Apparatus for filling automotive muffler with glass fibers
AssigneeTBA Industrial Products Limited
InventorsKeith Broadbelt, David Cattermole, Ralph Huggett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process and apparatus for filling a generally tubular autmotive silencer casing with glass fibres are characterized by the feature of filling the casing from both ends simultaneously, preferably with the aid of spacer elements temporarily located on the ends of the casing during the filling step, any overflow of fibres into these elements being subsequently pushed into the casing to give a uniform density fill prior to installing end caps. The process/apparatus preferably also features bulking of the fibres by passing them through a specific jet configuration more than one of which may be used at each filling station.
Claims12
A process for filling an automotive muffler casing with glass fibers comprising the steps of:
- (a) presenting oppositely directed open ends of an automotive muffler casing substantially simultaneously to glass fiber feeding stations,
- (b) temporarily locating one end of a tubular spacer element on each open end of the muffler casing to constitute an extension of said casing prior to filling,
- (c) filling the casing from both ends thereof with bulked glass fiber roving, and
- (d) pushing fibers from the spacer elements into the casing prior to removing the spacer elements to enable affixing closures to the ends of the casing.
An apparatus for filling an automotive muffler casing having two open ends with glass fibers comprising two glass fiber feeding stations, means for presenting oppositely directed open ends of the casing to said stations substantially simultaneously, a tubular spacer element associated with each feeding station together with means for presenting the spacer element to one open end of the casing so as to constitute an extension of the casing intermediate the casing and each feeding station, and pressure means operable to push any overflow of glass fibers from the spacer elements into the casing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.