U.S. patent application number 11/770476 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-01 for methods of manufacturing acoustical sound proofing material.
Invention is credited to Kevin J. Surace, Brandon D. Tinianov.
Application Number | 20090000245 11/770476 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40158797 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090000245 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tinianov; Brandon D. ; et
al. |
January 1, 2009 |
METHODS OF MANUFACTURING ACOUSTICAL SOUND PROOFING MATERIAL
Abstract
A manufacturing process appropriate for use in constructing
laminated structures for use in building construction such that the
laminating steps to not require elevated drying temperatures or an
extended dwell time at any point. This is accomplished using a
specially formulated viscoelastic glue and ambient temperature
drying apparatus. As a result, the production capacity of the
manufacturing process is greatly improved over existing
methods.
Inventors: |
Tinianov; Brandon D.; (Santa
Clara, CA) ; Surace; Kevin J.; (Sunnyvale,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MACPHERSON KWOK CHEN & HEID LLP
2033 GATEWAY PLACE, SUITE 400
SAN JOSE
CA
95110
US
|
Family ID: |
40158797 |
Appl. No.: |
11/770476 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/782.1 ;
156/366; 156/497 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 2/043 20130101;
B32B 37/1292 20130101; B32B 7/12 20130101; B32B 2607/00 20130101;
B32B 13/04 20130101; B32B 37/12 20130101; B32B 2038/166
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/782.1 ;
156/366; 156/497 |
International
Class: |
E04C 2/00 20060101
E04C002/00 |
Claims
1. A method of forming a laminated structure appropriate for use in
constructing walls, floor, ceilings or doors, said laminated
structure having a selected area, said method comprising: providing
a first external layer of material including a first surface and a
second surface; applying a layer of viscoelastic glue to said first
surface; flowing gas over said glue for a predetermined time to
remove a selected amount of moisture from said glue; and placing a
second layer of material onto the layer of glue wherein the glue is
between said first and second layers, thereby joining said first
external layer to said second layer.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said second layer of material is
an external layer of said laminated structure.
3. The method of claim 2 including applying pressure to the
laminated structure following the placing of said second layer on
said glue.
4. The method of claim 1 including drying said gas prior to flowing
said gas over said adhesive.
5. The method of claim 1 including: applying a second layer of
viscoelastic glue to an exposed surface of said second layer, and
flowing gas over said second layer of viscoelastic glue for a
predetermined time to remove a selected amount of moisture from
said glue.
6. The method of claim 5 including drying said gas forced over said
second layer of viscoelastic glue prior to flowing said gas over
said second layer of viscoelastic glue.
7. The method of claim 5 including placing a third layer of
material on said second layer of viscoelastic glue after said gas
has forced over said second layer of viscoelastic glue for said
predetermined time thereby to create said laminated structure.
8. The method of claim 7 including applying a selected pressure to
said laminated structure following the placing of said third layer
of material on said second layer of viscoelastic glue.
9. A method of forming a laminated panel including at least a first
layer of material and a second layer of material, wherein each
layer of material is bonded to an adjacent layer of material by
viscoelastic glue, said method comprising: placing viscoelastic
glue in a selected pattern on an exposed surface of a layer of
material to which another layer of material is to be bonded;
flowing gas over said viscoelastic glue to remove moisture from
said glue; and placing a second layer of material over said
viscoelastic glue following the flowing of gas over said
viscoelastic glue.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said viscoelastic glue is placed
on said exposed surface in a selected pattern.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said viscoelastic glue is placed
on said exposed surface as a continuous layer.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said viscoelastic glue has a
thickness between one thirty second of an inch ( 1/32'') and one
eighth of an inch (1/8'').
13. The method of claim 9 wherein said gas is forced over said
viscoelastic glue for a sufficient time to bring the moisture
content of said viscoelastic glue to below five percent (5%) by
weight of the viscoelastic glue.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein said gas is forced over said
viscoelastic glue for a sufficient time to bring the moisture
content of said viscoelastic glue to between thirty percent (30%)
and five percent (5%) by weight of the viscoelastic glue.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein said gas is air.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said air is at approximately
ambient temperature.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said air is forced across said
viscoelastic glue at a flow rate between about fifteen thousand
cubic feet per second and about fifty thousand cubic feet per
second.
