Background of the Invention

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to mineral wool fibrous products. More particularly, it relates to a method for manufacturing strong, structural panels of mineral fiber that are very lightweight, about 3-10 pounds per cubic foot

3 (50-160 kg/m ) density, and which may be used as acoustical ceiling tiles, thermal insulating panels, sound absorbing panels, pipe and beam insulation and the like products.

Description of the Prior Art

The water felting of dilute aqueous dispersions of mineral wool and lightweight aggregate is known. By such methods, a dilute dispersion of mineral wool, lightweight aggregate, binder and other adjuvants are flowed onto a moving foraminous support wire screen for dewatering, such as that of an Oliver or Fourdrinier mat forming machine, at line speeds of about 10-50 feet per minute (.05-.3 m/s) . The dispersion dewaters to form a mat first by gravity means and then by vacuum suction means. The wet mat is dried over a number of hours in heated convection drying ovens; and the product is cut and optionally top coated, such as with paint, to produce lightweight structural panels such as acoustical ceiling products. Such methods cannot produce low density structural panel products below about 12 pounds per cubic

₃ foot (190 kg/m ) density. A "structural" panel product, by definition, is capable of supporting its own weight without visible sagging, bending or collapsing when supported only at the edges of the panel, as in a suspended ceiling grid.

It is also known to form stable foams with mineral wool. U.S. patent 4,447,560 suggests a low density insulation sheet may be made by forming a first slurry of fiber containing synthetic rubber latex solids. A detergent slurry is then formed and the two slurries admixed to about

15% solids consistency, agitated to a stable foam, and oven dried. The extremely time consuming, and energy intensive,

drying of the stable foam from 15% solids is a severe economic detriment.

It has been suggested that lightweight foams of attenuated glass fibers might be formed into extremely lightweight pipe wrap of about 1-3 pounds per cubic foot (20-50 kg/m ³ ) density in U.S. patent 3,228,825. According to this patent, microscopic bubbles are generated and, in order to achieve uniform incorporation of lightweight aggregate and attenuated glass fiber mixtures with the bubbles, a "binder fiber" glue of extremely fine sized and very highly refined cellulosic fibrilles is required. The proposed product would appear to be an extremely flexible one incapable of structural panel uses. Further it is believed that this proposed process has never been commercialized or found to be of practical interest.

Furthermore it is known that paper webs constituted mainly by noble cellulose fibers and fibrilles may be formed from foams. The basic formation of the cellulose fiber for manufacture of paper gives rise to highly fractured fiber fragments and fibrilles having jagged, fuzzy, microstructured surfaces suitable to trap and aid entanglement of microscopic-sized foam bubbles. This is not true for mineral fibers or mineral aggregate, which have smooth surfaces in comparison to the jagged and fuzzy microstructured surfaces of cellulose fibers.

It is an object and advantage of the present invention to provide low density structural mineral fiber panels without having to dry extremely high amounts of water out of the wet mat over long periods of time.

A further object is to provide low density structural mineral fiber panel products which have excellent strength and integrity at densities less than about 10 pounds per

₃ cubic foot (160 kg/m ).

A still further object and advantage is the provision of a method for manufacturing low density mineral panels wherein

the dewatering and drying of the wet mat may be accomplished in a facile, rapid manner such that the mat is dewatered and dried in a few minutes.

The above objects and advantages, and others which will become more apparent from the ensuing description, are based upon the peculiar rheology of delicate, aqueous froth of unstable and weak bubbles, and further upon high volume, high velocity through-air drying of wet, open porous structures. Basically, in accordance with the present invention, the Applicant has now discovered a process for rapidly forming shaped structural panel products such as acoustical ceiling tile and the like structural panel products that combine very low densities with good strengths. A modified wet process is employed wherein a dilute aqueous slurry is foamed to delicate froth between scrim cover sheets on a moving foraminous support wire screen. The froth dewaters and matures under quiescent conditions and is then rapidly ruptured by brief pulses of high vacuum to form a sufficiently stable porous structure that may be rapidly stripped of remaining water and dried by passing large volumes of dry heated air through the structure without any substantial collapsing of the open porous structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram of a frothed mineral panel manufacturing process line in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top view cross section of a portion of the process line particularly showing the frothing head forming box apparatus of Figure 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view cross section of the same portion of the process line with the forming box apparatus broken away to show the internal walls.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Basically, referring to FIGURE 1, a weak or delicate, nonresilient and nonviscous, and therefore unstable mass of

