Method for dispersing and felting fibers and mill

Claim 1

THE METHOD WHICH COMPRISES DISTRIBUTING SUBSTANTIALLY INDIVIDUALIZED FIBERS INTO A MOVING STREAM OF AIR OVER A FIBER-DISTRIBUTING AREA EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY CROSSWISE OF THE STREAM, COLLECTING THE FIBER-LADEN AIR MOVING FROM SAID AREA AND CONDUCTING IT TO A DISCHARGE NOZZLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING THE VELOCITY OF THE FIBER-LADEN AIR ON ALL THE LINES OF TRAVEL FROM SAID AREA TO SAID NOZZLE BY GRADUALLY CONSTRICTING THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE STREAM AS IT MOVES FROM SAID AREA TO SAID NOZZLE, WHEREBY THE INCREASED VELOCITY MINIMIZES TENDENCIES OF THE FIBERS TO CLOT, DISCHARGING THE FIBER-LADEN STREAM FROM SAID NOZZLE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPANDING SAID STREAM AT THE POINT OF DISCHARGE FROM SAID NOZZLE WHEREBY TO LESSEN THE VELOCITY OF THE MOVING FIBER FROM THE OTHER FIBERS, DISPERSING AN AQUEOUS MIST OF LIQUID CONTAINING ADHESIVE INTO THE SEPARATED FIBERS WHEREBY TO WET THE FIBERS WITH SAID ADHESIVE-CONTAINING LIQUID, COLLECTING AND FELTING THE WET ADHESIVE BEARING SEPARATED FIBERS IN THE FORM OF A FELTED FIBER BODY BY ALLOWING THE FIBERS TO SETTLE BY GAVITY ONTO A COLLECTING AREA, AND DRYING THE RESULTING FELTED BODY TO SET THE ADHESIVE.