IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF INSULATING MATERIALS OR ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN AMBROSE FLEMING, of 3, Greenhill Villas, Hampstead, in the County
of Middlesex, Doctor of Science, do hereby declaro the nature of my said invon-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF INSULATING
MATERIALS OR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relating to the preparation or production of insulating inaterials.
or articles has reference to improvements upon a former Invention in respect of
which I obtained Letters Patent dated the 22nd May 1882 N° 2414, and my present
Invention has for its object obtaining greater coherence of the ingredients of
which the material or articlo is composed, and also preventing the expansion of the
material or article during the operation of moulding.
In carrying out my Invention in order to effect this object I take wood in a
finely divided condition or other vegetable. fibrous material such for example as
wood-flour, bran, straw, cotton, jute, hemp, papier-maché, in a finely divided
condition, and having thoroughly desiccated the same in a vacuum or by super-
heated steam or otherwise, I saturate or impregnate it under pressure or not with
a mixture consisting of melted Bituinen or Asphalte incorporated with silicate of
magnesia, or silicate of lime, or silicate of iron or silicate of alumina or two or
more of such silicates used in conjunction, and with amber-resin or other resin
having a high melting point such for example as Kauri-resin, and 1 then mould the
mass under pressure into the required shape.
The proportions in which the several ingredients of the material are used may
be varied, but a material composed of about equal parts by weight of the finely
divided vegetable fibrous material, the Bitumen or Asphalte, the silicate or silicates
and the amber-resin or equivalent resin will give good results. The proportion of
the silicato or silicates cinployed may however be increased to say about 35 per
cent of the weight of the finished material and the proportion of the finely-
divided vegetable material, may be slightly reduced, but a quantity of finely
divided vegetable material equal to say about 20 per cent of the weight of the
finished material will generally be found essential.
The silicates before mentioned may be obtained from any available source
whether natural or artificial.

page_text: I JOHN AMBROSE FLEMING of 3 Greenhill Villas, Hampstead, in the County of
Middlesex, Doctor of Science do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF INSULATING MATERIALS
OR ARTICLES," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention relating to the preparation or production of insulating materials
or articles, has reference to improvements upon a former Invention in respect of
which I obtained Letters Patent dated the 22nd May 1882, No 2414, and my
present Invention has for its object obtaining greater coherence of the ingredients
of which the material or article is composed and also preventing the expansion of
the material or article during the operation of moulding.
In carrying out my Invention in order to effect this object, I take wood in a
finely divided condition, or other vegetable fibrous material, such for example as
wood-flour, bran, straw, cotton, jute, hemp, papier-maché, in a finely divided
condition, and having thoroughly desiccated the same in a vacuum or by super-
heated steam or otherwise, I saturate or impregnate it under pressure or not with a
mixture consisting of melted bitumen or asphalte,. incorporated with silicate of
magnesia, or silicate of lime, or silicate of iron, or silicate of alumina, or two or
more of such silicates used in conjunction, and with amber-resin or other resin
having a high melting point, such for example as Kauri-resin, and I then mould
the mass under pressure into the required shape.
The silicates before mentioned may be derived from any available source whether
natural or artificial. Good results have been obtained by the use in conjunction (in
the proportion of say about equal parts by weight) of Steatite and a fibrous variety
of Hornblende, but Silicate cotton prepared from blast furnace slag has been
advantageously employed as an equivalent in the mixture for either the Steatite or
the Hornblende.
In preparing the mixture the bitumen or asphalte and resin, after having been
purified by a process of melting, are separately reduced to a very fine state of
division, and are then mixed together in the proportion of any about equal parts
by weight. These ingredients thus ground up and mixed together aro next melted
in a pan by any suitable means, and a weight of dried silicates say about equal to
that of the bitumen or asphalte and resin together is added to them, the mixture
being maintained at a temperature of say about 250° centigrade for a sufficient
length of time for the several ingredients to become thoroughly incorporated
together. A thin pasty mass is thus produced into which the desicated finely
divided vegetable fibrous material is introduced, and with which it is intimately
inixed, by stirring, while the mass is still maintained at the said temperature; the
mixing having then been completed, the material is ready to be placed in moulds
of the shape of the article to be produced, the article being formed by pressure
applied in any suitable manner.
The desiccated finely divided vegetable fibrous material may be employed in the
proportion of say about 10 per cent of the weight of the other ingredients taken
together, but this proportion, as also the relative proportions in which the bitumen
or asphalte and resin and the silicates are used, may be varied. It should, however,
be observed that the quantity of the silicates should not be increased to such an
extent as to make the pasty consistence too thick which would impede the ready
incorporation with it of the desiccated finely divided vegetable fibrous material by
stirring or mixing, whilst a too fluid condition of the mass must be equally guarded

page_text: against. The exact proportions to give the best results according to the varied
character of the ingredients employed, may be readily ascertained by testing in
small quantities, from the directions herein before given.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
The preparation or production of Insulating materials or articles, by the employ-
ment of wood or other vegetable fibrous material as herein set forth in a finely
divided condition desiccated and saturated or impregnated with a mixture consisting
of melted Bitumen or Asphalte incorporated with silicate of magnesia, or silicato
of lime, or silicato of iron, or silicate of alumina, or two or more of such silicates
used in conjunction, and with Amber-resia or equivalent resin, the whole being
moulded under pressure substantially as hereinbefore described.
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