Patent Application
20130214195
A preferred embodiment of the invention refers to the fiber industry, especially relating to the kind of insulation crystals and insulation fibers that are made for insulation products. In one embodiment, the invention further relates to a method of manufacturing insulation crystals.
Thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat flow is an inevitable consequence of contact between objects of different temperature. Thermal insulation provides a region of insulation in which thermal conduction is reduced or thermal radiation is reflected rather than absorbed by the lower-temperature body. Thus, thermal insulation does not change or increase the energy or temperature, but merely slows the rate of movement between an object and its surroundings.
Humans have attempted to produce forms of insulation to keep warm since ancient times. Early insulative garments were made of animal hides and furs. Similarly, wool, cotton, silk, feathers, and down have been used for many years. More recently, polypropylene, polyesters, and other synthetic fibers have been used for insulation, especially for clothing. However, many products with high insulation capabilities are limited greatly by size, weight, and bulk.
To combat low ambient temperatures, the current state of the art requires thick insulation to reduce conductive heat loss. This is because, all other things being equal, a thick insulating material is warmer than a thin one of the same material. This line of reasoning has led to most highly insulative products large size and bulkiness. A version of the disclosed invention advances the art of thermal insulation by focusing on the ability of the fibers to trap and retain heat. The current invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a heat absorbing crystal that may be incorporated into a fiber. The fiber can be used for various insulation purposes.
To overcome the size and weight limitation of bulky insulative products, some have attempted to layer various materials, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,874 (1965) to Kuznetz. However, layering of known materials did little to decrease the weight and size of the insulative garments. Furthermore, these thermal insulators do not increase the energy or temperature of the fiber, but instead slows the transfer of energy.
Therefore, attempts were made to include a heat retaining layer in materials to reflect the body heat back towards the body, as in Chinese patent CN 2,057,426 (1990) assigned to Zhongwu, and British patent GB 2,414,960 (2005) to Austen. Similar to earlier layered garments, these garments did little to decrease the bulkiness or weight of highly insulative materials.
In order to decrease the number of layers, bulkiness, and weight, attempts have made to heat the actual fabric itself, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,047 (2003) to Szymocha, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,408 (2005) to Wu. By heating the fabric, the number of layers to stay warm was decreased, but the disadvantages associated with weight and bulkiness were present due to batteries, wiring, and electronics. Furthermore, such attempts to warm the fabric posed safety problems for the wearer.
Several attempts have been made to create insulative products capable of absorbing heat from ultraviolet radiation—for example, in JP 2012153995 (2012) assigned to Teijin Fibers, JP 2009270228 (2009) to Yasumitsu, JP 2006307395 (2006) to Iwashita. Nevertheless, as in all fields, advancements in the art are desired.
The present invention is directed to a heat-insulating crystal and method of making insulative fibers with said heat-insulating crystals, comprising mixing carbon, quartz, feldspar, and boron at a mass ratio of 5:1:1:3 to create a mixture. The mixture is heated to about 3800-4200° F., at an increase of about 800-1200° F. per hour, then cooled. The mixture is further heated to a temperature of about 4500-5500° F., at an increase of about 1800-2200° F. per hour. The 4500-5500° F. temperature is maintained for 15-30 minutes.
The present invention further comprises a method of making insulation crystals by mixing carbon, quartz, feldspar, and boron at a mass ratio of 5:1:1:3 to create a mixture. The mixture is heated to 4000° F., at an increase of 1000° F. per hour, then cooled. The mixture is further heated to a temperature of 5000° F., at an increase of 2000° F. per hour. The 5000° F. temperature is maintained for 20 minutes.
