Cascade Spinner Additive Distribution Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing man-made vitreous fibre products with particulate additives struggle to achieve controlled depthwise distribution of additives, often requiring cross lapping which can lead to particle displacement and uneven distribution.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that uses a cascade spinner with a collector traveling through an initial, intermediate, and final collecting zone, where the particulate additive is directed downwardly through the cloud of fibres using baffles to create a diverging region of particles, ensuring the additive is predominantly collected in the intermediate zone, thus achieving controlled depthwise distribution without the need for cross lapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If cross lapping is used to achieve non-uniform additive distribution, then additive distribution control is improved, but particle displacement and uneven distribution occur
Solution Approach 1:
The additive is introduced into the fiber cloud before the web formation is complete, specifically in the intermediate collecting zone, so that the additive becomes embedded in the web as it is being formed. This preliminary introduction of the additive eliminates the need for subsequent cross lapping operations that would cause particle displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The collecting process is divided into three distinct zones: initial collecting zone, intermediate collecting zone, and final collecting zone. The additive is introduced only in the intermediate zone, creating a controlled non-uniform distribution without requiring post-processing cross lapping, thereby preventing particle displacement while achieving the desired distribution pattern.
2Manufacturing precision
If additive is introduced early in the fiber cloud, then uniform distribution is achieved, but controlled depthwise distribution is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The additive introduction system is designed to deliver the additive to a specific location (intermediate collecting zone) rather than distributing it uniformly throughout the entire fiber cloud. This localized introduction creates the desired depthwise concentration gradient with higher additive content in the intermediate region and lower content in the initial and final zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of controlling additive distribution through the temporal sequence of web formation, the invention uses spatial positioning within the fiber cloud at a specific cross-sectional location (intermediate zone). This spatial dimension approach allows precise control of depthwise additive concentration without the additive being uniformly distributed throughout the entire cloud formation process.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple spinners are used to create depthwise distribution, then additive concentration control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The function of creating depthwise additive distribution is extracted from the spinner design itself and relocated to the additive introduction system. Instead of using multiple spinners with different additive formulations, a single spinner is used with an additive introduction system that delivers additive to the intermediate collecting zone, simplifying the overall device while maintaining distribution control.
Solution Approach 2:
An additive introduction system acts as an intermediary between the single spinner and the web, delivering the additive at a specific location in the fiber cloud. This intermediary mechanism enables depthwise distribution control without requiring multiple spinners, thereby reducing device complexity while achieving the desired additive concentration profile.
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 easier and more accurate control of additive distribution, ensuring the additive is concentrated in the desired region of the fibre product, reducing the risk of particle displacement and achieving the desired depthwise distribution efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
forms the fibres by centrifugally fiberising a mineral melt on a spinner which comprises at least one fiberising rotor which rotates about a substantially horizontal axis
Implementation Method 2
entraining the fibres in air travelling substantially horizontally, and thereby forming a cloud of fibres which travels towards a permeable collector
Implementation Method 3
a permeable collector which travels continuously along a collecting path and air is sucked through the collector whereby the fibres accumulate on to the collector as a web
Implementation Method 4
the dense particulate additive is directed downwardly through the cloud of fibres as a region of downwardly directed particles which, at the surface of the web, extends across substantially the entire width of the web
Data Source
AI summary
A non-woven product having a core layer (32) containing dense particulate additive between adjacent layers (33) which are substantially free of additive is made by fiberising a mineral melt on a spinner (1) comprising at least one fiberising rotor (2, 3, 4) mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, and the resultant fibres are collected in air streams (5) as a cloud of fibres which travels towards a travelling collector (11) on which a web (14) is formed and carried out of the spinning chamber (9). Dense particles such as magnesium hydroxide are ejected from a suitable ejector (15) on to a baffle (16) by which they are deflected across the width of the chamber and lengthwise over the length of a intermediate collecting zone (B) to form the core layer (32) while the initial and final collecting zone (A and C) are substantially free of the dense particulate additive.