SK89895A3 - A method for producing a mineral fiber insulating web, a mineral fiber insulating web manufacturing device and a mineral fiber insulation board - Google Patents

Abstract

The method of production includes the steps of first producing a first nonwoven mineral fiber web defining a longitudinal direction parallel to the transverse direction of the mineral fiber web parallel to the mineral fiber web. Second, the web is moved in the longitudinal direction and cut parallel to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the transverse direction so that a plurality of parallel strips are formed. Third, the strips are inverted so that the mineral fibers of each strip are rotated from an arrangement in the transverse direction to an arrangement perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction. The inverted strips are then joined so that a second nonwoven mineral fiber web is formed arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse directions. A third nonwoven mineral fiber web is produced and joined to the second mineral fiber web.

Description

Method for producing mineral fiber insulation fleece, apparatus for producing mineral fiber fleece and mineral fiber insulation board

Field of technology

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of manufacturing mineral fiber insulation boards. Mineral fibers generally include fibers such as mineral wool fibers, glass fibers, etc. More specifically, the present invention relates to new techniques for manufacturing mineral fiber insulation fleeces from which mineral fiber insulation boards are cut. Mineral fiber boards made from mineral fiber insulation fleeces produced by the method of the present invention exhibit advantageous characteristics in terms of both mechanical strength and modulus of elasticity and strength, have low weight and good thermal insulation properties.

State of the art

Mineral fiber fleeces have so far been produced as homogeneous fleeces, i.e. fleeces in which the mineral fibers of which the fleece is composed are oriented in one predominant orientation, which is largely determined by the orientation of the production line on which the mineral fiber insulation fleece is produced and moves during the mineral fiber insulation fleece production process. A product made from homogeneous mineral fiber fleeces exhibits characteristics that are determined by the integrity of the mineral fiber insulation fleece and that are largely determined by the bonding of the mineral fibers in the mineral fiber insulation board made from the mineral fiber insulation fleece, and further largely determined by the basis weight and density of the mineral fibers of the mineral fiber insulation board.

Various techniques have been invented for producing mineral fiber insulation boards of different structures, having advantageous characteristics of mineral fiber boards, to a certain extent always achieved by techniques for producing mineral fiber insulation boards in which the mineral fibers are oriented predominantly in an orientation that differs from the orientation given by the production line, see International Patent Application Publication No. PCT/DK91/00383, International Patent Application Publication No. WO92/10602, U.S. Patent No. 4,950,355, and U.S. Patent No. 3,493,252. References to the above-mentioned patent applications and patents and U.S. patents are incorporated herein by reference.

From the above-mentioned published international patent application No. WO92/10602, a method of producing mineral fiber insulation boards composed of interconnected rod-shaped elements of mineral fibers is known. The method comprises cutting a continuous mineral fiber web in its longitudinal direction to form lamellas, cutting the lamellas to the desired lengths, rotating the lamellas by about 90° to the longitudinal axis and bonding the lamellas together to form a board. The method also comprises a step of curing the continuous mineral fiber web or alternatively a board composed of lamellas of individual lengths, bonded together to form a board.

From US Patent No. 3493452 a method of producing fibrous plate-like structures containing fibers of a polymeric material such as polyethylene terephthalate or polyhexamethylene diamine is known. The method comprises producing fibers of a polymeric material or filaments by means of a trolley machine by feeding fibers or filaments formed by a porous flexible web of fibers or filaments, collecting the fibers of the polymeric material or filaments on a belt to form a continuous web of fibers of the polymeric material or filaments, compressing the web, cutting the web into a series of parallel strips of fibers containing the fibers of the polymeric material or filaments and turning the strips of fibers by about 90° to the longitudinal axis and connecting the strips to each other so that a unification effect is produced only by releasing the pressure effect that was applied to the strips during the process of turning them. The web produced in accordance with the technique described in said US patent is suitable for the production of products such as carpets, blankets, bed linen, bathrobes, etc.

The essence of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a new method for producing mineral fiber insulation fleeces from which mineral material insulation boards can be cut, where this method allows the production of mineral fiber insulation boards in an online facility that are of composite and complex structure, providing distinct advantages compared to mineral fiber boards according to the prior art.

A particular advantage of the present invention is that the new mineral fiber insulation boards according to the present invention and produced by the method according to the present invention, compared to the mineral fiber insulation boards according to the prior art, contain less mineral fibers and are consequently cheaper than the mineral fiber insulation boards according to the prior art, and still exhibit advantages compared to the mineral fiber insulation boards according to the prior art in terms of mechanical strength and thermal insulation properties.

Another advantage of the present invention relates to the fact that the amount of material wasted in the production of mineral fiber insulation boards according to the present invention is essentially none, or at least reduced to a very small percentage, such as 0 to 2% of the amount of material used for the production of the mineral fiber insulation board.

A special feature of the present invention is the fact that the new mineral fiber insulation board according to the present invention and produced by the method according to the present invention is producible from less mineral fibers or less material compared to the mineral fiber insulation boards according to the prior art and still provides the same properties as the mineral fiber insulation board according to the prior art in terms of mechanical strength and thermal insulation properties, thus providing a lighter and more compact product - a mineral fiber board - compared to the mineral fiber insulation board according to the prior art, which reduces transport, storage and handling costs.

The above object, advantages and features, together with many other objects, advantages and features, will be apparent from the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiments of the invention and are achieved by a method according to the invention comprising the following steps:

a) producing a first nonwoven mineral fiber web defined by a first longitudinal direction parallel to the mineral fiber web and a second transverse direction parallel to the first mineral fiber web, wherein the first mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers arranged generally in a second transverse direction and comprises a first thermosetting binding agent, and wherein the first nonwoven mineral fiber web defines the height of the first mineral fiber web,

b) moving the first mineral fiber web in the first longitudinal direction of the first mineral fiber web,

c) cutting the first mineral fiber web parallel to the first longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the second transverse direction so as to obtain a plurality of mutually parallel mineral fiber strips extending in the first longitudinal direction, wherein the plurality of mutually parallel mineral fiber strips have the same width,

d) inverting each of the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips so as to rotate the mineral fibers of each of the strips from an arrangement predominantly in the second transverse direction to an arrangement predominantly perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction,

e) joining the inverted mineral fiber webs in a snug relationship so as to obtain a second nonwoven mineral fiber web defining a height of the second mineral fiber web equal to the width of the mutually parallel mineral fiber webs, wherein the second mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers arranged predominantly perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction,

f) moving the second mineral fiber fleece in the first longitudinal direction,

g) producing a third nonwoven mineral fiber web defining a third direction parallel to the third mineral fiber web, wherein the third mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers arranged predominantly in the third direction and comprises a second thermosetting agent, wherein the third mineral fiber web is a mineral fleece with a higher compactness compared to the second mineral fiber web,

h) joining the third mineral fiber web to the second mineral fiber web in face-to-face contact to form a fourth composite mineral fiber web, and

i) curing the first and second curable agents, which causes the mineral fibers of the fourth composite mineral fiber web to bond together, thereby forming a mineral fiber insulation web.

The third nonwoven mineral fiber web that is joined to the second mineral fiber web in step f) may form a separate mineral fiber web. The first and third mineral fiber webs may thus be produced on separate production lines that are joined together in step f).

In accordance with the present preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, a third nonwoven mineral fiber web is produced by separating a surface segment of a layer of a first mineral fiber web and compacting the surface segment of the layer to produce a third mineral fiber web.

