Apparatus for producing fine glass fibers

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FINE FIBERS FROM VISCOUS THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A HOLLOW CENTRIFUGE BODY HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED ROWS OF ORIFICES THERIN AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AT ITS INTERIOR PORTION A SUPPLY OF THE THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL IN THE VISCOUS STATE, SAID BODY BEING ROTATABLE AT A SPEED SUFFICIENT TO PROJECT THE VISCOUS MATERIAL OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID ORIFICES IN THE FORM OF STREAMLETS, A COMBUSTION CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID BODY AND PROVIDED WITH DISCHARGE MEANS TO DIRECT GASES FROM SAID CHAMBER AT HIGH TEMPERATURE AND HIGH VELOCITY IN A RINGLIKE BLAST ACROSS SAID ROWS OF ORIFICES, SAID GASES TRAVELLING TRANSVERSELY TO THE PLANES OF PROJECTION OF SAID STREAMLETS WHEREBY SAID STREAMLETS OF VISCOUS MATERIAL ISSUING FROM THE ORIFICES OF THE ROTATING BODY ARE TURNED, ENTRAINED AND DRAWN OUT INTO AN ANNULAR CURTAIN OF FINE FIBERS BY SAID GASES, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE PERIPHERAL WALL AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURE ALONG THE ENTIRE HEIGHT THEREOF, AND SAID ORIFICES IN SAID PLURALITY OF ROWS ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF SAID WALL REMOTE FROM SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER BEING OF REDUCED DIAMETER RELATIVE TO THOSE IN THE ROWS ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF SAID WALL PROXIMATE TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, TO COMPENSATE FOR THE REDUCTION IN TEMPERATURE AND VELOCITY OF THE GASEOUS BLAST ADJACENT TO THE FORMER, AND THEREBY TO ATTAIN FIBERS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY FINE DIAMETER.