Apparatus and method for controlling moisture in the manufacture of glass fiber insulation

• Main Authors: BLACKWOOD SCOTT, INGLIS FRANK BRUCE, GEIGER STEVE, MIRTH DAVID R, BURN TERRY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.07.2015
• Subjects: APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; BRAIDING; BUILDING; CEILINGS; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; COTTON-WOOL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS,NON-WOVEN FABRICS; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FLOORS; GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; GLASS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; KNITTING; LACE-MAKING; MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARYMATERIAL; MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; NON-WOVEN FABRICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; ROOFS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; TRIMMINGS; WADDING; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS

A method and apparatus for making a fibrous product such as glass fibre insulation is disclosed. The method includes forming molten material into fibres (60) which are sprayed with a coolant liquid (34) at a variable flow rate and a binder dispersion (36) at a constant flow rate. The fibers are then directed towards a conveyor (64) to form a nonwoven fibrous pack (66). The thickness of the uncured pack is measured and used as feedback to control the flow rate of the sprayed coolant liquid while maintaining the spraying of the cooled fibres with the binder dispersion at a constant flow rate. Higher coolant flow rates produce a higher ramp height of the pack (66) for the same amount of fibre and binder which results in improved product properties of the fibrous product.