Inorganic fiber insulation product

Abstract

Insulation formed by blowing nodules of inorganic fiber insulation coated with a water or other liquid activated binder in intimate contact and having a low moisture content in the just installed insulation of less than about 20 wt. percent is disclosed. The majority of the nodules have a maximum dimension of about 0.5 inch and have particles or a fiber web of a water or other liquid activated adhesive on their outer surface producing a high tack value with a very low moisture content. The insulation can be used to insulate building structures, including vertical wall cavities of buildings, without having to use any insulation securing means. The high tack value permits the sprayed-on insulation to stick to even the most stick-resistant sheathing product. The low moisture content of less than 20 wt. percent and a density of less than about 3 lbs. per cubic foot permits rapid drying of the installed installation and a lower elapsed time before the wallboard can be installed, and the insulation has a low density to produce conventional R values of at least R 13. Methods of making dry nodules coated with the reactivatable adhesive are disclosed as are methods of using the dry nodules to insulate building cavities.

Description

[0001]The present invention involves fibrous thermal and acoustic insulation produced by spray application, the resultant sprayed-in insulation and the method of making the latter.BACKGROUND[0002]It is conventional to pump or blow loose-fill fibrous insulation into attics, walls, wall cavities, etc. of houses and other buildings. It is also known to add powdered binder (adhesive), de-dusting oil, anti-static agents to clumps of fiberglass or other fibrous insulation prior to a blowing nozzle to prevent settling, static discharge and or to reduce dust in the area of application during installation. The application of a liquid binder dispersion, or water to activate pre-added powdered adhesives, to create adhesive / cohesive tack strength is also known. Such technology can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,710,4804, 4,804,695, 5,641,368 and others, but as stated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,418, at least one of these systems suffer from problems of blockage of adhesive nozzles and / or a blowing hos...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a new process for making a sprayed thermal and acoustic insulation product using coated fibrous nodules. The nodules are made by coating inorganic fiber with a reactivatable adhesive and then drying them. The adhesive is reactivated with a small amount of water or other activating liquid just before the nodules impact the surface they are insulating. The size of the nodules is small, resulting in faster drying times and lower moisture content. The insulation product has high thermal performance and low moisture absorption. The process is efficient and produces uniform insulation in a variety of R-values and depths. The final insulation product has unique characteristics including small inorganic fiber diameters and low moisture sorption potential. The process also allows for the use of a variety of commercial blowing machines for faster application and minimal plugging potential.

Problems solved by technology

Both terms mean that the adhesive is activated or reactivated by contact with water or other activating liquids producing a tacky condition.

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