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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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01.12.2004 Bulletin 2004/49 |
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Date of filing: 14.09.2001 |
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Method for the manufacturing of a mineral wool product and mineral wool product
Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Mineralwolleproduktes und Mineralwolleprodukt
Procédé de fabrication de produits en laine minérale et produit en laine minérale
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR |
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Date of publication of application: |
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19.03.2003 Bulletin 2003/12 |
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Proprietor: SAINT-GOBAIN ISOVER |
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92400 Courbevoie (FR) |
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Inventor: |
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- Hojholt, Susanne
7000 Fredericia (DK)
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Representative: GROSSE BOCKHORNI SCHUMACHER |
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Patent- und Rechtsanwälte
Forstenrieder Allee 59 81476 München 81476 München (DE) |
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References cited: :
WO-A-97/36034 US-A- 5 671 518
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US-A- 4 632 685
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] The present invention concerns a method for the manufacture of a mineral wool product,
especially a mineral wool board in accordance with the description of Claim 1, and
also concerns a mineral wool product, especially a mineral wool board, in accordance
with the description of Claim 6 hereinbelow. The invention relates in particular to
glass wool products and their manufacture.
[0002] Mineral wool products, especially when made of glass wool or rock wool, are mainly
used for heat insulation purposes and, more particularly, the heat insulation of buildings
in the area of roofs, walls and ceilings. To this end the mineral wool sheeting strips
or mineral wool boards are laid between rafters or beams and, whenever necessary,
attached to the rafters or beams by appropriately tacking the projecting edges of
aluminium linings; alternately, they may be inserted between the rafters and beams
by means of a pressure fit, in which case there is no need to fix them mechanically.
[0003] However, the heat insulation of roofs and the like gives rise to problems by virtue
of the fact that very often the distance between the rafters or beams is not the same,
but rather tends to differ even in one and the same building, so that it becomes necessary
for the heat insulation board or strip that is to be inserted between the rafters
or beams to be specially designed or prepared for these different distances between
the beams or rafters.
[0004] In this connection it is known that heat insulation sheeting, which is usually supplied
in the form of rolls, can be produced and kept in stock in finely graduated nominal
widths, so that an appropriate nominal width of sheeting can always be selected in
accordance with the particular distance between the rafters. But this leads to corresponding
cutting wastes. Furthermore, the need for making the sheeting available in such graduated
nominal widths requires large quantities of the individual products to be kept in
stock, and this in itself represents a considerable disadvantage.
[0005] An ingenious solution envisages the use of so-called crimped felts, i.e. mineral
wool sheeting of higher flexural rigidity, rolled up under pressure at the production
works to save space and provided on at least one of the large surfaces with transverse
markings in band form or the like, which can be used as guides for cutting the sheeting.
Appropriate lengths of the mineral wool sheeting can then be cut either along or parallel
to these transverse markings, the lengths of the sections being always made equal
to the clear distance between the rafters plus a small excess. The sections are thus
individually adapted to the rafters. Given the higher flexural rigidity, moreover,
once the sheeting has been unrolled, the cut sections are always available in board
form, as it were, and this led to the coinage of the slogan "a board from a roll";
furthermore, the fact that the oversized mineral wool sections are pressure-fitted
into the space between the rafters makes sure that the heat insulation will be devoid
of gaps even at the points where the sheeting bears against the rafters or beams.
[0006] US 5,671,518 discloses a method for processing mineral wool mats, comprising the
steps of producing fibres, providing a binder, depositing that fibres in the form
of a laminar mat on a production line and crimping that laminar mat by introducing
forces parallel to a surface of the laminar mat and in a direction of movement of
the laminar mat before the binder hardens.
[0007] Document WO 97/36034 discloses a mineral wool product comprising layers of different
densities bonded to each other.
[0008] There is also a need for alternative mineral wool products that can be used for heat
insulation between rafters or beams. The invention therefore sets out to create a
mineral wool product that will not give rise to cutting wastes and be characterized
by a carefully balanced relationship between flexibility and flexural rigidity, the
aim being, in particular, to create a method that will make it possible to set this
relationship between the flexibility and the flexural rigidity in an appropriate and
simple manner. The mineral wool board created in this manner should be simple to handle,
assure a wide range of possible uses due to the possibility of a quasi-inherent tolerance
compensation and should also be particularly suitable for being fixed in the space
between rafters or beams when buildings have to be insulated. In particular, the invention
should assure a firm seating of the mineral wool board and close contact with the
adjacent rafters or beams; perfect heat insulation also requires the seating to be
free of heat bridges.
