Compressible material folding shoe

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing compressible insulation material of mineral fibers in which a folding shoe guides the insulation material from a strip condition into a cylindrical condition and further including initially compressing the portion of the strip material along the centerline thereof, subsequently compressing the portions of the strip material intermediate the center line and the side edges of the strip material, and, finally, compressing the side edge portions of the strip material.

We claim: .[.1. In a method for guiding compressible strip material into a cylindrical shape of the type in which the strip material is passed lengthwise through a folding shoe and wrapped around a mandrel positioned within said folding shoe, the improvement comprising: 
     
        and bottom of the mandrel..]. 8. .[.The apparatus of claim 7 in which.]. .Iadd.In apparatus for processing compressible insulation material of mineral fibers of the type in which the insulation material is passed lengthwise through a folding shoe, positioned in which is a cylindrical mandrel, the improvement comprising: the inlet portion of said folding shoe being adapted to fold the insulation material around said mandrel and to compress the insulation material at the bottom of said mandrel;   the intermediate portion of said folding shoe being adapted to compress the portions of the insulation material at the sides of said mandrel and to cause some of the insulation material at the sides of the mandrel to migrate upwardly toward a position above said mandrel resulting in a heavier concentration of the strip material above the top of the mandrel;   the outlet portion of said folding shoe being adapted to compress the insulation material at the top of said mandrel so that the density of the insulation material at the top of the mandrel is greater than at the sides and bottom of the mandrel; and .Iaddend.the cross section of said inlet   
     
     
        portion .[.is.]. .Iadd.being .Iaddend.an ellipse. 9. The apparatus of 
     
     
        claim 8 in which said ellipse has a horizontal major axis. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the center of said ellipse is positioned 
     
     
        above the center of said mandrel. 11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the horizontal axis of the ellipse becomes shorter from said inlet portion of said folding shoe to said intermediate portion of said folding shoe, and in which the vertical axis of the ellipse becomes shorter from said intermediate portion of said folding shoe to said outlet portion of said folding shoe. .Iadd.12. The apparatus of claim 8 in which said folding shoe has the shape of a cycloid. .Iaddend.