Water repellent fiber boards

Abstract

An acoustic building material and method for manufacture incorporates a homogenously dispersed reactive silicone to improve water repellency and physical properties.

1 . A division wall having increased water repellency for application of a wall covering with a water-based adhesive, said division wall being formed from an aqueous slurry of fiber, filler, binder and a reactive silicone compound homogenously dispersed throughout the aqueous slurry for curing and interacting with the slurry ingredients whereby the division wall formed of the aqueous slurry has an increased water repellency to thereby reduce absorbency of water upon application of the water-based adhesive and to enhance the resulting adhesion of the wall covering to the division wall as compared with a division wall identically formed of the same ingredients except for the reactive silicone. 
     
     
         2 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein said reactive silicone interacts with said ingredients to provide the division wall with increased mechanical properties as compared with a division wall identically formed of the same ingredients except for the reactive silicone. 
     
     
         3 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein the reactive silicone has a non-organic curing by-product. 
     
     
         4 . The division wall of  claim 3 , wherein the by-product is water. 
     
     
         5 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein the reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane present in an amount from about 0.02 wt % to about 0.5% wt % based on the total weight of the solids in the aqueous slurry. 
     
     
         6 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein the reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having water as a curing by-product. 
     
     
         7 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein the reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having alpha-iso-tridecly-omega-hydroxy polyglycolether side chains. 
     
     
         8 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein the reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having alpha-iso-tridecly-omega-hydroxy polyglycolether side chains and further includes amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane. 
     
     
         9 . The division wall of  claim 1 , wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of mineral wool, glass fiber and cellulosic fiber, said filler is selected from the group consisting of perlite, calcium carbonate, clay and stucco, said binder is selected from the group consisting of starch and latex, and said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane with polyether side chains. 
     
     
         10 . An acoustic building material comprising the dried product of an aqueous slurry of fiber, filler, binder and a reactive silicone compound homogenously dispersed throughout the aqueous slurry, said silicone curing and interacting with the slurry ingredients whereby the acoustic building material has an increased water repellency and increased mechanical properties as compared with an identically formed acoustic building material of the same ingredients except for the reactive silicone. 
     
     
         11 . The building material of  claim 10 , wherein said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane present in an amount from about 0.02 wt % to about 0.5 wt % based on the total weight of the solids in the aqueous slurry. 
     
     
         12 . The building material of  claim 10 , wherein said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having water as a curing by-product. 
     
     
         13 . The building material of  claim 10 , wherein said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having alpha-iso-tridecly-omega-hydroxy polyglycolether side chains. 
     
     
         14 . The building material of  claim 10 , wherein said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having alpha-iso-tridecly-omega-hydroxy polyglycolether side chains and further includes amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane. 
     
     
         15 . The building material of  claim 11 , wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of mineral wool, glass fiber and cellulosic fiber, said filler is selected from the group consisting of perlite, calcium carbonate, clay and stucco, said binder is selected from the group consisting of starch and latex, and said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane with polyether side chains. 
     
     
         16 . A continuous process for making an acoustic building material in a water felting process comprising forming an aqueous slurry including fiber, filler, binder and a reactive silicone, homogenously dispersing said reactive silicone in said aqueous slurry, said reactive silicone including hydrophilic side chains tending to improve wetting and penetration of said mineral fiber, filler and binder, and dewatering and drying said slurry to form said acoustical material with an increased water repellency as compared with an acoustic material identically formed of the same ingredients except for the reactive silicone. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein said reactive silicone interacts with said ingredients to provide said acoustic material with increased mechanical properties as compared with an acoustic material identically formed of the same ingredients except for the reactive silicone. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17 , wherein the reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane present in an amount from about 0.02 wt % to about 0.5 wt % based on the total weight of the solids in the aqueous slurry. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18 , wherein said reactive silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane having alpha-iso-tridecly-omega-hydroxy polyglycolether side chains. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , wherein said aqueous slurry has a tendency to produce and accumulate foam during processing and said reactive silicone inhibits the forming and accumulating of foam during processing.