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US 4,488,891 AGranted
Method for forming glass fibers
AssigneeOwens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation
InventorsLawrence J. Grubka, Clarence E. Fracker, Jr.
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AssigneeOwens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation
InventorsLawrence J. Grubka, Clarence E. Fracker, Jr.
Estimating the term…
A glass fiber attenuation apparatus and process wherein molten glass is supplied from a molten glass body to an orifice plate at substantially atmospheric pressure to prevent molten glass flow through an orifice at which attenuation has ceased, thus permitting continuation of the attenuation process despite breakouts at individual orifices. The preferred embodiment of the method includes the steps of cooling the orifice plate undersurface to a non-wetting temperature and delivering molten glass to the orifice plate at a pressure less than the internal, surface tension-generated pressure of any bead formed on the undersurface of the orifice plate upon attenuation cessation at that orifice. The preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes a perforate pressure plate immersed in the body of molten glass and superimposed over the orifice plate to effect a pressure drop upon normal attenuation flow which is sufficient to reduce the pressure immediately above the orifice plate to substantially atmospheric pressure or, in any event, to a pressure less than the internal pressure of a bead or globule formed on attenuation cessation at an orifice. The orifice plate may be of either the planar, non-tipped type or of the tipped type, and the orifice plate may be cooled to the appropriate temperature either by gas flow cooling directed at the undersurface of the orifice plate or by fin shields.
The method of forming continuous glass filaments comprising:
In a method of attenuating glass fibers from a body of molten glass overlying an orifice plate having a plurality of orifices therein from which the molten glass is attenuated as fibers from forming cones, the improvement comprising the step of reducing the pressure of the body of glass immediately over the orifice plate to a pressure which (a) is less than the internal pressure of a bead formed upon attenuation interruption at an orifice of said plate and (b) is greater than the pressure internally of the cone at said orifice during steady state attenuation.
The method of continuously attenuating glass fibers in a steady state operation from a body of molten glass overlying an orifice plate having a plurality of vertical orifices therein, comprising the steps of (1) reducing the pressure of the body of glass immediately over the orifice plate to a pressure less than the internal pressure of a bead formed upon attenuation interruption at an orifice of said plate, (2) forming a forming cone at each orifice, and (3) attenuation a fiber from each cone, the pressure of step (1) being greater than the internal pressure of the cones during steady state attenuation.
A method of making glass fibers, comprising the steps of:
A method of making glass fibers, comprising the steps of:
In a method of making glass fibers, the steps of:
The method of preventing bead drop during the attenuation of glass filaments comprising:
The method of preventing bead drop during the attenuation of glass filaments comprising:
The method of preventing bead drop during the attenuation of glass filaments, comprising:
In a method of making glass fibers wherein molten glass is supplied to the orifices of an orifice plate, and a glass fiber is attenuated at each orifice, the improvement of preventing bead drop during fiber attenuation by supplying molten glass to said orifices at a pressure which is sufficient to feed glass during attenuation, but which is less than the internal pressure of a bead formed at any one orifice upon interruption of attenuation at said one orifice.
The method of making glass filaments comprising:
In a method of making glass fibers wherein molten glass is supplied to the orifices of an orifice plate, the improvment of preventing bead drop during fiber attenuation by attenuating fibers from forming cones at the individual orifices while the molten glass at each orifice is at a pressure greater than the internal pressure of the respective cones and at a pressure less than the internal pressure of a bead formed at any orifice at which attenuation has been interrupted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.