[0009] In accordance with the invention, this task is solved by the features set out in
Claim 1 as far as the method is concerned, while in the case of the mineral wool product
it is solved by the features set out in Claim 6.
[0010] Advantageous further developments of both the method and the mineral wool product
are set out in the respective dependent claims.
[0011] In accordance with the invention a method for the manufacture of the mineral wool
product as per the invention is characterized by the fact that, prior to being hardened,
at least one section that delimits one of the two principal faces of the board or
sheeting strip is subjected to a so-called crimping process, a kind of crushing respectively
upsetting, in the longitudinal direction. Owing to this process the fibres in this
section tend to fold and assume an up and down pattern, whereas the fibres in the
adjacent section lying above it substantially retain their original orientation, i.e.
the fibre orientation in this section remains essentially parallel to the two principal
faces. The crimping process produces a higher density in the section that has been
crimped and this section will also be characterized by greater compressibility (a
kind of crinkled zone), whereas the properties of the adjacent layer or section, which
has not been crimped, will not have been modified and therefore remain substantially
as before. This produces the desired balanced relationship between flexibility and
flexural rigidity, a feature that is further facilitated by the enhanced density produced
by the crimping process.
[0012] For the purposes of the invention it will be advantageous to subject only a single
section to the crimping process, in particular, one of the sections that delimit one
of the principal faces and extend over the entire length of the board or sheeting.
[0013] The crimping process can be advantageously performed by means of conveyers arranged
in sequence and operated at different speeds and, more precisely, at gradually diminishing
speeds. A kind of rippling or goffering effect will thus be obtained at the interface
between adjacent conveyers operated at different speeds, because the upstream conveyer
will supply more mineral wool than is taken away by its downstream counterpart. In
this connection it will be advantageous if the conveyers are arranged below the mineral
wool sheeting, because in that case the self-weight of the lower section of the mineral
wool sheeting will subject it to the desired crimping process in a very controlled
manner. In general principle two conveyers operated at different speeds would be sufficient
for the desired crimping process to be rendered possible, but it will be more appropriate
to provide four such conveyers and, whenever necessary, more than four may also be
provided. Particularly advantageous is the use of endless conveyer belts. If necessary,
above the conveyer unit made up of the conveyers with gradually diminishing speeds
there may be arranged a conveyer or several conveyers to act almost as a holder-up
or counter-pad, in which case the crimping process may be carried out by the conveyers
in contact with the upper face of the mineral wool sheeting.
[0014] A uniform rippling effect will be obtained when the conveyer speeds also diminish
in a uniform manner. The greater the speed difference between successive conveyers,
the more intense will be the crimping process.
[0015] It will be appropriate for the speed of the fastest conveyer of the conveyer sequence
to be about 20% greater than the speed of the hardening kiln, while the speed differences
between successive conveyers should be of the order of 4%. The length of the carrying
run of the diminishing-speed conveyer sequence can also be used as a control parameter
for the crimping process. The shorter the carrying run of these conveyers, the more
intensive will be the crimping process and the resulting crimping structure. The thickness
of the section with the crushed fibres can likewise be determined by means of an appropriate
choice of the length of the conveyer belts, but also the distance between the conveyers.
[0016] The mineral wool product in accordance with the invention, especially the mineral
wool board, is characterized by the fact that it contains at least two sections with
different fibre orientations, and it will be advantageous if one of these sections
delimits one of the principal faces of the board and if the said section has a fibre
structure that has been produced by means of a crimping process. It will also be advantageous
for the mineral wool product to be made up of only two sections with different fibre
orientations. In that case the section that has been structured by means of the crimping
process can account for up to 90% of the total product thickness, but in general its
thickness will not exceed one third of this total thickness. In this way the product
can be given the desired finely balanced relationship between the flexibility and
the desired flexural rigidity.
[0017] A preferred implementation example will now be described with the help of two figures,
of which
- Figure 1
- shows the mineral wool board in accordance with the invention in its built-in position
between two beams of a ceiling, and
- Figure 2
- shows a side view of a conveyer system to explain the manufacturing method in accordance
with the invention.
Both figures are purely schematic and not to scale.
[0018] As is the normal practice in mineral wool production, the mineral wool board 1 shown
in Figure 1 is formed by cutting a certain length of mineral wool sheeting that was
produced by collecting mineral wool fibres on a conveyer belt, adding a binding agent
and then passing the whole through a kiln (furnace) for hardening. When mineral sheeting
is produced in this manner, the greater part of the fibres are oriented parallel to
the conveyer belt surface on which they are collected and therefore parallel to the
two principal faces of the sheeting. In Figure 1 the two principal faces of the mineral
wool board have been assigned the numbers 2 and 3.
