Apparatus for and method of coating glass fibers

Claim 1

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; withdrawing spaced apart continuous glass filaments from the streams; advancing the continuous glass filaments along converging paths to a gathering surface, the advancing filaments moving air with them; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; gathering the advancing filaments into a linearly advancing strand by turning them on the surface; and removing any excess coating from the strand by impinging at least a portion of such moving air upon a deflecting surface located immediately adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface, the deflecting surface being oriented in a position effective to deflect impinged air below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to effect removal of excess liquid from the strand.

Claim 2

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; withdrawing spaced apart continuous glass filaments from the streams; advancing the continuous glass filaments along converging paths to a gathering surface, the advancing filaments moving air with them; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; gathering the advancing filaments into a linearly advancing strand by turning them on the surface; and removing any excess coating from the strand by impinging at least a portion of such moving air upon a deflecting surface located immediately adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface, the deflecting surface being oriented in a position effective to deflect impinged air below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to effect removal of excess liquid from the strand.

Claim 3

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the stream into spaced apart continuous glass filaments; advancing the continuous glass filaments along converging paths to a gathering surface, the filaments moving air in their directions of movement; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; and removing excess coating from the strand by impinging at least a portion of the moving air upon a curved deflecting surface located immediately adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface, the deflecting surface being in a downwardly disposed position effective to deflect impinged air below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to remove excess liquid from the strand.

Claim 4

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; attenuating the stream into spaced apart continuous glass filaments; advancing the continuous glass filaments along converging paths to a gathering surface, the filaments moving air in their directions of movement; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; and removing excess coating from the strand by impinging at least a portion of the moving air upon a curved deflecting surface located immediately adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface, the deflecting surface being in a downwardly disposed position effective to deflect impinged air below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to remove excess liquid from the strand.

Claim 5

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; withdrawing spaced apart continuous glass filaments from the streams; advancing the continuous glass filaments downwardly along paths converging at a gathering surface, the filaments moving air with them; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; impinging a portion of the moving air upon a first deflecting surface located immediately adjacent and opposite the gathering surface in a downwardly disposed position effective to deflect impinged air towards the gathering surface at a zone in which the liquid is applied to the converging filaments to promote coating of the filaments with the liquid; and removing excess liquid from the strand by impinging another portion of the moving air upon a second deflecting surface located adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface and below and spaced from the first deflecting surface, the second deflecting surface being oriented such that the moving air impinging the second deflecting surface is deflected below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to effect removal of excess liquid from the strand.

Claim 6

The method of treating glass filaments comprising: supplying streams of molten glass; withdrawing spaced apart continuous glass filaments from the streams; advancing the continuous glass filaments downwardly along paths converging at a gathering surface, the filaments moving air with them; applying coating liquid to the filaments during advancement to the surface; impinging a portion of the moving air upon a first deflecting surface located immediately adjacent and opposite the gathering surface in a downwardly disposed position effective to deflect impinged air towards the gathering surface at a zone in which the liquid is applied to the converging filaments to promote coating of the filaments with the liquid; and removing excess liquid from the strand by impinging another portion of the moving air upon a second deflecting surface located adjacent, opposite and below the gathering surface and below and spaced from the first deflecting surface, the second deflecting surface being oriented such that the moving air impinging the second deflecting surface is deflected below the gathering surface in a direction generally transversely across the strand with sufficient energy to effect removal of excess liquid from the strand.