Apparatus for producing fibers from thermoplastic material

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FIBERS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL AND PARTICULARLY GLASS FIBERS, THE COMBINATION OF A CENTRIFUGE HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED ROWS OF ORIFICES, SAID CENTRIFUGE BEING ROTATABLE AT A SPEED TO DELIVER MOLTEN MATERIAL FROM THE INTERIOR THEREOF THROUGH SAID ORIFICES IN TERIAL FROM THE INTERIOR THEREOF THROUGH SAID ORIFICES IN FIBER FORM, AN ANNULAR HOLLOW CROWN FOR CONTAINING A COOL GASEOUS FLUID UNDER PRESSURE HAVING AN ANNULAR SLOT AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF LOCATED ABOVE AND CONCENTRIC WITH THE CENTRIFUGE AND RADIALLY OUTWARD THEREOF IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE CENTRIFUGE TO DISCHARGE SAID GASEOUS FLUID AT HIGH SPEED DOWNWARDLY UNDER PRESSURE AND CLOSELY SURROUNDING THE PERIPHERAL WALL OF THE CENTRIFUGE, AND MEANS DISPOSED IN A ZONE BETWEEN THE BLAST AND THE PERIPHERAL WALL FOR SHIELDING THE FIBERS AT THE POINTS OF ISSUE FROM THE ORIFICES FROM BOTH THE ATTENUATING EFFECTS AND THE DETRIMENTAL COOLING ACTION OF SAID BLAST.