Abstract: A blowable insulation material comprising natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls. The natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls are individually treated with a water repellent to impart water repellency to the fibers, and later aerodynamically blended together. The water repellent fibers constitute a part or most of the blowable insulation material, thus enhancing the durability of the structure as well as water repellency, which may be advantageous during washing or laundering.

Abstract: A blowable insulation material comprising natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls. The natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls are individually treated with a water repellent to impart water repellency to the fibers, and later aerodynamically blended together. The water repellent fibers constitute a part or most of the blowable insulation material, thus enhancing the durability of the structure as well as water repellency, which may be advantageous during washing or laundering.

Abstract: A blowable insulation material comprising natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls. The natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls are individually treated with a water repellent to impart water repellency to the fibers, and later aerodynamically blended together. The water repellent fibers constitute a part or most of the blowable insulation material, thus enhancing the durability of the structure as well as water repellency, which may be advantageous during washing or laundering.

Abstract: A blowable insulation material comprising natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls. The natural fibers and short cut synthetic fibers or fiber balls are individually treated with a water repellent to impart water repellency to the fibers, and later aerodynamically blended together. The water repellent fibers constitute a part or most of the blowable insulation material, thus enhancing the durability of the structure as well as water repellency, which may be advantageous during washing or laundering.

Abstract: Resilient battery separator media, especially adapted for use as battery separators for starved electrolyte batteries, are formed from air laid, fibrous mats of randomly oriented, entangled microfibers which may be needled to further entangle the fibers. The fibrous mats may be essentially uniform in density throughout their thickness or may include one or two relatively high density, high tensile strength fibrous surface layer(s) and a relatively low density, more resilient fibrous layer integral with and, in one embodiment, intermediate the two surface layers wherein the fibers in the surface layer(s) of the mats are more entangled than the fibers in the resilient layer. The fibrous mats, with one or two surface layers, are formed from the air laid fibrous mats by further entangling the fibers at and adjacent one or both surfaces of the mats, e.g. through hydroentanglement, relative to the entanglement of the fibers in the resilient fibrous layer.

Abstract: A resilient battery separator, especially suited for use in a starved electrolyte battery, is made of an air laid fibrous mat of randomly oriented, entangled microfibers having a mean diameter between 0.5 and 2.0 microns. The air laid mat weighs between 50 and 450 g/m.sup.2 and has a thickness between 0.01 and 0.5 inches. The fibrous mat may be essentially uniform in density throughout its thickness or may include one or two relatively high density, high tensile strength fibrous surface layer(s) and a relatively low density, more resilient fibrous layer integral with and, in one embodiment, intermediate the two surface layers. The microfibers in the surface layer(s) are more entangled than the microfibers in the resilient layer. In a starved electrolyte battery, the separator has a thickness, when subjected to a loading of 1.5 psi, that is equal to or greater than the spacing between the electrode plates of the battery and, preferably, at least 110% of the spacing between the electrode plates of the battery.

Abstract: A fibrous, non-woven thermal insulation comprises synthetic polymeric resin microfibers, staple fibers and bonding fibers which are randomly oriented and randomly intermingled in a single layer. The microfibers comprise between 0% and 95% by weight virgin synthetic polymeric resin and between 5% and 100% by weight recycled polyethylene teraphthalate. In one embodiment the microfibers have an average diameter between 1 to 10 microns and comprise between 5% and 80% by weight of the insulation; the staple fibers have an average diameter between 10 and 30 microns and comprise between 5% and 90% by weight of the insulation; and the bonding fibers have an average diameter between 0.9 and 15 denier and comprise between 5% and 95% by weight of the insulation. The bonding fibers have thermoplastic surfaces with a lower temperature softening point than the microfibers and staple fibers and bond the fibers together to form the insulation material.

Abstract: A glass fiber structural panel has one or more planar, thin, high density, glass fiber mat laminates. Each glass fiber mat laminate has layers of glass fiber mat and intermediate layers of pliable, thermoplastic adhesive adhesively bonding the layers of glass fiber mat together to form the planar, thin, high density, glass fiber mat laminate which, after being folded through 180.degree., will return to a planar condition without wrinkles or creases in the major surfaces of the laminate. Bower density glass fiber backing or core layers can be adhesively bonded to the planar, thin, high density, glass fiber mat laminates to inexpensively increase the thickness and sound absorbing properties of the structural panel.

Abstract: Metal building insulation comprising a low density glass fiber layer and a vapor retarding facing. The facing extends beyond one edge of the fibrous layer to form a tab, and comprises a laminate of a glass fiber mat bonded to the lower surface of the insulation layer, an intermediate glass fiber scrim and an outer vapor retarding sheet. The low density insulation is cost effective and easy to handle, the mat provides body to allow the tab to maintain contact with the facing of an adjacent insulation layer so as to form a vapor barrier across the butt joint between the adjacent layers, and the scrim provides tear strength.