Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02481288 2004-09-14
APPARATUS FOR INSTALLATION OF LOOSE FILL
INSULATION AND APPLICATOR ASSEMBLY
Background of the Inyention
S
This application is related to Canadian Patent File number 2,453,798 fled
December 19, 2003, pending.
(1) Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for the installation
of
insulation and, more particularly, to an applicator assembly for an apparatus
for the
installation of insulation.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Z 5 Insulation is used in residential and commercial dwellings both to
conserve
energy and to reduce noise. The two most Gammon types of insulation are blown
and
batt. Blown insulation may be made from several lightweight natural or man-
made
materials. Batt insulation is most commonly made from fiberglass. Blown loose
fill
insulation is most often used for attic floors since the insulation is less
expensive and
more quickly installed with lower labor costs and still allows access to
wiring, etc.
Fiberglass batting is still preferred for non-horizontal and floor insulation
since
the batting holds the fiberglass in place. The fiberglass batting is applied
in the cavity
formed by vertical wall studs, an outer wall, a bottom sill and a top plate.
Once the batt is
fixed in position, a vapor barrier may be mounted over the insulated wall. Dry
wall or
other inner wall material is then mounted to the studs to complete the inner
wall.
While loose fill insulation is more difficult to install in a non-horizontal
wall, it
may still be blown or sprayed within the stud cavity. Typically, the blown
insulation is
an aggregate of insulation particles mixed with dry adhesive, which is
activated by a
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
water spray. However, since the insulation is loose and ilowable, it is
necessary to retain
the insulation in position prior to inserting the insulation in the wall
cavity and/or prior to
installation of the supporting skeletal wall.
One method was to utilize a perforated screen that was attached along the
lower
portion of the wall and moved upward as each section was completed. The
perforated
screen allowed the air being used to blow the insulation in place to escape
but retained
the loose fill insulation in place to allow the insulation to fall up behind
the screen, dry
and the water-based adhesive to set. This method has a number of drawbacks.
First, it
takes more time to put up the screening and more skilled labor than stapling
up a batt of
fiberglass. Also, there may be a substantial time delay in waiting for each
section of
insulation to dry and set before being able to move the screen to install the
next section.
Another method was to utilize a plastic membrane to blow the loose insulation
behind the membrane in the wall cavity. The insulation would then be tapped
and packed
in an effort to prevent future settling. Once the insulation was installed,
the shield
I S membrane was removed and dry wall or other wall materials could be applied
to form the
inner wall. This method had disadvantages, as well, because it required
additional time
delays and manpower to maintain the shield plate in position during
installation of the
insulation. .
Still another method utilizes a netting material affixed to the wall studs to
form an
inner wall during the installation of the insulation. The netting is attached
from floor to
ceiling and forms a retaining barrier for the loose insulation to be blown in
behind the
netting. A hole was cut into the netting in order to receive the nozzle for
delivery of
insulation. Like the screen system, the netting permitted the air displaced by
the
positioned insulation to escape during the installation process. This method
still has
several disadvantages. For example, like the screen and membrane systems, the
time
involved with installing the retaining net is labor intensive and may not be
easily done by
just one person working alone. Also, once blown, density discrepancies
throughout the
blown matrix are set, resulting in inconsistent thermal and acoustic
properties.
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
As can be appreciated, blowing Loose insulation material mixed with water and
adhesive tends to be very messy and labor intensive in terms of cleanup. For
example,
the blow in methods very often cause insulation material to stick to the outer
surface of
the wall studs causing additional labor time to clean the stud face, in
addition to requiring
a separate supply of water on the job site for the application process. It has
also been
difficult to apply the material to a substrate with a suitable amount of
adhesion to the
substrate, and at the same time, a suitable amount of infra-material bond
strength. Such
adhesion is necessary to prevent inconsistent R values for the installation of
the wall
because of increased installed density of the insulation.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved apparatus for installation
of a
material having discrete elements, such as blown cellulosic or fiberglass
insulation,
which does not require netting to hold the material in place during
installation while, at
the same time, includes a substantially water-free adhesive for providing
structure to the
material during installation.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus f~r installation of a
material
having discrete elements. The apparatus includes a supply of material having
discrete
elements and an applicator assembly for activating a substantially water-free
adhesive for
providing structure to the material having discrete elements during
installation. In the
preferred embodiment, the applicator assembly includes a material nozzle
having an inlet
for receiving the material and an outlet for discharging a material stream to
a surface; and
an adhesive applicator adjacent to the material nozzle for activating a
substantially water-
free adhesive to provide structure to the material having discrete elements
during
installation. Also, in the preferred embodiment, the adhesive applicator
includes at least
one impinging nozzle and at least one tacking nozzle. The apparatus may
further include
a transporter system downstream of the supply of material having discrete
elements for
delivery of the material to the applicator assembly.