The method of the present invention preferably further comprises a further step similar to step g) for producing a fifth nonwoven mineral fiber web similar to the third mineral fiber web and a step of joining in step h) the fifth mineral fiber web to the second mineral fiber web in face-to-face contact with each other and such that the second mineral fiber web is sandwiched between the third and fifth mineral fiber webs in the fourth mineral fiber web. In producing the fifth nonwoven mineral fiber web, an integral composite structure of the fourth mineral fiber web is obtained, in which the structure comprises a central body of the second mineral fiber web which is sandwiched between opposing compacted surface layers formed by the third and fifth mineral fiber webs.

The method of the present invention further preferably comprises the step of producing a first mineral fiber web from a base nonwoven mineral fiber web by arranging the base nonwoven mineral fiber web in overlapping layers, thereby providing a more homogeneous and compact web compared to a base mineral fiber web which further comprises mineral fibers predominantly oriented along the longitudinal direction of the base mineral fiber web. When producing a first mineral fiber web from a base nonwoven mineral fiber web by arranging the base nonwoven mineral fiber web in overlapping layers, the orientation of the mineral fibers of the base nonwoven mineral fiber web is generally shifted from the longitudinal direction of the base mineral fiber web to the transverse direction of the first mineral fiber web. The base nonwoven mineral fiber web is preferably arranged in an overlapping relationship with respect to the second transverse direction.

In accordance with the technique described in the above-mentioned published international patent application No. PCT/DK91/00383, publ. under number WO92/10602, the first and second nonwoven mineral fiber webs are preferably subjected to compaction and compression in order to provide more compact and homogeneous mineral fiber webs. The compaction and compression may be either height compression, longitudinal compression, transverse compression and combinations thereof. The method according to the present invention further preferably comprises a further step of height compression of the first nonwoven mineral fiber web produced in step a) and preferably produced from the base nonwoven mineral fiber web as described above.

Furthermore, the method according to the present invention may advantageously comprise a further step of longitudinal compression of the first nonwoven mineral fibre fleece produced in step a) and further or alternatively a further step of longitudinal compression of the second nonwoven mineral fibre fleece produced in step e). When longitudinal compression is carried out, the mineral fibre fleece is subjected to longitudinal compression more homogeneously, which leads to an overall improvement in the mechanical resistance and in most cases also the thermal insulation properties of the longitudinally compressed mineral fibre fleece compared to a longitudinally non-compressed mineral fibre fleece.

As will be apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, mineral fiber insulation boards produced in accordance with the method of the present invention exhibit surprisingly improved mechanical properties and mechanical strength when the second nonwoven mineral fiber web produced in step e/ is subjected to transverse compression, which provides for homogenization of the mineral fiber structure of the second nonwoven mineral fiber web. Transverse compression of the second nonwoven mineral fiber web provides a significant improvement in the mechanical properties and performance of the final mineral fiber insulation boards produced from the second nonwoven mineral fiber web, and this improvement is believed to originate from the displacement of the mineral fibers of the second nonwoven mineral fiber web when the second mineral fiber web is subjected to transverse compression, whereby the mineral fibers of the second nonwoven mineral fiber web are uniformly distributed in the uncured mineral fiber web.

The method according to the present invention may further comprise the further step of applying a coating to the surface side or both surface sides of the first nonwoven mineral fiber web and/or applying a coating to the surface side or both surface sides of the second nonwoven mineral fiber web. The coating may be a film of plastic materials, such as an endless film, a woven or nonwoven mesh, or alternatively a film of nonplastic materials such as paper or cloth. The nonwoven insulating web produced by the method according to the present invention may, as discussed above, be provided with two opposed mineral fiber webs sandwiching a central body of the composite mineral fiber insulating web. If the mineral fiber insulating web is produced as a three-layer assembly, one or both surface sides may be provided with similar or identical surface coatings.

The method of the present invention may further comprise a further step of compressing the fourth composite mineral fiber web prior to introducing the fourth composite mineral fiber web into the curing dryer. The compression of the fourth composite mineral fiber web may include height compression, longitudinal compression and/or transverse compression. When compressing the fourth composite mineral fiber web, the homogeneity of the final product is said to be improved by compressing the fourth composite mineral fiber web, which produces a homogenizing effect on the central body of the fourth composite mineral fiber web, wherein the central body is formed by a central body of a second nonwoven mineral fiber web.

Step i) of curing the first curable binder agent and optionally the second and third curable binder agents depends on the nature of the curing binder agent(s) and will be carried out in a variety of ways, e.g. by simply exposing the curable binder agent(s) to a curing gas or curing atmosphere such as an atmosphere, by exposing the curable binder agent(s) to radiation such as UV radiation or IR radiation. If the curable binder agent(s) are heat-curable binder agents such as conventional resin-based binder agents commonly used in the mineral fiber industry, the method of curing the curable binder agent(s) includes the step of introducing the mineral fiber web to be cured into a curing dryer. Accordingly, the curing process is carried out using a curing oven. Other alternative curing devices may include IR heaters, microwave heaters, etc.

The cured mineral fiber insulation fleece produced in step i) is preferably cut into board segments by cutting the cured fourth composite mineral fiber fleece into board segments in a separate production step.

The above object, advantages and features, together with many other objects, advantages and features, are further obtained by means of an apparatus for producing an insulating composite fleece from mineral fibers, which comprises:

a) first means for producing a first nonwoven mineral fiber web defining a first longitudinal direction parallel to the mineral fiber web and a second transverse direction parallel to the first mineral fiber web, wherein the first mineral fiber web is manufactured to include mineral fibers arranged generally in a second transverse direction and includes a first curable agent, the first mineral fiber web defining the height of the first mineral fiber web,

b) second means for moving the first mineral fiber web in the first longitudinal direction of the first mineral fiber web,

c) third means for cutting the first mineral fiber web parallel to the first longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the second transverse direction so that a plurality of mutually parallel mineral fiber strips are formed, distributed in the first longitudinal direction, and the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips have the same width,

d) fourth means for rotating the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips so as to rotate the mineral fibers of each of the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips from a location predominantly in the second transverse direction to a location generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction,

e) fifth means for joining the twisted mineral fiber webs in an abutting state to form a second nonwoven mineral fiber web, defining a height of the second mineral fiber web equal to the width of each of the mutually parallel mineral fiber webs, wherein the second mineral fiber web is made to contain mineral fibers arranged predominantly perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction,

f) sixth means for moving the second mineral fiber fleece in the first longitudinal direction,

g) a seventh means for producing a third nonwoven mineral fiber web defined by a third direction parallel to the third mineral fiber web, wherein the third mineral fiber web is produced to include mineral fibers arranged generally in the third direction and comprising a second thermosetting binder, and the third mineral fiber web is a mineral fiber web with a higher density compared to the second mineral fiber web,

h) eighth means for joining the third mineral fiber web and the second mineral fiber web in their face-to-face contact to produce a fourth composite mineral fiber web, and

i) ninth means for curing the first and second curable bonding agents to cause the mineral fibers of the fourth composite mineral fiber web to bond together, thereby forming a mineral fiber insulation web.

The device according to the present invention may advantageously include any of the above-mentioned features of the method according to the present invention.

The above object, the above advantage and the above features, together with many other objects, advantages and features, are additionally obtained by means of a mineral fiber insulation board according to the present invention, wherein said mineral fiber insulation board defines a longitudinal direction and comprises:

a central body comprising mineral fibers, a surface layer comprising mineral fibers, the central body and the surface layer are connected to each other in face contact, the mineral fibers of the central body are arranged generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the surface layer, the mineral fibers of the surface layer are arranged generally in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction, the surface layer is more compact compared to the central body, and the mineral fibers of the central body and the mineral fibers of the surface layer are connected together into an integral structure only by curing of binding agents cured in a single curing process and initially present in the uncured, non-woven mineral fiber webs from which the central body and the surface layer are manufactured.

