Meterable fiberous material
View Patent ↗A particle or particles of cellulosic wood pulp fibers having a top and bottom face and a hexagonal perimeter, and methods of using it.
1. A method of combining wood pulp fibers with a material, the method comprising:
providing wood pulp fiber particles having two opposed faces and a hexagonal perimeter, a major axis length of 4 to 8 mm, a width of 2 to 5 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm to 4 mm,
metering the particles through a feeder to a mixer,
forming fibers, fiber bundles or a mixture thereof from the particles before or during the mixing, and
mixing the fibers, fiber bundles or mixture thereof with a material to form a blend of the fibers, fiber bundles or mixture thereof and the material.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a thermoplastic resin.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is cement.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a thermoset resin.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a dry constituent having a higher bulk density than the fiber to produce a blend with a bulk density lower than the bulk density of the dry constituent.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a dry constituent having a lower bulk density than the fiber to produce a blend with a bulk density higher than the bulk density of the dry constituent.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a dry constituent having a lower absorbent capacity than the fiber to produce a blend with a higher absorbent capacity than the dry constituent.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a dry constituent having a higher absorbent capacity than the fiber to produce a blend with a lower absorbent capacity than the dry constituent.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the material is a dry constituent having a lower absorbency rate than the fiber to produce a blend with a higher absorbent absorbency rate than the dry constituent.