Apparatus for producing fibers from heat-softenable material

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DISCLOSED, IN COMBINATION, A STREAM FEEDER FOR FLOWING A GROUP OF STREAMS OF HEAT-SOFTENED FIBER-FORMING MINERAL MATERIAL, MEANS INCLUDING A MOVABLE MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH THE CONTINUOUS PRIMARY FILAMENTS FORMED FROM THE STREAMS FOR ATTENUATING THE STREAMS TO CONTINUOUS PRIMARY FILAMENTS, MEANS ESTABLISHING A HIGH VELOCITY GASEOUS ATTENUATING BLAST ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MATERIAL OF THE FILAMENTS, GUIDE MEANS ARRANGED TO NORMALLY DIRECT THE CONTINUOUS PRIMARY FILAMENTS INTO THE BLAST WHEREBY THE MATERIAL OF THE FILAMENTS IS SOFTENED AND ATTENUATED TO FINE FIBERS BY THE HEAT AND VELOCITY OF THE GASES OF THE BLAST, FILAMENT SERVING MEANS ARRANGED ADJACENT THE NORMAL PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE PRIMARY FILAMENTS WHEREBY THE PRIMARY FILAMENTS MAY BE DIRECTED THERETO UPON IMPAIRMENT OF THE STREAM FEEDER TO DELIVER ITS FULL COMPLEMENT OF STREAMS OR IMPAIRMENT OF THE ATTENUATING BLAST, SAID FILAMENT SEVERING MEANS COMPRISING A HOUSING, A ROTATABLE ELEMENT HAVING A SPIRALLY-SHAPED FILAMENT