Finshield assemblies for fiber-forming apparatus
AssigneeOwens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.
InventorsRamin Dowlati, Timothy A. Sullivan, Jack L. Emerson, James L. Hare
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat-absorbing finshield assembly, which is located adjacent the discharge area of a furnace for producing glass fibers, includes fins spaced along a fluid-cooled manifold such that the fins extend between, but not in contact with, the molten glass fibers emerging from the furnace. The fins may have microfins in their bases which are in contact with the cooling fluid. The fins also may be of variable thicknesses relative to each other along the manifold to absorb different quantities of heat from the emerging fibers.
Claims19
An apparatus for producing glass fibers, comprising a bushing with a tip plate including a plurality of openings therein from which streams of molten glass are discharged, and a finshield assembly below said tip plate, said finshield assembly comprising:
- (a) a manifold including a longitudinal axis and a flow channel extending along the longitudinal axis, said flow channel adapted to allow a cooling fluid to flow therein;
- and (b) a plurality of fins each having a blade portion and a base portion attached to said manifold, said base portion including microfins extending into said flow channel for contact by cooling fluid therein and said blade portions extending between the streams of molten glass for absorbing heat therefrom.
An apparatus for producing glass fibers, comprising a bushing with a tip plate including a plurality of openings therein from which streams of molten glass are discharged, and a finshield assembly bejow said tip plate, said finshield assembly comprising:
- (a) a manifold including a longitudinal axis and a flow channel extending along the longitudinal axis, said flow channel adapted.to allow a cooling fluid to flow therein;
- and (b) a plurality of fins, at least two of which have different thicknesses, each said fin having a blade portion and a base portion attached to said manifold, said blade portions extending between the streams of molten glass for absorbing heat therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.