Document YjKwJyn4rq50q6gNGBLmrQ4LE

April 6, 1943. c. d. richardson 2,315,735 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLOWING MINERAL WOOL Filed May 15. 1940 ^2* S * S J f t > * f f / /// 's'//,'/,'/,', '/, '/ ljUj. 2? CrtAfH.es 0. RlCHArtOSOrt, ,,3y /S/iMrttjS}/. ^jtugCt>t tfrTowt/er? MTC 017088 Patented Apr. 6,1943 2,315,735 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,318,735 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOB BLOWING MINERAL WOOL Charles D. Richardson, Alexandria, Ind^ assignor to National Gypsum Company, Buffalo, N. I, a corporation of Delaware Application May 15,1940, Serial No. 335490 14 Claims. (CL 49--1) The general object of this invention is to pres the production of shot is practically entirely elim ide a novel method of and apparatus for blow- inated. ig mineral, rock, or slag wool in a system em- In conventional methods of blowing mineral loylng a down-draft chamber, whereby oil and wool, as above briefly referred to, a considerable tinding material, either or both, may be effective 6 quantity of the shredded material is lost by rea ly applied to the blown molten material. son of the outer portion of the projected spray In a prior patent. No. 1,928,388, Issued to Oliver striking the end wall of the blow chamber sur F. Mottweiler and myself Septemper 26, 1933, rounding the opening through which the shredded there is described and claimed a novel method material is blown into the chamber. It is prac- and means for applying a binding material to the 10 tically impossible to prevent this, as it is not prac blown mineral wool under pressure Just prior to ticable to increase the size of the opening, as this the projection of the shredded material into the would permit the entrance of too much cold air blow chamber. In this invention, the use of a into the blow chamber; and funnel shaped guides, conventional blow chamber was contemplated. or similar means, intended to guide the projected Such a blow chamber comprises a relatively long, 15 material into and through the opening are equal narrow chamber having an endless conveyor ly impracticable, as the globules striking the sides mounted therein of the width of the chamber, thereof are cooled and1 their speed arrested, and mounted to travel in a horizontal plane at greatly Increasing the production of shot. such speed that when the mineral wool deposited By my novel arrangement and construction of thereon by being blown into the chamber at one 20 blow caps, or nozzles, I am not only enabled to end. has been carried by the conveyor through decrease the size of the opening through which an outlet at the other end, a desired thickness the shredded material is projected into the blow of mineral wool will have been deposited, said chamber, but the spray of molten material is pre material being usually passed between rollers vented from spreading outward, and forced to located at the outlet end of the blow chamber 29 travel in an approximately straight path of less and compressed. area than the opening, due to the disposition of In a companion application, filed of even date the nozzles whereby contact with the wall sur herewith, I have shown and described a down- rounding the opening is prevented and a great draft system of blowing mineral wool; that is to saving in material is effected. say, a system in which the blow chamber is verti- 30 With these general objects and purposes in cally disposed, the mineral wool being blown in view, my Invention has for one of its special ob at the top and deposited on an endless conveyor jects the provision of means for delivering the operating in the bottom of the blow chamber. stream of molten material to be blown in the form In the practice of the present invention, I em of a flat, relatively thin stream; or, in other ploy such a vertically-disposed blow chamber, 35 words, a stream that is substantially rectangular and follow, In a broad sense, the method of the in cross-section. prior patent referred to, but I have devised a Another special object of the invention is to novel construction and arrangement of nozzles, provide a disposition of nozzles such that a blast both for applying the steam blast carrying oil in of steam and oil will impinge at different eleva- blowing the mineral wool, and for applying bind 40 tions against opposite sides of the fiat molten ing material thereto, which is particularly adapt stream to shred the material, while a second pair ed for use with a vertically disposed blow cham of nozzles will direct blasts of steam and binder ber, and which will enable the maximum effective in a downward direction against opposite sides application of the treating material, or treating of the projected spray, preventing its outward materials, thereto. 45 spread, and confining it to a path of movement My Invention also comprises the provision of of less area, as stated, than the opening through novel means for delivering the molten material which the material is projected. In a continuous, ribbon-like stream, whereby, in The invention is illustrated in the accompany conjunction with my improved construction and ing drawing in which-- arrangement of nozzles, the maximum shredding 60 Fig. 1 Is a view partly in elevation and partly effect is secured, and the production of "shot,"-- in section showing a vertical blow chamber hav that is, glass pellets which have cooled before be ing a cupola mounted thereon; ing dissipated into fibers,--is greatly reduced. Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale showing When such blowing of the mineral wool is prac a portion of the upper part of the blow chamber ticed in connection with my Improved chamber. 