MX2007012966A

MX2007012966A - Faced fibrous insulation.

Info

Publication number: MX2007012966A
Application number: MX2007012966A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Roy E Shaffer
Original assignee: Owens Corning Intellectual Cap
Priority date: 2005-04-20
Filing date: 2005-05-24
Publication date: 2008-03-18
Also published as: US20050284065A1; CA2604809C; CN101166626A; CN101850645A; WO2006115503A1; CA2604809A1

Abstract

A faced fibrous insulation (10) having a facing (12) on one or more surfaces of a fibrous insulation material is provided. The facing provides improved surface quality, high and controlled adhesion, and is easily manufactured. The facing of the present invention includes a pre-applied adhesive (22, 24) that is heat activated to provide adhesion to the fibrous insulation. The facing may be input into the glass fiber forming section of a fibrous insulation production line. Alternatively, the facing may be applied to the uncured pack (64) prior to curing or applied to the cured fibrous insulation. As another alternative, a vapor barrier layer (14) may be attached on a surface of the insulation opposite the facing.

Description

INSULATED FIBROUS INSULATION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to coated fibrous insulation. The coated insulation of the present invention provides improved acoustic and thermal properties as well as improved handling during the installation of residential insulation. The coated insulation of the present invention also provides improved surface qualities for encapsulated insulation and improved coating adhesion qualities during installation.

Background of the Invention Coated fibrous insulation is used in a variety of thermal, acoustic and residential applications. Typically, conventional insulation includes a coating layer adhered to a fibrous insulation layer. The coating layer is useful to prevent or at least limit any damage by air erosion, which may be caused by the flow of air directly through the insulation layer. Encapsulated insulation is used to isolate building cavities, typically defined by framing members such as bolts, joists or beams in walls and attics. The insulation is typically insulation of low density fiberglass. The encapsulated insulation can be held in place by stapling the side flanges to the frame members or by "friction fit" or "snap fit" of the overlap thickness insulation between the frame members. This encapsulated insulation is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,277,955, which discloses the use of a heated polyethylene film applied directly to the glass fiber insulation and discloses that non-woven materials, such as a layer, can also be used. Another patent showing encapsulated insulation is U.S. Patent No. 5,848,509 in which a non-woven cover is secured to the glass fiber insulation by using a hot-melt adhesive applied to the coating or insulation just before the coating is applied. coating. U.S. Patent No. 5,981,037 describes an insulation assembly that includes an elongated fluff of fibrous insulation material having a coating secured to a major surface thereof by the use of a series of separate adhesive tapes. Other coated insulation products are used in insulation for HVAC equipment, duct board and other industrial insulation. An example of a conventional coated fibrous insulation product is described in U.S. Patent No. 6,444,289. The I U.S. Patent No. 6,444,289 describes the use of non-porous aluminum foil, foil reinforced paper, foil paper with foil, or polymeric material, which adheres to fibrous insulation by an adhesive. Perforations are formed in the coating layer after the coating layer and the insulation layer are bonded and the adhesive bond is cured or cured. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,783,268 and 6,270,865 disclose that the coated fibrous insulation used in the conductive board provides an air flow surface with increased air flow and less turbulence. The coated fibrous insulation also provides a smooth surface that reduces the accumulation of dirt and dust. In addition, the patents of the United States: Nos. 5,783,268 and 6,270,865 describe the use of a central layer of compressed glass fiber of one or one and a half inches thick with a polyether / glass coating having a density of approximately 0.01 pounds per square foot, a minimum tensile strength of 7 pounds / inch in the machine direction, and 5 pounds / inch in the cross machine direction. The fibrous insulation is formed by the fiber process, rotating, normal to industry, as developed by Owens Corning, in which glass melted into fibers is spun by a perforated row and blown by high gas. before applying the coating to a package not curing of fibers and subsequently curing the binder in the package and in the coating. For example, US Pat. No. 5,041,178 discloses spraying a binder on the interface between the coating that meets the top and bottom surfaces of the uncured package. This method tends to saturate the fibers on the surface of the finished board which causes a brittle surface in the fibrous insulation due to the ends of the fibers which are fixed in place by the high amount of binder on the surface. The high amount of binder in the mat can also cause discoloration of the mat coating which causes a mottled or enlarged surface in the fibrous insulation. Also, the coated fibrous insulation can be formed by applying a polymer directly to the surface of a cured glass fiber package. The patent of the US 5,900,298 discloses the use of a row i of spiral spray extrusion heads for direct extrusion of ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) fibers in the bundle of fiber cured in an amount of 1.2 to 3.5 g / ft. '! U.S. Patent No. 5,487,412 discloses a duct board that includes an applied layer of an acrylic foam coating having a dry solids content of 10-20 g / ft2 of the board surface. The coating also includes an inorganic biocide such as silver nitrate.