18. A structure made by the method of claim 9.
19. A structure made by the method of claim 1.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to commonly-assigned U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/658,814 filed 8 Sep. 2003, by K. Surace and
M. Porat, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,891, issued 27 Feb. 2007 titled
"ACOUSTICAL SOUND PROOFING MATERIAL AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING
SAME" and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/734,770 filed 12
Apr. 2007 by B. Tinianov, titled "ACOUSTICAL SOUND PROOFING
MATERIAL WITH CONTROLLED WATER-VAPOR PERMEABILITY AND METHODS FOR
MANUFACTURING SAME", which are incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently the manufacture of bulky and/or heavy laminated
panels for use in building construction requires a large area for
manufacturing. In addition to the bulk associated with the material
in-process, the area required for manufacturing is increased by any
process step requiring the material be staged for a long period of
time. For a given throughput of material, the area needed increases
with additional processing steps and with a longer processing time
at any step.
[0003] For example, the laminated structure disclosed in the
aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,891 comprises two external
layers of a non-metallic material (which in one embodiment are
sheet gypsum), and an internal constraining layer, attached to each
other by adhesive layers of viscoelastic glue. In some embodiments
other materials are incorporated between the outer gypsum layers.
In one embodiment the process of manufacturing a laminar structure,
for example the structure disclosed in the '891 patent, includes
drying a completed structure whilst pressure is applied to the
structure. Depending upon the materials that make up the laminar
structure, a dwell time (defined as the time required for a single
process step) of several hours to a few days is required for the
adhesive to properly dry, during which time other similar
individual structures may be constructed which also require a dwell
time of several hours to a few days to dry. The long drying time is
due to the time required for liquid in the adhesive to soak into
the gypsum sheets, the gypsum sheets then transporting the liquid
to the surrounding environment via evaporation. A significant
volume of material is staged at the drying step in the described
construction sequence, the volume depending upon the production
rate. As a result, a large drying chamber corresponding to the
volume of a single structure multiplied by the finished product
throughput desired and the dwell time of the instant step is
required. Further, some steps of the manufacturing process may
require that the drying chamber be maintained at a specified
elevated temperature and low relative humidity, an energy intensive
requirement.
[0004] For example, a production demand of one thousand finished
four-foot by eight foot by one-inch structures per day, with a
dwell time at a certain step requiring forty-eight hours of drying
at a constant temperature of 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, a
relative humidity of about thirty per cent, and a constant airflow
requires a staging area providing the required environmental
conditions for two thousand structures at any given time, such
staging area providing a minimum of 25 feet of vertical clearance
on an approximately 25 foot by 45 foot footprint, amounting to
28,125 cubic feet of conditioned space. When manufacturing demands
more than one thousand finished panels per day, even more drying
volume is required. Any other process steps also requiring
significant dwell time similarly increase the facilities needed for
a given manufacturing throughput. A long cycle time, defined as the
time required to construct a finished structure from start to
finish, also extends the time required for a manufacturing
operation to respond to an increase in demand for the manufactured
product.
[0005] What is needed is a manufacturing method for a laminar
structure wherein intermediate process staging of product during
manufacture is minimized.
SUMMARY
[0006] A laminar structure comprising a sandwich of a plurality of
materials is constructed using process methods wherein the dwell
time at certain steps is reduced from hours or days to a few
minutes. In one embodiment adhesive is dried prior to adding any
additional layers to the laminated build-up, eliminating the
lengthy process step of drying the complete laminated structure.
The adhesive is dried by blowing gas across the surface of the
specifically formulated adhesive immediately after the adhesive is
applied, forming a pressure sensitive adhesive ("PSA"). The next
layer in the sandwich may then be applied with no further drying
time required. In one embodiment the individual process dwell times
and total cycle time are shortened enough to permit construction of
complete laminar structures using a conveyor belt type assembly
line apparatus, wherein no in-process material is staged or stacked
up.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is an example of a process sequence in accordance
with the present invention.
[0008] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a side view of a laminated sound
attenuating structure fabricated by methods in accordance with this
invention.
[0009] FIG. 4 shows a diffuser panel with a plurality of lateral
openings (of which openings 402 to 408 are shown) for passing a
drying gas to be used to convert a viscoelastic glue with moisture
into a viscoelastic pressure sensitive adhesive ("PSA").
DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS
Definitions
TABLE-US-00001 [0010] Term Definition Cycle time Total time
duration required to manufacture a single article. Dwell time Time
duration required for a single process step. Staging Holding
material at a certain process step for a given dwell time. Sandwich
A stack comprising the materials (continuous or not continuous)
forming a laminate structure which may be incomplete or complete at
an instant point in a process sequence. PSA Pressure sensitive
adhesive; a type of adhesive which does not require drying time
after a new layer of material is brought into contact with the
adhesive.
