United States Gypsum Company

James Wittbold

Alfred C Li

Chris C Lee

William Rago

Weixin David Song

Cesar Chan

Ronald Edward Schenck

Bruce Lynn Petersen

Michael Patrick Shake

David R Blackburn

Christopher Robert Nelson

Richard James Haszel

Ronald E Schenck

Brent E Groza

Curt Loring

Qingxia Liu

Mark K Hemphill

Runhai Lu

W David Song

Sharon Louise Tracy

John L Fall

Amit P Duvedi

Curtis B Loring

Wayne A Fleming

Luis Carrazco

Chris Lee Nelson

Salvatore C Immordino, Jr

Naveen Punati

Steven Burdett Johnson

Phillip Parker

Bill Rago

Christopher C Lee

Kirk S Moore

Wilford Gary Pittman

Stanley C Brown

Christopher Shumway

William J Rago

A multi-piece mold for use in a method for making a slurry distributor includes a plurality of mold segments adapted to be removably secured together. The mold segments are configured such that, when the mold segments are assembled together, the assembled mold segments define a substantially continuous exterior surface adapted to be a negative image of an interior flow region of a slurry distributor molded thereupon. Each mold segment has a maximum cross-sectional area in a plane substantially transverse to a direction of movement of the mold segment along a removal path out of a respective opening of the molded slurry distributor. The maximum cross-sectional area of each mold segment is up to about 150% of the smallest area of the interior flow region of the molded slurry distributor through which the mold segment traverses when moving along the respective removal path.

Multi-piece mold and method of making slurry distributor

A flow splitter can include an inlet conduit and first and second outlet conduits separated by a junction portion. The inlet conduit can include an inlet end and a junction end. The inlet conduit is disposed along a main flow axis extending between the inlet end and the junction end. The inlet end defines an inlet opening. The junction end defines first and second junction openings. The first junction opening is disposed in spaced relationship to the second junction opening. The junction portion is disposed at the junction end of the inlet conduit between the first and second junction openings. The junction portion includes a substantially planar wall region that is substantially perpendicular to the main flow axis. The flow splitter can be placed in fluid communication with a cementitious slurry mixer and a slurry distributor with the flow splitter disposed therebetween.

Flow splitter for slurry distribution system

A slurry distributor for use in a continuous manufacturing process includes an inlet opening and a shaped duct adapted to receive a flow of slurry provided at the inlet opening. The shaped duct has a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of slurry. An outlet opening in fluid communication with the shaped duct is adapted to discharge the flow of slurry from the slurry distributor.

Slurry distribution system and method

A slurry distribution system can include a feed conduit and a distribution conduit in fluid communication therewith. The feed conduit can include a first feed inlet and a second feed inlet disposed in spaced relationship thereto. The distribution conduit can extend generally along a longitudinal axis and include an entry portion and a distribution outlet in fluid communication therewith. The entry portion is in fluid communication with the first and second feed inlets of the feed conduit. The distribution outlet extends a predetermined distance along a transverse axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The slurry distribution system can be placed in fluid communication with a gypsum slurry mixer adapted to agitate water and calcined gypsum to form an aqueous calcined gypsum slurry.

Slurry distributor, system and method for using same

A foam injection system for use in the manufacture of cementitious products includes a foam injection body and first and second port inserts. The foam injection body defines a slurry passageway and a port passageway having a port opening in fluid communication with the slurry passageway. The first and second port inserts respectively define first and second foam passageways having first and second orifice sizes. The first and second orifice sizes are different. The first and second port inserts are adapted to removably mount to the foam injection body such that the respective foam passageway is in fluid communication with the slurry passageway via the port opening of the port passageway. One port insert can be replaced with another to readily vary the pressure of the foam passing through the particular port insert and injected into a cementitious slurry traveling through the slurry passageway.

Foam injection system with variable port inserts for slurry mixing and dispensing apparatus

A slurry distributor includes a feed conduit and a distribution conduit in fluid communication therewith. The feed conduit includes an entry segment with a feed inlet and a feed entry outlet in fluid communication therewith and extending along a first feed flow axis. The feed conduit includes a shaped duct having a bulb portion in fluid communication with the feed entry outlet. The feed conduit includes a transition segment in fluid communication with the bulb portion and extending along a second feed flow axis in non-parallel relationship with the first feed flow axis. The bulb portion has an area of expansion with a cross-sectional flow area that is greater than a cross-sectional flow area of an adjacent area upstream from the area of expansion. The shaped duct has a convex interior surface in confronting relationship with the feed entry outlet of the entry segment.

