Patent Application
20060078636
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for installation of a material having discrete elements, and, more particularly, to a transporter system including a vertical feed, inline blower for such an apparatus.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Insulation is used in residential and commercial dwellings both to conserve energy and to reduce noise. The two most common types of insulation are blown and batt. Loose fill insulation, unlike batt insulation, requires the use of a machine to open the product in baled or compressed form. Opening in the industry commonly refers to modifying a product of a relatively high packaged density to a much lower installed density, perhaps as much as only 5-10% of the initial packaged density. The opened insulation is then conveyed to the final installation location through an air conveyance system. The finished installation is accomplished in several ways depending on final product needs.
One method for opening and conveying the product is to provide a rotational insulation opening device in a hopper in the machine to prepare the product for further transport. The semi-opened insulation materials is then gravity fed into the top cavity of an airlock, a horizontally rotating device that segregates portions of the material, and then rotates it into contact with a air stream created by a air blower pump. Typically, these devices are run by separate motors, creating added weight for both the motors, and for all the support brackets, control electrical controls and other associated hardware. The airlock also adds significant weight to the machine.
Airlock-based machines have a horizontally oriented cylinder with a longitudinal opening in the top for the gravity fed and/or mechanical introduction of insulation material. The cylinder is divided longitudinally into a plurality of chambers by a rotating series of blades or paddles. The blades or paddles seal off the inner dimensions of the airlock cylinder creating discrete chambers that are sealed from each other during rotation. The lower chamber of the cylinder has an opening at either end such that air from an air pump can be introduced into one end of the cylinder and can exit the other end, carrying with it any insulation material that is in that particular chamber.
The effect of the airlock is to create a series of rotating chambers that sequentially accept insulation material that is gravity or force fed into the top chamber. As the material drops into the top chamber, the rotation of the blades or paddles carries the material away from the opening and seals the cavity in which the insulation now resides. When the chamber rotates to the other side of the cylinder, it comes into contact with the air stream provided by the air pump, and the insulation in just that cavity is blown out into the conveying hose to the installation location.
A problem with airlock-based insulation blowing machines is that material is gravity or mechanically fed into the top chamber of the cylinder, and then is conveyed directly into the conveying stream. If the product is not fully opened prior to entering the conveying stream, only the additional turbulence of the conveying hose can be used to further open the product to its design density. Thus, many if not all insulation hoses are internally ribbed to force increased agitation post-blower.
Yet another method is to provide for insulation opening and introduction into the conveying air stream, and use a through blower device where the insulation passes through the pumping vanes of the blower itself. Such machines are thought to increase the opening ratio of the density of the opened product as installed to the density of the packaged product. However, the available machines use two motors as well, either both enclosed in the machine housing, or with one motor detached from the machine during transit, and then reattached at the installation site. Either method increases the total machine weight, complexity and electrical demands.
Also, through blower devices force the machine designer to compensate for the relatively smaller introduction cross section leading to the conveying stream of the pump by attempting to force increased product opening prior to air stream entrance of the insulation. This has created a limitation in standard practices such that only the very smallest of insulation machines currently in use the through blower concept. Medium and large sized blowing machines use the airlock device and two or more motors to provide a high rate of material flow, but with a resulting sacrifice in achieving full product value.
Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus for installation of insulation materials that uses a through blower concept, is very light weight, and also fully opens the insulation materials so that the full insulation value as created in the insulation manufacturing plant can be achieved.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for installation of a material having discrete elements. The apparatus includes a supply material having discrete elements; and a transporter system downstream of the supply material having discrete elements. In the preferred embodiment, the transporter system includes a vertical feed, inline blower and a material agitator upstream of the vertical feed, inline blower. Also, in the preferred embodiment, the apparatus may further include an applicator assembly connected downstream to the transporter system.
In the preferred embodiment, the supply of material having discrete elements is selected from the group consisting of fibrous material, granular material, pellet material and agglomerated material and mixtures thereof.
The supply of material having discrete elements may be inorganic. The inorganic material may be selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, rock wool, pearlite, mineral wool, and asbestos and mixtures thereof.
The supply of material having discrete elements may be organic. The organic material may be a natural material. The natural material may be cellulosic.
The supply of material having discrete elements may also be a non-conductive material. The supply of non-conductive material may be a thermally non-conductive material; an acoustically non-conductive material; an electrically non-conductive material, or combinations thereof.
In the preferred embodiment, the vertical feed, inline blower includes: a motor having a motor shaft extending through the motor; an impeller connected to one end of the motor shaft; and a transmission system connected to the other end of the motor shaft for connecting the vertical feed, inline blower to the material agitator. Preferably, the speed of the motor can be maintained at greater than about 1500 rpm. Also, preferably, the impeller includes between about 4 and about 16 vanes. Finally, the speed of the material agitator preferably is less than about 100 rpm.
In the preferred embodiment, the material agitator includes a plurality of radially extending arms. Preferably, a portion of the radially extending arms are upwardly extending and a portion of the radially extending arms are downwardly extending.
Also, in the preferred embodiment, the transporter system further includes at least one air induction orifice adjacent to an inlet of the vertical feed, inline blower.
The transporter system may also further include a feed hopper upstream from the vertical feed, inline blower and the material agitator. Preferably, the feed hopper further includes a breaker bar extending into the feed hopper. The breaker bar may further include a plurality of breaker bar vanes.
In the preferred embodiment, the applicator assembly is a conduit. The applicator assembly further includes a material nozzle. The material nozzle may further include an injector system for activating an adhesive for bonding the supply material having discrete elements. Preferably, the injector system is water-based. More preferably, the injector system is substantially water-free.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for installation of a material having discrete elements, the apparatus comprising: (a) a supply material having discrete elements; and (b) a transporter system downstream of the supply material having discrete elements, the transporter system having a vertical feed, inline blower.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a transport apparatus for a system for installation of a material having discrete elements, the apparatus comprising: (a) a vertical feed, inline blower; and (b) a material agitator upstream of the vertical feed, inline blower.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for installation of a material having discrete elements, the apparatus comprising: (a) a supply material having discrete elements; (b) a transporter system downstream of the supply material having discrete elements, the transporter system having (i) a vertical feed, inline blower and (ii) a material agitator upstream of the vertical feed, inline blower; and (c) an applicator assembly connected downstream to the transporter system.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward,” “rearward,” “left,” “right,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring now to the drawings in general and
The supply of material having discrete elements 12 may be selected from the group consisting of fibrous material, granular material, pellet material, and agglomerated material and mixtures thereof. The supply of material having discrete elements 12 may be inorganic. The inorganic material may be selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, rock wool, pearlite, mineral wool, and asbestos and mixtures thereof. The supply of material having discrete elements may be organic. The organic material may be a natural material. The natural material may be cellulosic. The supply of material having discrete elements 12 may be a non-conductive material. The non-conductive material may be a thermally non-conductive material. The supply of non-conductive material may be an acoustically non-conductive material. The supply of non-conductive material may be an electrically non-conductive material.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. By way of example, additional notching, toothing or other devices may be used with the material agitator to assist in opening the supply of material. The distance between the rings may be adjusted to control particle size dropping for initial entry into the conduit to the blower. Breaker bars above or below the rings for causing rolling and improved product breakup or opening may be added. These breaker bars may have rubber pads to assist in opening without putting too much mechanical tension on the system. All such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.