The mineral fiber insulation board according to the present invention preferably comprises opposing surface layers of similar structure, sandwiching a central body into an integral structure of the mineral fiber insulation board.

Description of the images in the attached drawings

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the figures, where Fig. 1 is a schematic and perspective view illustrating a production plant for producing a mineral fiber insulation fleece according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic and perspective view illustrating a production stage of compacting a mineral fiber insulation fleece, Fig. 3 is a schematic and perspective view illustrating a production stage of separating the surface layer of a mineral fiber insulation fleece produced in accordance with the production stages shown in Fig. 1 and optionally compacted in accordance with the production stage shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4a is a schematic and perspective view illustrating the production step of cutting the mineral fiber insulation fleece into longitudinally extending strips and rotating the strips by 90° and further illustrating the production step of joining the strips, FIG. 4b is a schematic and perspective view illustrating the production step of transverse compaction of the strips rotated and joined in the production step shown in FIG. 4a, FIG. 4c is a schematic and perspective view illustrating the production step of simultaneous transverse compression, vertical compression and longitudinal compression of the mineral fiber insulation fleece, FIG. 5 is a schematic and perspective view illustrating the production step of joining the surface layer, preferably a compacted surface layer, to the mineral fiber insulation fleece, produced in accordance with the production steps shown in FIG. 3, 4a and 4b, and the curing of the mineral fiber insulation fleece and further illustrating the production step of dividing the cured mineral fiber insulation fleece into plate-like segments, FIG. 6a is a schematic and perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a segment of a mineral fiber insulation board manufactured in accordance with the techniques described in FIGS. 1 to 5, FIG. 6a is a schematic and perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a segment of a mineral fiber insulation board manufactured in accordance with the techniques described in FIGS. 1 to 5, FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating the production parameters in an online production facility for the production of building insulation boards from mineral fiber fleece manufactured in accordance with the techniques according to the present invention, FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams similar to those in FIGS. 7 and 8, illustrating parameters on an online production plant producing thermally insulating mineral fiber roof panels from a mineral fiber insulation fleece produced according to the present invention.

Fig. 1 describes the first stage of the production of a mineral fiber insulation fleece. The first stage involves the formation of mineral fibers from a mineral fiber-forming melt produced in a furnace 30 and supplied from the outlet 32 of the furnace 30 to four rapidly rotating spinnerets 34 to which the mineral fiber-forming melt is supplied as a stream 36 of the mineral fiber-forming melt. A stream 36 of melt forming the mineral fiber is supplied to the spinning wheels 34 in a radial direction to these wheels and at the same time a stream of cooling gas is supplied to the rapidly rotating wheels 34 in an axial direction to them, which causes the formation of individual mineral fibers which are expelled or jetted from the rapidly rotating spinning wheels 34, as indicated by the reference numeral 38. The spray 38 of mineral fibers is collected on a continuously operating first conveyor belt 42 and forms a primary mineral fiber insulation web 40. A thermosetting binder is also added to the primary mineral fiber insulation web 40 either directly to the mineral fiber insulation web 40 or at the stage of expelling the mineral fibers from the spinning wheels 34, i.e. at the stage of forming the individual mineral fibers. The first conveyor belt 42 is, as can be seen from Fig. 1, composed of two conveyor belt sections. The first conveyor belt section is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction and with respect to the second substantially horizontal conveyor belt section. The first section forms a collector section, while the second section forms a conveying section, by means of which the mineral fiber insulation fleece 40 is conveyed to the second and third conveyor belts indicated by the reference numerals 44 and 46. which operate synchronously with the first conveyor belt 42 sandwiching the primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40 between the two adjacent surfaces of the second and third conveyor belts 44 and 46.

The second and third conveyor belts 44 and 46 are connected to a fourth conveyor belt 48, which forms a collection conveyor belt on which the secondary insulation fleece 50 is collected by the second and third conveyor belts 44 and 46 swinging above the upper surface of the fourth conveyor belt 48 in a direction transverse to the fourth conveyor belt 48. The secondary mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 is subsequently produced by arranging the primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40 in an overlap predominantly in a direction transverse to the fourth conveyor belt 48.

When producing a secondary mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 from a primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40 as described in Fig. 1, a more homogeneous secondary mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 is produced compared to the less homogeneous primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40.

It should be noted that the predominant orientation of the mineral fibers of the primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fleece 40 and the direction of transport of the first conveyor belt 42. In contrast to the primary mineral fiber insulation fleece 40, the predominant orientation of the mineral fibers of the second mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 is substantially perpendicular and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the secondary mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 and the direction of transport of the fourth conveyor belt 48.

In Fig. 2, a location for compacting and homogenizing the input of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ is shown, where this location serves the purpose of compacting and homogenizing the input insulation fleece 50' to produce an output insulation fleece 50 ¹ ', which is denser and more homogeneous compared to the input insulation fleece 50 ^1. The input insulation fleece 50' may form a secondary insulation fleece 50 made of mineral fibers, produced in the location shown in Fig. 1.

The compaction station comprises two sections. The first section comprises two conveyor belts 52' ¹ and 54 ^{' 1} ', which are arranged on the upper surface and the lower surface of the mineral fibre web 50'. The first section essentially comprises a section in which the mineral fibre web 50' entering the section is subjected to a height compression, causing a reduction in the overall height of the mineral fibre web and a compaction of the mineral fibre web. The conveyor belts 52 ^{' 11} and 54'' are consequently arranged so as to slope from the inlet end on the left-hand side of Fig. 2, where the mineral fibre web 50' enters the first section, towards the outlet end from which the height compressed mineral fibre web is delivered to the second section of the compaction station.

The second section of the compaction station comprises three sets of rollers 56 ¹ and 58', 56'' and 58 ¹¹ and 56 ¹ '' and 58 ¹¹¹ . The rollers 56'. 56 ¹ ' and 56' ¹¹ are located on the upper side of the surface of the fleece while the rollers 58 ', 58 ¹¹ and 58 ¹ ' ¹ are located on the lower side of the surface of the mineral fiber fleece. The second section of the compaction station provides longitudinal compression of the mineral fiber fleece and this longitudinal compression produces homogenization of the mineral fiber fleece by rearranging the mineral fibers of the mineral fiber fleece compared to the initial structure to a more homogeneous structure. The three sets of rollers 56 ¹ and 58 ¹ , 56 ^{1 1} and 58 ^{1 1} and 56 ^{1 1 1} and 58 ^{1 1 1} of the second section rotate at the same rotational speed, which is, however, less than the rotational speed of the conveyor belts 52 ¹¹ and 54'' of the first section, which causes longitudinal compression of the mineral fiber fleece. The vertically compressed and longitudinally compressed mineral fiber fleece exits the compaction point shown in Fig. 2, indicated by the reference numeral 50 ¹¹ .

It should be noted that the combined vertical and longitudinal compaction site shown in Fig. 2 may be modified by omitting one or two sections, i.e. the first section forming the vertical compaction section, or alternatively the second section forming the longitudinal compaction section. By omitting one or two sections of the compaction site shown in Fig. 2, the compaction section performs a single compaction or compression and becomes a vertical compaction site or alternatively a longitudinal compaction site. Although the vertical compaction section has been described as comprising conveyor belts and the longitudinal compaction section has been described as comprising rollers, both sections may be carried out using belts or rollers. Alternatively, the vertical compaction may be carried out using rollers and the longitudinal compaction section may be provided with conveyor belts.

