US-20260125835-A1 - APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF A MATTRESS COMPRISING AGGLOMERATED MINERAL FIBRES

US20260125835A1US 20260125835 A1US20260125835 A1US 20260125835A1US-20260125835-A1

Abstract

An apparatus ( 100 ) for the continuous production of a mattress ( 14 ) comprising agglomerated mineral fibres is described, the apparatus comprising a mineral fibre receiving or forming chamber ( 2 ), an accumulator conveyor ( 3 ) arranged below the receiving or forming chamber ( 2 ) and comprising adjacent drums ( 4 ) provided with perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces ( 5 ) for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress ( 14 ) comprising mineral fibres between the drums ( 4 ), a gas extraction device ( 6 ) in fluid communication with the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces ( 5 ) of the drums ( 4 ) and a lower space ( 10 ) between the drums ( 4 ) for unloading the mattress ( 14 ) comprising mineral fibres formed between the drums ( 4 ), the apparatus ( 100 ) being characterized in that said drums ( 4 ) are movable along a displacement axis (Y) perpendicular to an axis of rotation (X) of said drums ( 4 ) between a first end-stroke position in which the drums ( 4 ) are in a position of maximum distance from each other and a second end-stroke position in which the drums ( 4 ) are in a position of maximum proximity to each other.

Inventors

Marco La Greca
Roberto Massini

Assignees

STM TECHNOLOGIES S.R.L.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20231115
Priority Date: 20221118

Claims (12)

1 . An apparatus for the continuous production of a mattress comprising agglomerated mineral fibres comprising a mineral fibre receiving or forming chamber, an accumulator conveyor arranged below the receiving or forming chamber and comprising adjacent drums provided with perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress comprising mineral fibres between the drums, a gas extraction device in fluid communication with the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces of the drums and a lower space between the drums for unloading the mattress comprising mineral fibres formed between the drums, wherein the drums are movable along a displacement axis perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the drums between a first end-stroke position in which the drums are in a position of maximum distance from each other and a second end-stroke position in which the drums are in a position of maximum proximity to each other.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre receiving or forming chamber comprises first vertical walls longitudinally extended in the direction of the axis of rotation of the drums and ending each below in a tangential juxtaposition to the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces of a respective drum, and second vertical walls transversally extended with respect to the axis of rotation of the drums and ending each below in a lateral juxtaposition to a respective drum.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising lower carriages sliding along the displacement axis to which respective drums are integrally connected, and means for adjusting the translational movement along the displacement axis of each lower carriage connected to a respective drum.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the means for adjusting the translational movement of a lower carriage comprise at least one rotating screw connected to said lower carriage and motorized means adapted to impart a rotational movement to said at least one screw so as to adjust the advancement of said lower carriage and of the drum integral with it along the displacement axis in approaching or distancing from the opposite drum.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distance between the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces of the drums between the position of maximum proximity and the position of maximum distance thereof is comprised between 10 mm and 400 mm.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first vertical walls of the receiving or forming chamber are movable in the direction of the height of the fibre receiving or forming chamber along a vertical axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drums, so as to maintain the tangential juxtaposition of the lower end of the first vertical walls to the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surface of one of the respective drums, depending on the mutual positioning of the drums along the displacement axis.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drums comprise each a first half-drum and a second half-drum telescopically connected to each other and movable along the axis of rotation between a first end-stroke position in which the first half-drum and the second half-drum are juxtaposed or in contact with each other, and a second end-stroke position in which the first half-drum and the second half-drum are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined maximum distance along the direction of the axis of rotation of the drums, wherein a gas-permeable or perforated circumferential band is further provided, wherein the gas-permeable or perforated circumferential band overlaps at least one of the first half-drum and the second half-drum at opposite end portions of said half-drums.
8 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising upper carriages sliding along said axis of rotation (X) to which respective half-drums of a drum are integrally connected, wherein each upper carriage is slidable along a pair of opposite guides extended along the axis of rotation of the drums and fixed on a respective lower carriage, and further comprising means for adjusting the translational movement along the axis of rotation of each upper carriage connected to a respective half-drum of a drum.
9 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the means for adjusting the translational movement of an upper carriage comprise at least one rotating screw connected to said upper carriage and motorized means adapted to impart a rotational movement to said at least one screw so as to adjust the advancement of said upper carriage and of the half-drum integral with it along the axis of rotation (X) in approaching or distancing from the opposite half-drum.
10 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the second vertical walls are movable along the direction of the axis of rotation of the drums distancing from or approaching each other so as to adjust the width of the receiving or forming chamber by an amount which is equal to the sum of the width of the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surface of the drums and of the distance determined by the mutual positioning of the first half-drums and of the second half-drums along the direction of the axis of rotation.
11 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the gas extraction device comprises a suction chamber internally arranged in each drum below the gas-permeable or perforated circumferential surfaces thereof, wherein each suction chamber comprises a first half-chamber internally arranged in a first half-drum and a second half-chamber internally arranged in a second half-drum, wherein the first half-chamber and the second half-chamber are movable along the axis of rotation between said first end-stroke position and said second end-stroke position of said first half-drum and of said second half-drum, wherein a band is further provided, wherein the band overlaps at least one of said first half-chamber and said second half-chamber at opposite end portions of said half-chambers.
12 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the distance between the perforated or gas-permeable circumferential surfaces of the drums between the position of maximum proximity and the position of maximum distance thereof is comprised between 40 mm and 300 mm.

