BE898915A - Organic polymerised foam prods. reinforced with various fibres - can be open or closed cell, biodegradable and suitable for insulation packaging and construction - Google Patents

Abstract

A series of organic polymerised foam prods. reinforced with various fibres are claimed including (1) biodegradable foams in which the proportion of organic fibres and expanded material is much greater than that of polyurethanes etc. These are open-cell open-celled, rigid foams which are biodegradable and can be recycled. Partic. suitable for packaging. (2) A foamed paper prod. of high fibre content which is esp. suitable for construction panels. (3) A closed cell foam prod. which is readily moulded and formed for use as thermal and acoustic insulation.

Description

       

  Polymerized organic foams with reinforcement

  
 <EMI ID = 1.1>

DESCRIPTION

  
Based on the fact that the foams derived from ureters (polyuretanes) or various plastics (polyethylene) (polystyrene) are expensive and not biodegradable, the idea was to improve the foams of existing organic products based on starch or various flours. The defects of these are: friability, hygroscopicity, lack of flexibility, (too brittle) and instability. They exist in food and are produced by extrusion or lifting (snacks, various sparkling cookies).

  
Their own characteristics are based on the fact that their hollow cells are irregular and most often open, letting escape the contained gases, or, conversely, sensitive to the penetration of water vapors weakening their mechanical or insulating characteristics.

  
The addition of a variable proportion of mechanical structuring agents

  
and combinable chemicals, remedies these defects while giving them either sufficient rigidity or plasticity as well as a variable proportion of closed or open cells depending on the destinations (insulation, or filling and packaging industry).

  
Two of the basic products are foamable:

  
 <EMI ID = 2.1>

  
cationic, dextrins etc ...) are foamable by the addition of leaveners (bicarbonates etc.silicates of alumina) or any leavening gas (C02, freon, propane and others).

  
The usual production processes are extrusion (sudden decompression of a compressed product prepared for this purpose.) Other process: A sheet containing the lifting additives in

  
foaming course.

  
 <EMI ID = 3.1>

  
Foams based on uroformols and others, are foamable by gas-producing reagents: by adding CO2 injections of freons and other gases, we obtain very numerous foams, flexible or rigid, with closed or open cells depending on the type of components used.

  
Polyurethane foams when a small amount of water is added to them, produce, by reaction, CO2 (foaming gas) and H2O (water vapor) with release of a thermal reaction: normal; the cells in this case are closed, given the low pressure of C02 and H20 (vapor). When you increase the amount of water, there is an increase in gas pressure and a stronger thermal reaction destroying the cell walls, hence the open cells. The reagents can be assisted by injecting freons (cooling gas) which improves the foaming property and prevents breakage of the walls.

  
These components result in a very large range of foams

  
 <EMI ID = 4.1>

  
mées and small thin walls. These will therefore be opened or closed depending on whether the gaseous reactants are based on C02 or freons. The closed cells are used more particularly for insulation, when they are semi-flexible and for molding automotive-type parts (cushions, handles, etc.). The open cells are used for filling sandwich products (doors etc.) or

  
 <EMI ID = 5.1>

  
recyclable products.

  
The combination of these various foaming products (organic, polymers, etc.) are completely compatible. The same is true of the combination with fibers of all kinds (disassembled paper and cardboard. Synthetic fibers or fiberglass) . The pre-

  
 <EMI ID = 6.1>

  
The invention consists of the combination of these various products mentioned, leading to the creation of a series of new foams to be classified into three main types:
A) Biodegradable foams, whose proportions of fibers and foamed organic products are much higher than uroformols (or the various polyurethanes). They are open and rigid cells and, given their biodegradable and recyclable nature, are intended for a new niche in the packaging industry and more particularly corrugated cardboard (small and medium-sized boots, large containers or cases heavy transport format),

  
It will bear the name of Cartomousse I.

  
The manufacturing processes are similar to those of corrugated cardboard. With a slight modification of the main machine (corrugator) by adding a foam injection ramp after the production phase of the rod element &#65533; =

  
 <EMI ID = 7.1>

  
inside the box. It will have a stiffening effect on the various sheets making up the carton and will allow, by the low cost price of the new product, to save some

  
 <EMI ID = 8.1>

  
metric weight to achieve much higher performance.

  
The complete replacement of the groove by a complete filling of the space between the sheets of paper constituting the corrugated cardboard constitutes a final phase of the process.

  
This new product requires a deeper transformation of the corrugator (removal of the fluting elements) as well as the addition of a battery of microwave ovens to accelerate the drying phase which becomes a real cooking at low temperature. The phase before cooking
(foam expansion phase) will be activated by suction of gases through the papers limiting the foam space.

  
This latter process is an innovation that will help reduce the space required for foam expansion.

  
The engineering of this new product: Caromousse I, makes it possible to plan a production machine much more