irregular sized bubbles is generated in a mineral fiber slurry in main mix tank 10. This is in contrast to forming a stable foam wherein bubble size is very small or microscopic and is generally very uniform, with each bubble behaving as a stable, rigid sphere when subjected to stresses. In a stable foam, the resilient, stable spheres exhibit a great degree of permanence, or resistance to deformation, and show a high viscosity, or resistance to dewatering, of the liquid film of the bubble wall when acted upon by even large stress forces. In contrast thereto the process of the present invention generates rather unstable, transitory bubbles with a foaming aid such as polyvinyl alcohol. The froth as formed as active binder and foaming aid constituents forming a large part of the solids in the liquid portion of the bubble walls. The liquid of the froth bubble walls and coating the entangled solids of fiber and aggregate has a solids consistency which increases from that of the initial dispersion as the froth dewaters, matures and dries out to exhaustion. More particularly, the bubbles rapidly dewater, concentrating the solids in the liquid that forms the film or wall of the bubble and in the liquids-solids interface with the fiber, aggregate and cover sheet, as the bubbles age and mature under generally quiescent conditions in first flooded sections 42 of the foraminous wire 40. The froth dewaters to a point where the solids in the liquid making up the walls of the bubbles and at the liquids-solid interface have increased from about 3 weight % to about 6-10 weight % consistency. It is believed that at this point the foaming aid, if any, and binder constituents have become sufficiently concentrated with lessened water per unit volume at the liquids-solids interface and with the fiber and aggregate sufficiently entangled and coated by binder as to retain the open, porous structural configuration upon the drying out and collapsing of the bubbles.

Thereafter the bubbles are collapsed and the wet mass further stripped of remaining water in the interstitial spaces of entangled fiber by firstly brief bursts of high vacuum, equivalent to providing a pressure differential equivalent to about 5-20 (0.1-0.5m) inches of mercury in sections 44. This bursts the bubble walls and the further draining liquid coats the contact points on the highly voided entangled mass of fiber, aggregate and scrim. This provides further structural integrity to the wet panel. Thereafter, water stripping and drying are enabled via continued vacuum in sections 46 and 48 with passing high volumes of high velocity dry heated air through the mass without substantial collapse of the open, highly voided sections 48, 49 and 52.

Thereby structural mineral panels having a density of about

3 3-10, (50-60 kg/m ) and preferably about 3-6 pounds per

₃ cubic feet (50-100 kg/m ), with a modulus of rupture of about 60-120 pounds per square inch (410-830 kPa) measured with nonwoven fiber glass scrim cover sheets in place are obtained.

The products made according to the process of the present invention are predominately mineral fibrous products. The mineral fiber for use in the present invention may be any of the conventional fibers prepared by attenuating a molten stream of basalt, slag, granite or other vitreous mineral constituent. The molten mineral is either drawn linearly through orifices, commonly referred to as textile fibers, or it is recovered tangentially off the face of a spinning cup or rotor, commonly referred to as wool fibers.

Ceramic fibers and organic fibers such as polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, polyester fibers, polyolefin fibers, cellulose fibers and the like may also be used. Porous bonded mats or batts of fibers may be used as well as individual fibers to form the low density panel products.

Expressed in terms of the dry solids content of the final panel product, the fiber constituent is suitable present in

an amount of about 10-95% by weight, and preferably about 30-40%.

