초록 ▼

Method and apparatus for attenuating glass fibers. Primary glass is delivered into a primary, high temperature, high velocity gaseous blast to produce fibers that are attenuated while carried by said primary blast. While the fibers are above the minimum glass attenuation temperature, the fiber conta

Method and apparatus for attenuating glass fibers. Primary glass is delivered into a primary, high temperature, high velocity gaseous blast to produce fibers that are attenuated while carried by said primary blast. While the fibers are above the minimum glass attenuation temperature, the fiber containing primary blast is subjected to thin, closely spaced, high speed jets that deliver fuel and oxidant at a higher speed and less rate of mass flow than said primary blast essentially normal to the primary blast to increase the attenuation of the fibers and the temperature of the primary blast at one or more stations spaced downstream from the location where primary glass is delivered to one side only of said primary blast. The side of jet application may be the same or differ from one said station to another said station. Shields may be provided in spaced relation on opposite sides of the primary blast and closely offset from the opposing rows to limit the amount of atmospheric air that is entrained into the primary blast. Means is provided in heat exchanging relation with the shields to control the temperature of the surfaces of the shields so that fibers carried by the primary blast that engage the shields are prevented from sticking to the shields without lowering the temperature of the main body of the fibers to below the minimum temperature required for attenuation.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of attenuating glass fibers comprising producing a primary, high temperature, high velocity gaseous blast along a primary axis, introducing a plurality of primary glass fibers into said blast so that said glass moves with and is attenuated into fibers by said primary blast, delivering from

A method of attenuating glass fibers comprising producing a primary, high temperature, high velocity gaseous blast along a primary axis, introducing a plurality of primary glass fibers into said blast so that said glass moves with and is attenuated into fibers by said primary blast, delivering from a row of thin hollow tubes located to one side only of said primary blast a plurality of closely spaced, thin, high speed jets of fuel and oxidant at speeds sufficiently higher than the speed of said primary blast toward said primary blast to penetrate essentially normal to said primary blast at a minimum distance two inches downstream from the location where said primary glass fibers are introduced into said primary blast and wherein said primary blast is at an elevated temperature sufficient to attenuate said glass fibers, but at a total mass rate of flow of jets less than the mass rate of flow of said primary blast, whereby said impinging jets cause local increased turbulent flow of said fibers within said primary blast and said fuel oxidizes in said primary blast to maintain the temperature of said primary blast above a minimum temperature at which said glass attenuates.