In Fig. 3, another production location is shown where the surface layer 24 is separated from the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' and provides the remaining part of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ^{1 1} , where this remaining part is indicated by the reference numeral 50 ¹ ''. The mineral fiber insulation fleece 50'' may form an output of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ^{1 1} shown in Fig. 2 or alternatively the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 produced at the location shown in Fig. 1. The separation of the surface layer 24 from the remaining part 50' ¹¹ of the mineral fiber insulation fleece is carried out by means of a cutting tool 72, while the remaining part 50 ^{' 111} of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹ is supported and conveyed by means of a conveyor belt 70. The cutting tool 72 may be formed by a stationary cutting tool or knife or alternatively may be formed by a transversely acting cutting tool. The surface layer 24 separated from the mineral fiber insulation fleece is obtained from the conveying path of the remaining portion 50' ¹ 'of the mineral fiber insulation fleece by means of the conveyor belt 74 and is transferred from the conveyor belt 74 to three sets of rollers, comprising a first set of rollers 76 ¹ and 78', a second set of rollers 76 ¹ and 78 ^{1 1} and a third set of rollers 76 ¹ ' ¹ and 78 ^{1 1} , where these three sets of rollers together form a compaction or compression site similar to the second section of the compaction site described above in connection with FIG. 2 .

Fig. 4a shows a production site comprising four separate production stages, where the first production stage comprises applying a continuous film to the upper surface of the mineral fibre insulation fleece, the second stage comprises cutting the mineral fibre insulation fleece into longitudinal strips, the third stage comprises rotating the longitudinal strips by 90° and joining the rotated, longitudinal strips to each other, and the fourth stage comprises applying a surface coating formed by a woven, screen film to the upper surface of the joined, longitudinal strips.

The left-hand side of the part of FIG. 4a shows a mineral fiber insulation fleece. The mineral fiber insulation fleece 50* ¹¹ shown in FIG. 4a may be formed by the remaining part ⁵⁰¹¹¹ of the mineral fiber insulation fleece ⁵⁰¹¹ , or it may be formed by the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50'' exiting the compaction location shown in FIG. 2, or alternatively it is the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 produced at the location shown in FIG. 1. The mineral fiber insulation fleece to be processed at the location shown in FIG. 4a is however preferably formed by the remaining part ^50'11 of the mineral fiber insulation fleece ⁵⁰¹¹ shown in FIG. 3. In the first sub-location shown in Fig. 4a, the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹ is brought into contact with a pressure roller 68, by means of which a continuous film 67 of thermoplastic material is applied to the upper side of the surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ '. The continuous film of thermoplastic material is supplied from a roller 66. After the continuous film 67 has been applied to the upper side of the surface of the insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ ', the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50'' ¹ and the continuous film 67 applied thereto are brought into contact with seven mutually parallel, rotatable cutting knives, one of which is indicated by the reference numeral 60.

The knives 60 are arranged at equal distances from each other and cut the insulating fleece 50 ¹¹¹ , the upper surface of which is provided with a continuous foil 67 , into a total of eight mutually parallel, longitudinally extending strips, each of which has a strip of surface foil. The longitudinally extending strips are then brought into contact with a total of eight rotating plates 62 , which serve to rotate the mutually parallel strips by 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the insulating fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹ made of mineral fibers. One of the mutually parallel strips is designated by the reference number 64 and one of the foil strips is designated by the reference number 69.

The mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹ shown in Fig. 3 is made from the insulation fleece 50 shown in Fig. 1.

Accordingly, the mineral fibers of the insulating fleece 50'' ¹ of the mineral fibers shown in Fig. 3 are generally arranged along the transverse direction of the insulating fleece 50 ^{1 1 1} of mineral fibers. As the strips 64 of the insulating fleece 50 ¹¹ ' , cut by the knives 60 , are rotated by 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the insulating fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹ of mineral fibers, the mineral fibers of the strips 64 are rotated by 90°.

As the mineral fiber insulation fleece strips 64 ¹¹ ' are rotated 90° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ '', the foil strips 69 are also rotated 90° with the exception of the outermost surface foil strip located between the joined mineral fiber insulation fleece strips 64 50'''. As a result, the mineral fibers of the strips 64, which are interconnected via the foil strips 69 to form the integral mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ^{1 1} , are generally oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mineral fiber insulation fleece and also perpendicular to the transverse direction of the mineral fiber insulation fleece. As a result, the mineral fibers of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹ '' composed of strips 64 are generally oriented perpendicular to the outer surfaces of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ formed by the connected strips 64.

After the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ has been produced, where the foil strips 69 are placed in the mineral fiber insulation fleece in strips 64, the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ is moved to the point of application of the next foil, in which the woven mesh foil 99, which is supplied from the roller 98, is applied to one of the surface sides, to the upper surface side of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹ ' by means of pressing rollers 97. The woven mesh foil 99 can be applied to the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' ^{1 1} and fixed thereto by means of an adhesive layer such as a glue layer, or simply be pressed against the mineral fibers of the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece.

Similarly, the continuous film 67 can be applied to the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50''' and adhered thereto by means of an adhesive layer, formed, for example, by a layer of glue, by methods which are well known in the art.

It is possible, in accordance with a preferred alternative embodiment, that the continuous film 67 and the woven mesh film 99 are omitted, then the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹ ' is simply produced from mineral fiber strips 64, which are produced by means of knives 60 from the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹ and turned by means of plates 62 and then bonded together, to form a mineral fiber insulation fleece comprising only mineral fibers and a thermosetting binder.

In Fig. 4b, a transverse compression location is shown, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 80. At location 80, the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹¹¹ produced in accordance with the preferred alternative embodiment described above, comprising exclusively mineral fibers and a thermosetting binder, is brought into contact with two conveyor belts 85 and 86, which define a constriction which exerts a transverse compression on the mineral fiber insulation fleece and into contact with a total of four surface-rotating rollers 89a, 89b, 89c and 89d, which together with similar rollers, but not shown in Fig., positioned opposite the rollers 89a, 89b, 89c and 89d, serve the purpose of assisting in the transverse compression of the entire fleece 50 ^{' 1} '' ¹ . Conveyor belts 85 and 86 are placed on rollers 81, 83 and 82, 84.

A transversely compressed and compacted mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹¹ is supplied from the transverse compression station 80. As the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹¹ ' moves through the transverse compression station and is transformed into a transversely compressed mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹¹ , the fleece is supported on rollers comprising an inlet roller 87 and an outlet roller 88.

Although the entrance of the insulating fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹ ' into the transverse compression point 80 is preferably formed by the above-mentioned, preferred and alternative embodiment, the mineral fleece 50'' ¹ ' may alternatively comprise integral foil strips similar to the foil strips 69 mentioned above.

If the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ ' ¹ is provided transversely compressed at a location 80 with an upper surface layer, such as the woven mesh film 99 described below in connection with FIG. 4a, the film should have a structure that is compatible with transverse compression of the fleece and film assembly. The film applied to the upper surface of the insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ ' ¹ should be compressible and adjustable to reduce the width of the insulation fabric 50 ' ¹ ' ¹¹ extending from the location 80 of transverse compression.

In Fig. 4c an alternative technique for compressing an insulating fleece 50 ^{11 1 1} made of mineral fibres is shown. According to the technique described in Fig. 4c, a location 60'' ¹ ' is used, where this location forms a location of combined vertical compression, longitudinal compression and transverse compression. The location 60 ¹ ' ¹ ' thus contains a total of six roller sets, of which three sets are formed by three roller sets 56 ¹ , 56 ¹ ; 56 ¹ ' , 58 ¹ '; and 56 ¹¹¹ ,

58 ¹¹¹ , described above in connection with Fig. 2, and constitute an alternative to the combination of locations mentioned above in connection with Figs. 2 and 4b.