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
The material nozzle has a substantially oval cross-section and feeds material
between the other nozzles, which mix adhesive into the material stream and
provide
additional adhesive to tack the material to a surface. The preferred angle of
the
impinging nozzle is between about 0 degrees and +90 degrees with respect to
the material
stream. More preferably, the angle is between about +10~ degrees and 40
degrees with
about +20 degrees being most preferred. Also, in the preferred embodiment, the
applicator includes at least two impinging nozzles.
The angle of the tacking nozzle is preferably betyc~een about -90 degrees and
+90
degrees with respect to the material stream. More preferably, the angle is
between about
-15 and +1 S degrees with about +1 S degrees being most preferred.
The apparatus may further include a supply of adhesive material. The supply
adhesive material includes a hot melt adhesive and a heater assembly. The hot
melt
adhesive is preferably a thermoplastic adhesive. Also, the heater assembly may
further
include a temperature control device.
In the preferred embodiment, the transporter system includes a conduit with an
inlet and outlet; and an air supply to move the material having discrete
elements through
the conduit. The transporter system may further include a debailer for
debailing bundles
of the material having discrete elements.
The supply of material having discrete elements preferably includes at least
one
selected from the group consisting of fibrous material, granular material,
pellet materials
agglomerated material, and/or aggregated material. In one embodiment, the
supply of
material having discrete elements is inorganic. The inorganic material may
include at
least one selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, rock wool,
pearlite, mineral
wool, and asbestos. In another embodiment, the supply ofmaterial having
discrete
elements is organic. The organic material may be a natural material and,
preferably, the
natural material is cellulosic. Also, in the preferred embodiment, the supply
of material
having discrete elements is a non-conductive material. Specifically, the
supply of non-
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
conductive material may be a thermally non-conductive material, an
acoustically non-
conductive material and/or an electrically non-conductive material.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus
for
installation of a material having discrete elements, the apparatus including:
a supply of
material having discrete elements; and an applicator assembly for activating a
substantially water-free adhesive for providing structure to the material
having discrete
elements during installation wherein the applicator includes at least one
impinging fluid
nozzle converging with the material stream.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an applicator assembly
for a
device for installation of a supply of material having discrete elements, the
apparatus
including: a material nozzle having an inlet for receiving the material and an
outlet for
discharging a material stream to a surface; and an adhesive applicator
adjacent to the
material nozzle for activating a substantially water-free adhesive to provide
structure to
the material having discrete elements during installation, the adhesive
applicator
including: (i) at least one impinging nozzle, and (ii) at least one tacking
nozzle.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for
installation of a material having discrete elements, the apparatus including:
a supply of
material having discrete elements; an applicator assembly for activating a
substantially
water-free adhesive for providing structure to the material having discrete
elements
during installation wherein the applicator assembly includes: a material
nozzle having an
inlet for receiving the material and an outlet for discharging a material
stream to a
surface; and an adhesive applicator adjacent to the material nozzle for
activating a
substantially water-free adhesive to provide structure to the material having
discrete
elements during installation, the adhesive applicator including: (i) at least
one impinging
nozzle, and (ii) at least one tacking nozzle; and a transporter system
downstream of the
supply of material having discrete elements for delivery of the material to
the applicator
assembly.
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those
skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the
preferred embodiment
when considered with the drawings.
S Brief Description of the Drawin .mss
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for installation of
a
material having discrete elements, such as loose fill insulation, constructed
according to
the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an operator using the apparatus to install
loose
fill insulation into an open wall cavity;
Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the adhesive applicator of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a top view of the adhesive applicator of Figures 2 and 3;
Figure 5 is an enlarged front view of the material nozzle and adhesive
applicator;
Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an adhesive nozzle such as the impinging
I S nozzles and tacking nozzles showing the adhesive and airflow through the
nozzle;
Figure ? is a graph depicting the Weight Percent of Material Adhered as a
function of the Number of the Impinging Nozzle Angle;
Figure 8 is a graph depicting the Infra-material Bond Strength versus the
Impinging Nozzle Angle; and
Figure 9 is a graph depicting the Optimum Angle of the Impinging Nozzles
Combined with the Effect of the Tackifying Nozzles.
Descriation of the Preferred Embodiments
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or
corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following
description, it is
to be understood that such terms as "forward;" "rearward,'" "left," "right,"
°'upwardly,"
"downwardly," and the like are words of convenience and are pat to be
construed as
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
limiting terms. A positive flow angle is considered to be towards the
direction of the axis
of material flow and a negative angle is away from the direction of material
flow.
