Blended insulation blanket

• US 20080160857A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC (Owens Corning)
• Original Assignee: Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC (Owens Corning)
• Inventors: Tilton, Jeffrey A., Chacko, Jacob T.
• Application Number:
  US12/002,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160857A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/342
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4209 Insulation arrangements, e.g. for sound damping or heat insulation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4246 Details of the tub A47L15/4272 takes precedence; insulation arrangements A47L15/4209
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/72 by combined operations or combined techniques, e.g. welding and stitching
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/46 by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres D04H1/45 takes precedence; needling machines D04H18/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/54 by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving in combination with needling D04H1/485
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 59/026 Mattresses, mats, blankets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/616 Blend of synthetic polymeric and inorganic microfibers

Abstract

An insulation blanket includes a blend of a first component and a second component. The first component is a first fiber material selected from a group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, basalt fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof. The second component is made of a second material selected from a group consisting of thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers, monofilament fibers, a thermal setting resin and mixtures thereof.

Claims

1. An insulation blanket, comprising:

a blend of a first component and a second component;

said first component being a first fiber material selected from a group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, basalt fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof having an average fiber diameter of between about 2 to about 20 microns;

said second component being a second material selected from a group consisting of (a) thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin, nylon, rayon and mixtures thereof, (b) monofilament fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin and nylon wherein said fibers under (a) and (b) have an average fiber diameter of between about 10 to about 30 microns, (c) a thermosetting resin composed of polyvinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, phenolic resin and mixtures thereof and (d) mixtures of (a), (b) and (c); and

wherein said blend includes between about 5 to about 95 weight percent of said first component and between about 5 and about 95 weight percent of said second component.

2. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said first fiber material has an average fiber length of between about 6.35 to about 304.8 mm and said second component has an average fiber length of between about 12.7 to about 152.4 mm.

3. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said first component and said second component are heat bonded together with a first polymer of said thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers being melted and a second polymer of said thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fiber maintaining fiber integrity.

4. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said first component and said second component are mechanically bonded by needling.

5. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said glass fibers are selected from a group consisting of textile fibers including wet use chopped strand and dry use chopped strand, rotary fibers, flame attenuated fibers, bi-component glass fibers and mixtures thereof.

6. The blanket of claim 5, wherein said fibers are straight or crimped in shape.

7. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers are selected from a group consisting of core-sheath configuration, side-side configuration and mixtures thereof.

8. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said fibers of said second component are selected from a group consisting of amorphous, crystalline and mixtures thereof.

9. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said blanket has a density of between about 0.4 and about 10.0 lbs/ft³.

10. The blanket of claim 1, first fiber material includes a first group of fibers having an average fiber length of between about 6.35 and about 50.0 mm and an average fiber diameter of between about 2.0 and about 5.0 microns and a second group of fibers having an average fiber length of between about 25.4 and about 304.8 mm and an average fiber diameter of between about 6.0 and about 20.0 microns.

11. The blanket of claim 10, wherein said blend includes between about 5 and about 70 weight percent of said first group of fibers and between about 5 and about 70 weight percent of said second group of fibers.

12. The blanket of claim 10, wherein said blend includes between about 20 and about 60 weight percent of said first group of fibers and between about 20 and about 60 weight percent of said second group of fibers.

13. The blanket of claim 1, wherein said blend includes between about 30 to about 70 weight percent of said first component and between about 30 to about 70 weight percent of said second component.

14. An electric appliance, comprising:

a housing; and

an insulation blanket carried on at least a portion of said housing, said insulation blanket including a blend of a first component and a second component;

said first component being a first fiber material selected from a group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, basalt fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof having an average fiber diameter of between about 2 to about 20 microns and an average fiber length of between about 6.35 to about 304.8 mm;

said second component being a second material selected from a group consisting of (a) thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin, nylon, rayon and mixtures thereof, (b) monofilament fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin and nylon wherein said fibers under (a) and (b) have an average fiber diameter of between about 10 to about 30 microns and an average fiber length of between about 12.7 to about 76.2 mm, (c) a thermosetting resin composed of polyvinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, phenolic resin and mixtures thereof and (d) mixtures of (a), (b) and (c); and

wherein said blend includes between about 5 to about 95 weight percent of said first component and between about 5 and about 95 weight percent of said second component.

15. A dishwasher, comprising:

a housing;

a cleaning element; and

an insulation blanket carried on at least a portion of said housing, said insulation blanket including a blend of a first component and a second component;

said first component being a first fiber material selected from a group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, basalt fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof having an average fiber diameter of between about 2 to about 20 microns and an average fiber length of between about 6.35 to about 304.8 mm;

said second component being a second material selected from a group consisting of (a) thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin, nylon, rayon and mixtures thereof, (b) monofilament fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin and nylon wherein said fibers under (a) and (b) have an average fiber diameter of between about 10 to about 30 microns and an average fiber length of between about 12.7 to about 76.2 mm, (c) a thermosetting resin composed of polyvinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, phenolic resin and mixtures thereof and (d) mixtures of (a), (b) and (c); and

wherein said blend includes between about 5 to about 95 weight percent of said first component and between about 5 and about 95 weight percent of said second component.

16. A method of insulating an electric appliance, comprising:

providing an insulation blanket for said electric appliance wherein said insulation blanket includes a blend of a first component and a second component;

said first component being a first fiber material selected from a group consisting of glass fibers, mineral fibers, basalt fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof having an average fiber diameter of between about 2 to about 20 microns and an average fiber length of between about 6.35 to about 304.8 mm;

said second component being a second material selected from a group consisting of (a) thermoplastic copolymer bi-component fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin, nylon, rayon and mixtures thereof, (b) monofilament fibers composed of polyester, polyolefin and nylon wherein said fibers under (a) and (b) have an average fiber diameter of between about 10 to about 30 microns and an average fiber length of between about 12.7 to about 76.2 mm, (c) a thermosetting resin composed of polyvinylate of (a), (b), and (c);

resin and mixtures thereof and (d) mixtures of (a), (b) and (c); and

wherein said blend includes between about 5 to about 95 weight percent of said first component and between about 5 and 95 weight percent of said second component.