Field-installed insulation and apparatus for and method of making and installing the same

Apparatus adapted for making and installing thermal insulation in closed cavities of field structures, comprising:

• (a) means for conveying a carrier air stream under pressure along a path to a wetting chamber;
• (b) means for introducing a multitude of individual pre-formed, foamed plastic particles into the carrier air stream for entrainment in the stream;
• (c) means for substantially wetting the carrier-entrained particles by applying a settable film-forming liquid substance thereto in the wetting chamber to form a liquid-drenched dense but flowable mixture of said multitude of particles;
• (d) means to pull the drenched particles out of the wetting chamber in a second air stream, said conveying means and said pulling means jointly constituting a push-pull means;
• and
• (e) a filler hose through which the drenched particles are pulled in the second air stream to the closed cavities,
• said settable substance setting and forming a set film which covers and adheres said particles to one another at their common points of contact to form a structural thermally-insulating, dense, aggregate mass of particles at the cavities,
• said structural thermally-insulating mass being structurally stable and resistant to disassociation of said individual particles due to the adhesion-like characteristic of said set film which provides structural integrity to the entire thermally-insulating mass.