Slurry distributor, system, and method for using same

A cementitious slurry mixing and dispensing system includes a mixer, a discharge conduit, and a pulser assembly. The discharge conduit is in fluid communication with the mixer. The pulser assembly is adapted to periodically compress a portion of the discharge conduit. The pulser assembly can include a compression member adapted to contactingly engage the portion of the discharge conduit and a drive mechanism adapted to selectively move the compression member into compressing engagement with the discharge conduit such that the part of the interior wall surface underlying the compressed portion is flexed.

Cementitious slurry mixing and dispensing system with pulser assembly and method for using same

A slurry distributor can include a feed conduit and a distribution conduit in fluid communication therewith. The feed conduit can include a first and second feed inlets disposed in spaced relationship to each other. The distribution conduit can extend generally along a longitudinal axis and include an entry portion and a distribution outlet in fluid communication therewith. The entry portion is in fluid communication with the first and second feed inlets of the feed conduit. The distribution outlet extends a predetermined distance along a transverse axis. The first and second feed inlets each has an opening with a cross-sectional area. The entry portion of the distribution conduit has an opening with a cross-sectional area which is greater than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the openings of the first and second feed inlets. The slurry distributor can be placed in fluid communication with a gypsum slurry mixer.

A discharge gate is provided for a gypsum slurry mixer, and includes a lower member having an inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry, and an outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device. An upper member is attached to the lower member, at least one of the upper and lower members having at least one opening for accommodating insertion of an injection port for introducing the foam to the slurry. A cavity is configured for mixing the foam and slurry, and is defined by inner surfaces of the lower member and the upper member.

Slurry mixer gate with enhanced flow and foaming geometry

A slurry distributor can include a distribution conduit and a profiling mechanism. The distribution conduit extends generally along a longitudinal axis and includes an entry portion and a distribution outlet in fluid communication with the entry portion. The distribution outlet extends a predetermined distance along a transverse axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The distribution outlet includes an outlet opening having a width, along the transverse axis, and a height, along a vertical axis mutually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis. The profiling mechanism includes a profiling member in contacting relationship with the distribution conduit and movable over a range of travel such that the profiling member is in a range of positions over which it is in increasing compressive engagement with a portion of the distribution conduit adjacent the distribution outlet to vary the shape and/or size of the outlet opening.

Slurry distributor with a profiling mechanism, system, and method for using same

A multi-leg discharge boot can include an inlet conduit and first and second outlet conduits separated by a junction portion. The inlet conduit includes an entry segment, a transition segment and a heel portion disposed therebetween. The inlet conduit can include an inlet end and a junction end. A junction portion is disposed at the junction end of the inlet conduit between first and second junction openings. The junction portion includes a substantially planar wall region that is substantially perpendicular to a main flow discharge axis.

Multiple-leg discharge boot for slurry distribution

A discharge gate is provided for delivering a mixed slurry from a gypsum slurry mixer, and includes a first extractor port configured for generating a first density slurry for a first gypsum layer, and a second extractor port configured for generating a second density slurry for a second gypsum layer. A channel is defined by a front panel and a side panel of the discharge gate for delivering the first and second density slurries from the slurry mixer. The first extractor port extends semi-tangentially from the front panel of the discharge gate, and is connected in fluid communication with the front panel via the channel and a first slurry passageway disposed within the first extractor port for delivering the first density slurry.

Slurry mixer gate having enhanced extractor ports

A discharge gate for a gypsum slurry mixer is provided, and includes a gate adapter having an inlet opening configured for receiving the slurry, and an outlet opening configured for delivering the slurry to a dispensing device. The gate adapter has two different transitioning cross-sectional geometries at opposite ends. Specifically, the gate adapter includes an inlet section having a quadrilateral inlet opening; an outlet section having a substantially circular outlet opening; and a transition section sandwiched between the inlet and outlet sections.

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Des Plaines, IL, United States of America

James Wittbold