FIBER PRODUCTS HAVING TEMPERATURE CONTROL ADDITIVES
A fiber product is described which includes fibers, a binder and a temperature control additive. The fiber product has properties that make it useful for a variety of applications. The fibers may be glass fibers and the product may be a fiberglass insulation product for use in buildings, vehicles, or other structures for acoustic and/or thermal insulation. The fibers may be cellulosic fibers and the product may be a wood board product. The temperature control additive is incorporated into the uncured fiber product to prevent deleterious self-heating during or after binder curing. The temperature control additive undergoes an endothermic process that consumes at least a portion of the energy generated during the exothermic curing reaction.
1 . A mineral fiber insulation product comprising
a binder,
a collection of mineral fibers, and
a particulate selected from a group consisting of magnesia, alumina, and calcined gypsum, wherein
the binder is disposed upon the collection of mineral fibers and
the particulate is distributed within the mineral fiber insulation product, wherein the binder comprises a reaction product of a carbohydrate and an amine.
2 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the particulate has a number weighted average particle size of less than about 200 micrometers.
3 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the particulate has a number weighted average particle size of less than about 50 micrometers.
4 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the particulate has a number weighted average particle size of less than about 20 micrometers.
5 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the wherein the fiber product comprises from about 0.25% to about 15% by weight of the particulate.
6 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the wherein the fiber product comprises from about 3% to about 30% by weight of the binder.
7 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate comprises a monosaccharide and the amine comprises a primary amine.
8 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate comprises dextrose, fructose, or mixtures thereof.
9 . The fiber product of claim 1 , wherein the particulate is dispersed within the binder.
10 . The mineral fiber insulation product of claim 1 , wherein the mineral fiber insulation product comprises about 61% to about 96% mineral fibers and about 1% to about 15% of the particulate.
11 . The mineral fiber insulation product of claim 1 or 10 , wherein the particulate has a number weighted average particle size of less than about 200 micrometers.
12 . The mineral fiber insulation product of claim 1 or 10 , wherein the particulate has a number weighted average particle size of less than about 50 micrometers.
13 . The mineral fiber insulation product of claim 1 or 10 , further comprising an organosilane in contact with the particulate.
14 . An uncured mineral fiber insulation product comprising
an uncured binder,
a collection of fibers, and
a temperature control additive, wherein
the uncured binder is disposed upon the collection of fibers and
the temperature control additive is a particulate in contact with the collection of fibers, in contact with the binder, or dispersed throughout the uncured fiber product, wherein
the uncured binder comprises a carbohydrate and an amine.
15 . The uncured fiber product of claim 14 , wherein
the temperature control additive is selected from a group consisting of aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium silicate hydrates, and calcium sulfate dihydrate.
16 . The uncured fiber product of claim 14 or 15 , wherein
the carbohydrate is selected from a group consisting of dextrose, xylose, fructose, dihydroxyacetone, and mixtures thereof.
17 . The uncured fiber product of claim 14 , wherein
the amine is an ammonium salt or a primary amine.
18 . The uncured fiber product of claim 14 comprising about 61% to about 96% fibers, about 1% to about 15% of the temperature control additive, and 3% to about 30% of the uncured binder.
19 . The uncured fiber product of claim 14 , further comprising a silicon containing compound, wherein the silicon containing compound is concentrated at a first interface between the uncured binder and the fibers and at a second interface between the uncured binder and the temperature control additive.
20 . A method of curing the binder of an uncured mineral fiber insulation product comprising a collection of fibers and a binder having a temperature control additive, comprising
heating the uncured binder to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range, the temperature range being high enough to cure the binder but low enough so as to not burn the binder and
maintaining the temperature within the predetermined temperature range for a time sufficient to substantially cure the binder, wherein maintaining the temperature includes the temperature control additive undergoing an endothermic process.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is from about 100° C. to about 350° C.
22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined temperature range is from about 170° C. to about 300° C.
23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined temperature range has as its lower boundary a temperature sufficient to initiate a curing reaction.
24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined temperature range has as its upper boundary a temperature at which the binder ignites.
25 . The method of any one of claims 20 - 24 , the temperature control additive undergoing an endothermic process comprising a decomposition, a phase transition, or a dehydration.
26 . The method of curing a binder of claim 25 , wherein the temperature control additive undergoing an endothermic process consumes at least about 200 calories per gram of the particulate temperature control additive.
27 . A method of manufacturing an insulation product comprising
contacting a collection of fibers with a binder to form an uncured insulation product,
contacting the collection of fibers with a temperature control additive,
shaping the uncured insulation product into a configuration adapted for an insulating purpose,
applying an amount of energy to the uncured insulation product subsequent to contacting the collection of fibers with the temperature control additive, the amount of energy sufficient to initiate an exothermic process curing of the binder from an uncured state to a cured state, and
maintaining the temperature of the binder within a predetermined range.
28 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of claim 27 further comprising
forming a dispersion comprising the binder and the temperature control additive, wherein contacting the collection of fibers with the binder and contacting the collection of fibers with the temperature control additive occur concurrently through contacting the collection of fibers with the dispersion including the binder and the temperature control additive.
29 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of claim 28 , wherein
forming the dispersion includes adding a surfactant.
30 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of any one of claims 27 - 29 further comprising
forming an aqueous dispersion of the temperature control additive and a surfactant, wherein contacting the collection of fibers with the temperature control additive occurs subsequently to contacting the collection of fibers with the binder.
31 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of claim 27 , wherein contacting the collection of fibers with the temperature control additive includes sprinkling the temperature control additive onto the uncured insulation product, the temperature control additive being in the form of a dry powder or concentrated slurry.
32 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of claim 27 , wherein
shaping the uncured insulation product includes shaping the uncured insulation product into a configuration adapted for insulating walls.
33 . The method of manufacturing an insulation product of claim 27 , wherein
shaping the uncured insulation product includes shaping the uncured insulation product into a configuration adapted for insulating pipes.
34 . Use of a particulate selected from the group consisting of aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium silicate hydrates, and calcium sulfate dihydrate as a temperature control additive in the manufacture of fibrous products, wherein the fibrous product is mineral wool insulation or fiberglass insulation.