METHOD FOR PRODUCING A SOUND- AND/OR HEAT-INSULATING ELEMENT, AND SOUND- AND/OR HEAT-INSULATING ELEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a sound and/or thermal insulation element using foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles which are coated with a binding agent, and preferably with an organic binding agent, and thereafter are subjected to a shaping process during which the polymer particles are bonded and/or sintered to one another, the bonding being caused by way of the binding agent. According to the invention, a non-hydrophilic binding agent is used for coating the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles.

The invention furthermore relates to a sound and/or thermal insulation element.

Claims

1-21. (canceled)

22. A method for producing a sound and/or thermal insulation element, comprising: providing foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles which are coated with a non-hydrophilic binding agent; and thereafter subjecting the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles to a shaping process during which the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles are bonded and/or sintered to one another.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent is an organic binding agent.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has an initial static contact angle of water after 1 minute of equilibration of 35.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a surface energy of 70 mN/m.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a polar part of a surface energy of 35 mN/m.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a dispersive part of a surface energy of 10 mN/m.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent is an aqueous polymer dispersion or a dispersion powder based on at least one member of the group consisting of acrylate, (meth)acrylate, styrene acrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate ethylene, vinyl esters, vinyl chloride, polyurethane, polysiloxane, and silicone resins.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles are made of at least one member of the group consisting of polystyrene, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles are made of a biopolymer selected from the group consisting of a polylactide and/or a biopolymer based on a material selected from the group consisting of starch, cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, and cellulose butyrate.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein 30 to 99 wt. % of the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles are used and wherein 1 to 70 wt. % of the non-hydrophilic binding agent are used, wherein each is based on a solids total weight of starting materials.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles with flame retardant.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the flame retardant is an intumescent flame retardant and/or expandable graphite.

34. The method of claim 22, further comprising introducing the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles into a mold for shaping, wherein the foamable and/or prefoamed polymer particles are bonded and/or sintered while adding pressure and/or heat.

35. A sound and/or thermal insulation element, comprising: a polymer particle foam, comprising polymer particles that are bonded and/or sintered to one another, the bonding being caused by way of a non-hydrophilic binding agent that forms a coating that envelopes the polymer particles at least partially.

36. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent is an organic binding agent.

37. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has an initial static contact angle of water after 1 minute of equilibration of 35.

38. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a total surface energy of 70 mN/m.

39. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a polar part of a surface energy of 35 mN/m.

40. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent has a dispersive part of the surface energy of 10 mN/m.

41. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the non-hydrophilic binding agent is based on at least one member of the group consisting of acrylate, (meth)acrylate, styrene acrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate ethylene, vinyl esters, vinyl chloride, polyurethane, polysiloxane, and silicone resins.

42. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the polymer particle foam comprises polymer particles made of at least one member of the group consisting of polystyrene, polyurethane, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

43. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the polymer particle foam comprises polymer particles made of a biopolymer selected from the group consisting of a polylactide and/or a biopolymer based on a material selected from the group consisting of starch, cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, and cellulose butyrate.

44. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, further comprising a flame retardant.

45. The sound and/or thermal insulation element of claim 35, wherein the flame retardant is selected from the group consisting of an intumescent flame retardant and expandable graphite.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0071] 700 g prefoamed polystyrene particles having a particle size of 4 to 7 mm and a bulk density of approximately 15 kg/m.sup.3 was coated with 200 g of binding agent 1 by intimately mixing the polystyrene particles and the polymer dispersion. 150 g expandable graphite was added to the mixture prior to drying the polymer dispersion. 9 L of this mixture was added to a mold having a base surface area measuring 30 cm30 cm and pressed under application of pressure and heat (100 C.), with water vapor serving as the heating medium flowing through the entire mold, to yield a board having the dimensions 30 cm30 cm7 cm. After the pressure was relieved, the shaped part was removed from the mold and dried over a period of one week at room temperature.

[0072] The shaped part thus produced had a thermal conductivity according to DIN EN 12667 of <35 W/(mK) and a density p according to DIN EN 1602 of 37.3 kg/m.sup.3. The water absorption according to DIN EN 1609 was 496 g/m.sup.2.