65 and a portion of the lower end of the cupola. MTC 017089 2 3,815,788 and Illustrating my Improved arrangement of end of the nozzle 17 of blow cap II. Each of nozzles for blowing the mineral wool and apply* these blow caps Is connected by means of branch lng binding material thereto; pipes II and II, respectively, with a source (not Tig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line S--I shown) of high pressure steam, and Into the steam of Fig. 3 and viewed In the direction of the ar 5 line oil Is admitted, so that the resultant blasts rows; issuing from the notzles II and 17 not only act Fig. 4 Is a plan view on an enlarged scale of to shred the molten material, but to apply oil the trough for receiving the molten material flow thereto, which tends to make the fibers less ing from the cupola and delivering a flat, or rlb- brittle, and which operates to decrease the pro- bon-like stream of the same to the blow nozzles; 10 duction of dust In the blow chamber. As shown Fig. 5 is a cross-section of Fig. 4. taken on the by Figs. 3 and 7, the discharge opening II' of line I 5; the nozzles II and 17 Is elongated and rectangular Fig. 6 is an enlarged view In side elevation of In form, and considerably wider than the open one of the blow caps, or nozzles: ing 11 in trough 11 through which the molten ma Fig. 7 Is a bottom plan view of the same. ll terlal flows between the blow caps. Insuring that Referring now to the drawing, the numeral I the full width of the molten stream will be acted Indicates a vertical blow chamber having an open on by the blasts. ing 2 in its top t, the walls of which opening pref It Is necessary to have some spread of the erably diverge In a downward direction as shown. shredded material to permit the fibers to form, The blow chamber I is rectangular in shape and 20 and also to deposit over the entire surface of the extending through openings in opposite end walls conveyor 4. It Is also necessary, of course, to thereof near Its lower end are the flights of an project the shredded material downward through endless conveyor 4, of the same width as the blow the opening I In the top of the blow chamber. If chamber, one end of which is mounted on a the lower ends of the nozzles II and 17 were pulley (. and the other end of which Is mounted 20 located directly opposite each other, the tendency on a similar driven pulley (not shown!. Mounted would be to blow the globules Into contact with above conveyor 4, and positioned so that. Its lower flight runs in a path a suitable distance above the upper flight of the conveyor 4, is an endless each other and Interfere with the streaming of the globules necessary to form the mineral wool fibers. To accomplish both the shredding and conveyor I, one end of which Is shown mounted 3D spreading actions, and at the same time to con on a pulley 7, and the other end of which will be trol the extent of the latter, I position the nozzles mounted on a driven pulley (not shown) as In the II and 17 at different elevations so that the case of the conveyor 4. Mounted above the blow shredding action of the nozzle II win be supple chamber I, Is a cupola I. in which the rock, slag, mented by the shredding action of the nozzle 17, or other mineral matter, is melted In the usual 35 and the angular line of force of the blast from way. Near Its lower end the cupola I is pro nozzle II win be counteracted by the angular Hn vided at one side with a small opening 8 (gig. 3) of force from the nozzle 17, and the path of pro through which the molten material Is allowed to jection of the shredded particles win be a com flow from the cupola. Ordinarily this stream "of posite of the two forces, causing the spray of molten material. Indicated by the numeral 10 In 40 material to pass directly through the opening I, Figs. 2 and 3, Is directly acted on by the steam as illustrated In Fig. 2. This projected spray. blast after It has fallen a short distance below Indicated by the numeral 28, will spread out, or the bottom edge of the cupola. This stream Is assume a conical-shape, as Indicated, and the substantially round, and relatively thick, so that walls of the opening 1 diverge downwardly, as the disintegration, or shredding thereof Is not 44 shown, to permit this spreading action and pre always entirely uniform, and the sprayed material Is projected, at first in the form of globules, or vent the globules from Impinging against the sides of the opening. droplets, taking widely diverging paths, so that, Located slightly above the lower ends of the as I have stated, a considerable quantity of the nozzles II and 17, and between the same, are two matter thus projected strikes against the wall sur 60 similar, but smaller nozzles, 21 and 22, which rounding the opening Into the blow chamber, communicate by means of branch pipes 21 and 24 occasioning considerable loss. with a source (not shown) of high pressure steam, One of the Important features of my Invention the steam line of the latter being connected with consists of the provision of a trough 11. Figs. 3, a source (not shown) of a suitable binding ma 4 and 5, of the shape in cross-section of the letter gs terlal, such an arrangement being Indicated suffi V. which Is closed at Its ends, as Indicated at 12. ciently, both as to the steam and oil blasts, and and Is provided centrally of Its bottom, or apex, with an elongated, rectangular opening II, and binder blasts, by suitable Inscriptions applied to the corresponding pipes. into which trough the molten material flows di As shown by Fig. 3, the nozzles 21 and 22 rectly from the cupola, as shown by Fig. 2, and SO are located slightly to one side of the respective from which the material flows through the open sides of the nozzles II and 17, and direct the blast ing II In a fiat, or ribbon-Uke stream, which Is of steam and binding material In a downwardly relatively thin as compared with the thickness of inclined direction, or In converging paths against the stream flowing from the cupola, and of uni the shredded stream of molten material produced form thickness throughout its width. Such a 85 by the blast nozzles II and 17, so as to apply the stream, when steam blasts are caused to Impinge binding material to the body of shredded material on both sides thereof, is more readily blown into under pressure, whereby the binding material fibers of uniform size than