[0019] As schematically shown in Figure 1, the mineral wool board 1 of the illustrated implementation
example consists of two sections with different fibre alignments or orientations,
namely a section 4 that delimits or constitutes the upper principal face 2 of the
board 1 and a lower section 5 that delimits or constitutes the opposite principal
face 3 of the board 1 . Due to the described method of producing the sheeting, the
fibres in the upper section 4 are substantially parallel to the two principal face
2 and 3 . The fibres in the lower section 5 , on the other hand, are rippled and/or
folded in the manner of a meandering river, a state of affairs that is obtained by
means of the crimping process to be described with the help of Figure 2. It can be
seen that the fibres in the lower section 5 are no longer predominantly parallel to
the principal faces of the board, the fibres being rather characterized by an up and
down pattern and a limited parallel alignment, so that the structure in a certain
sense can be broadly described also as a wavelike structure. Owing to this fibre pattern,
the flexibility of board 1 is rather greater than that of a board in which all the
fibres are substantially parallel to the principal faces. Owing to the partial crimping
process, moreover, section 5 will have a greater density and this, in its turn, constitutes
an advantage inasmuch as it enhances the rigidity, a desired feature that facilitates
handling when the mineral wool board has to be inserted or pressed into the space
between rafters or beams and also has favourable effects on the contact between the
board and the rafters or beams. The board is therefore particularly suitable whenever
the board does not have to be self-supporting in retaining its positions between the
rafters or beams, but the rafters or beams have some kind of closure on their underside,
wooden boarding for example, in which case the mineral wood board 1 can be inserted
from above.
[0020] In the implementation example illustrated in Figure 1 the upper section 5 , which
has undergone the additional crimping treatment, and the lower section 4 , which has
not undergone this treatment, are of roughly the same thickness, so that the thickness
of the upper section 4 and the thickness of the lower section 5 account for roughly
50% of the total board thickness each. It should however be noted that the transition
between the treated section 5 and the untreated section 4 , where the fibres have
remained substantially parallel to the principal faces of the board, is gradual, i.e.
the passage from the rippled fibres of the treated section 5 to the parallel alignment
of the fibres of the untreated section 4 is not sudden, but the rippled and more or
less wavelike or up and down pattern of the fibres tends to flatten in the direction
of the parallel alignment and to constitute a transition section, as has been roughly
indicated in Figure 1. The intensity of the crimping process can be regulated by appropriate
setting of the operating parameters and the rippling of the fibres can therefore be
made either more or less pronounced.
[0021] By way of example, the mineral wool board 1 shown in Figure 1, which may in particular
be made of glass wool, has a length L (prior to being built in) of 980 mm and a width
of 600 mm. The thickness of the illustrated implementation example amounts to 150
mm. These values may however be freely chosen according to the particular application
and are not to be understood as limitative in any way. In actual fact the dimensions
of the board or the sheeting can be chosen to match the proposed application. As brought
out by a comparison between the board as such (upper part of the figure) and the board
in its built-in position (lower part of the figure), the board 1 is made available
in such a way that its length L, here 980 mm, is slightly greater than the clear distance
between the rafters. When the board 1 has to be built in, it is first compressed in
the longitudinal direction and then pressed between the beams 6 of a ceiling 7 , the
clear distance between the beams amounting to 960 mm. This means that the board is
kept in position between the beams 6 by means of the pressure fit caused by the elastic
restoring force built up during the insertion operation. The excess length Ü is indicated
in Figure 1 and in this particular case amounts to about 2% of the length L of the
board 1. When boards have to be inserted between rafters or beams, it will generally
be appropriate to work with excess lengths Ü in the range between 1.5 and 5%.
[0022] Figure 2 shows the customary conveyer belt 8 transporting a strip or blanket 10 of
mineral wool sheeting on its carrying run 9 ; the said mineral wool strip comes from
the mineral wool production plant and the adjustable calibration roll 10' is used
to bring it to the required thickness. As a general rule, the sheeting will then pass
over the two conveyers 11 and 12 of a hardening kiln, where the binding agent is hardened
to form the finished mineral wool sheeting strip.
