Method and apparatus for use in manufacturing glass fibers

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING FILAMENTS OF MOLTEN GLASS INTO FIBERS BY SPINNING APPARATUS WHEREIN SAID FILAMENTS OF MOLTEN GLASS ARE ENTRIFUGALLY INITIATED AND THEN ATTENUATED INTO FIBERS BY A FLUID BLAST SO AS TO PRODUCE A FIBER STREAM MOVING IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: (A) MEANS DEFINING A COLLECTION CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID SPINNING APPARATUS AND HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING IN A TOP WALL THEREOF AND THROUGH WHICH SAID FIBER STREAM IS DIRECTED, (B) MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN SAID SPINNING APPARATUS AND SAID MANS DEFINING SID OPENING, (C) MEANS FOR MOVING A FIRST FLUID STREAM THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FIBER STREAM, (D) MEANS FOR MOVING A PLUALITY OF ADDITIONAL FLUID STREAMS WITHIN SAID COLLECTION CHAMBER IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAM AS THE DIREDTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FIBER STREAM, CONTACTING THE PERIPHERIAL BOUNDARIES OF SAID FIBER STREAM AND ACTING ON THE PERIPHERIAL BOUNDARIES OF SAID FIBER STREAM TO MINIMIZE THE FORMATION OF EDDY CURRENTS ADJACENT SAID PERIPHERIAL BOUNDARIES, (E) MEANS FOR COLLECTING SAID FIBERS FROM SAID FIBER STREAM.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BONDED GLASS FIBER FELTS, INCLUDING INITIATING, ATTENUATING, COLLECTING AND BONDING GLASS FIBERS INTO FELTS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) CENTRIFUGALLY INITIATING FILAMENTS OF MOLTEN GLASS FROM A ROTARY DISC, AND ATTENUATING THE FILAMENTS INTO GLASS FIBERS WITH A HOT FLUID BLAST EMANATING FROM A BURNER DIRECTED INTO A WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER TOWARD A COLLECTION MEANS; (B) FORMING A FIBER STREAM OF THE ATTENUATED FIBERS WITH THE HOT FLUID BLAST AND MOVING THE FIBER STREAM INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER TOWARD THE COLLECTION MEANS; (C) APPLYING BINDER TO THE FIBERS OF THE FIBER STREAM; (D) INDUCING AN ANNULAR FLUID STREAM DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER FROM ABOVE AND SURROUNDING THE FIBER STREAM OF BINDER CONTAINING ATTENUATED FIBER AND HOT FLUID BLAST, DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING THE PATH OF THE FIBER STREM TO THE COLLECTION MEANS TO MINIMIZE TURBULENCE IN THE FIBER STREAM; (E) INDUCING A FURTHER FLUID STREAM DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER ADJACENT THE INNER WALLS OF THE COLLECTION CHAMBER AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FIBER STREAM TO RESIST PENETRATION BY THE BINDER CONTAINING FIBER OF THE FLUID STREAM AND FIBER ADHERENCE TO THE CHAMBER WALLS; AND, (F) COLLECTING THE BINDER CONTAINING ATTENUATED FIBERS OF THE FLUID STREAM WITH SUCTION UPON THE COLLECTION MEANS.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BONDED GLASS FIBER FELTS, INCLUDING INITIATING, ATTENUATING, COLLECTING AND BONDING GLASS FIBERS INTO FELTS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) CENTRIFUGALLY INITIATING FILAMENTS OF MOLTEN GLASS FROM A ROTARY DISC, AND ATTENUATING THE FILAMENTS INTO GLASS FIBERS WITH A HOT FLUID BLAST EMANATING FROM A BURNER DIRECTED INTO A WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER TOWARD A COLLECTION MEANS; (B) FORMING A FIBER STREAM OF THE ATTENUATED FIBERS WITH THE HOT FLUID BLAST AND MOVING THE FIBER STREAM INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER TOWARD THE COLLECTION MEANS; (C) APPLYING BINDER TO THE FIBERS OF THE FIBER STREAM; (D) INDUCING AN ANNULAR FLUID STREAM DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER FROM ABOVE AND SURROUNDING THE FIBER STREAM OF BINDER CONTAINING ATTENUATED FIBER AND HOT FLUID BLAST, DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING THE PATH OF THE FIBER STREM TO THE COLLECTION MEANS TO MINIMIZE TURBULENCE IN THE FIBER STREAM; (E) INDUCING A FURTHER FLUID STREAM DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED INTO THE WALLED COLLECTION CHAMBER ADJACENT THE INNER WALLS OF THE COLLECTION CHAMBER AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FIBER STREAM TO RESIST PENETRATION BY THE BINDER CONTAINING FIBER OF THE FLUID STREAM AND FIBER ADHERENCE TO THE CHAMBER WALLS; AND, (F) COLLECTING THE BINDER CONTAINING ATTENUATED FIBERS OF THE FLUID STREAM WITH SUCTION UPON THE COLLECTION MEANS.