EXAMPLE 2

[0073] 700 g prefoamed polystyrene particles having a particle size of 4 to 7 mm and a bulk density of approximately 15 kg/m.sup.3 was coated with 200 g of binding agent 2 by intimately mixing the polystyrene particles and the polymer dispersion. 150 g expandable graphite was added to the mixture prior to drying the polymer dispersion. 9 L of this mixture was added to a mold having a base surface area measuring 30 cm30 cm and pressed under application of pressure and heat (100 C.), with water vapor serving as the heating medium flowing through the entire mold, to yield a board having the dimensions 30 cm30 cm7 cm. After the pressure was relieved, the shaped part was removed from the mold and dried over a period of one week at room temperature.

[0074] The shaped part thus produced had a thermal conductivity according to DIN EN 12667 of <35 W/(mK) and a density according to DIN EN 1602 of 35.9 kg/m.sup.3. The water absorption according to DIN EN 1609 was 170 g/m.sup.2.

EXAMPLE 3

[0075] 350 g foamable polystyrene particles (EPS beads) was mixed with 70 g of binding agent 3 and 100 g expandable graphite and prefoamed while adding pressure (1 bar) and heat (100 C.), wherein water vapor served as the heating medium. The dispersion powder softened and formed a polymer film on the prefoamed polystyrene particles, which secured the expandable graphite on the surface of the particles. Thereafter, the coated and prefoamed polymer particles were dried in a fluidized bed dryer. 9 L of the coated prefoamed polystyrene particles loaded with expandable graphite were placed in a mold measuring 30 cm30 cm10 cm and foaming was completed while applying pressure and heat, wherein again water vapor served as the heating medium. After the pressure was relieved, the shaped part was removed from the mold and dried over a period of one week at room temperature.

[0076] The shaped part thus produced had a thermal conductivity according to DIN EN 12667 of <33 W/(mK) and a density according to DIN EN 1602 of 25.0 kg/m.sup.3. The water absorption according to DIN EN 1609 was 132 g/m.sup.2.

EXAMPLE 4

[0077] 9 L of uncoated prefoamed polylactide particles having a particulate size of 2 to 3 mm and a bulk density of approximately 22 kg/m.sup.3 was added to a mold having a base surface area measuring 30 cm30 cm and pressed under application of pressure and heat (100 C.), water vapor serving as the heating medium flowing through the entire mold, to yield a board having the dimensions 30 cm30 cm7 cm. After the pressure was relieved, the shaped part was removed from the mold and dried over a period of one week at room temperature.

[0078] The shaped part thus produced had a thermal conductivity according to DIN EN 12667 of <37 W/(mK) and a density according to DIN EN 1602 of 27.9 kg/m.sup.3. The water absorption according to DIN EN 1609 was 1089 g/m.sup.2.

EXAMPLE 5

[0079] 1000 g prefoamed polylactide particles having a particle size of 2 to 3 mm and a bulk density of approximately 22 kg/m.sup.3 was coated with 400 g of binding agent 2 by intimately mixing the polylactide particles and the polymer dispersion. 9 L of this mixture was added to a mold having a base surface area measuring 30 cm30 cm and pressed under application of pressure and heat (100 C.), with water vapor serving as the heating medium flowing through the entire mold, to yield a board having the dimensions 30 cm30 cm7 cm. After the pressure was relieved, the shaped part was removed from the mold and dried over a period of one week at room temperature.

[0080] The shaped part thus produced had a thermal conductivity according to DIN EN 12667 of <38 W/(mK) and a density according to DIN EN 1602 of 37.1 kg/m.sup.3. The water absorption according to DIN EN 1609 was 277 g/m.sup.2.

[0081] The examples demonstrate that the use of a non-hydrophilic binding agent (binding agents 2 and 3 in the present case) according to Examples 2, 3 and 5 results in a shaped body in which the water absorption is considerably lower.

[0082] The shaped body according to Example 3 was furthermore tested with respect to the water permeability thereof. Water applied to the surface of the shaped part penetrated the same quickly and completely.