A system and method for introducing a slurry mixture for making gypsum board is disclosed. The system includes a mixer for mixing slurry and directing it to an exit gate, a foam injector for injecting foam into the slurry, and a canister connected to the mixer for inducing swirl to the slurry. The system also includes an elongated hose and an optional adapter for depositing the slurry onto paper to form the board. Ends of the elongated hose are coupled to the canister and to the inlet of the adapter. Slurry is directed from the canister, through the hose, and into the adapter for exiting its outlet. Optionally, a mixing boot and/or elbow joints may be included. Use of the hose and adapter enhances the flexibility of the system, including moving the mixer offline or adjacent to the paper or belt, and improves foam blending in the slurry mixture.

A gypsum board manufacturing method is provided. The gypsum board manufacturing method includes a molding step of forming a plate-shaped molded body including gypsum slurry and cover base paper disposed to cover at least a part of a surface of the gypsum slurry. In a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the molded body, the cover base paper completely covers the periphery of the gypsum slurry, portions of the cover base paper overlap each other, and a distance between a step formed by the overlap of the cover base paper and a lateral end of the molded body is greater than or equal to 15 mm.

Wall panels for building construction may include a corrugated sheet including a first series of peaks on a first side of the corrugated sheet configured for positioning to face a room interior. The corrugated sheet may also include a second series of peaks on a second, opposite side of the corrugated sheet configured for positioning to face a room exterior. A radiant barrier including a material reflective to heat may be secured only to the second series of peaks. The corrugated sheet may form pockets of air between the radiant barrier and the corrugated sheet.

Disclosed are composite building boards and associated manufacturing methods. The composite boards may include, for example, one or more slurry layers with embedded fibrous mats. An exterior plastic coating is mechanically adhered to the underlying slurry layer. The plastic layer chemically bonds and cross-links with polymer additives within the slurry layer. The result is an integrated polymer matrix with greatly improved durability and surface strength.

A method for manufacturing a part made of composite material includes injecting into a fibrous texture a slurry including at least one powder of refractory ceramic particles suspended in a liquid phase, filtering the liquid phase of the slurry and retaining the powder of refractory ceramic particles inside the texture so as to obtain a fibrous preform loaded with refractory ceramic particles, densifying the fibrous texture by treatment of the refractory ceramic particles present in the fibrous texture in order to form a refractory matrix in the texture. The method further includes, before injecting the slurry under pressure, pre-saturating the fibrous texture with a carrier fluid consisting in injecting into said texture a carrier fluid.

A system and method for introducing a slurry mixture for making gypsum board is disclosed. The system includes a mixer for mixing slurry and directing it to an exit gate, a foam injector for injecting foam into the slurry, and a canister connected to the mixer for inducing swirl to the slurry. The system also includes an elongated hose and an optional adapter for depositing the slurry onto paper to form the board. Ends of the elongated hose are coupled to the canister and to the inlet of the adapter. Slurry is directed from the canister, through the hose, and into the adapter for exiting its outlet. Optionally, a mixing boot and/or elbow joints may be included. Use of the hose and adapter enhances the flexibility of the system, including moving the mixer offline or adjacent to the paper or belt, and improves foam blending in the slurry mixture.

A method for continuously forming gypsum-based panels of high fixing strength comprises the steps of: forming a mixture comprising stucco, non-pregelatinized migratory starch, glass fibre, fluidizer and water; casting the mixture in a continuous band; maintaining the band under conditions sufficient for the stucco to form an interlocking matrix of set gypsum; cutting the band to form one or more wet panel precursors; and drying the wet panel precursor to form one or more gypsum-based panels. The weight ratio of water to stucco in the mixture is less than 0.7; the stucco is present in the mixture in an amount of over 60 wt % relative to the total solids content of the mixture; the starch is present in the mixture in an amount of over 3 wt % relative to the the stucco; the glass fibre is present in the mixture in an amount of over 1 wt % relative to the stucco; the fluidizer is is present in the mixture in an amount of at least 0.1 wt % relative to the stucco; and the density of the gypsum-based panel is greater than 700 kg/m.

A system and method for introducing a slurry mixture for making gypsum board is disclosed. The system includes, for example, a mixer, a foam injector, and a canister for mixing and moving a slurry mixture of foam and gypsum slurry. Also included in the system is an apparatus having a funnel body constructed and arranged to further mix the slurry mixture. The funnel body includes a number of baffles projecting from its inner wall towards a center and that are spaced around the inner wall. The baffles induce turbulence into the slurry mixture as the slurry mixture moves towards its outlet, thus further mixing the mixture and reducing the flow rate of the slurry mixture before its exits from the outlet for depositing onto paper to form the gypsum board.

Disclosed is a method and system for blending a foam modifier with foaming agent on-line, e.g., as may be particularly useful for gypsum or cement slurries. The foam modifier comprises a fatty alcohol that is added to a gypsum or cement slurry that includes foaming agent, such as an alkyl sulfate surfactant. The fatty alcohol can be a C.sub.6-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol in some embodiments. The use of such a foam modifier can be used, for example, to stabilize the foam, reduce waste of foaming agent, improve void size control in the final product, and improve the gypsum board manufacturing process.

A mixing apparatus for producing aqueous calcined gypsum slurry includes a housing, a rotor assembly, and an actuator system. The housing defines a mixing chamber therewithin. A top lid of the housing includes a lid ring extending along a normal axis toward a bottom thereof. The rotor assembly includes a rotor disposed within the mixing chamber and a drive shaft extending along and rotatable about the normal axis. The rotor is rotatively coupled with the drive shaft and extends radially therefrom. The upper surface of the rotor and the lid ring are separated by a lid ring gap along the normal axis. The actuator system is arranged with the rotor assembly to selectively move the rotor over a range of travel along the normal axis between a lowered position and a raised position to selectively change the lid ring gap.