Needled Rotary Fiberglass Insulation for Thin High-Density Blankets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotary fiberglass insulation products are not cost-effective for producing thin insulation, as they require expensive modifications to manufacturing lines and often necessitate the use of more expensive fibers like E-glass, and existing solutions for raising air intake above the floor in gas water heaters involve additional equipment increasing cost and space.
Innovation Solution
A needled rotary fiberglass insulation product with a reduced thickness, formed using single component glass fibers coated with a binder, which is then needled to increase density and reduce thickness, allowing for the use of existing manufacturing lines and integration into water heaters with internal air flow passageways.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional rotary fiberglass insulation is used to produce thin insulation, then manufacturing cost increases due to expensive modifications and E-glass fibers, but insulation thickness can be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the physical state and properties of glass fibers through a specific manufacturing process. Molten glass is fiberized and then needled to transform the fiber structure, achieving thin insulation (less than 1 inch) with conventional glass fibers instead of expensive E-glass, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining the desired thickness
2Reliability
If air intake is raised above the floor in gas water heaters, then safety against combustible vapor intake is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the air intake function with the insulation structure itself. The needled fiberglass insulation material is configured to provide both thermal insulation and elevated air intake pathways within the water heater assembly, eliminating the need for separate external equipment while maintaining safety against combustible vapor intake
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation material serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides thermal insulation, structures the air intake pathway, and contributes to the overall safety design by preventing vapor intake. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity while maintaining reliability
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
The solution provides a flexible, cost-effective, and thermally efficient thin insulation product that can be used in various applications, including water heaters, with reduced thickness and density control, eliminating the need for external equipment and maintaining equivalent insulative properties to conventional thick insulation.
Implementation Method 1
single component rotary glass fibers at least partially coated with a binder
Implementation Method 2
needled to increase density and reduce thickness
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a needled rotary fiberglass glass insulation product is provided. The formation of the needled insulation product may be conducted in a continuous in-line process in which the fibers are rotary formed, a binder is sprayed onto the hot fibers, the fibers are collected onto a conveyor and formed into a fiberglass pack, the fiberglass pack is passed through the oven, and the cured insulation blanket is passed through a needling apparatus. The reduction in thickness and increased density caused by the needling process permits the production of lower thickness and higher density insulation products. In particular, the needled insulation product may have a thickness of less than about 0.75 inches and a density from about 1 pcf to about 10 pcf. The needled insulation product may be utilized in household appliances, water heaters, and HVAC equipment.