Method and device for recovering glass fiber from glass felt rejects

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR RECOVERING GLASS FIBERS FROM GLASS MAT CONTAINING A BINDING AGENT DISPERSED UPON GLASS FIBERS, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A FUEL AND AIR INTO A COMBUSTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN A COMBUSTIVE ATMOSPHERE THEREIN, PREHEATING THE GLASS MAT BY CONDUCTING EXHUAST GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE THROUGH THE MAT, CONVEYING THE GLASS MAT INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, DIRECTING THE FLOW OF FUEL AND AIR INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO THEREBY SUPPORT THE MAT IN SUSPENSION THEREIN, AND MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE BELOW THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF THE GLASS FIBERS BUT ABOVE THE COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE OF THE BINDING AGENT TO BURN SAID BINDING AGENT AWAY FROM THE GLASS FIBERS, AND CONVEYING THE GLASS FIBERS THUS SEPARATED FROM THE MAT OUT OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR RECOVERING GLASS FIBERS FROM GLASS MAT CONTAINING A BINDING AGENT DISPERSED UPON GLASS FIBERS, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A FUEL AND AIR INTO A COMBUSTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN A COMBUSTIVE ATMOSPHERE THEREIN, PREHEATING THE GLASS MAT BY CONDUCTING EXHUAST GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE THROUGH THE MAT, CONVEYING THE GLASS MAT INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, DIRECTING THE FLOW OF FUEL AND AIR INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO THEREBY SUPPORT THE MAT IN SUSPENSION THEREIN, AND MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE BELOW THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF THE GLASS FIBERS BUT ABOVE THE COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE OF THE BINDING AGENT TO BURN SAID BINDING AGENT AWAY FROM THE GLASS FIBERS, AND CONVEYING THE GLASS FIBERS THUS SEPARATED FROM THE MAT OUT OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE.

Claim 4

An apparatus for recovering glass fibers from glass mat containing a binding agent dispersed upon glass fibers, which comprises a furnace, an endless screen conveyor disposed for movement through said furnace to convey glass mat into said furnace and to convey glass fibers out of said furnace, means of feeding fuel gas and air into said furnace from above and below the glass mat and through said screen conveyor to establish a combustive atmosphere in the furnace for burning the binding agent away from the glass fibers of the glass mat and to support the glass mat suspended within the furnace without touching the screen conveyor or the boundary surfaces of the furnace, and means disposed to pass exhaust gases from the furnace through glass mat entering the furnace to preheat said glass mat.

Claim 5

An apparatus for recovering glass fibers from glass mat containing a binding agent dispersed upon glass fibers, which comprises a furnace, an endless screen conveyor disposed for movement through said furnace to convey glass mat into said furnace and to convey glass fibers out of said furnace, means of feeding fuel gas and air into said furnace from above and below the glass mat and through said screen conveyor to establish a combustive atmosphere in the furnace for burning the binding agent away from the glass fibers of the glass mat and to support the glass mat suspended within the furnace without touching the screen conveyor or the boundary surfaces of the furnace, and means disposed to pass exhaust gases from the furnace through glass mat entering the furnace to preheat said glass mat.