The location 60 ^{1 11} ' shown in Fig. 4c further comprises three sets of rollers, where the first set is formed by two rollers 152 ¹ and 154 ¹ . the second set is formed by two rollers 152 ¹ ' and 154 ¹¹ and the third set is formed by two rollers ^{152 1 ,} 152' ¹ and 152 ^{1 '} ' are placed on the upper side of the surface of the insulating fleece 50 ¹ ' of mineral fibers and 56 ^{1 1} '. The three rollers 154 ', similar to the rollers 56 ¹ , 56 ¹ '

154 ¹ ' and 154 ¹ '' are located on the underside of the surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ similarly to the rollers 58 ¹ , 58' ¹ and 58 ^{1 1 1} The three sets of rollers 152 ¹ , 154 '; 152 ^{1 1} , 154 ¹¹ and 152'' ¹ 154 ¹¹¹ serve the same purpose as the belt assemblies 52'' , 54 ¹¹ discussed above in Fig. 2 , for the purpose of height compression of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' entering the location 60 ¹¹¹¹ .

Three sets of height compression rollers 152', 154'; 152 ^{1 1} , 154 ^{1 1} ; and 152 ¹¹¹ , 154 ¹¹¹ are similar to the above-described belt assemblies 52'', 54, operating at a rotational speed identical to the speed of the insulating fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ of mineral fibers entering the height compression section of the location 60 ¹ ' ^11. Three sets of rollers forming the longitudinal compression section, i.e. rollers 56 ¹ , 58 ¹ ; 56 ¹ , 58 ^{1 1} ; and 56 ¹ ' ¹ , 58' ¹¹ , operate at a reduced rotational speed, thus determining the longitudinal compression ratio.

To induce transverse compression of the insulating fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ entering the location 60 ^{1 1} '' shown in Fig. 4c, four sets of crankshafts are provided, designated by reference numerals 160 ' . 160 ^{1 1} , 160 ^{1 1 1} and 160 ^1,11 . The sets of shafts are of the same structure and one set of crankshafts 160' ¹ is described in the following description, since the sets of crankshafts 160 ¹ , 160 ¹¹¹ and 160 ¹¹¹¹ are identical to the set of shafts 160 ¹¹ and contain elements identical to the elements of the set of shafts 160 ¹ ' , but are designated by the same reference numerals provided with one, two and three symbols.

The crankshaft assembly 160 ^{1 1} includes a motor 162'' that drives a gear assembly 164'' from which a shaft 166'' extends. A total of six gears 168 ¹¹ of the same configuration are mounted on the output of the shaft 166 ¹¹ . Each of the gears 168 ¹ ' meshes with a corresponding gear 170 ¹¹ . Each of the gears 170 ¹ ' forms a drive gear of an arm of the crankshaft system, further comprising a guide wheel 172'' and a crankshaft arm 174 ¹¹ . The crankshaft arms 174 ¹¹ are positioned to move from a lowered position to a raised position between two connected rollers on the right side, the lower side of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ entering the location 60' ¹¹ 'and are adapted to cooperate with the crankshaft arms of the crankshaft system 160 ¹ located on the right side, the upper side of the entry of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ into the location 60 ^{1 1 1} .

Similarly, the crankshaft arms of the crankshaft arm system 160 ¹ ' ¹ and 160'' ^{1 1} , located on the left, on the upper and lower sides of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹¹ at the entrance to the location 60 '' ^11, are adapted to cooperate in the manner described below.

As can be seen from Fig. 4c, the first set of crankshaft arms 174 ¹ , 174''. 174 ¹¹¹ , 174 ¹¹¹ ' of the crankshaft arm systems 160 ¹ , 160 ¹¹ , 160'' ¹ and 160' ¹¹¹ is positioned between the first and second sets of rollers 152' , 154 ¹ , and 152'' , 154 ¹¹ . Similarly, the second set of crankshaft arms is positioned between the second and third sets of rollers 152'' . 154'' and 152'' ¹ , 154 ''' .

The crankshaft arms of each of the six sets of crankshaft arms are of equal width. In each of the crankshaft arm systems 160 ¹ , 160 '',160' ¹ ' and 160 ^11.1 , the first crankshaft arm is the widest, and the width of the crankshaft arm decreases with each crankshaft arm system from the first crankshaft arm to the sixth crankshaft arm located behind the sixth set of rollers 56''' , 58 ^{1 1 1} .

By means of the crankshaft assembly motors 160 ¹ , 160 ¹¹ , 160 ¹¹¹ and 160 ¹¹¹¹ , the crankshaft arms of a specific crankshaft assembly rotate synchronously with the remaining 25 m three crankshaft arms of the respective crankshaft arm assembly. The crankshaft arms of all six crankshaft assemblies additionally operate synchronously and in synchronization with the speed of entry of the 50'' mineral fiber insulation fleece into location 60 ¹¹¹¹ . The widest or first set of crankshaft arms is adapted to initiate folding of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ , while lifting the crankshaft arms 174 ^{1 1} and 174' ^{1 11} of the crankshaft arm systems 160'' and 160' ¹¹¹ from positions below the bottom surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹ ' ¹ and are brought into contact with the bottom surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹ '; and simultaneously lowering the crankshaft arms 174 ¹ and 174 ¹ ' ¹ of the systems and the crankshaft arms 160 ¹ and 160 ¹¹ ' from positions above the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulating fleece 50 ¹¹ and are brought into contact with the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulating fleece 50 ^{1 1 1} '.

Further rotation of the output shafts 166 ¹ , 166 ¹ ' , 166 ¹ ' ¹ and 166 ^{1 11} ' causes the crankshaft arms of the first set of crankshaft arms to move towards the centre of the mineral fibre insulating fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ , thereby transversely compressing the central surface of the mineral fibre insulating fleece 50 ¹ '' ¹ . When the crankshaft arms of the first set of crankshafts reach the centre position, the arms 160' and 160 ^{1 1} ' of the crankshaft systems are raised, while the crankshaft arms of the systems 160' ¹ and 160 are lowered and consequently come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the mineral fibre insulating fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹ '.

As the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹ moves through the location 60' ¹ ' ¹ , the next or second set of crank arms causes further transverse compression of the surfaces of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50'' ¹ ', where these surfaces are located on opposite sides of the aforementioned central surface, while the third or fourth, fifth or sixth set of crank arms produces further transverse compressions of the mineral fiber insulation fleece, obtaining an overall, homogeneous, transverse compression of the mineral fiber insulation fleece.

The width of the crank arms of each crank arm assembly, the gear ratio of the gear assemblies 164', 164' ¹ , 164'' ¹ and 164' ^{1 1} ' , the gear ratio of the gears 168 and 170 and the speed of entry of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ into the station 60 ¹ ' ¹ ' are mutually adjusted and further adjusted to the rotational speed of the height compression and longitudinal compression sections of the station for producing height, longitudinal and transversely compressed mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ ' ¹¹¹ .

The integration of the height compression section, the longitudinal compression section and the transverse compression section into a single location, as described above in relation to FIG. 4c, is not essential to the operation of the crankshaft systems described above in relation to FIG. 4c. The height compression section, the longitudinal compression section and the transverse compression section may be separate, however, the integration of all three functions reduces the overall size of the manufacturing facility. The location described above with reference to FIG. 4c may advantageously be supplemented by a further longitudinal compression section similar to the longitudinal compression section described above in relation to FIG. 2. The further longitudinal compression section may constitute a further or second longitudinal compression section or an alternative longitudinal compression section if the location described above in relation to FIG. 4c exclusively comprises a height compression section and a transverse compression section. Further or alternatively, the height compression section of the location described above in relation to FIG. 4c may be replaced by a separate height compression section, such as a height compression section similar to the height compression section described above in connection with Fig. 2.

