Engineered molded fiberboard panels and methods of making and using the same

• US 8,297,027 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Department Of Health And Human Services (Government of the United States of America), Noble Environmental Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Noble Environmental Technologies Corporation, United States Department Of Agriculture
• Inventors: Noble, Robert, Gu, Hongmei, Newburn, Timothy L., Mahoney, James F., Hunt, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Katcheves, Basil
• Assistant Examiner(s): MINTZ, RODNEY K
• Application Number:
  US12/412,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20090255205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 527/831.1, 527/831.7, 527/831.9, 527/931, 527/981, 52/86, 52/87
• US Class Current: 52/783.11
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 5/005 of paper, cardboard or similar pliable material
• CPC Class Codes: B27F 1/00 Dovetailed work; Tenons; Making tongues or grooves slotting B27F5/00; Groove- and- tongue jointed work; Finger- joints machines or devices for working mitred joints B27G5/00; cutting tools for cutting grooves or tenons B27G13/14
• CPC Class Codes: B27H 1/00 Bending wood stock, e.g. boards
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 5/00 Manufacture of non-flat articles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/02 the layer being formed of fibres, chips, or particles , e.g. MDF, HDF, OSB, chipboard, particle board, hardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/10 Next to a fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/13 all layers being exclusively wood
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/062 Cellulose fibres, e.g. cotton
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/14 Mixture of at least two fibres made of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/50 having particular mechanical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/718 Weight, e.g. weight per square meter
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/72 Density
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2419/00 Buildings or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/00 Layered products comprising a layer with external or internal discontinuities or unevennesses, or a layer of non-planar shape; Layered products comprising a layer having particular features of form
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/10 characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/12 characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/28 characterised by a layer comprising a deformed thin sheet , i.e. the layer having its entire thickness deformed out of the plane, e.g. corrugated, crumpled B32B29/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0004 Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/22 : characterised by the presence of two or more layers which are next to each other and are fibrous, filamentary, formed of particles or foamed layer formed of natural mineral fibres or particles next to a foam layer B32B19/047, next to a layer made of particles B32B19/048, or next to a fibrous or filamentary layer B32B19/06; paper layer or cardboard layer next to a paper layer or cardboard layer B32B29/005, next to a foam layer B32B29/007, next to a fibrous or filamentary layer B32B29/02, or next to a particulate layer B32B29/04
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 : another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/05 : the layers not being connected over the whole surface, e.g. discontinuous connection or patterned connection using interposed adhesives or bonding materials applied in spaced arrangements B32B7/14
• CPC Class Codes: D21J 1/04 : Pressing
• CPC Class Codes: D21J 1/16 : Special fibreboard
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/16 : of fibres, chips, vegetable stems, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/322 : with parallel corrugations
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/3405 : spaced apart by profiled spacer sheets
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/365 : by honeycomb structures
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2002/3455 : with trapezoidal corrugations
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/16 : of fibres or chips, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins , or with an outer layer of fibres or chips E04F13/0864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2203/04 : comprising a plurality of internal elongated cavities arranged in substantially parallel rows
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 2203/08 : with a plurality of grooves or slits in the back side, to increase the flexibility or bendability of the elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 : with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 : Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 : of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1303 : Paper containing [e.g., paperboard, cardboard, fiberboard, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1348 : Cellular material derived from plant or animal source [e.g., wood, cotton, wool, leather, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/236 : Honeycomb type cells extend perpendicularly to nonthickness layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24083 : Nonlinear strands or strand-portions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24149 : Honeycomb-like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24165 : Hexagonally shaped cavities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24314 : Slit or elongated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24694 : Parallel corrugations

Abstract

A fiberboard panel is formed from at least one corrugated sheet of molded cellulose fiber material having alternating ribs and grooves. Spaced slits are cut through the ribs on one face of the sheet and terminate short of the opposite face so as to form at least one slotted portion of more flexibility which may be bent to form a curve. The corrugated sheet is sandwiched between two flat sheets of the same material to form a composite panel. The corrugated sheet or panel is formed by a wet processing method including successive cold and hot press steps in which a wet mat is pressed between an opposing perforated platen and non-perforated, elastomeric material platen of cross-sectional shape substantially matching the desired panel shape and dimensions.

Claims

1. A panel, comprising:

an elongated sheet of molded fiberboard material of corrugated shape having opposite first and second faces and opposite side edges, each face having a plurality of alternating, longitudinally extending ribs and grooves extending along the length of the sheet, the ribs on the first face each having a first peak and the ribs on the second face each having a second peak facing in the opposite direction to the first peaks;

the sheet having at least one slotted portion which has a plurality of spaced slits, each slit extending lengthwise across at least a plurality of the first peaks and being cut through part of the ribs of the first face including the first peaks to a depth less than the depth of the grooves in the first face and terminating short of the second peaks of the second face;

the panel being formed into at least one curve at said one, slotted portion with the slotted, first face of the sheet facing inward; and

the slits are closed at the first peaks of the ribs on the inwardly curved first face of the sheet.

2. The panel of claim 1, wherein the slotted portion extends along at least a substantial portion of the length of the sheet.

3. The panel of claim 1, wherein the slits are at a constant spacing.

4. The panel of claim 1, wherein a first group of the plurality of slits are at a first spacing and a second group of the plurality of slits are at a second spacing different from the first spacing.

5. The panel of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of slits are at a variable spacing.

6. The panel of claim 1, wherein the slits are parallel and extend perpendicular to the ribs.

7. The panel of claim 1, wherein the slits extend diagonally at an angle to the ribs.

8. The panel of claim 1, wherein the sheet has a plurality of spaced slotted portions and non-slotted portions extending between said spaced slotted portions.

9. The panel of claim 8, wherein the spaced slotted portions extend alternately through the first face and the second face of the sheet.

10. The panel of claim 1, wherein the slits extend radially.

11. The panel of claim 10, wherein spaced slotted portions are provided along the length of the sheet, each slotted portion having a set of radially arranged slits, and alternating slotted portions have radial slits centered on opposite sides of the sheet.

12. The panel of claim 10, wherein spaced slotted portions are provided alternately on opposite sides of the sheet along the length of the sheet, the alternating slotted portions on opposite faces having radial slits centered on opposite sides of the sheet.

13. The panel of claim 1, wherein the sheet is formed from at least one cellulose fiber material.

14. The panel of claim 13, wherein

the first and second peaks are flat and each first peak is connected to adjacent second peaks by angled webs forming opposite side faces of ribs;

the angle of the web is in the range from approximately 45 degrees to 60 degrees; and

the peaks on each face have a constant center to center spacing in the range from three inches to six inches and each rib has a height in the range from 0.75 inches to 3 inches.

15. A panel, comprising:

an elongated sheet of molded fiberboard material of corrugated shape having opposite first and second faces and opposite side edges, each face having a plurality of alternating, longitudinally extending ribs and grooves extending along the length of the sheet, the ribs on the first face each having a first peak and the ribs on the second face each having a second peak facing in the opposite direction to the first peaks;

the sheet having at least one slotted portion which has a plurality of spaced slits, each slit extending lengthwise across at least a plurality of the first peaks and being cut through part of the ribs of the first face including the first peaks to a depth less than the depth of the grooves in the first face and terminating short of the second peaks of the second face;

the panel being formed into at least one curve extending along at least part of the length of the sheet at said one, slotted portion with the slotted first face of the sheet facing inward; and

the slits are closed with adhesive at least at the first peaks of the ribs on the inwardly curved first face of the sheet.