Brief Description of the Invention The present invention provides a coating on one or more surfaces of a fibrous insulation material. The coating provides improved surface quality, controlled and high adhesion, and is easily manufactured. The coating of the present invention includes a pre-applied adhesive which is activated by heat.

The adhesive can be introduced into the glass fiber forming section of a fibrous insulation production line. Alternatively, the coating can be applied to an uncured package prior to curing or applying the fibrous cured insulation. The coating can be applied to one or more surfaces of the insulation and can be applied in conjunction with a standard vapor barrier coating such as an asphalt kraft paper coating. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating on one or more surfaces of a fibrous insulation material to provide quality Improved surface I, high and controlled adhesion, and is easily processed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coated fibrous insulation that can be reliably manufactured through a wide variety of process parameters without adversely affecting the surface quality or adhesion of the coating to the fibrous insulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a coated fibrous insulation of the present invention having a lining on an individual side. Figure 2 is a perspective view, in sectional view, of a coated fibrous insulation of the present invention having a coating on opposite sides. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a coated fibrous insulation detailed in accordance with the present invention having an adhesive applied thereto. Figure 3A is a detailed cross-sectional view of Figure 3 showing the interaction of the Glass fibers and the adhesive in the coating. Figure 3B is a detailed cross-sectional view similar to Figure 3A showing the interaction of the glass fibers and the fibrous adhesive in the coating. Figure 4 is a plan view of a manufacturing line for producing coated fibrous insulation according to the present invention wherein the coating is introduced into the glass fiber forming section and the uncured package is deposited on the coating and showing that the coated fibrous insulation is laminated after the healing. Figure 5 is a detailed plan view of a manufacturing line for producing coated fibrous insulation wherein the coating is applied to the upper and lower surface of the uncured package after the package leaves the glass fiber forming section and which shows that the doubly coated fibrous insulation is divided in two and rolled into two rollers after curing. Figure 6 is a detailed plan view of a manufacturing line for producing coated fibrous insulation wherein the coating is applied to the upper surface of the uncured package after the package leaves the forming section of the package. glass fibers and showing that the coated fibrous insulation is cut transverse to form panels; that are stacked Figure 7A is a plan view of an alternative method for forming the fibrous insulation coated in a proq. : that out of line or post-cure oven using a heated platen to adhere the coating to the fibrous insulation. Figure 7B is a plan view of an alternative method for forming the coated fibrous insulation in an off-line or post-cure oven process using a heated roll to adhere the coating to the fibrous insulation.

Figure 7A is a plan view of an alternative method for forming the coated fibrous insulation in an off-line or post-curing furnace process using a "heated ruga to adhere the coating to the fibrous insulation.