when a round stream will be thoroughly Incorporated with the shredded Is acted on by a steam blast directed only against molten material and uniformly dispersed over the its under side, as In conventional methods of 70 mineral wool fibers, thus obtaining the advan blowing mineral wool. tages of the method of applying binding material Mounted a suitable distance below the trough to mineral wool fibers described and claimed In 11 are two blow caps. 14 and II. respectively, the the Letters Patent referred to above. nozzle portion II of blow cap 14 having its lower At the same time, by locating the nozzles 21 end positioned at a higher level than the lower 75 and 22 as shown and described, the blasts from MTC 017090 9,810,735 3 said ncozies serves to limit the lateral spread 6. The method of blowing mineral. wool of the projected fibers produced by the noales through a relatively email opening in the top of II and II, so that practically-none of the pro* a vertical blow chamber of relatively large hori jected molten material will strike upon the por zontal cross section, which consists in causing tion of the top of the blow chamber surrounding s molten material to flow downwardly In a flat, the opening 2 therein. relatively thin stream, and directing spaced The mineral wool fibers, formed by the blasts of steam in a downward direction against shredded material as it passes downward through opposite sides of said stream to cause the result the blow chamber, settle upon the conveyor 4 ant shredded material to be projected through and are continuously removed from the chamber m said opening while confined by said blasts to a In 'the usual way, the thickness of the deposit zone of dispersion of less area than the area of depending upon the speed of movement of the said opening. conveyor. 7. The method of. blowing mineral wool While I do not Umlt myself to the particular through a relatively small opening In the top of height of the blow chamber I, I will simply say u a vertical blow chamber of relatively large hori that I have found in actual practice that my zontal cross section which consists in causing improved method of blowing the mineral wool molten material to flow in a fiat, relatively thin enables me to use vertical blow chambers which stream, and directing blasts of steam In a down are considerably less in height than the corre ward direction, at different elevations against sponding linear dimension of the horizontal blow go opposite sides of said stream displaced by ap chambers now commonly employed. proximately 90* to cause the resultant shredded I claim: material to be projected through said opening 1. The method of blowing mineral wool, which while confined by said blasts to a zone of dis consists In sequentially directing downward persion of less area than the area of said opening. blasts of steam against opposite sides of a down- gj 8. The method of blowing mineral wool wardly flowing stream of molten material in a through a relatively small opening in the top of a manner to produce a composite of the forces vertical blow'chamber of relatively large hori of the blasts acting to project the resultant zontal cross section which comprises causing shredded material downwardly through, and molten material to flow in a flat, relatively thin confine the same to, a zone of dispersion of sub- so stream of restricted width, and directing blasts stantlally definite area directly to a place of dep of steam In a downward direction and at differ osition. ent elevations against opposite sides of said 2. The method of blowing mineral wool which stream, the composite of the forces of said blast consists in downwardly directing blasts of steam operating to project the shredded material pro at different elevations against opposite sides and as duced by said blasts downwardly through said in the general direction of flow of a downwardly opening, while confined to a zone of dispersion flowing stream of molten material to produce a of less area than the area of said opening. composite of the forces of the blasts acting to 9. The method of blowing mineral wool project the resultant shredded material in the through a relatively small opening in the top same direction as the flow of said stream through, *< of a vertical blow chamber of relatively large and confine the same to, a zone of dispersion horizontal cross section which comprises causing of substantially definite area directly to a place the flow of a stream of molten material, direct of deposition. ing blasts of steam in a downward direction and 3. The method of blowing mineral wool which at different elevations against opposite sides of consists in directing blasts of steam in a down- said stream, the composite of the forces of said ward direction and at different elevations against blasts operating to project the shredded material opposite sides of a downwardly flowing stream produced by the blasts downwardly through said of molten material to produce a composite of opening, while confined to a zone of dispersion of the forces of the blasts acting to project the less area than the area of said opening. resultant shredded material In the same dlrec- :,u 10. The method of blowing mineral wool tlon as the flow of said stream through, and through a relatively small opening in the top confine it to. a zone of dispersion of substantially of a vertical blow chamber of relatively large definite area directly to a place of deposition. horizontal cross section, which consists in caus 4. The method of blowing mineral wool which ing molten material to flow in a stream, project consists In directing blasts of steam In a down- ing blasts of steam In a downward direction and ward direction and at different elevations against at different elevations against opposite portions opposite sides of a stream of molten material to of said stream to shred and project the molten produce a composite of the forces of the blasts, material toward said opening, and simultane and projecting the resultant shredded material ously