Method of manufacture of a felted fibrous product from a nonaqueous medium

Claim 2

An improvement in a method of manufacturing felted fibrous product including the steps of reducing cellulosic material into fibers, said improvement consisting the steps of: dispersing said fiber and a substance containing a radical in air, which substance includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms, injecting said substance in gaseous phase; ionizing said substance by steam injection while in gaseous phase; hydrating said fibers while in air suspension in preparation for formation of hydrogen bonds at interfibrile contact points; and air laying said fibers while hydrated to form a fibrous mat defining interfibrile contact points among said fibers, whereby hydrogen bonds are formed at said interfibrile contact points during said step of air laying, said fibrous mat produced thereby being adaptable for further processing to form said felted fibrous product.

Claim 3

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is gaseous ammonia.

Claim 4

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is ammonium hydroxide.

Claim 5

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is an ammonium derivative.

Claim 6

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is amino benzene (aniline).

Claim 7

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is a homologue of amino benzene (aniline).

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is ethyl amine.

Claim 9

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is a homologous series compound of ethyl amine.

Claim 10

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is triethanol amine.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is methyl amine.

Claim 12

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is cyclohexyl amine.

Claim 13

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is an organoamine.

Claim 14

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is selected from the group of compounds consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, amino benzene (aniline), ethyl amine, triethanol amine, methyl amine, cyclohexyl amine, and the homologous series derivatives of each of them.

Claim 15

The improvement of claim 1 further including the step of mixing noncellulosic material in fiber form with said cellulosic material treated by said substance and then air laying said fibriles to form said fibrous mat.

Claim 16

The improvement of claim 1 further comprising the step of consolidating said fibrous mat to form a pressed sheet.

Claim 17

In a method for manufacturing a finished felted fibrous product from fibers, of which at least some of said fibers are cellulosic, said method including the steps of preparing a dry pulped mass from said fibers, forming bonds between said fibers, dry forming an intermediate felted fibrous product, and finishing said intermediate filed fibrous product to provide a finished felted fibrous product, an improvement consisting of the steps of: dispersing said fibers including said cellulosic fibers in an air suspension at least immediately prior to said step of dry forming said intermediate felted fibrous product to steam and a gaseous and ionized substance having a radical which includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms for a predetermined time to hydrate said cellulosic fibers for later formation of hydrogen bonds at interfibrile contact points; and dry forming said intermediate product while said cellulosic fibers are hydrated, whereby said finished felted fibrous product is manufactured with a minimum of water and therefore a minimal amount of drying to form a final integral mass which is bound, at least in part, by said hydrogen bonds at said interfibrile contact points.

Claim 18

In a method for manufacturing a finished felted fibrous product from fibers, of which at least some of said fibers are cellulosic, said method including the steps of preparing a dry pulped mass from said fibers, forming bonds between said fibers, dry forming an intermediate felted fibrous product, and finishing said intermediate filed fibrous product to provide a finished felted fibrous product, an improvement consisting of the steps of: dispersing said fibers including said cellulosic fibers in an air suspension at least immediately prior to said step of dry forming said intermediate felted fibrous product to steam and a gaseous and ionized substance having a radical which includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms for a predetermined time to hydrate said cellulosic fibers for later formation of hydrogen bonds at interfibrile contact points; and dry forming said intermediate product while said cellulosic fibers are hydrated, whereby said finished felted fibrous product is manufactured with a minimum of water and therefore a minimal amount of drying to form a final integral mass which is bound, at least in part, by said hydrogen bonds at said interfibrile contact points.

Claim 19

The improvement of claim 16 wherein said substance is ammonia.

Claim 20

The improvement of claim 16 wherein said substance is an ammonium derivative.

Claim 21

The improvement of claim 16 wherein said substance is an organoamine.

Claim 22

The improvement of claim 16 wherein said substance is selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium derivatives, aniline, ethyl amine, methyl amine, triethanol amine, cyclohexyl amine, and homologous series derivatives of each of them.

Claim 23

The improvement of claim 1 wherein said substance is selected from the group consisting of ammonia, aniline and tri-ethanol amine.