[0011] A laminar substitute for drywall comprises a sandwich of two
outer layers of selected thickness gypsum board or other material
which are glued to each other, using a sound dissipating adhesive
wherein the sound dissipating adhesive is applied in a certain
pattern to all or less than all of the interior surfaces of the two
outer layers. In one embodiment, the adhesive layer is a specially
formulated QuietGlue 320.TM., which is a viscoelastic material, of
a specific thickness. QuietGlue 320.TM. is available from Serious
Marterials, Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif. Typically, QuietGlue 320.TM.
is made of the materials as set forth in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1 QuietGlue 320 WEIGHT % COMPONENTS Min Max
Preferred acrylate polymer 33.00% 70.00% 60.00% ethyl acrylate,
methacrylic acid, polymer 0.05% 3.00% 0.37% with ethyl-2-propenoate
hydrophobic silica 0.00% 0.50% 0.21% paraffin oil 0.10% 5.00% 1.95%
silicon dioxide 0.00% 0.50% 0.13% sodium carbonate 0.01% 1.50%
0.66% stearic acid, aluminum salt 0.00% 0.50% 0.13% surfactant
0.00% 1.50% 0.55% rosin ester 1.00% 9.00% 4.96% water 25.00% 40.00%
30.87% 2-Pyridinethiol, 1-oxide, sodium salt 0.00% 0.50% 0.17%
[0012] The preferred formulation is but one example of a
viscoelastic glue. Other formulations may be used to achieve
similar results and the range given is an example of successful
formulations investigated. Formed on the interior surfaces of the
two gypsum boards, the adhesive layer is about 1/16 inch thick. In
various embodiments a differing number of layers of material of
differing composition are sandwiched between the outer gypsum
boards, each layer glued to adjoining layers by PSA. In the
following discussion "adhesive", "glue", and "PSA" may be used
interchangeably to refer to a layer of material in the context of a
laminar structure sandwich. In this written description, "PSA"
always refers to a layer of viscoelastic glue which has been dried
to form a viscoelastic pressure sensitive adhesive.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a process flow 100
according to the present invention is presented. Any references to
top and bottom layers is to be understood to refer only to these
layers as described in the context of FIG. 2 and not in the context
of any orientation in the use of the structure or alternative
assembly orientations. A bottom gypsum board 206 of a selected
thickness is placed upon a work surface 208. In some embodiments
the work surface 208 is a conveyor belt for moving the material
through the process steps, for example a one hundred foot OAL ACSI
Model 190RB roller bed belt conveyor, available from Conveyor
Systems & Engineering, Inc., 2771 Katherine Way, Elk Grove,
Ill., 60007. A gypsum board 206 may be placed onto the work surface
208 using overhead lifting equipment with vacuum cups, or by a
worker simply picking up a panel 206 and putting it in the proper
place. An elevating apparatus may move gypsum boards to the level
of the work surface. An adhesive 204, for example QuietGlue
320.TM., is applied to the upper surface of the bottom gypsum board
206. The adhesive 204 may be applied using a roller, similar to a
paint roller; a brush; a broad knife, or sprayed on with dispensing
nozzles. The adhesive 204 may cover the entire upper surface of the
gypsum 206, or, in some embodiments, less than all of the surface
may have adhesive 204 applied, for example as disclosed in
aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/734,770. The
bottom gypsum layer 206 with the applied adhesive 204 forms an
intermediate sandwich structure 210.
[0014] Next, the adhesive 204 is dried at step 106, so that the
resulting moisture content in the adhesive is no greater than five
percent by weight.
[0015] In one embodiment, a layer of viscoelastic glue at a
thickness between one thirty second inch ( 1/32'') and one eighth
inch (1/8'') on a panel of material four feet (4') by eight feet
(8') was subjected to a flow of ambient air (typically between
nineteen degrees centigrade (19.degree. C.) and twenty four degrees
centigrade (24.degree. C.) at about fifty thousand cubic feet per
minute (50,000 ft.sup.3/minute). The initial moisture content was
about thirty percent (30%) by weight and after about five minutes
of air flow the moisture content had been reduced to about five
percent (5%) by weight.
[0016] A variety of methods may be used to dry the adhesive 204. In
one embodiment the sandwich with exposed adhesive 210 is passed
under a gas diffuser, wherein a volume of gas, for example between
twenty to fifty thousand cubic feet per minute of air, is provided
through openings in the diffuser. In some embodiments the provided
gas is ambient air. In other embodiments the provided gas is
preheated and/or dehumidified air. The gas-blowing system comprises
a plenum chamber (not shown) for receiving pressurized gas from a
blower, the pressurized gas subsequently flowing out through
openings in the diffuser onto the surface of the exposed adhesive.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a diffuser panel 400. Diffuser
panel 400 faces the sandwich 210 as the sandwich 210 passes
underneath (assuming a conveyor belt method). In the example shown,
openings 402, 404, 406, 408 are approximately eighteen inches long
(in the short direction of the panel 400), one eighth of an inch
wide, on one-half inch centers, staggered by five to six inches.
