1. A flow-thru liquid coating applicator comprising a handle having a proximal end and a distal end, an applicator head at the distal end of the handle, the applicator head including a blade having a distal end and a proximal end, a cover surrounding the distal end of the blade and at least a portion of the length of the blade, and a filament bundle extending crosswise adjacent the distal end of the blade inside the cover, the filament bundle having opposite end portions extending through side openings in opposite sides of the cover and laterally outwardly beyond opposite side edges of the blade.
2. The applicator of claim 1 further comprising a tube for supplying a liquid coating material to the filament bundle within the cover for flowing out through the opposite end portions of the filament bundle.
3. The applicator of claim 2 wherein the cover is made of a permeable material that is sufficiently porous to allow at least some of the liquid coating material to soak through the cover material.
4. The applicator of claim 3 wherein there is a clearance space between the cover and a substantial portion of the length of the blade for flow of the liquid coating material into the clearance space and soaking of the liquid coating material through the cover over a substantial portion of the length of the blade.
5. The applicator of claim 4 wherein the cover is fixedly secured to the applicator head.
6. The applicator of claim 4 wherein the cover is made of a non-woven polyester or polymeric material that resists shedding even when used with viscous liquid coating materials on rough surfaces.
7. The applicator of claim 6 wherein the cover has ultrasonically die cut side edges to reduce the amount of stray fibers.
8. The applicator of claim 6 wherein the cover has side edges that are ultrasonically stitched together to minimize potential fabric loss.
9. The applicator of claim 4 wherein the cover is made of a porous foam type material.
10. The applicator of claim 2 further comprising a flow-thru port at the distal end of the blade in fluid communication with the tube.
11. The applicator of claim 10 wherein the flow-thru port is at an approximate center of a width of the distal end of the blade.
12. The applicator of claim 10 wherein the flow-thru port is formed by a notch or slot in the distal end of the blade.
13. The applicator of claim 2 wherein the tube is integrally molded with the blade.
14. The applicator of claim 13 wherein the blade is molded out of a flexible plastic material and is tapered for controlling the flexibility of the blade.
15. The applicator of claim 14 further comprising a wedge shape fillet along at least one side of the tube on opposite sides of the blade for added strength and to prevent the tube from pinching off during flexing of the blade.
16. The applicator of claim 14 wherein the proximal end of the blade has a molded in hose fitting in fluid communication with the tube.
17. The applicator of claim 1 wherein the filament bundle is secured intermediate its length to an inner surface inside the cover at a midpoint of the cover.
18. A flow-thru liquid coating applicator comprising a handle having a proximal end and a distal end, an applicator head at the distal end of the handle, the applicator head including a flexible blade having a proximal end and a distal end, a cover surrounding the distal end of the blade and at least a portion of the length of the blade, and a filament bundle extending crosswise adjacent the distal end of the blade inside the cover, the filament bundle having opposite end portions extending through side openings in the cover and laterally outwardly beyond opposite side edges of the blade, and a flow-thru port adjacent the distal end of the blade for supplying a liquid coating material to the filament bundle inside the cover for flow out through the opposite end portions of the filament bundle.
19. The applicator of claim 18 wherein there is a clearance space between the cover and a substantial portion of the length of the blade for flow of the liquid coating material into the clearance space, and the cover is made of a permeable material that is sufficiently porous to allow at least some of the liquid coating material to soak through the cover material over a substantial portion of the length of the blade.
20. The applicator of claim 19 wherein the blade is molded out of a flexible plastic material and is tapered for controlling the flexibility of the blade, and a tube is integrally molded into the blade for supplying the liquid coating material to the flow-thru port at the distal end of the blade.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An insulating module comprising a plurality of insulating module layers arranged with their major surfaces in a side-by-side orientation,
each layer comprising a first section having a slot extending therein from a slot joint edge; and a second section having a tab extending from a tab joint edge thereof;
wherein the slot has an inner contour which substantially corresponds in shape to an outer contour of the tab; the tab interlocking engaged in the slot such that the joint edges of the first and second sections are held in juxtaposition along a section juncture;
the first and second sections each comprise a fibrous refractory insulation material; and
the section juncture in each insulating module layer is positioned such that the section junctures in any two adjacent layers are offset with respect to each other.
2. The module of claim 1 wherein each tab has an enlarging profile outer contour.
3. The module of claim 1 wherein each first section comprises a first fibrous refractory material; and each second section comprises a second fibrous refractory material which is different from the first fibrous refractory material.
4. The module of claim 3 wherein the first fibrous refractory material has a temperature rating which is at least about 100\xb0 F. higher than a temperature rating of the second fibrous refractory material.
5. The module of claim 3 wherein the first fibrous refractory material has a temperature rating of about 3,000\xb0 F.; and the second fibrous refractory material has a temperature rating of no more than about 2,600\xb0 F.