When the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹¹ has been manufactured as described above in connection with Figs. 4a and 4b or 4c and when the surface layer 24 has been compacted as described above in connection with Fig. 3, the compacted surface layer 24 is returned to the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹¹ and is bonded in face contact with the upper surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹¹ .

In Fig. 5, a set of rollers, comprising a roller 79 ¹ and a roller 79'' located on the upper and lower sides of the surface of the surface layer 24, form a set of rollers by means of which the surface film 99 ¹ is supplied from the roller 98' to the upper side of the surface of the compacted surface layer 24. From the rollers 79 ¹ and 79' ¹ , the surface layer 24, which forms an integral mineral fiber insulation fleece with a higher density compared to the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50' ¹ ' ^{1 1,} is advanced to the upper side of the surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ^{1 1} '' ¹ by means of two rollers 77 ¹ and 77' ¹ . The roller 77 ¹ ' is located below the surface layer 24 and forms a rotating roller, while the roller 77 ', which is located above the upper side of the surface of the surface layer 24 , serves for the purpose of pressing the compacted surface layer 24 into face contact with the upper side of the surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ ' ¹¹ , which is supported and conveyed by means of the conveyor belt 70 also shown in Fig. 3 . After the compacted layer 24 has been placed in face contact with the upper side of the surface of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ' ¹¹¹ ' , a mineral fiber insulation fleece assembly is provided, this assembly being designated as a whole by the reference numeral 90 .

In Fig. 5, another foil 99 ¹¹ is indicated by dashed lines. This foil is supplied from a roll 98 ¹¹ . Foil 99 ¹¹ may be a continuous foil or alternatively a mesh foil, i.e. a foil similar to foil 67 and foil 99 , described above in connection with Fig. 4a . It should be emphasized that foils 6_Z, 99 , 99 ¹ and 99'' constitute optional features that may be omitted, obtaining the structure of an integral mineral fiber insulation fleece. Alternatively, one or more of the aforementioned foils, or all of the foils, may be provided in various embodiments of a mineral fiber insulation fleece manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the compacted surface layer 24 which is separated from the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹ 'as shown in FIG. 3 may alternatively be provided from a separate production line such as the production site shown in FIG. 1 which is connected directly to the production site shown in FIG. 4a, or alternatively via the production site shown in FIG. 2, thus eliminating the production site shown in FIG. 3. Preferably, the production site shown in FIG. 3 is adapted to separate two surface layers from the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹ to form two separate surface layers separated from opposite sides of the surfaces of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50'', said surface layers being processed in accordance with the technique described above in connection with FIG. 3 to produce two compacted surface layers which in accordance with the technique described above in connection with FIG. 5 are connected to the insulating fleece 50 ¹ '''' on opposite sides of its surface behind the mineral fiber insulating fleece 50 to form a sandwich of the mineral fiber insulation between two opposing surface layers similar to the surface layer 24 shown in Fig. 5.

In fig. 5, the mineral fiber insulation web assembly 90 is moved through a curing station, including a curing oven or curing chamber, comprising opposing curing oven sections 92 and 94 that generate heat to heat the mineral fiber insulation web assembly 50 to an elevated temperature so as to cause the heat-curable bonding agent of the mineral fiber insulation web assembly to cure and thereby cause the mineral fibers of the central core or body of the assembly and the mineral fibers of the compacted surface layer or layers to bond together to form an integral mineral fiber insulation web, which is cut into sheet-like segments by a knife 96. If foil strips 67 and optionally a continuous foil ⁹⁹¹ ' are provided, the thermoplastic material of the foil strip 67 and the continuous foil 99'' is also melted, providing further bonding of the mineral fibers. mineral fiber insulation fleece.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a single plate-like segment 10' comprising a central core 12 and a top layer 14. The top layer 14 is made of a compacted surface layer 24 while the core 12 is made of the mineral fiber insulating fleece 50'' ¹ '' shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6a shows a partial and perspective view of a first embodiment of a mineral fiber insulation fleece segment according to the present invention, designated by the reference numeral 10 as a whole. The plate-shaped segment 10 comprises a central core or body 12 made of a folded mineral fiber insulation fleece 70 ¹ and an upper layer 14 and further a lower layer 16 made of a surface layer of a mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ^1. Reference numeral 18 designates a core segment 12 of the plate-shaped segment 10, where the segment 18 is made of one of the strips 64 of the mineral fiber insulation fleece 50 ¹¹¹¹ .

In Fig. 6b there is a partial and perspective view of a second embodiment of a plate-shaped segment of a mineral fiber insulation fleece according to the present invention, designated by the reference numeral 10' as a whole. Similar to the plate-shaped segment 10 described above in relation to Fig. 6a, the plate-shaped segment 10 ¹ comprises a central core 12 , a top layer 14 and a bottom layer 16 . In addition, a top surface coating 15 is provided, which is formed by the film 99' described above with reference to Fig. 5 . The top surface coating 15 may be formed of a web of plastic material, a woven or non-woven plastic film, or alternatively the coating may be formed of non-plastic materials such as paper material serving exclusively for design and architectural purposes. The top surface coating 15 may alternatively be applied to the mineral fiber insulation fleece after curing of the thermosetting agent, i.e. after exposing the mineral fiber insulation fleece 90 to the heat generated by the dryer sections 92 and 94 shown in Fig. 5.

Examples of embodiments of the invention

Example 1

The central core or body of a thermal insulation board manufactured in accordance with the method of the present invention as described above in connection with Figs. 1-5 is manufactured according to the specifications set forth below:

The method includes steps similar to those described above in connection with Fig. 2, 4a, 4c, 2a and the right side of Fig. 5. The production output of the plant is 5000 kg/h. The basis weight of the primary web is 0.5 kg/m ² and the width of the primary web is 2850 mm. The ratio of the first longitudinal compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:1.5 and the ratio of the transverse compression produced at the location of Fig. 4c is also 1:1.5 and the ratio of the second transverse compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:1.5. The mineral fiber strips produced at the location described in Fig. 4a are of square cross-section with dimensions of 50 mm x 50 mm. The density of the final board shown in Fig. 5 is 110 kg/m ³ . The width of the final insulation fleece is 1800 mm.

The production parameters used are listed below in Tables A and B:

Table A

Total thickness A B C D E mm m/minxl0 m/min m/min m/min m/min 50 9.26 28.41 18.94 12.63 8.42 75 9.26 18.94 12.63 8.42 5.61 100 9.26 14.20 9.47 6.31 4.21 125 9.26 11.36 7.58 5.05 3.37 150 9.26 9.47 6.31 4.21 2.81 175 9.26 8.12 5.41 3.61 2.41 200 9.26 7.10 4.73 3.16 2.10 225 9.26 6.31 4.21 2.81 1.87 250 9.26 5.68 3.79 2.53 1.68 275 9.26 5.17 3.44 2.30 1.53

A= belt speed 4_2

B= belt speed 48 c= belt speed 70 after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

D= belt speed 70 after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

E= belt speed 70 after the second longitudinal compression and before the curing dryer /Fig. 5/

Table B

Total thickness F G H I J To mm kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m3 % 50 1.63 2.44 3.67 3.67 5.50 5.56 75 2.44 3.67 5.50 5.50 8.25 6.94 100 3.26 4.89 7.33 7.33 11.00 8.33 125 4.07 6.11 9.17 9.17 13.75 6.94 150 4.89 7.33 11.00 11.00 16.50 11.11 175 5.70 8.56 12.83 12.83 19.25 9.72 200 6.52 9.78 14.67 14.67 22.00 13.89 225 7.33 11.00 16.50 16.50 24.75 15.28 250 8.15 12.22 18.33 18.33 27.50 13.89 275 8.96 13.44 20.17 20.17 30.25 9.72

F= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece on the strip 4_8

G= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

H= surface weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

1= surface weight of the mineral fiber insulation fleece before the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

J= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

K= amount of recycled material

Figure 7 shows a diagram illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed in Table A. The symbols used in Figure 7 correspond to the symbols for the parameters listed in Table A.

