Apparatus for and method of processing wet strand-like material

Claim 1

Apparatus for processing bundles of filaments comprising: a high frequency electrical drying oven; means for advancing separated wet bundles of filaments through the oven; means for providing high frequency electrical energy to the oven capable of drying the wet separated bundles during advancement therethrough; means for moving gas through the oven effective to remove moisture from the oven during strand drying by the high frequency electrical energy; and means for gathering the bundles upon advancement through the oven.

Claim 4

The method of producIng and processing continuous filament glass comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into individual continuous glass filaments advancing toward a collection zone; applying a liquid acting as sizing to the glass filaments; combining the wet glass filaments into at least two spaced apart bundles; drying the spaced apart bundles by subjecting them to a high frequency electrical energy field in a confined space; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and gathering the dried bundles.

Claim 5

The method of producIng and processing continuous filament glass comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into individual continuous glass filaments advancing toward a collection zone; applying a liquid acting as sizing to the glass filaments; combining the wet glass filaments into at least two spaced apart bundles; drying the spaced apart bundles by subjecting them to a high frequency electrical energy field in a confined space; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and gathering the dried bundles.

Claim 6

The method of producing and processing continuous filament glass comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into continuous glass filaments advancing toward a winding station; applying a liquid to the glass filaments; combining the wet glass filaments into at least two spaced apart strands; advancing the separated strands through a microwave cavity to effect drying of the strands; moving air through the cavity effective to remove moisture from the cavity; combining the dried strands into a bundle; and collecting the bundle of dried strands as a wound package at the winding station.

Claim 7

The method of producing and processing continuous filament glass comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into continuous glass filaments advancing toward a winding station; applying a liquid to the glass filaments; combining the wet glass filaments into at least two spaced apart strands; advancing the separated strands through a microwave cavity to effect drying of the strands; moving air through the cavity effective to remove moisture from the cavity; combining the dried strands into a bundle; and collecting the bundle of dried strands as a wound package at the winding station.

Claim 8

The method of processing wet filamentary linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a coherence of the units upon contact with each other comprising: advancing the wet filamentary linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a collection zone; subjecting the advancing separated filamentary linear strand-like units to high frequency electrical energy in a confined space effective to dry such units to a noncoherent state; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; gathering the advancing filamentary linear strand-like units into a continuous linear bundle; severing the continuous linear bundle into short lengths, the short lengths of the linear bundle separating into individual short lengths of filamentary linear strand-like units; and accumulating the short lengths of filamentary linear strand-like units at the collection zone.

Claim 9

The method of processing wet filamentary linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a coherence of the units upon contact with each other comprising: advancing the wet filamentary linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a collection zone; subjecting the advancing separated filamentary linear strand-like units to high frequency electrical energy in a confined space effective to dry such units to a noncoherent state; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; gathering the advancing filamentary linear strand-like units into a continuous linear bundle; severing the continuous linear bundle into short lengths, the short lengths of the linear bundle separating into individual short lengths of filamentary linear strand-like units; and accumulating the short lengths of filamentary linear strand-like units at the collection zone.

Claim 11

The method of processing wet multifilament linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a cohesiveness of the units upon contact with each other comprising; advancing the wet multifilament linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a winding station; drying the advancing separated multifilament linear strand-like units to a noncohesive condition by subjecting the units to microwave energy in a confined space; moving heated gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the multifilament linear strand-like units into a single wound package.

Claim 12

The method of processing wet multifilament linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a cohesiveness of the units upon contact with each other comprising; advancing the wet multifilament linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a winding station; drying the advancing separated multifilament linear strand-like units to a noncohesive condition by subjecting the units to microwave energy in a confined space; moving heated gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the multifilament linear strand-like units into a single wound package.

Claim 13

The method of processing wet multifilament linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a cohesiveness of the units upon contact with each other comprising: advancing the wet multifilament linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a winding station; subjecting the advancing separated multifilament linear strand-like units to a microwave energy in a confined space to effect drying to a noncohesive condition; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the multifilament linear strand-like units into a single wound package where the strand-like units are in separated relationship in the package.

Claim 14

The method of processing wet multifilament linear strand-like units having a tendency to effect a cohesiveness of the units upon contact with each other comprising: advancing the wet multifilament linear strand-like units in separated relationship toward a winding station; subjecting the advancing separated multifilament linear strand-like units to a microwave energy in a confined space to effect drying to a noncohesive condition; moving gas through the confined space effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the multifilament linear strand-like units into a single wound package where the strand-like units are in separated relationship in the package.

Claim 15

The method of producing glass strand comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into continuous glass filaments traveling toward a winding station; applying an aqueous coating material to the glass filaments; combining the wet filaments into at least two glass strands; advancing the glass strands in spaced apart side-by-side relationshiP through a microwave unit to effect drying of the strands; moving air through the unit effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the separated dried strands into a single wound package.

Claim 16

The method of producing glass strand comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the streams of molten glass into continuous glass filaments traveling toward a winding station; applying an aqueous coating material to the glass filaments; combining the wet filaments into at least two glass strands; advancing the glass strands in spaced apart side-by-side relationshiP through a microwave unit to effect drying of the strands; moving air through the unit effective to remove moisture therefrom; and collecting the separated dried strands into a single wound package.

Claim 19

The method of processing bundles of filaments comprising: advancing separated wet bundles of filaments through a drying zone; moving gas through the zone effective to promote drying of the bundles; subjecting the separated bundles to high frequency electrical energy in the zone to effect drying of the bundles; and gathering the bundles thus dried.

Claim 20

The method of processing bundles of filaments comprising: advancing separated wet bundles of filaments through a drying zone; moving gas through the zone effective to promote drying of the bundles; subjecting the separated bundles to high frequency electrical energy in the zone to effect drying of the bundles; and gathering the bundles thus dried.