Fire-resistant glass fiber products

In a method of making a glass fiber product by attenuating molten glass into virgin glass fibers having a diameter below 40 microns and cooling said fiber to harden the glass, applying an aqueous binder to the fiber, collecting the fiber in a blanket and drying blanket and curing the binder to bond the fibers together to form a fiber glass product, the improvement comprising making a fire resistant fiber glass product by using as said binder an aqueous binder comprising at least one nitrogen containing compound and at least one boron containing compound and mixing and applying said binder such that said boron containing compound is on said virgin fibers in an amount of at least 15 weight percent, based on the weight of the fire resistant glass fiber product, applying enough of said nitrogen containing compound on said glass fibers such that there is at least one mol or atom of nitrogen in said nitrogen containing compound around said glass fibers for each mol or atom of boron in said boron containing compound around said glass fibers, and wherein when said nitrogen containing compound is a nitrogen containing resin, said resin contains from none to no more than 1.5 weight percent, based on the weight of said resin, of a phosphorous compound as a curing catalyst.

A method of making a fire resistant glass fiber mat comprising forming glass fibers into a nonwoven mat, coating the glass fibers with an aqueous binder mixture containing at least one nitrogen containing compound and coating the fibers with an aqueous mixture containing at least one boron containing compound, drying said mat and curing said binder, said mixture containing said boron containing compound being applied such as to apply at least 15 weight percent of boron containing compound, based on the weight of said fire resistant glass fiber mat, on said glass fibers and applying enough of said nitrogen containing compound on said glass fibers such that there is at least one mol or atom of nitrogen in said nitrogen containing compound around said glass fibers for each mol or atom of boron in said boron containing compound around said glass fibers and wherein when said nitrogen containing compound is a nitrogen containing resin, said resin contains from none to no more than 1.5 weight percent, based on the weight of said resin, of a phosphorous compound as a curing catalyst.

A fire resistant insulation product comprising a blanket of insulation comprising glass fibers bonded together with a resin binder, said blanket having a nonwoven fiber glass mat embedded therein, the improvement comprising a fire resistant mat being said mat embedded in said blanket, said fire resistant mat comprising glass fibers held together with a binder, said binder comprising at least one nitrogen containing compound, wherein when said nitrogen containing compound is a nitrogen containing resin, said resin containing from none to no more than 1.5 weight percent, based on the weight of said resin, of a phosphorous compound as a curing catalyst, said product also containing at least one boron containing compound in contact with said nitrogen containing compound, wherein said boron containing compound is present in amounts of at least about 15 weight percent of said fire resistant glass fiber mat and wherein said nitrogen containing compound(s) is present in an amount to produce at least about one mol or atom of nitrogen for every mol or atom of boron that is in said boron containing compound, and wherein said glass fibers constitute at least 10 weight percent of said product.

A process for making a fire resistant fiber glass product containing at least 20 weight percent of glass fibers comprising shredding or grinding a glass fiber material in which glass fibers are bonded together with a cured nitrogen containing first resin binder, said binder having a substantial nitrogen content, to obtain loose glass fibers and clumps of the glass fiber material, applying a second binder and a boron containing compound to said loose glass fibers and the clumps, wherein said nitrogen containing first resin binder and said second binder contain from none to no more than 1.5 weight percent, based on the weight of said resin binders, of a phosphorous compound as a curing catalyst, wherein nitrogen is present in the binders in sufficient amount to produce at least about one mol or atom of nitrogen for every mol or atom of boron that is in the boron containing compound, and wherein said boron containing compound is present in amounts that would produce a boron content in the fire resistant product equivalent to what at least 15 weight percent boric acid would produce, forming the fiber and small pieces into a desired shape and heating to bond the loose glass fibers and clumps together and to secure the boron containing compound onto the surface of the fibers.