directing blasts of steam containing bind by the force of the composite blast downwardly ,,,, ing material in downwardly converging paths at through a zone of dispersion restricted In area the portions of the path of the shredded ma by said blasts and directly through an opening terial produced by the first-named blasts the of slightly greater area formed in a receiving second said portions being substantially at right chamber of relatively large horizontal cross angles to the first said portions, the combined section. r,5 forces of said blasts operating to project the 5. The method of blowing mineral wool which shredded material with the binder applied consists in directing blasts of steam against op thereto through said opening while confining the posite portions of a stream of molten material, same to a zone of dispersion of less area than and simultaneously directing blasts of steam and the area of said opening. binding material against opposite portions of ;o 11. In combination with a vertical blow cham said stream displaced from the first said portions ber of relatively large horizontal cross section by an angle of approximately 90. whereby to having a relatively small opening In its top, and cause the shredded material to be projected of a height to permit shredded molten particles through a zone of dispersion of substantially projected through said opening to elongate into definite area directly to a place of deposition. ;s fibers before deposition at the bottom of said MTC 017091 4 2,310,735 chamber, a cupola located above said blow cham trough positioned to receive the flow of molten ber and having an outlet for delivering a stream material and having a relatively narrow rec of molten material, a pair of blow caps having tangular opening In Its bottom, or apex, for de nozzles, one of which Is located at a higher livering the molten material In a flat stream, a elevation than the other, said nozzles being 8 pair of blow caps having nozzles with elongated adapted to direct blasts of steam In a downward downwardly directed discharge openings, one of direction against opposite sides of the stream of said nozzles being located at a higher elevation molten material and thereby project the than the other, and said nozzles being adapted to shredded material produced thereby downwardly direct blasts of steam against opposite sides of through said opening. 10 said flat stream of molten material and thereby - 12. in combination with a vertical blow cham shred the same and project the shredded par ber of relatively large horizontal cross section ticles downward through the opening In the having a relatively small opening In Its top, and blow chamber. of a height to permit shredded molten particles 14. In combination with a vertical blow cham- projected through said opening to elongate Into 15 ber of relatively large horizontal cross section fibers before deposition at the bottom of said having a relatively small opening in its top, and chamber, a cupola located above said blow cham of a height to permit shredded molten particles ber and having an opening tor delivering a projected through said opening to elongate Into stream of molten material, a pair of blow caps fibers before deposition at the bottom of said having nozzles, one of which Is located at a 20 chamber, a cupola located above said blow cham higher elevation than the other, said nozzles ber and having an opening for permitting the being positioned with respect to one another to flow of molten material therefrom, a V-shaped direct blasts of steam In a downward direction trough positioned to receive the flow of molten against opposite portions of the stream of molten material and having a relatively narrow rec- material and thereby project the shredded ma 25 tangular opening in its lower end, or apex, lor terial produced by the blasts downwardly to delivering the molten material In a flat stream, wards said opening, and a second pair of blow a pair of blow caps having nozzles provided with caps having nozzles, directed towards one another elongated discharge openings, said nozzles being and towards portions of said stream displaced positioned with respect to one another to direct by approximately 90* with respect to the first 30 blasts of steam in a downward direction against said portions, the last said nozzles being adapted opposite sides of the flat stream of molten ma to direct blasts of steam and binding material terial and to project the shredded particles pro in converging paths at opposite portions of the duced by the blast downward toward said open path of the shredded material produced by said ing in the blow chamber, and a pair of blow first-named blasts, the arrangement being such 35 caps having nozzles directed toward one another that the combined forces of said blasts will oper and towards sides of said stream displaced by ate to project the shredded material with the approximately. 90 from the first said sides, and binder applied thereto through said opening adapted to direct blasts of steam containing while confining the same to a zone of dispersion binding material In a downward direction and In of less area than the area of said opening. 40 converging paths at opposite sides of the path 13. In combination with a vertical blow cham of the shredded material projected downward ber of relatively large horizontal cross section by the first-named blow caps, the arrangement having a relatively small opening In Its top, and being such that the combined forces of said of a height to permit shredded molten particles blasts will operate to project the shredded ma- projected through said opening to elongate Into 45 terial with the binder applied thereto through fibers before deposition at the bottom of said said opening while confining the same to a zone chamber, a cupola located above said blow cham of dispersion of less area than the area of said ber and having an opening for permitting the opening. flow of molten material therefrom, a V-shaped CHARLES D. RICHARDSON. MTC 017092