Detailed Description and Preferred Modalities of the Invention The coating of the present invention includes a pre-applied adhesive that is heat activated to provide adhesion to the fibrous insulation. The coating can be introduced into the glass fiber forming section of a fibrous insulation production line, or alternatively it can be applied to the uncured package before curing, or applied to the cured fibrous insulation or in yet another alternative can be applied in an offline or furnace process I post-healing. The coating can be applied to one or more surfaces of the insulation. The coating can also be applied to a main surface of the insulation with u: conventional coating, such as kraft / asphalt paper coating, kraft / polymer paper or sheet I metallic / canvas / kraft paper on another insulation surface. The coated fibrous insulation product of the present invention includes at least one layer of insulation fibrous such as glass fibers, mineral wool, rock wool or polymer fibers and at least one layer which is a coating. The insulation coated products according to the invention include products having an individual layer of fibrous insulation and a coating applied to a surface; an individual layer of fibrous insulation and a coating applied to opposite major surfaces; an individual layer of fibrous insulation, a coating applied to opposite major surfaces where at least one layer of the coating is wider than the major surfaces so that one or more minor surfaces of the fibrous insulation can be coated and a coating applied to a major surface of the insulation insofar as a vapor barrier is applied to the opposite main surface. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the coated fibrous insulation 10 includes a fibrous insulation layer 16, typically glass fiber, but optionally mineral wool, rock wool or polymeric fibers, and at least one layer including a coating 12. The coating 12 can be formed of any suitable fibrous insulation, such as, but not limited to, glass fibers, mineral wool, rock wool or polymer fibers or natural fibers. The fibers may be of any suitable length and diameter, which will be readily determined by one skilled in the art. The Fiber length is highly process dependent and can range from less than 1 inch (2.5 cm.) to more than 7 inches (17.5 cm.). Typically, the diameter of the fibers is measured in hundreds of thousandths of an inch (HT). The fibrous insulation 16 can have an adequate amount of binder. The binder content is expressed as one percent of the weight of the fibers bonded after curing, in percent by weight. The lorjitude and diameter of the fibers, as well as the amount of binder applied to the fibrous insulation 16, are dependent on the final use of the product. For example, residential insulation can have a fiber diameter of between 20-35 HT and a binder content of between 3-15%. E. Duct board in general is a stiffer product and can have a fiber diameter of between 12-22 HT and a binder content of 2-10%. The light density insulation can have a fiber diameter of between 20-35 HT and a binder content of 3-15%. The uncured fibrous insulation used in these products is cured at a time and temperature sufficient to cure the binder. The curing time is determined by the amount of binder in the product, product thickness, and product density, and is controlled by the length of the furnace and the speed at which the production line is run but can range from less than 1 minute to more than 5 minutes. The temperature of the oven It is controlled to evaporate the water used in the binder, cure the binder, and control any chemical reaction, which can produce undesirable reactive products. Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment in which the coated fibrous insulation 10 includes a coating 12 on a major surface and a vapor coating or layer 14 on a second major surface. In a related embodiment, it is possible to apply the coating 12 to a surface of the fibrous insulation 16 where the liner 12 is wider than the fibrous insulation 16 and it is covered over the edges to face one or more smaller surfaces of the fibrous insulation 16. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the coated fibrous insulation 10 detailing the coating 12 having an adhesive applied thereto. The coating 12 includes a fibrous web 20, typically of organic fibers such as rayon, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester or mixtures thereof, which can be processed by any known method to include any suitable binder such as an acrylic, any suitable flame retardant such as halogens, antimony oxides or borates, and / or any suitable pigment such as carbon black or organic dyes. A preferred method for forming the web 20 is by a conventional dry process with a flood application and extraction of an acrylic emulsion binder. Other suitable binders include latex, and styrene-butadiene rubber. While the weft is preferably a non-woven dry-track weave, other materials such as knit, woven and non-woven materials such as spunbonded, spunbonded or meltblown woven fabrics can be used. forming any suitable fiber such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, rayon, nylon and mixtures of these fibers. The fibers can be staple fibers or continuous filaments. Further . the fibers can be bicomponent to facilitate the union. For example, a fiber having a sheath and core of different polymers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) can be used or mixtures of PE and PP fibers can be used. The nonwoven web 20 can optionally be treated with any suitable fungicide. Fungicides are