Owens-corning Fiberglas Corporation

George E Smock

Gerhard N Bolen

Homer G Hill

Sidney G Dunbar

Gregory C Brock, Jr

Kenneth L Austin

Sidney C Dunbar

A porous article with a special finish treatment is provided, the article typically being an article of furniture, such as a cabinet door, by way of illustration. The article can be made of a molding compound comprising discrete glass fibers which can be produced by milling cured phenolic-bonded glass fibers. A coupling agent or binder is added to the milled fibers and the combination formed and cured under heat and pressure into the shape of the article. The surface of the formed article is porous and, in fact, the article is porous throughout its thickness. This presents a substantial problem in applying a satisfactory finish. To overcome this, with the article at an elevated temperature, it is immersed in a liquid containing particles in suspension, i.e. polyester liquid containing talc. Because the article is at an elevated temperature, there is less air within the interstices or pores thereof and when the article is in the sealing liquid at a substantially lower temperature, penetration effectively occurs to provide a smooth, substantially non-porous surface which is ready to receive a finish coating. The talc particles fill pores in the surface of the article and limit the extent of penetration of the liquid.

Method of finishing the surface of a porous body

A fibrous body which includes at least two layers of strands of continuous filaments and binder particles in each layer. One of the layers has filaments of the strands therein at least partially dispersed to form a mesh size which entraps binder particles therein which have a mesh size larger than the mesh size of the dispersed filament layer, as well as smaller size particles lodged at intersections and crossovers. Another layer has strands which form a mesh size which do not necessarily entrap binder particles but may retain particles therein at interstices of strands. The fibrous body has a binder content in the dispersed filament layer which is larger per unit volume than the binder content of the other layer. Preferably a plurality of successive layers of continuous multi-filament strands are deposited on a collecting surface in a mat-like mass. Binder particles are distributed throughout the mat-like mass, the binder particles having a mesh size with respect to the mesh size of the layers which enable circulation of the binder particles throughout the mat-like mass. The strands in one of the layers are opended to separate the filaments of the strands from each other and change the mesh size of that layer to mechanically entrap binder particles therein. The excess binder particles are removed from the mat-like mass to provide a first layer with a higher percentage binder content than the remaining layer or layers in the mat-like mass.

Fibrous bodies and method and apparatus for producing same

There is disclosed herein in a preferred embodiment a fibrous body which includes at least two layers of strands of continuous filaments and binder particles in each layer. One of the layers has filaments of the strands therein at least partially dispersed to form a mesh size which entraps binder particles therein which have a mesh size larger than the mesh size of the dispersed filament layer, as well as smaller size particles lodged at intersections and crossovers. Another lever has strands which form a mesh size which do not necessarily entrap binder particles but may retain particles therein at interstices of strands. The fibrous body has a binder content in the dispersed filament layer which is larger per unit volume than the binder content in the other layer. There is also disclosed a method for producing a fibrous body having variable mesh sizes or characteristics by selectively filamentizing strands or a layer of strands already in place in a mat-like collection of strands. There is further disclosed a preferred method and apparatus for selectively distributing binder in a multi-layer mat-like mass to produce the novel product of this invention. In the preferred method the plurality of successive layers of continuous multi-filament strands are deposited on a collecting surface in a mat-like mass. Binder particles are distributed throughout the mat-like mass, the binder particles having a mesh size with respect to the mesh size of the layers which enable circulation of the binder particles throughout the mat-like mass. The strands in one of the layers are opened to separate the filaments of the strands from each other and change the mesh size of that layer to mechanically entrap binder particles therein. The excess binder particles are removed from the mat-like mass to provide a first layer with a higher percentage binder content than the remaining layer or layers in the mat-like mass.

Growing community of inventors

Heath, OH, United States of America

George E Smock