Referring now to the drawings in general and Figure 1 in particular, it will
be
understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing an
embodiment of the
invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. As best seen in
Figure 1, an
apparatus for installation of insulation material, generally designated 10, is
shown
constructed according to the present invention. The insulation apparatus 10
includes a
supply of insulation material having discrete elements 12, an applicator
assembly 14, and
a transporter system 16. Figure 1 also shows a supply of thermoplastic hot
melt adhesive
material 130 and a heater assembly 160 for heating the supply of adhesive
material 130.
A temperature control device 140 may be connected to the heater assembly 160
and the
applicator assembly 100 to control the temperature of the adhesive during
application. A
device far containing the supply of adhesive and transporting adhesive to the
applicator
assembly 14 is available from Sure Tack Systems, Crist Co., Inc., 201 F Bell
Place,
1 S Woodstock, GA 30188-1672.
The supply of insulation material having discrete elements 12 may include at
least
one selected from the group consisting of fibrous material, granular material,
pellet
material, agglomerated material, and/or aggregated material. The supply may be
any
combination of fibrous material, granular material, pellet material,,
agglomerated material
and/or. aggregated material. The insulation material 12 may be inorganic,
including
natural inorganic and synthetic inorganic materials. For example, the
inorganic
insulation material may be at least one selected from the group consisting of
fiberglass,
rock wool, pearlite, mineral wool, and asbestos. The supply of material may
include
organic materials, including natural organic and. synthetic organic materials.
The supply
of material may include cellulose, polystyrene or polyurethane. The supply of
insulation
material also may be an organic insulation material such as a natural
cellulosic material.
The material may include any combination of organic, inorganic, synthetic, oar
natural
materials.
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
In one embodiment, the supply of insulation material 12 is a non-conductive
insulation material. The non-conductive insulation material may be one or more
of
thermally non-conductive materials, acoustically non-conductive materials and
electrically non-conductive materials. Also, in one embodiment, the supply of
material
having discrete elements is an absorptive material. Specifically the supply of
absorptive
material may be thermally absorptive, acoustically absorptive, electrically
absorptive,
and/or moisture absorptive. Combinations of various conductive, non-
conductive, and
absorptive properties are possible that maximize the desired performance of
the installed
material having discrete elements.
Referring to Figure 1, the transporter system 16 is shown. In the embodiment
shown, the transporter system 16 includes a conduit 20 with an inlet and
outlet, an air
supply 26, and a debailer 30, The transporter system 16 transports the supply
of
insulation material 12 to the applicator assembly 14 to start the application
process to the
walls or ceilings requiring insulatian. The bags of insulation material 12 are
opened by
the debailer 30 and the air supply 26 provides an air stream to blow the
insulation
material 12 downstream in the conduit 20 to the applicator assembly 100.
The transporter system 16 may also be manually operated since an individual
operator may open the bags of insulation material 12 by hand and manually
place them
within the applicator assembly 14 for application to the desired walls or
ceilings.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an operator using an apparatus for
installation of
a material having discrete elements, such as loose fill insulation, to install
loose fill
insulation into an open wall cavity. The operator is holding an applicator
assembly 100,
which includes a material nozzle 110 having an inlet 112 for receiving the
material and
an outlet 114 for applying said material to a surface; and an adhesive
applicator 120
adjacent to the material nozzle 110 for applying a substantially water-free
adhesive to
provide structure to the material having discrete elements during
installation.
Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the adhesive applicator 120 surrounding
the
material nozzle outlet 114 showing two impinging nozzles 122, and a tacking
nozzle 124
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
above the material nozzle outlet 114. The tacking nozzle 124 and impinging
nozzles 122
are angled inward with respect to the flow of a material stream from the
material nozzle
outlet 114. Design and creation of nozzles to perform both impinging and
tacking
functions at the same time is possible.
Figure 4 is an enlarged top view of the adhesive applicator 120 showing a
heater
assembly 160 including a temperature control device 140, The temperature
control
device 140 may include a sensor electrically connected to the adhesive
applicator 120 for
controlling the temperature of the adhesive. The spray head assembly can be
valued or
unvalued with control toggles on the head. In one embodiment, the apparatus is
valued at
the head. The more preferred is valued for both the air and the adhesive at
the head. In
another embodiment the apparatus has controls for all materials and functions
at the head.
