Compressed heat insulation housing

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly comprising, on the one hand, a tubular compressed mineral wool felt element and, on the other hand, at least one means of maintaining the compression state of the said felt. The maintaining means may be a film surrounding the felt element on its cylinder-shaped surface. The assembly may be used as an insulating pipe section for pipework. The invention also relates to a method of producing annular elements, by way of punching, where the starting material is a web of bonded fibrous material, such as tempered mineral wool. A punching tool in the form of at least one punch knife which is mounted on a press plate is pressed through the web then pulled out again.

1 - 30 . (Canceled).  
     
     
         31 . Assembly comprising: 
 a mineral wool felt element bound by a crosslinked binder, the element having a tubular shape and being compressed, after crosslinking of the binder, in a longitudinal direction corresponding to an axis of the tubular shape; and    at least one means for maintaining a compression state of the felt.    
     
     
         32 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the felt, before compression, has a density ranging from 5 to 25 kg/m 3 .  
     
     
         33 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the felt, before compression, has a density ranging from 10 to 15 kg/m 3 .  
     
     
         34 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , comprising 3 to 8% by weight of the crosslinked binder.  
     
     
         35 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the maintaining means comprises a film surrounding the felt element on its cylinder-shaped surface.  
     
     
         36 . Assembly according to  claim 35 , wherein the film is bonded to the felt.  
     
     
         37 . Assembly according to  claim 35 , wherein the film comprises at least one layer of a thermoplastic polymer.  
     
     
         38 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the film comprises continuous fiber for reinforcement.  
     
     
         39 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the felt remains compressible.  
     
     
         40 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the compressed felt has a density ranging from 15 to 30 kg/m 3 .  
     
     
         41 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the compressed felt has a density ranging from 18 to 24 kg/m 3 .  
     
     
         42 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein a ratio of compressed felt density to felt density before compression ranges from 1.5 to 2.5.  
     
     
         43 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the means for maintaining may be removed so that the felt element returns to its density before compression.  
     
     
         44 . Assembly according to  claim 43 , wherein the felt is compressed to attain a density equal to 7 to 10 times its density in an uncompressed state.  
     
     
         45 . Assembly according to  claim 43 , wherein the felt element is part of an insulating pipe section.  
     
     
         46 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the axis of the tubular shape is perpendicular to a direction in which the fibers are deposited in the felt.  
     
     
         47 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , wherein the mineral wool is a glass wool.  
     
     
         48 . Assembly according to  claim 31 , comprising plural identical felt elements juxtaposed by ring-shaped bases and whose outer surfaces are aligned.  
     
     
         49 . Method of preparing an assembly according to  claim 31 , comprising: 
 stamping out a mineral wool felt element from a felt mattress, a length of the element corresponding to a thickness of the mattress, then    compressing the stamped element in a same direction as a stamping direction to decrease its volume, then    blocking the stamped element in the compressed state by the means for maintaining the stamped element in a compressed state, in its decreased volume.    
     
     
         50 . Use of an assembly according to  claim 31  as an insulating pipe section for pipework.  
     
     
         51 . Method of producing elements by punching, in which a starting material is a web of bonded fibrous material, the method comprising: 
 employing a punching tool in a form of at least one punch knife mounted in a press plate and pressed through the web and then pulled out again, wherein the tubular punch knife used projects through the press plate and is of a length which is 80 to 350%, preferably 200 to 300%, of a thickness of the web, and    wherein the punching is carried out against a back-pressure plate optionally provided with holes, and    wherein the punching is carried out such that initially an element just punched out is temporarily retained in the punch knife, but after a stepwise advancing of the web of fibrous material, and a renewed pressing inwards of the tubular punch knife, the element is pressed backwards through the punch knife by the element now punched out.    
     
     
         52 . Method according to  claim 51 , wherein the web is of mineral wool, the elements are used as heat-insulating casings for pipes, wherein the punch knives used are formed by a tubular punch knife of large diameter and a tubular punch knife of small diameter, the tubular punch knives being arranged on their respective sides of the web of mineral wool, and 
 wherein individually the punch knives are pressed into the web and into one another with a result that an annular element formed between the punch knives settles as a plug in the large-diameter tubular punch knife and once the two punch knives have been pulled apart the web of mineral wool is advanced one step, and the two tubular punch knives are again individually pressed into the web of mineral wool with a result that a first annular element now punched out presses a second annular element punched out during the previous step out of the large-diameter tubular punch knife, the second annular element being rearwardly released from the large-diameter tubular punch knife.    
     
     
         53 . Method according to  claim 52 , wherein the plug of mineral wool fibers resulting from the pressing inwards into the web at the small tubular punch knife is sucked rearwardly out through the punch knife by a suction device.  
     
     
         54 . Method according to  claim 52 , wherein the punch knives used rotate while being pressed into the web.  
     
     
         55 . Method according to  claim 52 , wherein the annular elements expelled from the large tubular punch knife are collected immediately after their release.  
     
     
         56 . Method according to  claim 51 , wherein the starting material used is made of woven fibers of glass wool, rock wool, or plant fibers with a density of 15 to 80 kg/m 3 , and the web has a thickness of 4 to 20 cm, preferably 5 to 15 cm, especially approximately 10 cm.  
     
     
         57 . Apparatus for carrying out the method according to  claim 51 , which comprises a device for stepwise advancing of the web of fibrous material, wherein the fibers extend in a longitudinal direction of the web, and a press plate provided with at least one punch knife, 
 wherein the punch knife is tubular and of a length that is 80 to 500%, preferably 100 to 350%, especially 200 to 300%, of a thickness of the web, and    wherein a back-pressure plate optionally provided with a hole is arranged opposite and at a distance from the press plate, and    wherein the punch knife is mounted in a hole in the press plate to ensure that the pressing outwards of the annular element punched out can take place rearwardly through an inner channel of the punch knife.    
     
     
         58 . Apparatus according to  claim 57 , wherein the punch knives comprise a tubular punch knife of large diameter and a tubular punch knife of small diameter, the punch knives being arranged directly opposite one another on their respective sides of the web of bonded fibrous material such that the small-diameter punch knife can be pressed against a back-pressure plate which is removed after the punch knife has passed through the web, and the large-diameter punch knife may slide over the punch knife, preferably substantially coaxially to the punch knife.  
     
     
         59 . Apparatus according to  claim 59 , wherein the small-diameter tubular punch knife is associated with a suction device.  
     
     
         60 . Apparatus according to  claim 58 , wherein the small-diameter tubular punch knife is of a length which is 80 to 150%, preferably 100 to 120%, of a thickness of the web.