Binder Water Content Adjustment in Glass Chopped Strand Mat Manufacturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing glass chopped strand mats face challenges in stabilizing the drying process of binders with varying water content, leading to inefficiencies and high energy costs, particularly when producing lightweight mats where a large amount of binder is collected and dried under reduced pressure.
Innovation Solution
A method involving centrifugation to adjust the water content of collected binders from 10 to 60% to 3 to 9% followed by low-pressure drying to achieve a recycled binder with less than 1% water content, ensuring consistent and efficient reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If binder is sprayed to glass chopped strands to manufacture lightweight glass chopped strand mat, then the amount of binder dropping through conveyor increases, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-wetting the glass chopped strands with water before spraying the binder. This creates a moisture gradient that controls binder penetration and prevents excessive binder from dropping through the conveyor, thereby maintaining uniform binder distribution while achieving lightweight mat construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the glass chopped strands by controlling their moisture content through pre-wetting. This parameter change affects how the binder interacts with the strands, allowing precise control over binder absorption and preventing overspray from dropping through the conveyor.
2Loss of energy
If drying is performed under reduced pressure for binder with high water content, then energy consumption increases, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing excess water from the binder through centrifugal separation before the drying process. This pre-treatment reduces the water content to a controlled range, so that subsequent drying under reduced pressure operates more efficiently with lower energy consumption and improved productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely thermal drying process with a mechanical separation process (centrifugal separation) as a preliminary step. This mechanical intervention removes the bulk of excess water before thermal energy is applied, significantly reducing the energy required for the drying phase while maintaining high productivity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If water content of binder is not controlled, then drying process stability deteriorates, but manufacturing precision worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by measuring the water content of the binder and using this information to adjust the centrifugal separation process. This closed-loop control ensures the binder water content remains within the specified range of 10-60%, stabilizing the drying process and ensuring consistent manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent actively controls and adjusts the water content parameter of the binder through centrifugal separation to maintain it within a specific range (10-60%). This parameter control stabilizes the drying process conditions and ensures consistent manufacturing quality across production batches.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for rapid and reliable adjustment of binder water content, facilitating stable and energy-efficient drying, and ensuring uniform binder distribution during the manufacturing process, particularly beneficial for lightweight glass chopped strand mats.
Implementation Method 1
a dewatering step of adjusting the water content of the water-containing binder to 3 to 9% by centrifugation
Implementation Method 2
the binder whose water content has been adjusted to 3 to 9% by the dewatering step is dried using drying means such as a low-pressure dryer
Implementation Method 3
the glass chopped strands are subjected to a plurality of steps while being conveyed by the conveyor. For example, the steps include spraying water to the glass chopped strands, spraying a binder to the glass chopped strands
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A method for treating a binder is provided in which a binder containing a large amount of water which is collected during manufacture of a glass chopped strand mat can be stably treated. The method is one for treating a binder A1 used in manufacturing a glass chopped strand mat M by shaping glass chopped strands S into a sheet. A water-containing binder A2 having a water content of 10 to 60% which is collected without adhering to the glass chopped strands S when the binder A1 is sprayed to the glass chopped strands S which have been wetted with water, is to be treated. The water content of the water-containing binder A2 is adjusted to 3 to 9% by centrifugation.