Method of manufacture of glass reinforced gypsum board and apparatus therefor

The A method of manufacture of gypsum board having inorganic fiber face sheets, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first gypsum slurry having a first consistency;
• introducing a polymeric compound additive to said first gypsum slurry;
• applying a predetermined amount of said first gypsum slurry onto at least a first continuous sheet, said sheet including randomly aligned, inorganic fibers having random interstices between said fibers;
• passing said first continuous inorganic fiber sheet through a gypsum application station, said station including two applicator wheels for passing the inorganic fiber sheet therethrough, so as to cause the first gypsum slurry having a first consistency to penetrate through said random interstices between the inorganic fibers and to thereby coat both to and bottom surfaces of said first inorganic fiber sheet with said gypsum slurry having a first consistency to produce a gypsum polymer layer;
• depositing a second gypsum slurry having a second consistency on said first inorganic fiber sheet and causing said second gypsum slurry to be essentially evenly distributed over an upwardly facing top surface of said first inorganic fiber sheet;
• applying a third gypsum slurry having a third consistency to a second of said at least one continuous, inorganic, fiber sheets, said second inorganic fiber sheet having random interstices between the fibers and causing said third gypsum slurry to penetrate essentially completely through said random interstices and to thereby coat both top and bottom surfaces of said second inorganic fiber sheet with said third gypsum slurry;
• applying said second inorganic fiber sheet onto the second gypsum slur thereby sheathing said second gypsum slurry within said first and second inorganic fiber sheets to form a wet gypsum board;
• and
• forming said gypsum board product by passing said wet gypsum board through a board forming station having a lower forming elate and an upper forming plate, said upper forming plate having at least a portion thereof being set at a predetermined angle to said lower forming plate, the separation between said lower forming plate and said portion of said upper forming plate defining a predetermined dimension substantially equal to the desired thickness of the manufactured gypsum board product.