well known in the field of non-wovens. A particularly suitable fungicide is diiodomethyl-p-tolisuiphone, which is available from? Ngus Chemical Company of Buffalo Grove, New York, USA under the trade name AMICAL FLOWABLE. However, other suitable functions identified by one skilled in the art can be used. The non-woven web 20 can be treated with a fungicide either during manufacture or in a post-manufacturing process. particles are proposed to include any form of particle including but not limited to spheres, granules, rods, fibers, flakes or any other shape and size that allows the adhesive to heat sufficiently to activate the adhesive and bond the coating 12, 14 to fibrous insulation 16. Nonwoven includes acrylic binder, halogen-antimony oxide fire retardant, carbon black, organic dyes and diiodomethyl-p-tolisulfone. The weft 20 may also include colored fibers, a dye or colored filling agent, such as carbon black to provide any desired color to the coating. As shown in Figure 4, a glass fiber manufacturing line including a fiber forming section 58, a cure oven 70 and a winding device 82. As shown in Figure 4, the forming section 58 includes several spinning machines 50 which are supplied with a stream of molten glass (not shown). Fiber spinning machines 50 are rotated at high speeds and the molten glass is forced through the holes in the circumferential side wall of the spinning machines 50 to form fibers. The blowers 52 direct a gas stream in a substantially downward direction to strike the fibers, turn them downward, attenuate the primary fibers to form a web 60. The sprinklers 54 of binder sprinkled binder on the veil 60 which is deposited on the liner 12 which is placed in the collection string 62 where the fibers in the web 60 are collected in the uncured pack 64. The uncured pack 64 and the liner 12 come out of the forming section 58 under the exit roller 66 and enter the curing furnace 70. The uncured pack 64 and liner 12 are compressed between the upper chain 72 of the curing furnace and the lower chain 74 of the curing furnace. Heated air is forced from the fan 76 through the lower chain 72, the pack 64 and the upper chain 74 to cure the binder in the package 64 and to adhere the coating 12 to the package for: orating the coated fibrous insulation 10. The heated air passes out of the curing furnace 70 through the exhaust section 78. The coated fibrous insulation 10 then leaves the curing furnace and is wound up by the winding device 82 for storage and shipping. The coated fibrous insulation 10 can be subsequently cut or die cut to form fibrous insulation portions; I In a second embodiment shown in Figure 5, the uncured pack 64 leaves the forming section and the coating 12 is applied to a surface of the uncured pack 64 of the roll 90 and a coating or a barrier The coating can be supplied in panels as shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6 an additional embodiment is shown. It can be seen in Figure 6 that once the uncured package 64 leaves the forming section, the coating 12 is applied. to a surface of the uncured pack 64 of the roll 190. The coating layer 12 and the uncured pack 64 then enter the cure oven 70. The uncured pack 64 and coating layer 12 are compressed between the upper chain 72 of the curing oven and the lower chain 74 of the curing oven and heated air is forced through the chains 72, 74 and the uncured package 64. curing the binder in the pack 64 and adhering the coating layer 12 to the pack to form the coated fibrous insulation 10. The coated fibrous insulation 10 leaves the curing furnace and is cut to length by the knife 86 to form the panels 88 of the coated fibrous insulation which can then be stacked or bagged by the packaging unit 92. It is also contemplated that the panels 88 of the coated fibrous insulation 10 will be supplied as a double-skinned product as shown in Figure 2. It is further contemplated that the coating 14 can be delivered to the pack 64 in the forming section, as shown. in Figure 4. Figure 7A shows an alternative method for forming the coated fibrous insulation 10 in an off-line or post-cure oven process using a heated platen 100 to adhere the liner 12 of the roll 90 to the fibrous insulation 16. Figure 7B is a plan view of an alternative method for forming the coated fibrous insulation 10 in an off-line or post-cure oven process using a heated roll 102 to adhere the coating 12 of the roll 90 to the fibrous insulation 16. Figure 7C is a plan view of an alternative method for forming the coated fibrous insulation 10 in an off-line or post-cure furnace process using a heated crawler 110 having a heated upper band 112, which rotates about the first upper band roll 114 and a second upper band roll 116 for compressing the fibrous insulation against the heated lower band 120, which rotates around the first lower band roll 122 and the second lower roller 124 of band for a time sufficient to heat the adhesives 22, 24 to adhere the coating 12 to a first surface of the fibrous insulation 16 and a vapor barrier 14 to a second surface of the fibrous insulation product 16. The coated fibrous insulation of the present invention includes at least one layer of fibrous insulation such as glass fibers, mineral wool, stone wool or polymer fibers and at least one layer of a coating. One skilled in the art will recognize that it is possible to manufacture various product configurations based on the teachings herein, including a single layer of fibrous insulation with a single layer of coating applied to a surface, a single layer of fibrous insulation with applied coating to