[0023] With a view to forming the mineral wool board or sheeting in accordance with the
present invention, however, at least two and preferably four additional conveyers
14-17 (as shown in the figure) have to be provided before the hardening kiln 13 ,
the said conveyers being here shown as endless belt conveyers. These conveyer belts
are here arranged below the mineral wool strip or blanket 18 that is being taken to
the hardening kiln 13 , so that the mineral wool strip 17 is being carried on these
conveyers 14-17 until just before it enters the hardening kiln 13 . These conveyers
are arranged in immediate sequence and each downstream conveyer, say the conveyer
14 , is operated at a smaller speed than the immediately following upstream conveyer,
here the conveyer 15 . This means that the speed of the conveyers 17-14 gradually
diminishes from conveyer 17 to conveyer 14 and in the implementation example here
illustrated the reduction from conveyer 17 to conveyer 14 is effected in three identical
steps. But such a uniform speed reduction from one conveyer to the next is not by
any means obligatory. Rather, the successive speed reductions may differ, always provided
that the consequent differences in the crimping structure are desired. In the implementation
example here shown, if we take the transporting speed of the conveyers to be 100%,
it will be appropriate for the conveyer 17 to be operated at a speed of 116% and the
three subsequent conveyers at speeds of, respectively, 112%, 108% and 104%. In this
case the conveyer 8 will be operated at 120%, so that advantageously there will be
five transitions between conveyers operated at different speeds. This will produce
the staged rippling structure with the up and down pattern of the fibres shown and
described in Figure 1.
[0024] If necessary and as shown in Figure 2, use may also be made of a conveyer 19 arranged
above the mineral wool sheeting strip and the conveyers 14-17 or also several such
conveyers arranged in sequence, though all these conveyers will have to be operated
at the same speed if interference with the essentially parallel alignment of the fibres
in the upper section of the mineral wool strip is to be avoided. Nevertheless, such
upper conveyers can also be used to crimp the mineral wool strip and thus to modify
its fibre structure. But even when such upper conveyers are installed, the crimping
process can also be carried out without them, for all that has to be done is to set
them at a certain distance from the upper face of the mineral wool strip carried on
the conveyers 14-17 .
[0025] As can be seen, the method in accordance with Figure 2 can be used to produce an
endless mineral wool strip with a desired crimping structure in the lower section,
though it is equally possible to produce strips or boards of limited length. It will
however be advantageous to produce an endless strip, in which case the required mineral
wool boards can be obtained by appropriately sectioning the strip as it leaves the
hardening kiln.
[0026] Overall, the mineral wool product in accordance with the invention makes it possible
to provide heat insulation between rafters and beams without wasting material, since
this product, given the partial crimping process to which it has been subjected, possesses
an appropriate crinkling zone and can therefore compensate 1.5 - 5% of the clear distance
between the rafters or beams without any problems. Lastly, the slight loss suffered
by the so-called λ-value as a result of the fibre realignment caused by the crimpling
process is compensated by the fact that the initial gross density - which may lie
in the range between 8 and 30 kg/m
3, and particularly between 15 and 20 kg/m
3 - is stepped up by about 0.5 kg/m
3 as a result of the crimping process.
1. A method for the manufacture of a mineral wool product, especially a mineral wool
board, in which the mineral wool fibres are collected on a conveyer, receiving the
addition of a binding agent, to form a board or a sheeting strip, the alignment of
the said fibres being substantially parallel to the two principal faces of the board
or strip or the collection surface of the conveyer, and in which the board or strip
is subsequently hardened, characterized in that only one of the two sections (4, 5) delimiting the principal faces (2, 3) of the
board or strip is subjected to a crimping process before being hardened.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that with a view to triggering the crimping process the board or strip is passed over
at least two conveyers (14-17), preferably belt conveyers, that are operated at different
speeds, each downstream conveyer (14) being operated at a smaller speed than the conveyer
(15) situated immediately upstream of it.
3. A method in accordance with any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that four or five conveyers (14-17) are arranged in sequence and operated at different
speeds.
4. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating speeds of successive conveyers are uniformly reduced.
5. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating speed of the fastest conveyer is about 20% greater than the speed of
the conveyer belts (11, 12) of the hardening kiln (13).
6. A mineral wool product, especially a mineral wool board for the heat insulation of
roofs, walls and ceilings, wherein the board (1) consists of at least two sections
(4, 5) with different fibre orientations, that the sections (4, 5) with different
fibre orientation extend parallel to the two opposite principal faces (2, 3) of the
product or the board, and that one of the sections (5) delimits one of the principal
faces (3) and the fibres in this section (5) are rippled and/or curled and/or form
meanders in the longitudinal direction, characterized in that the transition from one (5) of the at least two sections (4, 5) with different fibre
orientations, which is crimpled, to the other (4), non-crimpled section of the sections
with different fibre orientations is not jump-like and takes place gradually.
