Apparatus and process with a vibratory angled plate and/or fixed horizontal plate for forming fiber-reinforced cementitious panels with controlled thickness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11674317-B2
Application number	US-202017116416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2019
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A production line and process including a moving carrier web for transporting the panel, and a device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel slurry on the web. The thickness control device may include an angled rigid plate for contacting a downstream end of the angled plate with the slurry on the moving carrier web and a mounting stand for mounting the angled rigid. The thickness control device may include a flat horizontal plate at a fixed height over the moving carrier for contacting the entire lower surface of the horizontal plate with a facer on the slurry on the moving carrier web. Or, the thickness control device may include the angled plate and include the horizontal plate that contacts the facer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber reinforced cementitious panel production line comprising:
a moving carrier web,
a support frame for supporting the moving carrier web, wherein the panel is transported on the moving carrier web having a direction of travel relative to the support frame, and
a thickness control device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel comprising fiber laden cementitious slurry comprising cementitious material and embedded chopped fibers on the moving carrier web, wherein the thickness control device comprises:
an angled rigid plate and
a mounting frame for mounting the angled rigid plate over the support frame for the moving carrier web, and
a flat, rigid support bed under the angled rigid plate, adapted and configured sufficient to support the fiber laden slurry and withstand downward force exerted by the angled rigid plate with deflection less than 0.03 inches,

the angled rigid plate having a transverse upstream back wall, a transverse downstream bottom wall extending downstream from a lower end of the transverse upstream back wall, open sidewalls and an open top, wherein the bottom wall lower surface has a flat horizontal profile, the transverse upstream back wall meeting the downstream bottom wall to form a bent transition section aligned transverse to the moving carrier web direction of travel, and the transverse upstream back wall meeting the transverse downstream bottom wall to form an angle (θ) in a range of 60 to 120 degrees, the transverse upstream back wall directed from the bent transition section upwardly away from the moving carrier web, the transverse downstream bottom wall directed from the bent transition section downwardly towards the moving carrier web,
the angled rigid plate transverse upstream back wall mounted to the mounting stand to be transverse to the direction of travel of the moving carrier web,
a vibrator attached to the angled rigid plate transverse upstream back wall,
the mounting stand for fixedly, but adjustably, maintaining height of the angled plate over the moving carrier web and fixedly, but adjustably, maintaining a mounting member angle “α” (alpha) of the angled plate relative to the moving carrier web at an angle in a range of 5° to 30°, to fixedly locate a downstream end of the transverse bottom wall at a height of 0.1 to 2 inches, over the moving carrier web,
wherein the downstream end of the transverse bottom wall is transverse to the direction of travel of the slurry and moving carrier web,
wherein the downstream end of the transverse bottom wall extends transversely across on the moving web, and
wherein the downstream end of the transverse bottom wall is capable of contacting the fiber-laden slurry when carried on the moving carrier web.

2. A fiber reinforced cementitious panel made using the apparatus of claim 1 .

3. A fiber reinforced cementitious panel production line comprising:
a moving carrier web,
a support frame for supporting the moving carrier web, wherein the panel is transported on the moving carrier web having a direction of travel relative to the support frame,
a means for applying a facer on a fiber laden cementitious slurry on the moving carrier web, the means for applying the facer placed across the width of a forming surface of the moving carrier web,
a horizontal thickness control device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel comprising fiber laden cementitious slurry comprising cementitious material and embedded chopped fibers on the moving carrier web, the means for applying the facer upstream of the horizontal thickness control device,
wherein the horizontal thickness control device comprises
a rigid horizontal top forming plate, wherein the rigid horizontal top forming plate has a flat bottom surface, an upstream end and a downstream end, and
a forming plate mounting frame for mounting the rigid horizontal top forming plate in a horizontal orientation over the support frame for the moving carrier web, wherein the rigid horizontal top forming plate is mounted to the forming plate mounting frame, and
a flat, rigid support bed under the rigid horizontal top forming plate, adapted and configured sufficient to support the fiber laden cementitious slurry and withstand downward force exerted by the rigid horizontal top forming plate with deflection less than 0.03 inches,

the forming plate mounting frame for fixedly, but adjustably, maintaining height of the rigid horizontal top forming plate over the moving carrier web and maintaining the rigid horizontal top forming plate parallel relative to the moving carrier web, to fixedly locate the flat bottom surface at a height in a range of 0.1 to 2 inches over the moving carrier web to provide a fixed gap between the lower surface of the rigid horizontal forming plate and the moving carrier web,
wherein the upstream end of the flat bottom surface extends across the moving web transversely, relative to direction of travel of the moving web,
wherein the downstream end of the flat bottom surface extends across the moving web transversely, relative to direction of travel of the moving web, and
wherein the entire flat bottom surface is capable of contacting the facer on the fiber-laden slurry when carried on the moving carrier web.

4. A fiber reinforced cementitious panel made using the production line of claim 3 .

5. A process for making fiber reinforced cementitious panel comprising:
transporting a fiber laden slurry for a panel on a moving carrier web, the moving carrier web supported by a support frame, wherein the panel is transported on the moving carrier web having a direction of travel relative to the support frame,
applying a facer on a fiber laden cementitious slurry on the moving carrier web, across the width of a forming surface of the moving carrier web to cover the forming surface,
passing the facer covered forming surface under a horizontal thickness control device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel comprising fiber laden cementitious slurry comprising cementitious material and embedded chopped fibers on the moving carrier web,
wherein the thickness control device comprises
a rigid horizontal top forming plate, wherein the rigid horizontal top forming plate has a flat bottom surface, an upstream end and a downstream end, and
a forming plate mounting frame for mounting the rigid horizontal top forming plate in a horizontal orientation over the support frame for the moving carrier web, wherein the rigid horizontal top forming plate is mounted to the forming plate mounting frame, and
a flat, rigid support bed under the rigid horizontal top forming plate, adapted and configured sufficient to support the fiber laden cementitious slurry and preferably withstand downward force exerted by the rigid horizontal top forming plate with deflection less than 0.03 inches,

controlling thickness of the formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel by contacting the facer covered formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel comprising fiber laden cementitious slurry with a bottom surface of the rigid horizontal top forming plate;
the mounting frame for fixedly, but adjustably, maintaining height of the rigid horizontal top forming plate over the moving carrier web and maintaining the plate parallel relative to the moving carrier web, to fixedly locate the flat bottom surface at a height of 0.1 to 2 inches over the moving carrier web,
wherein the upstream end of the flat bottom surface extends across the moving web transversely, relative to direction of travel of the moving web,
wherein the downstream end of the flat bottom surface extends across the moving web transversely, r

Assignees

• United States Gypsum Co

Inventors

• Groza Peter Brandon
• Blackburn David R
• Dubey Ashish
• Stivender Eugene Scott
• Bauer Andrew Henry
• Raitani Rajesh
• Mccartney Nicholas

Classifications

• C04B28/146

  alpha-hemihydrate · CPC title

• B28B1/522

  for producing multi-layered articles (B28B1/526, B28B1/527 take precedence) · CPC title

• C04B2111/0062

  Gypsum-paper board like materials · CPC title

• B28B23/0006

  the reinforcement consisting of aligned, non-metal reinforcing elements · CPC title

• E04F13/16 Primary

  of fibres or chips, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins {, or with an outer layer of fibres or chips (E04F13/0864 takes precedence)} · CPC title