opposite major surfaces, an individual layer of fibrosD insulation with coating applied to opposing major surfaces wherein at least one layer of the coating is wider than the major surfaces so that one or more minor surfaces of the fibrous insulation can be coated with the coating . It is also possible to apply multiple layers of fibrous insulation with coating between any of the aforementioned coatings applied thereto. It is also possible to supply a vapor barrier material instead of at least one coating in the products described above. The invention of this application has been described above both generically and with respect to specific modalities. Although the invention has been disclosed in what are believed to be the preferred embodiments, a wide variety of alternatives known to those skilled in the art may be selected within the generic description. The invention is not limited to another mode, except for the citation of the claims set forth below.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Coated fibrous insulation product, characterized in that it comprises: a fibrous insulation layer having a first and a second opposed main surfaces; and a first coating adhered to a first major surface of the fibrous insulation layer, the coating including a coating layer having a particular adhesive sintered thereto having a point y, wherein the coating adheres to the first surface of the fibrosb insulation layer by heating the coating and the fibrous insulation layer at a temperature above the melting point of the adhesive for a time sufficient to adhere the coating to the fibrous insulation layer.
2. A coated fibrous insulation product, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: a thermally activated binder, applied to the fibrous insulation layer, wherein the thermally activated binder is cured by the heat used to adhere the coating to the first main surface.
3. A coated fibrous insulation product, according to claim 1, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is selected from the group consisting of I made of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyamide, epoxy, urea-formaldehyde, melamine, urethane, phenolics and combinations thereof 4. Fiber-coated insulation product of mat, according to claim 1, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is a powder adhesive, 5. Product of coated fibrous insulation, in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is a fibrous adhesive. 6. A coated fibrous insulation product according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating layer is formed of fibers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyesters, rayon, nylon and mixtures thereof. coated fiber, according to claim 6, characterized in that the coating layer is formed of a mixture of polyester and rayon fibers. 8. A coated fibrous insulation product according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a second coating adhered to the second main surface of the fibrous insulation, 9. A coated fibrous insulation product, according to claim 1, characterized in that the fibrous insulation are glass fibers. 10. Method for manufacturing a coated fibrous insulation product, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: forming a bundle of fibers having therein an uncured binder; applying a coating to a first surface of the pa, quete of fibers, the coating that includes a coating layer, a particulate adhesive sintered to the coating layer; and curing the bundle of fibers to form a fibrous insulation product, wherein the coating adheres to the bundle of fibers during the curing step. 11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises the step of applying a second coating to a second surface of the fiber pack before the curing step. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that it also comprises the step of applying a second coating to a second surface of the coated fibrous insulation after the curing step. 13. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises the step of applying a vapor barrier to a second surface of the coated fibrous insulation. i 14. Method of compliance with the claim 10, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyamide, epoxy, urea-formaldehyde, melamine, urethane, phenolics and combinations thereof. 15. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is a powder adhesive. 16. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the particulate adhesive is a fibrous adhesive. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the coating layer is formed of fibers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyesters, rayon, nylon and mixtures thereof. 18. Method for manufacturing a coated fibrous insulation product, characterized in that itIn the steps: form an uncured package of glass fibers and uncured binder on the mat; cure the package to form an insulation product; Y ! supplying the coating having a coating layer and a particulate adhesive adhered to the coating layer to the insulation product; Y Activate the particulate adhesive to adhere the coating to the insulation product. 19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that it also comprises the step of applying a seaming coating to the insulation product. 20. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that it also comprises the step of applying a steam trap to a second surface of the coated fibrous insulation after the curing step. 21. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that it also comprises the step of applying a vapor barrier to a second surface of the coated fibrous insulation.