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION In its more general aspect, the present invention relates to the production of thermally insulating mattresses comprising agglomerated mineral fibres (unwoven), such as for example glass fibres or rock wool fibres. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for the continuous production of a mattress of agglomerated mineral fibres comprising a mineral fibre receiving or forming chamber, an accumulator conveyor arranged below the receiving or forming chamber and comprising adjacent drums provided with perforated or gas-permeable surfaces for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress of agglomerated mineral fibres between the drums, a gas extraction device in fluid communication with the perforated or gas-permeable surfaces of the drums and a lower space between the drums for unloading the mattress formed between the drums. The present invention represents in particular an improvement of the prior art for receiving (collecting) so-called insulating mineral fibres containing a binder at the liquid state and for separating the gases and induced air coming from the fiberization machines in order to produce a mattress with said mineral fibres. PRIOR ART As it is known in the art, the production of mattresses comprising agglomerated mineral fibres, such as glass fibres, involves the separation of the fibres produced by the fibre forming machines (fiberization machines) from the gases and induced air generated by the burners of said machines and the collection and forming (accumulation) of the separated fibres to form a felt, substantially in the form of a mattress, containing agglomerated mineral fibres. In order to perform said operations, it is well known to use apparatuses comprising a receiving or forming chamber intended to be fed above by a flow comprising mineral fibres, gases and induced air coming from the fiberization machines, an accumulator conveyor arranged below the fibre receiving or forming chamber and comprising adjacent drums provided with perforated or gas-permeable surfaces for receiving and accumulating the fibres to form a mattress comprising agglomerated mineral fibres between the drums, a gas extraction device in communication with the perforated or gas-permeable surfaces of the drums and a lower space between the drums for unloading the mattress comprising agglomerated mineral fibres formed between the drums. In particular, according to known methods, the flow comprising gases, induced air and mineral fibres impregnated with a binder mixture (resin) outputted from the fiberization machines is introduced in the fibre receiving or forming chamber and directed towards the gas-permeable or perforated surfaces of the drums arranged below the receiving or forming chamber. These surfaces are gas-permeable or they have holes having such dimensions as to allow gases to pass therethrough but not mineral fibres to pass. They are subject to the suction effect exerted by the gas extraction device and they operate as a kind of filter allowing fibres to be accumulated thereon to form a mattress comprising mineral fibres while the sucked gas passing therethrough is released outside. The so-formed mattress comprising mineral fibres is thus unloaded through the lower space formed between the drums which is suitably predetermined depending on the desired thickness for the mattress. Conventionally, the fibre receiving or forming chamber comprises an upper part having first vertical walls longitudinally extended in the direction of the axis of rotation of the drums and second vertical walls transversally extended with respect to the axis of rotation of the drums, such first and second walls laterally delimiting the receiving or forming chamber, and a lower element equipped with recesses in the form of arcs of a circle below which the drums are housed. The first vertical walls and the second vertical walls of the chamber usually consist of rotating carpets or belts, usually made of polyvinylchloride (PVC), whose outward-facing part is in contact with cleaning means, for example scraping blades, which arrange to keep the surfaces of these walls clean from clots of fibres impregnated with the binder mixture which otherwise would form thereon if the walls were fixed and which could fall between the drums damaging the quality of the produced mattress of mineral fibres. Moreover, the first vertical walls have a greater height since they laterally overlap the lower element ending below in a tangential juxtaposition to the gas-permeable or perforated surface of the drums while the second vertical walls of the chute end below above the lower element and are movable above the drums along the direction of the axis of rotation thereof distancing from or approaching each other so as to adjust the width of the fibre receiving or forming chamber (i.e. the chamber dimension in the direction of the axis of rotation of the drums) depending on the width or transversal width o