The present invention further comprises the composition of matter resulting in the crystal substance, and the method for manufacturing heat insulating fibers from said composition of matter. The method for manufacturing heat-insulating fibers comprises producing heat insulation crystals as set forth above, and then processing said heat insulation crystals into 1-10 nanometer particles. The nanometer heat crystals are added to fibers at a mass ratio of 3-5% heat crystals to 95-97% fiber. The heat-insulating fibers are created by spinning the fibers in a spinneret process. The present invention further comprises the heat insulating fiber created by the above methods.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawing where:
A process according to the present invention for making heat-insulating fibers comprises the steps of mixing the heat-insulation crystal precursors, thereby producing a mixture that contains carbon, quartz, feldspar, and boron; calcining the mixture of carbon, quartz, feldspar, and boron in a calcining furnace; grinding the resulting heat-insulating crystals to nanometer sized particles; mixing the nanometer sized heat-insulating crystals with fibers; and then forming heat insulting fibers from the heat-insulating crystals and the fibers.
In the heat-insulation crystal precursor step, in one embodiment, the method of making insulation crystals includes mixing carbon, quartz, feldspar, and boron according to the mass ratio of 5:1:1:3. In a preferred embodiment, carbon, boron and quartz are each 80 percent pure raw materials.
In the calcining step, in a preferred embodiment, the calcination process is based on a temperature increase of 800° F.-1200° F. every hour until 3800° F.-4200° F. is reached, then cooled, and once again heated at a temperature increase of 1800° F.-2200° F. per hour until 4500° F.-5500° F. is reached, and kept there for 15-30 minutes. The product is allowed to cool to room temperature. The resulting product is insulation crystals.
In a preferred embodiment, the resulting insulation crystals are a black crystal-like substance. The insulation crystals have a high heat density, easily absorb natural light, and have the ability to naturally increase in temperature. In a preferred embodiment, the interior of the insulation crystal is honeycomb-like with holes that can retain heat.
In the grinding step, in a preferred embodiment, the resulting heat insulation crystals are ground in a nanometer grinder to particles sizes between 1-10 nm.
In the step where fibers and heat-insulating crystals are mixed, the heat insulation crystals are then combined with various fibers to make heat insulating garments and insulation products. The heat insulation crystals are added to the fibers at a ratio of 3-5% insulation crystals to 995-97% fibers, by weight. In a preferred embodiment, 4% heat insulation crystals are added to 96% fibers, by weight.
In the heat-insulating fiber step, as will be clear to one skilled in the art, there are many method by which the heat insulation crystals may be dispersed into the fibers. In one embodiment, a spinneret process is utilized to make the insulation fibers.
In addition to its heat retaining properties, the heat insulation crystals act as natural deodorizers in heat insulation fibers because the crystals significantly reduce bacteria.
Embodiments of the invention can be noted from the following examples.
First, mix 5 kg carbon, 1 kg quartz, 1 kg feldspar, and 3 kg boron. Place the mixture into a calcining furnace to be heated. Raise the temperature by 1000° F. every hour until you reach 4000° F. The material is then cooled to room temperature. After cooling, the material is then heated again at a temperature increase of 2000° F. per hour until 5000° F. is reached. The material is held at 5000° F. for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the material is allowed to cool and the resulting product is 10 kg of a crystal-like substance.
The 10 kg crystal-like substance is ground down to 1-10 nm particles. The 10 kg of 1-10 nm nanoparticles are added to 125 kg of fiber material. The fiber and nanoparticles are placed into a spinneret in order to make insulation fibers.
First, mix 5 kg carbon, 1 kg quartz, 1 kg feldspar, and 3 kg boron. Place the mixture into a calcining furnace to be heated. Raise the temperature by 1200° F. every hour until you reach 4200° F. The material is then cooled to room temperature. After cooling, the material is then heated again at a temperature increase of 2000° F. per hour until 5200° F. is reached. The material is held at 5000° F. for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the material is allowed to cool and the resulting product is 10 kg of a crystal-like substance.
The 10 kg crystal-like substance is ground down to 1-10 nm particles. The 10 kg of 1-10 nm nanoparticles are added to 125 kg of fiber material. The fiber and nanoparticles are placed into a spinneret in order to make insulation fibers.
The heat insulation fibers created by this embodiment of the invention exhibit higher heat retaining characteristics than standard fibers without the heat insulating crystals.