Claim 24

An improvement in a method for manufacturing felted fibrous product, said method comprising the steps of reducing a plurality of types of base materials into fibrous form, at least one of said types of base materials being cellulosic, preparing said cellulosic type of base material in fibrous form to form bonds between fibers of said cellulosic type of base material, mixing said plurality of types of base materials to form a blended fibrous mass, said improvement consisting of the steps of: dispersing said cellulosic types of base material when in fibrile form in an air suspension; injecting a substance in gaseous phase including a radical which in turn includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms at a predetermined temperature and pressure for a predetermined time; ionizing said substance by said steam injection while said substance is in gaseous phase; hydrating said cellulosic type of base material with said substance and steam while aid material is dispersed in said air suspension; dry forming a fibrous mat form said blended fibrous mass from said plurality of types of base materials while said cellulosic type of base material is hydrated; and consolidating said fibrous mat to form a pressed sheet of said plurality of types of materials, whereby said cellulosic type of base material exposed to said substance is induced to form hydrogen bonds at interfibrile contact points between said cellulosic fibers, thereby forming an integral fibrous mass with a minimum of water and drying.

Claim 25

An improvement in a method for manufacturing felted fibrous product, said method comprising the steps of reducing a plurality of types of base materials into fibrous form, at least one of said types of base materials being cellulosic, preparing said cellulosic type of base material in fibrous form to form bonds between fibers of said cellulosic type of base material, mixing said plurality of types of base materials to form a blended fibrous mass, said improvement consisting of the steps of: dispersing said cellulosic types of base material when in fibrile form in an air suspension; injecting a substance in gaseous phase including a radical which in turn includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms at a predetermined temperature and pressure for a predetermined time; ionizing said substance by said steam injection while said substance is in gaseous phase; hydrating said cellulosic type of base material with said substance and steam while aid material is dispersed in said air suspension; dry forming a fibrous mat form said blended fibrous mass from said plurality of types of base materials while said cellulosic type of base material is hydrated; and consolidating said fibrous mat to form a pressed sheet of said plurality of types of materials, whereby said cellulosic type of base material exposed to said substance is induced to form hydrogen bonds at interfibrile contact points between said cellulosic fibers, thereby forming an integral fibrous mass with a minimum of water and drying.

Claim 26

An improvement in a method for manufacturing a felted fibrous product, said method comprising the steps of reducing cellulosic material into fibers and air laying said fibers to form a fibrous mat defining interfibrile contact points among said fibers, said improvement consisting of the steps of: suspending said fibers in an air suspension; disposing a substance in said air suspension containing a radical, which includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms; introducing said substance in gaseous phase in said air suspension; ionizing said substance while in gaseous phase in said air suspension; hydrating said fibers with said ionized vapor substance and steam while in said air suspension whereby hydroxyl groups on said cellulosic fibers are activated; and air laying said activated fibers to form a felted product while said fibers are hydrated, whereby hydrogen bonds are formed at said interfibrile contact points and said fibrous mat produced thereby being adaptable for further processing to form said felted fibrous product.

Claim 27

An improvement in a method for manufacturing a felted fibrous product, said method comprising the steps of reducing cellulosic material into fibers and air laying said fibers to form a fibrous mat defining interfibrile contact points among said fibers, said improvement consisting of the steps of: suspending said fibers in an air suspension; disposing a substance in said air suspension containing a radical, which includes a nitrogen atom and at least two hydrogen atoms; introducing said substance in gaseous phase in said air suspension; ionizing said substance while in gaseous phase in said air suspension; hydrating said fibers with said ionized vapor substance and steam while in said air suspension whereby hydroxyl groups on said cellulosic fibers are activated; and air laying said activated fibers to form a felted product while said fibers are hydrated, whereby hydrogen bonds are formed at said interfibrile contact points and said fibrous mat produced thereby being adaptable for further processing to form said felted fibrous product.

Claim 28

The improvement of the method claim 23 where said step of hydrating said fibers and suspending said fibers in air comprises the steps of swelling said fibers by injecting steam into said air suspension of fibers.

Claim 29

The improvement of the method of claim 24 where said step of air laying said fibers to form said fibrous mat comprises the steps of permitting volatile fractions to degas from said fibrous mat, whereby swelling of said fibers is decreased thereby tending to bring said interfibrile contact points into close proximity to allow strong molecular attraction between adjacent hydroxyl groups on said cellulosic fibers, and further comprising the step of retaining said radical on said fibers to activate said hydroxyl groups until proximity of said interfibrile contact points is close enough to allow strong influence of molecular attractions of said adjacent hydroxyl groups.