Method and apparatus for the production of mineral fiber felts having fiber-leveling device
AssigneeUnited States Gypsum Company
InventorsWilliam F. Porter, Shirley J. Schwab, Karl E. Schneider
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for the production of mineral fiber or wool felts, blankets or batts having uniform thickness and density, comprising means for fiberizing the mineral composition, a housing defining a chamber into which the fibers are introduced, a foraminous belt upon which the fibers are deposited, a rotating brush for sweeping or throwing back excess fibers, thereby leaving a uniform layer of uncompressed fibers on the felt, and a roller for compressing the layer of fibers into a felt. The rotary brush removes the excess fibers and cooperates to provide a felt which is of uniform density and thickness.
Claims8
In an apparatus for producing mineral wool felts, which apparatus comprises means for melting mineral material and converting said material into mineral fibers, means defining a chamber adapted to receive said fibers and having conveyor means therein for collecting said fibers in a layer and conveying said layer in a forward direction, and driven compression roller means for compressing and smoothing the surface of the layer to form a felt, the improvement which comprises a cylindrical leveling brush rotatably mounted in said chamber, said leveling brush comprising a frame and a plurality of tines each mounted at one end on said frame and extending therefrom to form said cylindrical brush, the lower surface of said cylindrical brush being spaced apart from the surface of said conveyor means at a predetermined distance equal to the desired thickness of said fiber layer before compression, said leveling brush being adapted to rotate in a direction in which excess mineral fibers are swept back toward the entrance of said chamber, thereby maintaining the thickness of said fiber layer prior to encountering said compression roller at a uniform predetermined value, and means for rotating said leveling brush, the finished felt after compression rolling having a uniform thickness and density.
A method for forming mineral fiber felts of uniform thickness and density which comprises melting mineral fiber-forming material, forming fibers from said material, depositing said fibers on a moving foraminous conveyor surface having vacuum creating means provided for drawing said fibers to said conveyor surface, brushing rearwardly the excess of mineral fibers on said conveyor above a predetermined height above the conveyor surface, to render the height of said preformed layer uniform, and passing said preformed and brushed layer under a compression roller to establish the final thickness of said felt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.