Production of micro glass fibers
AssigneeGlass Incorporated International
InventorsAlbert Lewis, Cenek A. Kottnauer
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Abstract
In this energy efficient process for forming glass microfibers, glass pellets are fed at a controlled rate into a rotary fiberizer. The input material is in the form of glass marbles or pellets which are held at a temperature below the liquidus temperature of the glass prior to extrusion through the holes in the fiberizing disc. Centrifugal force causes the semi-soft glass pellets to flow outwardly through the orifices in the fiberizing disc wherefrom they are extruded past the exterior of the disc into a high temperature environment where the temperature of the extruded glass fibers increases and the fibers are additionally subjected to further attenuation of their diameter by the action of a relatively high velocity gaseous stream which acts to stretch out the extruded fibers.
Claims11
A method for producing glass fibers comprising:
- conveying glass material in the form of pellets to the interior of a rapidly rotating spinner disc wherein the temperature of the disc is such as to maintain the glass material in a semi-solid state;
- extruding the glass material by centrifugal force through a plurality of orifices in the peripheral wall of the rotating spinner disc with the glass material still in the semi-solid state while within the orifices;
- subjecting the extruded glass material immediately after it has left the orifices to a relatively high velocity gas flow at a temperature in excess of the liquidus temperature of the glass such that the gas flow acts to stretch out the heated and softened extruded glass material into fibers thereby attenuating the diameter of the extruded fibers;
- and
- collecting and cooling the glass fibers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.