A.

Figure 8 shows a diagram illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed in Table B. The symbols used in Figure 8 correspond to the symbols for the parameters listed in Table B.

The reference symbols used in Fig. 8 refer to the parameters listed in Table B.

Example 2

The central core or body of a roof panel manufactured in accordance with the method of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is manufactured according to the following data:

The method includes steps similar to those described above in Fig. 2, 4a, 4c, 2a and the right-hand part of Fig. 5. The production output of the plant is 5000 kg/h. The basis weight of the primary web is 0.5 kg/m ² and the width of the primary web is 2850 mm. The ratio of the first longitudinal compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:1.5 and the ratio of the transverse compression produced at the location of Fig. 4c is also 1:1.5 and the ratio of the second longitudinal compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:2. The mineral fiber strips produced at the location described in Fig. 4a are of square cross-section with dimensions of 50 mm x 50 mm. The density of the central core of the final board described in Fig. 5

O is 200 kg/m . The width of the final insulation fleece made of mineral fibers is 1800 mm.

The production parameters used are listed in the table below.

C and D:

Table C

Total thickness A B C D E mm m/min x 10 m/min m/min m/min m/min 50 9.26 20.83 13.89 9.26 4.63 75 9.26 13.89 9.26 6.17 3.09 100 9.26 10.42 6.94 4.63 2.31 125 9.26 8.33 5.56 3.70 1.85 150 9.26 6.94 4.63 3.09 1.54 175 9.26 5.95 3.97 2.65 1.32 200 9.26 5.21 3.47 2.31 1.16 225 9.26 4.63 3.09 2.06 1.03 250 9.26 4.17 2.78 1.85 0.93 275 9.26 3.79 2.53 1.68 0.84

A= belt speed 42.

B= belt speed 48.

C= belt speed 70 after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

D= belt speed 70 after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

E= belt speed 70 after the second longitudinal compression and before the curing dryer /Fig. 5/

Fig. 9 shows a diagram similar to that in Fig. 7, illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed above in Table c.

Table D

Total thickness F G H I J To mm kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 % 50 2.22 3.33 5.00 5.00 10.00 5.56 75 3.33 5.00 7.50 7.50 15.00 6.94 100 4.44 6.67 10.00 10.00 20.00 8.33 125 5.56 8.33 12.50 12.50 25.00 6.94 150 6.67 10.00 15.00 15.00 30.00 11.11 175 7.78 11.67 17.50 17.50 35.00 9.72 200 8.89 13.33 20.00 20.00 40.00 13.89 225 10.00 15.00 22.50 22.50 45.00 15.28 250 11.11 16.67 25.00 25.00 50.00 13.89 275 12.22 18.33 27.50 27.50 55.00 9.72

F= area weight of mineral fibre insulation fleece on a strip £8

G= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

H= surface weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

1= surface weight of the mineral fiber insulation fleece before the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

J- surface weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

K= amount of recycled material

Figure 10 shows a diagram similar to that in Figure 8, illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed in Table D.

Example 3

The central core or body of a thermally insulating roof panel manufactured in accordance with the method of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is manufactured according to the following data:

The method includes steps similar to those described above in Fig. 2, 4a, 4c, 2a and the right side of Fig. 5. The production output of the device is 5000 kg/h. The basis weight of the primary n

The fleece density is 0.4 kg/m and the width of the primary fleece is 2280 mm. The ratio of the first longitudinal compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:1.1 and the ratio of the transverse compression produced at the location described in Fig. 4c is also 1:1.2 and the ratio of the second longitudinal compression produced at the location described in Fig. 2 is 1:2. The mineral fibre strips produced at the location described in Fig. 4a are of square cross-section with dimensions of 50 mm x 50 mm. The density of the final board described in Fig. 5 is 20 kg/m ³ . The width of the final mineral fibre insulation fleece is 1800 mm.

The production parameters used are listed in the table below.

Table E

Total thickness A B C D E mm m/minxl0 m/min m/min m/min m/min 50 11.57 73.33 66.67 55.56 46.30 75 11.57 48.89 44.44 37.04 30.86 100 11.57 36.67 33.33 27.78 23.15 125 11.57 29.33 26.67 22.22 18.52 150 11.57 24.44 22.22 18.52 15.43 175 11.57 20.95 19.05 15.87 13.23 200 11.57 18.33 16.67 13.89 11.57 225 11.57 16.30 14.81 12.35 10.29 250 11.57 14.67 13.33 11.11 9.26 275 11.57 13.33 12.12 10.10 8.42

A= belt speed 42.

B= belt speed 48.

C= belt speed 70 after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

D= belt speed 70 after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

E= belt speed 70 after the second longitudinal compression and before the curing dryer /Fig. 5/

Figure 11 shows a diagram similar to that in Figure 7, illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed above in Table E.

Table F

Total thickness F G H I J To mm kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 kg/ ^m2 % 50 0.63 0.69 0.83 0.83 1.00 5.56 75 0.95 1.04 1.25 1.25 1.50 6.94 100 1.26 1.39 1.67 1.67 2.00 8.33 125 1.58 1.74 2.08 2.08 2.50 6.94 150 1.89 2.08 2.50 2.50 3.00 11.11 175 2.21 2.43 2.92 2.92 3.50 9.72 200 2.53 2.78 3.33 3.33 4.00 13.89 225 2.84 3.13 3.75 3.75 4.50 15.28 250 3.16 3.47 4.17 4.17 5.00 13.89 275 3.47 3.82 4.58 4.58 5.50 9.72

F= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece on a strip of 48.

G= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the first longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

H= surface weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after transverse compression /Fig. 4c/

1= surface weight of the mineral fiber insulation fleece before the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

J= area weight of mineral fiber insulation fleece after the second longitudinal compression /Fig. 2/

K= amount of recycled material

Figure 12 shows a diagram similar to that in Figure 8, illustrating the relationship between the parameters listed in Table F.

Example 4

The importance of exposing mineral fibre insulation fleece to longitudinal and transverse compression is illustrated by the data given below in Table G:

Table G

common mineral fiber insulation boards mineral fiber insulation boards produced according to the invention, not subjected to longitudinal/transverse compression mineral fiber insulation boards according to the invention subjected to longitudinal/transverse compression thermal insulation Compressive strength: 2 kPa - - - 7 kPa - - - 9 kPa hunger plate modulus of elasticity: 15 kPa - - - 125 kPa - - - 150 kPa with a density of 30 kg/m ³ roof heat- Compressive strength: 70 kPa - - - 180 kPa - - - 210 kPa no-insulation modulus of elasticity: 600 kPa - - - 3300 kPa - - - 4000 kPa hardboard tou 150 kg/nr

The mineral fiber insulation boards according to the present invention clearly demonstrate increased compressive strength and modulus of elasticity compared to conventional thermal insulation boards. The mechanical strength of the mineral fiber insulation boards according to the present invention is further increased by subjecting the mineral fiber web from which the boards are made to longitudinal and transverse compression as described above in relation to Figs. 2 and 4b.

