Wet layed bundled fiber mat with binder fiber

Abstract

A method of producing a wet-layed non-woven mat from glass fibers includes the steps of: drawing streams of molten glass into continuous filaments, applying a size to the continuous filaments, gathering the continuous filaments into strands, chopping the strands into discrete length bundles while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles, drying the bundles, adding the bundles and a plurality of binder fibers to an aqueous-based mixture, thereby forming a slurry, mixing the slurry to entangle the bundles and the binder fibers, wherein the integrity of the bundles is substantially maintained in the slurry, transferring the slurry to a forming wire, wherein water is removed from the slurry to form a web while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles, and heating the web to fuse intersections between the bundles and the binder fibers, thereby forming a mat while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles.

1 . A method of producing a wet-layed non-woven mat from glass fibers, the method comprising the steps of:
 drawing streams of molten glass into continuous filaments;   applying a size to the continuous filaments;   gathering the continuous filaments into strands;   chopping the strands into discrete length bundles while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles;   drying the bundles;   adding the bundles and a plurality of binder fibers to an aqueous-based mixture, thereby forming a slurry, mixing the slurry to entangle the bundles and the binder fibers, wherein the integrity of the bundles is substantially maintained in the slurry;   transferring the slurry to a forming wire, wherein water is removed from the slurry to form a web while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles;   heating the web to fuse intersections between the bundles and the binder fibers, thereby forming a mat while substantially maintaining the integrity of the bundles.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the dried bundles are packaged in a container prior to their introduction to the slurry. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  in which individual fibers are added to the slurry. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  in which the glass bundles have irregular and random lengths. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  in which the binder fibers have irregular and random lengths. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  in which the slurry has a viscosity in a range from about 1.5 centipoises to about 6.0 centipoises. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  in which the binder fiber is one or more of the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene and thermoplastic polyesters. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  in which the mat has a basis weight in a range of about 0.25 to about 1.30 Oz/ft 2 , wherein the mat has a machine direction tensile strength in a range from about 10.0 lbs to about 70.0 lbs. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  in which the mat has a basis weight in a range of about 0.25 to about 1.30 Oz/ft 2 , wherein the mat has a cross machine direction tensile strength in a range from about 5.0 lbs to about 50.0 lbs.