6. The module of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second sections comprise fibrous refractory materials comprising soluble fibers, fiber glass, mineral fibers, alumina fibers, zirconia fibers, alumina-zirconia fibers, alumina-silica-zirconia fibers, alumina-silica fibers, andor chromia-alumina-silica fibers.
7. The module of claim 1 wherein all of the first sections have an edge which is exposed to a hot face of the module; and all of the second sections have an edge which is exposed to a cold face of the module.
8. The module of claim 7 wherein the first section of each insulating module layer includes a hot face fibrous refractory material comprising mullite fibers; and the second section of each insulating module layer comprises a cold face fibrous refractory material comprising alumina-silica-zirconia fibers.
9. The module of claim 1 wherein each tab has an extension length, which is less than an offset distance between the section juncture in its layer and the section juncture in any adjacent layer.
10. The module of claim 9 wherein each first section has a tab clearance of at least about two inches.
11. The module of claim 1 wherein the plurality of insulating module layers are compressingly engaged by application of a compressive force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the major surfaces of the insulating module layers such that the module has a compression factor of at least about 1.05.
12. The module of claim 1 further comprising a fastening device for attaching the insulating module to an inner surface of a furnace; wherein the fastening device comprises a support member and at least one anchor rod disposed in a transverse orientation through at least a majority of the insulating module layers.
13. The module of claim 12 wherein the at least one anchor rod is disposed in a transverse orientation through each second section of the at least a majority of insulating module layers.
14. The module of claim 1 wherein each tab has an outer contour in which at least one edge of the contour extends in an outward direction from a line perpendicular to a tab base of the tab.
15. The module of claim 1 wherein in each second section, the tab has an enlarging profile outer contour and is centrally positioned on the tab joint edge;
and each tab has an extension length, which is less than an offset distance between a tab base of the tab and the section juncture in any adjacent insulating module layer; and
all of the first sections have an edge which is exposed to a hot face of the module; and all of the second sections have an edge which is exposed to a cold face of the module.
16. The module of claim 15 wherein each first section has a density of about 5-9 pcf and comprises a hot face fibrous refractory material comprising mullite fibers; and each second section has a density of about 4-10 pcf and comprises a cold face fibrous refractory material comprising alumina-silica-zirconia fibers.
17. The module of claim 16 wherein each centrally positioned tab has an enlarging trapezoid outer contour and has a tab extension length of at least about one inch and a tab base which is about 20-40% of a width of the second section;
each first section has a tab clearance of at least about 2 inches; and
the insulating module layers are compressingly engaged such that the module has a compression factor of at least about 1.1.
18. The module of claim 1 wherein each first section has a density of about5-9 pcf;
and each second section has a density of about 4-10 pcf.
19. The module of claim 1 wherein the insulating module layers are compressingly engaged such that the module has a compression factor of at least about 1.1.
20. An insulating module comprising a plurality of insulating module layers arranged with major surfaces in a side-by-side orientation,
each layer comprising a first section having at least one slot extending therein from a slot joint edge; and a second section having at least one tab extending from a tab joint edge thereof;
wherein each tab is interlocking engaged with a paired slot on the first section and each slot has an inner contour which substantially corresponds in shape to an outer contour of its paired tab; whereby the joint edges of the first and second sections are held in juxtaposition along a section juncture; and
the first and second sections each comprise a fibrous refractory insulation material; and
the section juncture in each insulating module layer is positioned such that the section junctures in any two adjacent layers are offset with respect to each other.
21. The module of claim 20 wherein in each second section, each tab has an enlarging profile outer contour.
22. The module of claim 20 wherein all of the first sections are exposed to a hot face of the module and each first section comprises mullite fibers; and all of the second sections have an edge which is exposed to a cold face of the module and each second section comprises alumina-silica-zirconia fibers.
23. The module of claim 20 wherein each tab an extension length, which is less than an offset distance between the section juncture in its layer and the section juncture in any adjacent layer.
24. The module of claim 20 wherein each first section has a density of about 5-9 pcf;
and each second section has a density of about 4-10 pcf.
25. The module of claim 20 wherein the insulating module layers are compressingly engaged such that the module has a compression factor of at least about 1.1.
26. An insulating module comprising a plurality of insulating module elements arranged with major surfaces in a side-by-side orientation;
each element comprising a U-shaped fibrous refractory section having at least one slot extending therein from each of its two slot joint edges; and two second fibrous refractory sections each having at least one tab extending from a tab joint edge thereof;
wherein each tab is interlocking engaged with a paired slot on the corresponding slot joint edge and each slot has an inner contour which substantially corresponds in shape to an outer contour of its paired tab; whereby the joint edge of each second fibrous refractory section is held in juxtaposition with one of the slot joint edges of the U-shaped fibrous refractory section along a section juncture; and
each section juncture is positioned such that the section junctures in any two adjacent insulating module elements are offset with respect to each other.
27. The module of claim 26 wherein each U-shaped fibrous refractory section is folded such that the two slot joint edges are offset by an offset distance which is greater than the tab extension lengths of the at least one paired tab extending from the second fibrous refractory sections.