7. A mineral wool product in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the fibres in the section (4) delimiting the other principal face (2) are substantially
aligned parallel to the plane of the principal face (2, 3).
8. A mineral wool product in accordance with any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the product consists of only two sections with different fibre orientation.
9. A mineral wool product in accordance with any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the gross density amounts to 8-30 kg/m3, especially 15-20 kg/m3.
10. A mineral wool product in accordance any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the section (5) has a thickness of up to 90% of the total product thickness, especially
up to one third of the said product thickness.
11. A mineral wool product in accordance any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the gross density of the crimpled section (5) is about 6-8% greater than the gross
density of the non-crimpled section (4).
12. A mineral wool product in accordance any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the fibre orientation in the crimpled section (5) is formed by a predominantly meander-
or wavelike structure (fibres up and down with respect to the plane parallel to the
two principal faces).
13. A mineral wool product in accordance any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that when the mineral wool board (1) is to be built in between rafters or beams, it is
made available with a length that exceeds the clear distance between the rafters or
beams by between 1.5 and 5.0 %, preferably 2 %
1. Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Mineralwolleproduktes, insbesondere einer Mineralwolleplatte,
bei dem die Mineralwollefasern unter Bindemittelzugabe auf einem Förderer zur Bildung
einer Platte oder Bahn gesammelt werden, wobei die Fasern im wesentlichen parallel
zu den beiden großen Hauptflächen bzw. zur Sammelfläche des Förderers gerichtet sind,
und bei dem die Platte oder Bahn danach ausgehärtet wird, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass nur einer der beiden die großen Hauptflächen (2, 3) begrenzenden Abschnitte (4, 5)
der Platte oder Bahn einem Crimping-Prozess unterzogen wird.
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Platte oder Bahn zum Einleiten des Crimping-Prozesses über mindestens zwei hintereinander
angeordnete Förderer (14-17), vorzugsweise Förderbänder geführt wird, deren Fördergeschwindigkeit
divergiert, wobei jeweils der stromabwärtige Förderer (14) mit geringerer Fördergeschwindigkeit
umläuft als der hierzu stromaufwärtig angeordnete Förderer (15).
3. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass vier oder fünf hintereinander geschaltete Förderer (14-17) mit divergierender Fördergeschwindigkeit
vorgesehen sind.
4. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die divergierenden Fördergeschwindigkeiten gleichmäßig abgestuft sind.
5. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Fördergeschwindigkeit des schnellsten Förderers etwa 20 % größer als die der
Förderbänder (11, 12) des Aushärteofens (13).
6. Mineralwolleprodukt, insbesondere Mineralwolleplatte für die Wärmedämmung von Dächern,
Wänden und Decken, wobei die Platte (1) mindestens zwei Abschnitte (4, 5) mit unterschiedlicher
Faserorientierung aufweist, sich die Abschnitte (4, 5) mit unterschiedlicher Faserorientierung
parallel zu den beiden großen gegenüberliegenden Hauptflächen (2, 3) des Produkts
bzw. der Platte erstrecken, und dass einer der Abschnitte (5) eine der Hauptflächen
(3) begrenzt und die Fasern in diesem Abschnitt (5) längsgestaucht und/oder gekräuselt
und/oder mäanderartig sind, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Übergang von einer (5) der wenigsten zwei Abschnitte (4, 5) mit unterschiedlicher
Faserorientierung, welche gecrimpt ist, gegenüber dem anderen (4), nicht gecrimpten
Abschnitt der Abschnitte mit unterschiedlicher Faserorientierung , fließend, d. h.
allmählich ist.
7. Mineralwolleprodukt nach Anspruch 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Fasern in dem die andere Hauptfläche (2) begrenzenden Abschnitt (4) im wesentlichen
parallel zur Ebene der Hauptflächen (2, 3) gerichtet sind.
8. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 oder 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Produkt nur zwei Abschnitte (4, 5) mit unterschiedlicher Faserorientierung aufweist.
9. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Rohdichte 8-30 kg/m3, insbesondere 15-20 kg/m3 beträgt.
10. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Abschnitt (5) eine Dicke bis zu 90 % der Produktdicke aufweist, insbesondere
bis zu 1/3 der Produktdicke ausmacht .
11. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 10, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Rohdichte des gestauchten Abschnitts (5) etwa 6-8 % größer als die Rohdichte
des ungestauchten Abschnitts (4) ist.
12. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Faserorientierung im gestauchten Abschnitt (5) durch eine überwiegend mäanderartige
oder wellenartige Struktur (Auf und Ab der Fasern aus der Ebene parallel zu den beiden
Hauptflächen) gebildet ist.
13. Mineralwolleprodukt nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 12, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Mineralwollplatte (1) für den Einbau zwischen Sparren oder Balken mit einem Übermaß
von 1,5-5, vorzugsweise 2 % gegenüber dem lichten Maß zwischen den Sparren und Balken
bereitgestellt ist.
1. Procédé de fabrication d'un produit de laine de roche, spécialement d'une plaque de
laine de roche, dans lequel les fibres de laine de roche sont collectées sur un convoyeur,
recevant l'adjonction d'un agent liant pour former une plaque ou une bande de revêtement,
l'alignement desdites fibres étant essentiellement parallèle aux deux faces principales
de la plaque ou de la bande ou à la surface de collecte du convoyeur, et dans lequel
la plaque ou la bande est ultérieurement durcie, caractérisé en ce que seule l'une des sections (4,5) délimitant les faces principales (2, 3) de la plaque
ou de la bande est soumise à un processus d'ondulation avant d'être durcie.
2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce qu'en vue de déclencher le processus d'ondulation, la plaque ou la bande passe sur au
moins deux convoyeurs (14, 17), de préférence des convoyeurs à bande, qui sont actionnés
à des vitesses différentes, chaque convoyeur aval (14) étant actionné à une vitesse
plus petite que le convoyeur (15) situé immédiatement en amont.
3. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que quatre ou cinq convoyeurs (14 - 17) sont disposés successivement et actionnés à des
vitesses différentes.
4. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que les vitesses de fonctionnement des convoyeurs successifs sont réduites de façon uniforme.
5. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que la vitesse de fonctionnement du convoyeur le plus rapide est d'environ 20% supérieure
à la vitesse des convoyeurs à bande (11, 12) du four de durcissement (13).
6. Produit en laine de roche, spécialement plaque de laine de roche destinée à l'isolation
thermique de toits, de parois et de plafonds, dans lequel la plaque (1) est constituée
d'au moins deux sections (4, 5) présentant des orientations de fibres différentes,
en ce que les sections (4, 5) ayant une orientation de fibres différente s'étendent
parallèlement aux deux faces principales opposées (2, 3) du produit ou de la plaque,
et en ce que l'une des sections (5) délimite l'une des faces principales (3) et en
ce que les fibres de cette section (5) sont ondulées et/ou bouclées et/ou forment
des méandres dans la direction longitudinale, caractérisé en ce que la transition de l'une (5) des au moins deux sections (4, 5) présentant des orientations
de fibres différentes, laquelle est ondulée, à l'autre (4) section sans ondulation
des sections présentant des orientations de fibres différentes, n'est pas brutale
et se produit progressivement.
7. Produit en laine de roche selon la revendication 6 caractérisé en ce que les fibres de la section (4) délimitant l'autre face principale (2) sont essentiellement
alignées parallèlement au plan de la face principale (2, 3).
8. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 ou 7, caractérisé en ce que le produit est constitué de seulement deux sections présentant une orientation de
fibres différente.
9. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 8, caractérisé en ce que la densité globale s'élève de 8 à 30 kg/m3, spécialement de 15 à 20 kg/m3.
10. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 9, caractérisé en ce que la section (5) présente une épaisseur allant jusqu'à 90% de l'épaisseur totale du
produit, de façon spécifique atteignant jusqu'au tiers de ladite épaisseur du produit.
11. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à10, caractérisé en ce que la densité globale de la section ondulée (5) est environ de 6 à 8% plus grande que
la densité globale de la section sans ondulation (4).
12. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 11, caractérisé en ce que l'orientation des fibres dans la section ondulée (5) est formée, de façon prédominante,
par une structure en forme de vague ou de méandres (les fibres s'élevant et descendant
par rapport au plan parallèle aux deux faces principales).
13. Produit en laine de roche selon l'une quelconque des revendications 6 à 12, caractérisé en ce que, lorsque la plaque de laine de roche (1) doit être encastrée entre des chevrons ou
des poutres, elle est fabriquée de façon disponible avec une longueur qui dépasse
la distance nette entre les chevrons ou les poutres de 1,5 à 5,0%, de préférence,
de 2%.

