Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
53 words
An article manufactured from ceramic fibres, glass fibres or mineral fibres or a mixture thereof, characterized in that its structure includes randomly directed discontinuous fibres of the above material, said fibres being brought together with a dry process by means of air flow, and possibly it includes a binder bonding such fibres together.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
53 words
An article manufactured from ceramic fibres, glass fibres or mineral fibres or a mixture thereof, characterized in that its structure includes randomly directed discontinuous fibres of the above material, said fibres being brought together with a dry process by means of air flow, and possibly it includes a binder bonding such fibres together.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
An article as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the discontinuous fibres making up the main structure have a share of at least 70 % of the article while the rest comprises a binder.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
An article as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said article consists exclusively of discontinuous fibres and said article is after-treated by needlepunching.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
95 words
A method for manufacturing an article as set forth in claim 1, wherein ceramic fibres, glass fibres or mineral fibres or a mixture thereof, possibly intermingled with fibres serving as a binder, are couched into a mat or the like and the mat is possibly after-treated for binding the fibres, characterized in that discontinuous fibres formed of the above material are advanced into contact with an air flow which carries them to a level (36) in a manner that the fibres become randomly directed and said fibre-carrying air flow is passed through said level (36).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
A method as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that the fibres are formed into a relatively uniform mat on a first level (32, 33) which carries the mat forward, whereafter the mat is picked up by means of an air flow passed through said level to a second level (36), which at the air flow is opposite to level (32, 33) and carries the fibres forward, so that the fibres are removed from the first conveying level and are randomly directed and settle as a mat on the second level (36), said fibre-carrying air flow being passed through this second level.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
78 words
A method as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that said first conveying level (32, 33) lies at the air flow below said second conveying level (36), whereby its conveying surface faces upwards and the conveying surface of second conveying level (36) faces downwards at this point, said fibres being picked up by means of an upward-directed air flow from the top of first conveying level (32, 33) to the bottom surface of second conveying level (36).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
79 words
A method as set forth in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that a uniform mat on first conveying level (32, 33) is achieved by advancing a fibre mat by means of a roll or a similar feeder device (29) towards the surface of a fast-rotating studded roll (30), from which the fibres are passed by means of an air flow to a first conveying level (32, 33) and said air flow is passed through conveying level (32, 33).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
79 words
A method as set forth in claim 7, characterized in that said first conveying level comprises a first section (32) consisting of an air-permeable conveyor wire or the like, onto which the fibres are advanced by means of an air flow from studded roll (30) as well as a second section (33) downstream of said first section (32) consisting of a foraminous conveyor, through which the air flow is blown for carrying the fibres to second conveying level (36).
Claim 10
Independent Claim
74 words
A method as set forth in any of preceding claims 5-8, wherein the starting material comprises not pretreated mineral fibres containing beads and possibly sand, characterized in that prior to forming a mat on a first conveying level (32, 33), the bundles of fibres are advanced towards the surface of a fast-rotating studded roll (11), whereat the beads contained in the fibres are removed by means of a mechanical impact caused by the studs.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that following the removal of beads, the fibres are separated from beads and other possible impurities by entrapping the fibres in an air flow.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
123 words
An apparatus for implementing a method as set forth in claim 4, said apparatus comprising means for couching fibres into a mat or the like as well as possible after-treatment equipment for binding the fibres, characterized in that it includes a web-forming unit (D), comprising a level (36) provided by an air-permeable wire or the like, a vacant space (37) aligned with space (36), feeder means (33) for advancing the fibres into space (37) as well as a flow duct (41) communicating with space (37) for delivering a fibre-carrying air flow into space (37) as well as a flow duct (38) on the opposite side of level (36) relative to space (37) for passing the air flow from space (37) through level (36).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
152 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, characterized in that said web-forming unit (D) includes a first conveying level (32, 33) serving as a fibre-carrying means and provided with foramina or the like, a second level (36) opposite relative to this level and adapted to carry the fibres forward and consisting of an air-permeable wire or the like, whereby the conveying surfaces of such levels opposite to each other produce therebetween a vacant space (37), said web-forming unit further including outside said space a flow duct (41) communicating with the foramina or the like of first level (32, 33) for passing an air flow through said level into a space between said levels as well as a flow duct (38) located on the opposite side of said space and communicating with the conveying surface of said conveying level (36) for passing the air flow from said space through this second level.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
59 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that the conveying surface of first conveying level (32, 33) faces upwards at the fibre-carrying air flow and the conveying surface of second conveying level (36) faces downwards at the same point, said first conveying level (32, 33) being positioned at this point below said second conveying level (36).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
71 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that said web-forming unit (D) comprises a studded roll (30) located upstream of conveying levels (32, 33; 36), a feeder means (29) for advancing the fibres towards the surface of said studded roll as well as a flow duct (31) communicating with the surface of the studded roll and air-flow producing means in functional communication with said duct (31).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 14, characterized in that said first conveying level (32, 33) includes a first section (32) comprising an air-permeable conveyor wire or the like located at the end of a flow duct (31) communicating with the surface of studded roll (30) in the traveling direction of the fibres, as well as a second section (33) located downstream of said first section and comprising a conveyor provided with foramina or the like.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
62 words
An apparatus as set forth in any of preceding claims 11-15, characterized in that upstream of said web-forming unit (D) in the fibre-traveling direction there is a pretreatment assembly for removing impurities from the fibres, said assembly comprising a rotatable studded roll (11) and feeder means (10), such as a roll for advancing the fibres towards the surface of studded roll (11).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
An apparatus as set forth in claim 16, characterized in that said pretreatment assembly includes a flow duct (12) located downstream of studded roll (11) and communicating with its surface, said air-flow producing means being functionally connected with said flow duct which also includes means (14, 14′) for separating the fibres from impurities.