Forming unit for fine mineral fibers

Claim 2

In an apparatus of the character disclosed for forming fine fibers from heat softenable viscous thermo-plastic mineral material, such as glass, said apparatus comprising: a hollow rotor, the outer peripheral wall of which has a plurality of superposed filament forming orifices therein, shaft means for supporting the rotor, and means for turning the rotor at high speed to effect discharge of the mineral material thru the orifices by centrifugal force, and in the form of filaments, means for supplying said heat softened mineral material to said rotor, means for controlling the temperature of parts of the rotor, means for supplying an annular heat source for the initial attenuation zone contiguous to the outer peripheral rotor wall, and with means to maintain the temperature of the exiting filaments close to the temperature at which they discharge from the rotor, an annular gaseous supply manifold connected to annular orifice means, and said orifice means positioned concentrically to and radially outward from the rotor outer wall, and with said orifice means serving to discharge a high velocity annular blast directed into engagement with said filaments to further attenuate the filaments into fine fibers, the improvement comprising angular gaseous blast guidance means whereby the gaseous elements in said high velocity annular gaseous blast are so directed as to have two principle velocity components, with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substantially parallel to said axis, and the second velocity component moving in a direction which is substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor, and with said blast being directed in proximity to and spaced outwardly from the outer wall of said rotor.

Claim 3

In an apparatus of the character disclosed for forming fine fibers from heat softenable viscous thermo-plastic mineral material, such as glass, said apparatus comprising: a hollow rotor, the outer peripheral wall of which has a plurality of superposed filament forming orifices therein, shaft means for supporting the rotor, and means for turning the rotor at high speed to effect discharge of the mineral material thru the orifices by centrifugal force, and in the form of filaments, means for supplying said heat softened mineral material to said rotor, means for controlling the temperature of parts of the rotor, means for supplying an annular heat source for the initial attenuation zone contiguous to the outer peripheral rotor wall, and with means to maintain the temperature of the exiting filaments close to the temperature at which they discharge from the rotor, an annular gaseous supply manifold connected to annular orifice means, and said orifice means positioned concentrically to and radially outward from the rotor outer wall, and with said orifice means serving to discharge a high velocity annular blast directed into engagement with said filaments to further attenuate the filaments into fine fibers, the improvement comprising a plurality of individual nozzle means arranged in spaced annular ring-like array with said nozzle means connected to gas supply manifold, and thru which nozzle means gases discharge at high velocity to form said gaseous blast, and wherein said nozzle means have an angular setting whereby the increments of the blast have two principle velocity components, and with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substAntially parallel to the axis of said rotor, and the second velocity component moving in a direction substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor and moving in the same direction that the outer wall rotates, said nozzle means being directed in proximity to and spaced outwardly from the outer wall of said rotor.

Claim 4

In an apparatus of the character disclosed for forming fine fibers from heat softenable viscous thermo-plastic mineral material, such as glass, said apparatus comprising: a hollow rotor, the outer peripheral wall of which has a plurality of superposed filament forming orifices therein, shaft means for supporting the rotor, and means for turning the rotor at high speed to effect discharge of the mineral material thru the orifices by centrifugal force, and in the form of filaments, means for supplying said heat softened mineral material to said rotor, means for controlling the temperature of parts of the rotor, means for supplying an annular heat source for the initial attenuation zone contiguous to the outer peripheral rotor wall, and with means to maintain the temperature of the exiting filaments close to the temperature at which they discharge from the rotor, an annular gaseous supply manifold connected to annular orifice means, and said orifice means positioned concentrically to and radially outward from the rotor outer wall, and with said orifice means serving to discharge a high velocity annular blast directed into engagement with said filaments to further attenuate the filaments into fine fibers, the improvement comprising a plurality of individual nozzle means arranged in spaced annular ring-like array with said nozzle means connected to gas supply manifold, and thru which nozzle means gases discharge at high velocity to form said gaseous blast, and wherein said nozzle means have an angular setting whereby the increments of the blast have two principle velocity components, and with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substAntially parallel to the axis of said rotor, and the second velocity component moving in a direction substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor and moving in the same direction that the outer wall rotates, said nozzle means being directed in proximity to and spaced outwardly from the outer wall of said rotor.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said high velocity annular blast is air.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said individual nozzle means are positioned close together in annular concentric array, and serving to give a practically continuous gaseous blast.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said individual nozzle means comprise tubular nozzle members, and in which the entrance ends of the nozzle members for receiving the header gases are flared outward to give stream line flow thru the nozzles and to increase the coefficient of discharge from the nozzles.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the means for supplying an annular heat source for the initial attenuation zone contiguous to the outer peripheral wall of said rotor comprises an annular gaseous heat source discharging hot gases into said initial attenuation zone, and with means for controlling the temperature and the velocity and the direction of flow of said gaseous heat supply means.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 in which said means for controlling the temperature and the velocity and the direction of flow of said gaseous heat supply means provides hot gases discharging into the initial attenuation zone contiguous to said rotor outer wall which have relatively low velocity, and have a temperature range from 1,900* F. to 2,400* F. to suit the composition of the mineral material being fiberized.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6 in which said means for controlling the temperature and the velocity and the direction of flow of said gaseous supply means discharges hot gases into the initial attenuation zone contiguous to said rotor outer wall, and wherein increments of the hot gases have two principle velocity components, with one of the velocity components moving tangentially to the circular outer wall of said rotor and in the same direction that the outer wall rotates, and the other velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said rotor.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8 in which the means to control the direction of discharge of said hot gases comprises an annular combustion chamber exit slot having angled fin members positioned on the inner walls of said exit slot.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which means for supplying an annular heat source for said initial attenuation zone comprises an annular gaseous heat source discharging hot gases into said initial attenuation zone contiguous to said rotor outer wall, means for controlling the temperature and the velocity and the direction of said hot gases, and wherein the increments of the hot gases have two principle velocity components, with one of the velocity components moving substantially tangent to the circular outer rotor wall and in the same direction that the wall rotates, and the other velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the rotor and to the outer gaseous blast.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which there is a plurality of gas supplied ring-like arrays of nozzle means, and wherein each additional ring of nozzle means is positioned radially outward from the previous ring, and positioned further downstream in the direction of the blast.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said angular gaseous blast guidance means directs the gaseous blast so it has two principle velocity components, with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction sustantially parallel to said axis, and the second velocity component moving in a directIon which is substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor, and moving in the direction which is opposite to that of the outer wall of said rotor.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said angular gaseous blast guidance means directs the gaseous blast elements so they have two principle velocity components, with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substantially parallel to said axis, and the second velocity component moving in a direction which is substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor, and moving in the same direction that the outer wall rotates.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which there is a second annular ring-like array of nozzle means, and with said second nozzle means connected to gas supply manifold, and thru which said second nozzle means gases discharge at substantial velocity to form a forcible gaseous discharge, and wherein said second nozzle means have an angular setting whereby the increments of the gaseous discharge from said second nozzle means have two principle velocity components, and with one velocity component in the same plane as the axis of said rotor and moving in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said rotor, and the second velocity component moving in a direction substantially tangent to the circular outer wall of said rotor and moving in the direction which is opposite to that of the outer wall of said rotor.