Other designs for diffuser panel 400 openings may be used, for
example uniformly distributed small holes.
[0017] In one embodiment the intermediate panel sandwich 210 is
moved on a conveyor belt 208 at ten feet per minute under a gas
diffuser panel 400, wherein the diffuser 400 is four feet wide and
twenty-four feet long (in the direction of belt travel). The
adhesive is therefore exposed to the flowing gas for approximately
2.4 minutes. The exact exhaust area and shape of the diffuser 400
and the openings are not critical, providing the exhaust area of
the diffuser 400 permits the desired gas flow, and provided further
that the exhaust area of diffuser panel 400 is low enough such that
the plenum chamber has adequate back pressure to provide an
approximately even flow of gas out of the diffuser.
[0018] In one embodiment wherein a conveyor belt is not used, the
intermediate panel sandwich 210 is placed upon a work surface 208,
which may or may not be the same work surface upon which the panel
210 was placed for application of the adhesive 204, and wherein a
diffuser 400 approximating the size and shape of the panel sandwich
210 and approximately aligned over the panel sandwich blows gas
over the exposed adhesive, for example air at approximately
seventeen cubic feet per second. An important parameter in the
process is the degree of dryness of the adhesive attained in
transforming the adhesive 204 into a PSA. For a specific
implementation according to the method of the present invention,
the combination of drying time, gas flow rate, diffuser panel 400
opening area, temperature and humidity of the gas provided through
the diffuser 400, and the thickness of the adhesive 204 are
adjusted to provide a suitable liquid content in transforming the
adhesive 204 into a PSA, for example five per cent liquid by weight
as measured with a moisture sensor such as the MW 3260 microwave
moisture sensor manufactured by Tews Electronik of Hamburg,
Germany. Assuming these factors are reasonably constant, the drying
time is used as a predetermined time for drying step 106. If the
adhesive is completely dried the next material in the sandwich may
not stick to it. A liquid content of approximately five percent
provides a tacky adhesive that has good adhesion characteristics
but does not require further drying after the sandwich is
assembled.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, in some structures to be constructed
using the method of the present invention, there are additional
layers of material 304 between the two outer panels of, for
example, gypsum board 202, 206. Examples include vinyl, sheet
metal, plywood, and gypsum, as discussed more expansively in the
aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,891. Step 108 provides an option
to include such additional materials 304 in the sandwich. If such
an option is selected, the additional material 304 is placed upon
the sandwich 210 at step 110 (that is, upon the exposed PSA 204),
then adhesive 302 is applied to the exposed surface of the newly
placed material 304 at step 104, as before. The adhesive 302 is
dried to form a PSA at step 106 and another option for an
additional layer is considered at step 108. If no more material
layers 304 are to be added the process continues with step 112
wherein a top gypsum board 202 is placed upon the PSA 302 to
complete the sandwich.
[0020] The fully-assembled laminated structure 300 is pressed
together at step 114. In one embodiment the laminated structure 300
is passed under a six-inch diameter roller (or the roller may
instead by passed over the laminated structure 300) weighing
approximately fifty pounds at approximately ten feet per minute.
Following the application of pressure at step 114 the laminated
structure 300 is complete and ready for shipping; no further drying
or other manufacturing process step is required.
[0021] While the process has been described as drying the
viscoelastic glue to essentially create a viscoelastic pressure
sensitive adhesive, the process can also be used to partially dry
the viscoelastic glue thereby to shorten the time that the stacked
structure, when fully assembled, must be placed in a drying chamber
to remove additional moisture from the viscoelastic glue used to
join together the several layers of material.
[0022] The foregoing description of some embodiments of the
invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and
description. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to
limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many
modifications and variations will be apparent to one skilled in the
relevant art.
Reservation of Extra-Patent Rights resolution of Conflicts, and
Interpretation of Terms
[0023] If any disclosures are incorporated herein by reference and
such incorporated disclosures conflict in part or whole with the
present disclosure, then to the extent of conflict, and/or broader
disclosure, and/or broader definition of terms, the present
disclosure controls. If such incorporated disclosures conflict in
part or whole with one another, then to the extent of conflict, the
later-dated disclosure controls.
[0024] Given the above disclosure of general concepts and specific
embodiments, the scope of protection sought is to be defined by the
claims appended hereto. The issued claims are not to be taken as
limiting Applicant's right to claims disclosed, but not yet
literally claimed subject matter by way of one or more further
applications including those filed pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120
and/or 35 U.S.C. .sctn.251.
[0025] Unless expressly stated otherwise herein, ordinary terms
have their corresponding ordinary meanings within the respective
contexts of their presentations, and ordinary terms of art have
their corresponding regular meanings
* * * * *