METHOD OF PROCESSING SCRAP ROOF-MEMBRANE SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SYNTHETIC FABRIC SUBSTRATE ENVELOPED IN A THERMOPLASTIC PLASTIC ENVELOPE

摘要

A method of processing scrap, single-ply synthetic plastic roof-membrane sheet material having a fabric, with warp and weft strands composed of bundles of synthetic plastic fibers, encased in a polyvinyl chloride plastic envelope. Comminuted pieces of the scrap are stuffed into a heat-applying, continuous mixer-extruder having screw mechanism within an elongate barrel chamber and the compressed material then is heated to plasticizing temperature and subjected to repetitive shear forces as it moves along the barrel chamber to a die discharge. The warp strands are separated from the weft strands via said shear force application without substantially reducing the lengths of the strands and strands are then disembodied via said shear forces without substantially reducing the lengths of the fibers to provide separated strand fibers in the mix of material. Finally, the fibers are randomly dispersed in the mix material and extruded.