Another essential ingredient is an inorganic lightweight aggregate of exfoliated or expanded volcanic glass origin. Such aggregate includes the well known expanded perlite, exfoliated vermiculite, exfoliated clays and the like products which are available in a variety of mesh sizes. Generally mesh sizes less than 8 mesh are suitable, although this is not critical. Generally expanded perlite is preferred for reasons of availability and economy. The amount of lightweight aggregate included may vary from about 20% to about 70% on a dry weight basis in the final product. It is particularly preferred to use expanded perlite having particle sizes from about 12 to about 100 mesh in amounts of about 30-40% for very lightweight structural panels of the invention. The lightweight aggregate is quite friable and some of it will be shattered by the mixing herein contemplated. The panel being formed is provided with a bottom cover sheet, and some of the shards of aggregate and any separated fiber shot will collect on the bottom cover sheet.

It is also preferred that the composition include about

3-25% by weight coarse cellulose fibers to aid flotation and entanglement. Such fibers generally are about 1/16-1/4 inch

(.002-.006m)in length with some fibers being up to about an inch. These are conveniently provided by slushing newspaper or other papers in a "Slush Maker". That is, suitable coarse cellulose fibers may be made by charging about 10-20 pounds

(5-9 kg) of newspapers or other paper stock for every 100

3 gallons (0.4 m ) of water in a high intensity, high shear mixer and agitating the mixer for a couple of minutes as in mix tank 11. About 3-5 weight % usage level is preferred for increasingly stiff products while maintaining good ease of cutting and obtaining panels with sharply defined, non-jagged edges. This amount also aids in retaining binder in the

solids collected on the wire screen. As the amount decreases, the amount of binder retained in panel formation decreases and strength of the panel decreases. At 5% usage level, about half of the latex resin binder is retained in panel formation. Of course, somewhat more or less may be used, generally in amounts up to 25%, without further apparent substantial advantage. Substantially higher amounts lead to difficulties in cleanly cutting the panels.

Ordinarily the foregoing fiber ingredients and lightweight aggregate together constitute about two-thirds of the total solids of the final panel product. Preferably, the mineral fiber and the aggregate are included in roughly equal amounts.

Any binder, by itself or in combination with a foaming aid, that will generate rather unstable, transitory, delicate and nonresilient bubbles upon high energy mixing may be used. Cooked starch binders or resin latex binders that are homopolymers or copolymers containing acrylic, acetate, styrene-butadiene and the like monomers that provide the requisite bubbles may be used for example. A preferred combination of binder and foaming aid is polyvinyl acetate with polyvinyl alcohol foaming aid. It is particularly preferred to employ a polyvinyl alcohol foaming aid. It is particularly preferred to employ a polyvinyl alcohol that is partially hydrolyzed for foaming the mineral wool and lightweight aggregate slurry to a delicate nonresilient froth. Thus polyvinyl alcohols which are from about 87% to about 91% hydrolyzed (that is, in which there is about 9% to about 13% residual polyvinyl acetate) and have molecular weights from about 22,000 to about 110,000 appear to be the most effective with polyvinyl acetate binder. Polyvinyl alcohols that are hydrolyzed from about 75% up to about 95% may be used but are not as effective as those within the preferred range.

The amount of binder or binder and foaming aid is quite variable. Generally about half to three-quarters of the

amounts initially added will pass through the wire in the drainage white water. Recycling draining water to the main mixer for dilution slurry formation will keep binder and foaming aid usage at a minimum since only make-up additions for the amounts retained in the panel will be required. The polyvinyl acetate is present in the panel in an amount of about 5-30% by weight, preferably about 10-15% by weight. Preferred polyvinyl acetates are commercially available as the VINAC or AIRFLEX resins from Air Products Company, X-LINK or RESYN resins from National Starch and Chemicals Corporation, or CASCOREZ resins from Borden Chemical Division of Borden, Inc.

Generally the polyvinyl alcohol will be solubilized to appropriate concentration levels of about 0.1% to about 5% of total solids in a separate vessel for use in the present process such as in mix tank 16, and amounts will be used as to provide about .1-10% retained in the panel.

Other frothing aids, and binders that exhibit weakly foaming characteristics may be used in the present process.

Generally the mat will be formed upon and become an integral part of the final panel product with one or more cover sheets. Such may be of paper, woven glass fiber, non-woven glass fiber and the like. A particularly preferred cover sheet is a nonwoven glass fiber scrim, such as battery type scrim, having a weight of about 0.4-2.5 pounds per

2 hundred square feet (0.02-0.12 kg/m ).