Figure 5 is an enlarged front view of the material nozzle and adhesive
applicator
showing the substantially oval cross-section of the material nozzle 110 and
the adhesive
applicator 120 including two impinging nozzles 122. Different shapes of
material
nozzles can impact flow patterns, mixing efficiencies, material directions,
and other
product performances. The embodiment of the material nozzle shown includes a
substantially oval cross-section, but other cross-sections of a circular,
rectangular,
triangular, or other regular or irregular geometric shapes, can be used to
modify and
enhance various properties of the apparatus. The angle of the impinging
nozzles 122 is
between about 0 degrees and +90 degrees witl' respect to 'the material stream.
Preferably,
the angle is between about +10 degrees and +40 degrees with respect to the
material
stream. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the angle is about +20
degrees
with respect to the material stream.
Figure S also shows above the material nozzle 110 a tacking nozzle 124. The
angle of the tacking nozzle 124 is between about -90 degrees and +90 degrees
with
respect to the material stream. Preferably, the angle is between about -15 and
+15
degrees with +15 degrees meaning the tacking nozzle is angled inward toward
the
material stream +15 degrees. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the
angle of
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
the tacking nozzle is about +i 0 degrees. Nozzles suitable for use as both
impinging and
tacking nozzles are available from Sure Tack Systems, Crist Co., Inc., 201 F
Bell Place,
Woodstock, GA 30188-1672.
Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an adhesive nozzle such as the impinging
nozzles and tacking nozzles showing the adhesive and airflow through the
nozzle. The
nozzles receive pressurized air from an airline and adhesive from an adhesive
line, both
in communication with the nozzle. The adhesive stream i 80 flows through the
interior of
the nozzle while the pressurized air stream 190 flows outside and surrounding
the
adhesive stream 180.
Figure 7 is a graph depicting the Weight of Material Adhered as a function of
the
Impinging Nozzle Angle. The lines 1 through 5 represent the weight of material
adhered
using with 1 to 5 impinging nozzles, respectively. The weight of material
adhered to the
wall increases as the number of nozzles increases. It can also be seen that
there is an
optimum angle of glue application, around the preferred angel of +20 degrees
to the flow
of the material stream. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
there are several
interrelated variably such as increasing weight of the spray apparatus with
increasing
nozzle number that will have to be considered to reach the best overall
performance.
Figure 8 is a graph depicting the Intra-Material Bond Strengthwersus the
Impinging Nozzle Angle. The lines 1 through 5 represent the increase in infra-
material
bond strength as the number of impinging nozzles increases, with 5
representing 5
impinging nozzles. The desirability of increasing infra-material bond strength
must be
balanced with increasing glue weight and cost, and increasing apparatus weight
and
complexity. As the nozzle angle increases from 4 to +90 degrees, the nozzles
point more
into the material flow and the substantially water free adhesive is entirely
entrained into
the material matrix, with none of the substantially water free adhesive free
for external
binding to the wall. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
different nozzle
types and other variations can affect the relation of the variables in
positive or negative
fashion.
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CA 02481288 2004-09-14
Figure 9 is a depiction of the optimum angles of the impinging nozzles
combined
with the effect of the tackifying nozzles. On the left vertical axis, the
Weight Percent of
Material Adhered is shown, and the right vertical axis shows the Infra-
Material Bond
Strength. The horizontal axis shows the Impinging Nozzle Angle as in Figures 7
and 8.
Line A depicts the weight of material adhered using 3 nozzles as in Figure 7,
and Line B
depicts the infra-material bond strength using 3 nozzles as in Figure 8. Line
C depicts the
effect of the use of a single tackifying nozzle in combination with two
impinging nozzles.
There is a significant increase in the material adhered to the wall with the
use of the
combination nozzle setup as compared to the setup with three impinging nozzles
only. It
will be seen to those skilled in the art that some increase in intxa-material
bond strength
occurs by the addition of-the tackifying nozzle, but this makes up for the
loss of one
impinging nozzle. Thus Line D, which depicts the infra-material bond strength
with the
use of two impinging nozzles and one tackifying nozzle does not change
significantly
from the infra-material bond strength using three impinging nozzles.
Variations in air
1 S flow, air temperature, and material flow can all impact the results shown
in Figures 7-9.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art
upon
a reading of the foregoing description. By way of example, an anti-drool
device can be
used with the adhesive nozzles of the applicator to prevent adhesive from
dripping out of
the nozzles between installations of insulation. Also, the applicator assembly
may be
made from various materials and fitted with ergonomic handles, control
switches, and the
like. Similarly, the apparatus may be used with an insulating heat shield to
protect an
operator. All such modifications,and improvements have been deleted herein for
the sake
of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the
following claims.
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