Fibrous product and method and apparatus for making the product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351463-B2
Application number	US-201113069668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2011
Priority date	Mar 27, 2007
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A nonwoven fibrous insulation product has at least a bi-modal fiber diameter distribution designed to provide the product with selected thermal insulating and physical performance properties that are affected by fiber diameter such as rigidity and recovery properties. The product is made by: forming two or more fiber groupings that each have a selected fiber diameter distribution with a selected mean fiber diameter wherein the selected fiber diameter distributions of the fiber groupings differ from each other. The fibers of the fiber groupings are intermingled and entangled together in selected percentages by weight to form a product with a selected density and thickness that exhibits selected product performance properties based on the properties of the fiber groupings and the relative percentages by weight of the fiber groupings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product having at least a bi-modal fiber diameter distribution comprising:
providing a first fiber grouping having a selected fiber diameter distribution primarily for selected thermal insulating performance and rigidity that forms a generally bell shaped curve at a fiber diameter of about 2 microns;
providing a second fiber grouping having a selected fiber diameter distribution that is primarily for recovery from an application of compressive forces that forms a generally bell shaped curve at a fiber diameter of about 4 microns; and
intermingling and entangling fibers of the first and second fiber groupings in an amount of about 55% by weight of the first fiber grouping and about 45% by weight of the second fiber grouping to form a nonwoven fibrous insulation product.

2. The method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product according to claim 1 , wherein:
the fibers of the first and second fiber groupings of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product comprise glass fibers.

3. The method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product according to claim 2 , wherein:
the fibers of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product comprise glass fibers and non-glass fibers.

4. The method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product according to claim 1 , wherein:
the fibers of the first and second fiber groupings are made by a rotary fiberization process.

5. The method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product according to claim 4 , wherein:
the rotary glass fiberization process utilizes a fiberizing spinner having at least two sets of fiberizing holes wherein a first set of fiberizing holes is designed to form the fibers of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product of the first fiber grouping and a second set of fiberizing holes is designed to form the fibers of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product of the second fiber grouping in the percentages by weight used in the nonwoven fibrous insulation product.

6. The method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product according to claim 4 , wherein:
the rotary glass fiberization process utilizes at least a first and a second fiberizing station with a fiberizing spinner of the first fiberizing station forming the fibers of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product of the first fiber grouping and a fiberizing spinner of the second fiberizing station forming the fibers of the nonwoven fibrous insulation product of the second fiber grouping in the percentages by weight used in the nonwoven fibrous insulation product.

7. A method of making a nonwoven fibrous insulation product having at least a tri-modal fiber diameter distribution comprising:
providing a first fiber grouping having a selected fiber diameter distribution primarily for a selected thermal insulating property that forms a generally bell shaped curve at a fiber diameter of about 2 microns;
providing a second fiber grouping having a selected fiber diameter distribution primarily for a selected rigidity insulating property that forms a generally bell shaped curve at a fiber diameter of about 4 microns;
providing a third fiber grouping having a selected fiber diameter distribution primarily for a selected recovery insulating property that forms a generally bell shaped curve at a fiber diameter of about 6 microns; and
intermingling and entangling fibers of the first, second, and third fiber groupings in an amount of about 40% by weight of the first fiber grouping, about 30% by weight of the second fiber grouping and about 30% by weight of the third fiber grouping to form a nonwoven fibrous insulation product.

Assignees

• Charbonneau Mark William
• Borsa Alessandro G
• Johns Manville

Inventors

• Charbonneau Mark William
• Borsa Alessandro G

Classifications

• C03B37/048 Primary

  Means for attenuating the spun fibres, e.g. blowers for spinner cups · CPC title

• Y10T156/1771

  Turret or rotary drum-type conveyor · CPC title

• C03B37/045

  Construction of the spinner cups · CPC title

• Y10T442/2008

  Fabric composed of a fiber or strand which is of specific structural definition · CPC title

• D04H1/4226

  characterised by the apparatus for manufacturing the glass fleece · CPC title