The following specific examples will further illustrate various specific embodiments of the present invention. Unless specified to the contrary, all amounts are expressed as parts by weight on a total dry solids weight basis. Of course, it is to be understood that these examples are by way of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

In a first evaluation, mineral wool having about 30% by

weight loose and adhered shot contact was mixed with a solution of 0.01% partially hydrolyzed medium viscosity polyvinyl alcohol (VINOL 523). This level did not produce a stable foam but was sufficient to create a frothing type foaming of delicate, nonresilient, nonviscous and nonuniform sized bubbles. By circulating the slurry through a centrifugal pump with air injection at the exhaust, the mineral wool was selectively entangled in the bubbles. When agitation was stopped, the fiber floated to the surface exhibiting an about 800% increase in volume of entangled fiber compared to the mass of wool before mixing. No visible shot was observed in the frothed fiber, which was dried to achieve an approximately 500% increase in fiber volume.

In a second evaluation, a 3 wt.% solution of the same polyvinyl alcohol was added to a 3% solids dispersion of 33% mineral wool, 33% expanded perlite, felted mineral wool furnish. After standard mixing, the furnish was subjected to 30 seconds high shear mixing, which pulled a vortex into the mixer blade and developed a froth with the fiber, leaving 80% of the water as a separate phase with a significantly quantity of shot at the bottom.

EXAMPLE 2 A series of evaluations were conducted with a standard mineral wool furnish for conventional dilute water interfelting and various amounts of polyvinyl alcohol (VINOL 540S) . Drainage time increased geometrically with increasing amounts of polyvinyl alcohol. Substituting polyvinyl acetate for the binder, passing the furnish through 30 seconds of high shear mixing to develop bubbles and allowing the froth to age, mature and partially dewater by gravity before drainage resulted in much lower linear rather than geometric drainage time increases over ranges of 1-6% polyvinyl alcohol and total solids ranges of 3-10%.

EXAMPLE 3 Old newspaper stock was fed to water in mix tank 11 and

"slushed" by high speed impeller mixing to form an about 5% dispersion of coarse paper fiber that was then fed to main mix tank 10. A solution of 95% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol

(VINOL 540S) was diluted in mix tank 16 and also fed to main mix tank 10. In addition, mineral wool, expanded perlite, starch and polyvinyl acetate were added to main mix tank 10 and diluted with water to form an about 3-6% solids dispersion proportioned to 33% expanded perlite, 33% mineral wool, 15-19% coarse paper fiber, 0-11% cooked corn starch,

0-14% polyvinyl acetate and 3% polyvinyl alcohol. After 30 seconds high shear, high speed mixing with impeller 12, which pulled a vortex of air into the area of the impeller, the dispersion was passed by pump 22 to modified head box 30 above a conventional moving foraminous wire screen of a mat forming machine, hereinafter wire 40. The modified head box

30 functioned to allow the developing froth of bubbles to consolidate the solids in the frothing mass and to further entangle the developing froth with the solids of the dispersion. The convoluting channelization through box.30, shown more particularly in FIGURES 2 and 3, enhanced the maturing and aging of the bubbles as they self-dewatered and consolidated solids, with excess water from the dewatering bubbles draining out controlled drainage sections 42. About half-way through the head box 30 the foaming mass is about

25% air by volume and the liquid is about 5% solids.

A continuous scrim bottom cover sheet 43, such as of nonwoven battery scrim having a weight of about 0.8-2 pounds

₂ per 100 square feet (0.04-0.1 kg/m ) of scrim, was applied above wire 40 before the frothing mass 41 cascaded out of box

30 onto wire 40. A similar top cover sheet 47 was fed through box 30. Feeding the top cover sheet 43 through box

30 and under smoothing roll 34 provided an intimate contact with the frothing mass 41 and assisted in smoothing out the surfaces of the panel core frothing mass 41.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

The frothing mass 41 was deposited above the wire at flooded sections 42, wherein the foam begins to age and degrade. At the end of this section the foam or froth is about 50% air by volume and about 10% solids in the walls of the bubbles before being hit with the shock of the first vacuum sections 44. At this point the froth disappears. It has been found that brief 0.5-2.0 second pulses of about 5-20 inches (0.1-0.5m) of mercury vacuum more rapidly and thoroughly collapse the bubbles without any substantial collapse of the open porous structured wet mass than would lower vacuum draw for longer intervals. After rapid pulse high vacuum shock the mass 41 is about 25% solids with the remainder being water in an open porous structure. Underflow water was continuously withdrawn from flooded sections 42 and high vacuum sections 44 and pumped to a white water holding tank (not shown) for a periodic recycling to main mix tank 10.

