Claims
- 1. Apparatus for producing grain oriented particle board and the like from a mixture of elongated fibers and a bonding agent, comprising a box having parallel, vertically oriented side walls, end walls, an upper entrance portion, and a lower exit portion, a pair of parallel electrode means disposed adjacent said side walls of said box, said electrode means extending along at least a substantial vertical extent of said walls, alternating current power source means connected with said electrode means for establishing throughout a vertically extended zone within said box a horizontally directed alternating current electric field, an air pervious collector screen member disposed beneath said exit end, negative pressure means positioned beneath said collector screen for inducing a downward flow of air through said box from said entrance end, through said exit end and said screen member, and distributor means overlying said entrance end of said box for receiving quantities of said mixture and releasing increments at an essentially uniform rate across said entrance.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said electric field has a field strength of from about 1500 to 3750 volts per inch.
- 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said negative pressure means induces a fluid flow through said box at the rate of from about 50 to 100 feet per minute.
- 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said distributor means comprises a plurality of closely spaced members, and means for inducing vibration of said members whereby increments of said mixture are dispersed and caused to fall through said box.
- 5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said closely spaced members comprise substantially parallel, tightly stretched strings and said means for inducing vibration comprise picks movable relative to said strings, said picks being positioned to pluck said strings responsive to said relative movement.
- 6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said picks are mounted on movable roller chains.
- 7. Apparatus for producing particle board and the like which comprises means defining a three dimensional open space, distributing means at the top of said space for uniformly distributing particles into said space, said distributing means comprising an array of tightly stretched parallel strings and a plurality of moving picks which pluck said strings and cause vibration of the latter, whereby particles dropped on said array of strings are dispersed and caused to fall discretely through said space, means for establishing an alternating electric field oriented horizontally in one direction through said space, said field being operative to act upon elongated discrete particles falling through said space and to exert torque on said particles to cause the latter to become oriented in horizontal parallel array and to descend in such array to the bottom of said space, whereby a horizontal mat of said parallel, uni-directionally oriented particles becomes built up.
- 8. Apparatus for producing particle board and the like which comprises a rectangular box, the walls of said box being made of insulating material, an electrode plate in the interior of each of two opposing side walls of said box, said electrode plates being connectible to a source of alternating electric power for establishing a horizontally oriented electric field between said two side walls within said box, vibrating means mounted on top of said box for causing said particles dropped thereon to be dispersed discretely for free fall from the top to the bottom of said box, said vibrating means including a horizontal array of a plurality of evenly spaced, tightly stretched strings, a movable roller chain disposed adjacent said strings, a plurality of picks on said chain positioned to pluck said strings in succession whereby the latter are caused to vibrate, and a floor disposed beneath said box, the electric field established between said side walls acting to align elongated particles released by said vibrating means to fall through said top to said bottom of said box into a substantially parallel, uni-directional array of said fibers as the latter are built up in the form of a mat on said floor.
- 9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein there are included two said endless roller chains, each of said roller chains being located near a respective end portion of said strings, each said chain including a plurality of spaced picks, said chains moving in opposite directions laterally in respect of the array of said strings.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 259,099, filed June 2, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,756, issued Oct. 22, 1974.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
816,285 |
Jul 1959 |
UK |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
259099 |
Jun 1972 |
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