Use of boron to reduce the thermal conductivity of unbonded loosefill insulation

Abstract

A method for manufacturing unbonded loosefill insulation material configured for distribution in a blowing insulation machine is provided. The method includes the steps of establishing apparatus configured for making fibrous materials, the apparatus including structures configured to provide molten materials to fiberizing apparatus and collection apparatus configured to collect the formed fibrous materials, determining whether the formed fibrous material will be further processed as loosefill insulation material or other fibrous products, and formulating a composition of the molten material in response to the determination of whether the formed fibrous material will be further processed as loosefill insulation material or other fibrous products.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing unbonded loosefill insulation material configured for distribution in a blowing insulation machine, the method comprising the steps of:
 establishing apparatus configured for making fibrous materials, the apparatus including structures configured to provide molten materials to fiberizing apparatus and collection apparatus configured to collect the formed fibrous materials;   determining whether the formed fibrous material will be further processed as loosefill insulation material or other fibrous products; and   formulating a composition of the molten material in response to the determination of whether the formed fibrous material will be further processed as loosefill insulation material or other fibrous products.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the molten material comprises, in weight percent, 62.0-69.0% of SiO 2 , 0.0-4.0% of Al 2 O 3 , 7.0-12.0% of CaO, 0.0-5.0% of MgO, 5.0-14.0% of B 2 O 3 , 13.0-18.0% of Na 2 O and 0.0-3.0% of K 2 O. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the composition of the molten material comprises additional ingredients selected from the list of potassium, iron, titanium and strontium oxides. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in thermal conductivity of at least about −0.016 Btu-in/hr-sf-F from when the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in insulative value of at least about 1.4 hr-sf-F/Btu from when the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the unbonded loosefill insulation material includes a multiplicity of individual tufts. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the tufts have a tuft density in a range of from about 4.0 kilograms per cubic meter to about 11.2 kilograms per cubic meter. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in thermal conductivity value that is different from a change in thermal conductivity value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in thermal conductivity values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in thermal conductivity value that is lower than a change in thermal conductivity value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in thermal conductivity values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in insulative value that is different from a change in insulative value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in insulative values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the molten material provides a change in insulative value that is higher than a change in insulative value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in insulative values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises about 5% B 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the composition of the molten material provides a change in thermal conductivity value that is different from a change in thermal conductivity value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in thermal conductivity values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises 5% B 2 O 3 3 ; and   the composition of the molten material provides a change in insulative value that is different from a change in insulative value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in insulative values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises 5% B 2 O 3 .   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the composition of the molten material provides a change in thermal conductivity value that is lower than a change in thermal conductivity value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in thermal conductivity values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises 5% B 2 O 3 ; and   the composition of the molten material provides a change in insulative value that is higher than a change in insulative value of a fibrous insulation batt formed from the composition of the molten material, wherein the respective change in insulative values are determined from when the composition of the molten material comprises 5% B 2 O 3 .