After high vacuum dewatering of the wet panel, comprising bottom sheet 43, top sheet 47 and a core of open, porous entanglement of fiber, aggregate and binder 41, was still about 75% by weight moisture. Because of the open, porous nature, that water was readily stripped off and the panel dried by rapidly passing large volumes of heated dry air through the panel first in the hooded low vacuum zone 46 and secondly in the drier 48. Conventional convection drying would require at least three hours to remove this moisture. A lessened pressure differential equivalent to about 5-70 (0.1-2m), and preferably about 5-15 inches (0.1-0.4m) of water was maintained across the surface of mass 41 in vacuum sections 46 and 48. In sections 48 the vacuum pressure differential was augmented with very slight positive pressure (about 1 inch (0.03m) or less of water) dry air flow through enclosure 49 from blower 50 to aid continued stripping of water and to dry the wet mass 41. The blower was operated to provide air through mass 41 at a volume-velocity of about 50-350 (0.02-0.2 M /s), and preferably about 300 cubic feet

3 2 per minute (0.1 m s) of air per one square foot (0.09 m ) of mat surface with the air provided at a temperature of about 37-180°C, preferably about 175°C. The time for a segment of core mass 41 to be stripped of water and dried from 25% solids varied considerably, depending upon primarily core thickness from about l/8th inch (.003m) through 2 inch

(0.05m) thicknesses. Generally an about 1/2 inch (0.01m) thick panel was stripped and dried to less than 1% moisture in about 2 minutes, with about 3/4th of that moisture being removed in the first 30 seconds due to the enhanced stripping and drying resulting from the high volume, high velocity heated air flow through the open porous structure.

Additional optional drying may be provided as by drier 52, which also further may be located over section 46. The resultant panels showed an open, porous core exhibiting a large number of voids of high variable and nonuniform, irregular-shaped, sizes ranging from about l/64th inch

(0.0004m) to about 5/16th (0.008m) inch sizes in a typical nomimal half-inch panel. Representative panels had a density

₃ from 3 to 6 pounds per cubic foot (50-100 kg/m ) and exhibited modulus of rupture values of 60 to 120 pounds per square inch (410-830 kPa) . Analysis of the panel and of the drainage white water from the flooded section and the various vacuum sections showed about 40-80% of the polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate passing into the white water, depending primarily upon the solubilities of the particular alcohols used, the amount of coarse paper fiber, and the temperature of processing. Adding the white water back to main mix tank

10 maintained a low level of binder and frothing aid additions in continuous operation of the process. Exemplary panel formations all had about 5 pounds per cubic foot (80

3 kg/m ) density, modulus of rupture of about 60 psi (410 kPa) , noise reduction coefficients of greater than 0.75 and panel thicknesses of 0.24-2 inches (0.006-0.05m) were:

Component Percent

Sample 1 2 3 4

Mineral Wool 30% 32% 34% 36%

Perlite 30 32 34 36

Coarse Paper fiber 15 16 18 19

Corn starch 10 11

Polyvinyl acetate - 5 6

Polyvinyl alcohol 1 1 1 1

B-10 battery scrim 14 2 14 2

Property

Weight (lb./ft. ² ) 0.1 1.0 0.1 1.0 (Kg/m ² ) (0.5) (4.9) (015) (419)

Thickness, inches 0.24 2.0 0.24 2.0 (m) (0 006) (0.05) (0.006) (0.05)

Modulus of Rupture (psi) 60 120 60 120

(kPa) (410) (830) (410) (830)