Advanced gel sheet production
AssigneeAspen Aerogels, Inc.
InventorsKang P Lee, George L Gould, William Gronemeyer, Christopher John Stepanian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides various methods for producing gel sheets in a continuous fashion. The embodiments of the present invention help reduce the time of producing gel sheets that is suitable for industrial manufacturing. Such gel sheets are used in manufacturing aerogel blankets used in a variety of applications including thermal and acoustic insulation.
Claims25
A method for casting gel sheets comprising the steps of:
- providing a reinforcing layer;
- providing a separator layer;
- combining reinforcement layer and separator layer to make a pre-form roll;
- infusing a sol into the pre-form roll;
- and
- gelling the sol in the pre-form roll to produce gel sheets.
A method for preparing gel sheets, comprising the steps of:
- dispensing a sol onto a moving element as a continuous sheet;
- rolling the dispensed sheet into a plurality of layers;
- and
- drying the layers.
A process for casting gel sheets, comprising the steps of:
- providing a quantity of fibrous batting material;
- introducing a impermeable layer to the fibrous batting material and rolling into a fiber-roll preform having a plurality of fibrous layers;
- infusing a quantity of sol into the fiber-roll preform;
- gelling the sol precursor in the fiber-roll preform;
- removing the impermeable material to leave remaining a gel material;
- and
- introducing a quantity of a permeable material to separate the gel material into a plurality of layers wherein the permeable material has a form selected from the group consisting of a mesh, a sheet, a perforated sheet, a foil, and a perforated foil.
A process for casting gel sheets, comprising the steps of:
- providing a quantity of fibrous batting material;
- rolling the fibrous batting material into a fiber-roll preform having a plurality of fibrous layers;
- infusing a quantity of sol into the fiber-roll preform;
- gelling the sol in the fiber-roll preform;
- and
- drying the gelled fiber-roll perform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.