Claims (22)

PATENT CLAIMS A method for producing a mineral fiber insulating web, comprising the steps of: (a) producing a first non-woven mineral fiber web defined by a first longitudinal direction parallel to the mineral fiber web and a second transverse direction parallel to the first mineral fiber web, wherein the first mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers generally arranged in the second transverse direction and comprises the first a thermosetting binder, and wherein the first non-woven mineral fiber web defines the height of the first mineral fiber web, b) moving the first mineral fiber web in the first longitudinal direction of the first mineral fiber web, c) cutting the first mineral fiber web parallel to the first longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the second transverse direction so as to obtain a plurality of mutually parallel mineral fiber strips extending in the first longitudinal direction, wherein many of the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips have the same width, (d) inverting each of the mutually parallel mineral fiber strips by rotating the mineral fibers of each of the strips from a location predominantly in a second transverse direction to a location predominantly perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction; e) joining the inverted mineral fiber webs in an adjacent relationship to obtain a second non-woven mineral fiber web defining the height of the second mineral fiber web coinciding with the width of the mutually parallel mineral fiber webs, wherein the second mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers the fibers arranged predominantly perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction and the second transverse direction, f) movement of the second mineral fiber web in the first longitudinal direction, g) producing a third non-woven mineral fiber web defining a third direction parallel to the third mineral fiber web, wherein the third mineral fiber web comprises mineral fibers arranged predominantly in a third direction and comprises a second heat-curable agent wherein the third mineral fiber web is mineral a fleece of higher density than the other mineral fiber web, (h) joining a third mineral fiber web with a second mineral fiber web in the face contact to form a fourth composite mineral fiber web; and i) curing the first and second curable agents, causing the mineral fibers of the fourth composite mineral fiber web to bind together to form a mineral fiber insulating web. The method of claim 1, wherein the third non-woven mineral fiber web is produced by separating a surface segment layer of said first mineral fiber web and compacting said surface segment layer to form said third mineral fiber web. - 42 The method of any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising a further step similar to step g) of making a fifth non-woven mineral fiber web similar to a third mineral fiber web and a bonding step in step h) of said fifth mineral web to said mineral fiber web. a second mineral fiber web in face contact thereto and sandwiching said second mineral fiber web between said second and third webs in said fourth mineral fiber web. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the initial step of producing a first mineral fiber web from a base nonwoven mineral fiber web by placing said mineral fiber base web in overlapping layers. The method of claim 4, wherein said base nonwoven mineral fiber web is arranged in an overlapping relationship generally in said second transverse direction. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the further step of height compressing said first non-woven mineral fiber web produced in step a). The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the further step of longitudinally compressing said first non-woven mineral fiber web produced in step a) and further or alternatively the further step of longitudinally compressing said second nonwoven mineral fiber web produced in step e). - 43 The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the further step of transversally compressing said second non-woven mineral fiber web produced in step e). The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the further step of compressing said fourth composite mineral fiber web before introducing said fourth mineral fiber web into said curing oven. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises the step of applying the film to or both sides of the surface of said first non-woven mineral fiber web and / or applying the film to or both sides of the surface of said second nonwoven web. mineral fiber. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising the step of cutting said fourth composite mineral fiber web into plate-like segments. 12. An apparatus for producing a mineral fiber insulating web, comprising (a) first means for producing a first non-woven mineral fiber web defining a first longitudinal direction parallel to the mineral fiber web and a second transverse direction parallel to the first mineral fiber web, wherein the first mineral fiber web is made to include mineral fibers arranged generally in the second - transverse direction and comprises a first curable agent, wherein said first non-woven mineral fiber web produced defines the height of the first mineral fiber web, b) second means for moving the first mineral fiber web in the first longitudinal direction of the first mineral fiber web; c) third means for cutting said first mineral fiber web parallel to said first longitudinal direction and perpendicular to said second transverse direction so as to form a plurality of mutually parallel mineral fiber strips in said first longitudinal direction, wherein said mutually parallel mineral fiber strips are of equal width . d) fourth means for inverting each of the mutually parallel mineral fiber bands by rotating said mineral fibers of each of said mutually parallel mineral fiber bands from a location generally in a second transverse direction to a location generally perpendicular to said first longitudinal direction and said second transverse direction . (e) a fifth means for attaching said inverted mineral fiber webs to an adjacent state so as to obtain a second non-woven mineral fiber web defining the height of the second mineral fiber web such that it is identical to said width of each of said mutually parallel mineral fiber webs; and said second mineral fiber web is made to comprise mineral fibers disposed generally perpendicular to said first longitudinal direction and said second transverse direction, (f) six means for moving the second mineral fiber web in said first longitudinal direction; - 45 -qr (g) a seventh means for producing a third non-woven mineral fiber web defining a third direction parallel to said third mineral fiber web, and said third mineral fiber web is made to contain mineral fibers generally arranged in said third direction and comprises a second heat the curable binder, and said third mineral fiber web is a higher density mineral fiber web compared to said second mineral fiber web, (h) eight means for attaching said third mineral fiber web to said second mineral fiber web in face contact therefrom to form a fourth composite mineral fiber web; and i) ninth means for curing said first and second curable binder agents such that said mineral fibers of said fourth composite mineral fiber web are bonded to each other to form said mineral fiber insulating web. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said seventh means is adapted to produce said third nonwoven mineral fiber web by separating a surface segment layer from said first mineral fiber web and compacting said surface segment layer to form a third mineral fiber web. . The apparatus of any of claims 12 or 13, further comprising a tenth means similar to said seventh means for producing a fifth non-woven mineral fiber web similar to said seventh means. 46 a third mineral fiber web and eleventh means for attaching said fifth mineral fiber web to said second mineral fiber web in face contact therewith and sandwiching said second mineral fiber web between said third and fifth mineral fiber webs; of fibers into said fourth mineral fiber web. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein said first means is adapted to produce said first mineral fiber web from a base nonwoven mineral fiber web by arranging said base mineral fiber web in overlapping layers. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said first means is adapted to position said non-woven mineral fiber web in an overlapping relationship predominantly in said second transverse direction. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 16, further comprising twelve means for height compressing said first nonwoven mineral fiber web produced by the first means. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 17, further comprising thirteenth means for longitudinally compressing said first nonwoven mineral fiber web produced by said first means, and further or alternatively fourteen means for longitudinally compressing said second nonwoven web from a min. 47 mineral fibers produced by said fifth means. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 18, further comprising fifteen means for laterally compressing said second non-woven mineral fiber web produced by said fifth means. 20. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 19, comprising sixteenth means for compressing said fourth composite mineral fiber web prior to introduction by said ninth means of said fourth composite mineral fiber web into said curing oven. Apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that it comprises seventeen means for applying the film to the surface side or both sides of the surface of said first non-woven mineral fiber web and / or applying the film to the surface side or both sides of the second surface. non - woven mineral fiber web. The apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 21, further comprising eighteenth means for cutting said cured fourth composite mineral fiber web into plate segments. - 48 23. Mineral fiber insulation board, characterized in that it defines the longitudinal direction and includes: a central body comprising mineral fibers, a mineral fiber-containing surface layer, wherein the central body and the surface layer are interconnected in face contact, said mineral fibers of said central body being arranged generally perpendicular to said longitudinal direction and perpendicular to said surface layer, said mineral the fibers of said surface layer are arranged generally in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction, said central body surface layer and said mineral fibers and said mineral fibers together bonded to integral bonding agents cured by the process and initially present mineral fiber webs, forest and surface layer produced. more compact in comparison to said central body of said surface layer, the structures are only cured in a single cure in the non-cured, non-woven which are centrally te24. Mineral fiber insulating board according to claim 23, characterized in that it comprises opposing surface layers of a similar structure sandwiching the central body into said integral structure. ty ' ^c <-r A mineral fiber insulating board according to any one of claims 23 to 24, characterized in that said board is manufactured in accordance with the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and / or by means of a device according to any one of claims 12 to 23.