the improvement comprising a horizontal, freely rotatable, cylindrical drum in the path of and extending substantially acros said stream, and with its axis below the center line of said stream and at substantially a right angle thereto, said drum diverting said stream upwardly and creating a relatively dead air zone beyond said drum. in which said fibers settle in substantially individualized felted form.

4. The method of forming a low density mineral wool felt comprising forming a gaseous stream of mineral wool fibers and directing said stream against means rotatable on an axis below the center line of said stream and extending at substantially a right angle thereto and having a cylindrical surface extending across said stream diverting said stream upwardly from its normal path of movement and creating a relatively dead air zone beyond said baille through which said fibers settle by gravity and in relatively individualized form to form a felted layer beyond said baflle.

GALE T. PEARCE.