GB2038797A

GB2038797A - Supporting glass filaments in fabricating glass fibers

Info

Publication number: GB2038797A
Application number: GB7926056A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Paramount Glass Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Paramount Glass Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 1978-08-14
Filing date: 1979-07-26
Publication date: 1980-07-30
Also published as: AU525364B2; IT1119823B; AU4608379A; JPS5527836A; JPS5716935B2; IT7950018A0

Abstract

A member 2 for supporting glass filaments 1 in an apparatus for fabricating glass fibers (primary filaments being formed from molten glass and then further attenuated to fibres by hot gaseous blasts 5) comprises a pair of glass filament bearing surfaces 11, 15 of the same structure symmetrically formed at both sides of the member 2 and is so rotatably supported in the apparatus as to selectively bear the glass filaments on either bearing surface 11 or 15, and further includes at least three lateral angular edges (16, 17 & 18 and 19, 20 & 21) formed on each of the surfaces (11 and 15 respectively) for simultaneously making contact with each of the glass filaments 1. Since the filaments can be supported by a new but identical glass filament bearing surface merely by rotating the member through 180 DEG without stopping the overall apparatus, when the present glass filament bearing surface is worn, thereby to double the operating time of the member, this apparatus can eliminate the decrease of the productivity by the stoppage of the apparatus and wasteful loss of the glass stock to thus improve the production of the glass fiber as much. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber This invention- relates to an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber and, more specifically, to an improvement in a member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber.

As shown in Figure 4, the conventional apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber by a flame treatment performs the steps of melting glass marble A in a melting furnace B, drawing off glass rods Dfrom nozzles C, and introducing the glass rods D through a distributor E, drawing-off rollers F, and a supporting plate G into hot blast / ejected from a burner Hto thus attenuate the glass rods D. As illustrated in Figure 5, the supporting plate G bears a number of glass rods D group by means of mirror finished even supporting surface J thereof. This plate G incorporates cooling water pipes K and a circular surface on the surfaceJthereof.

Since the supporting plate G of this conventional apparatus continuously frictionally makes contact with the glass rods Don the supporting surface J thereof for long time, severe abrasion occurs along the sliding contact traces on the supporting surface J of the supporting plate G with the glass rods D.

Accordingly, the apparatus must be periodically shut down to replace the entire worn supporting plate G.

This replacement causes long stoppage of the apparatus and waste of glass stock to thereby reduce the productivity of the apparatus. This apparatus has further disadvantage such that, since the glass rods D supported on the even supporting surface J thereof take place intrinsic vibration in the hot air stream due to sidewise moving trend by the pressure difference between the dynamic pressure of the hot air stream urging pressure and the static pressure of the side stream, pressure difference between the upstream side and the downstream side of the glass rods D. and elasticity of the glass rods D themselves, etc.. they tend to vibrate on the supporting surface Jto cause the size of fiber of the attenuated glass fiber to become irregular.

This invention provides a memberforsupporting glass rods in an apparatusforfabricating a glass fiber, which comprises a pair of glass rod bearing surfaces of the same structure symmetrically formed around said member at both sides of said member and so rotatably supported to said apparatus as to selectively bear the glass rods on either bearing surface, and further including at least three lateral angular edges formed on each of the single convexly circular surfaces simultaneously making contact with each of the glass rods thereby to rotatably transfer the glass rod bearing surface using at present to the other glass rod bearing surface immediately upon abrasion of the present glass rod bearing surface in order to improve the productivity of the apparatus.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a memberforsupporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber, which can rapidly shift the glass rod bearing surface using at present to the other glass rod bearing surfacethereof immediately upon abrasion ofthe present glass rod bearing surface by eliminating the aforementioned disadvanages of the conventional apparatus for fabricating the glass fiber.

Another object of this invention is to provide a member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber, which can eliminate the vibration of the-glass rods caused by various pressures occurred by hot blast ejected to the glass rods upon attenuating of the glass rods to improve the size of fiber ofthe attenuated glass fiber in irregularity.

Still another object of this invention isto provide a memberfor supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber, which can reduce the wasteful loss of glass stock caused upon shutdown of the apparatus when replacing the worn glass rod supporting member to improve the productivity of the apparatus.

Other objects and features of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the member for supporting glass rods in a n an apparatusforfabricating a glass fiber according to this invention showing the used state of one example; Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line II - II in Figure 3, Figure 3 is a front sectional view of the member shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the conventional apparatus for producing a glass fiber showing brief constitution thereof; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the conventiona glass rod supporting plate employed as one example in the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3 showing one preferred embodiment of this invention, wherein like reference numerals designate the same parts in the several views, a member 2 for supporting a number of glass rods 1 is formed substantially in flat octagonal hollow cylinder, and is also formed integrally with a hollow bearing shaft 3 rotatablysupported ataframe F. A coolant feeding pipe P is arranged internally through the member 2 to communicate externally, and is constructed to cool the outer surface of the member 2 by circulating the coolant through the pipe P in the direction of an arrow in Figure 3.

The pipe P is supported at one outer end thereof via a hollow supporting element S secured thereat.

The shaft 3 is rotatably connected through an Orring R to the supporting element S. A handle H for rotating the member 2 is mounted at the shaft 3.

When the handle H is rotatably driven in the above configuration, only the shaft 3 and the member 2 are rotated, but the pipe P is not rotated. This member 2 is disposed directly above the position 6 for attenuating the glass rods 1 with the hot blast 5 inthe same manner as the supporting plate G shown in Figures 4 and 5.

This member 2 comprises a pair of glass rod bearing surfaces 11, 15 at both sides thereof, consisting of one side surface including faces 7, 8, 9 and the other including faces 12, 13 and 14.

The glass rod bearing surfaces 11, 15 are formed in the same structure substantially entirely symmetrical in respect of rotary shafts 3 in a manner that they may retain at the same position with respect to the glass rods 1 group when the member 2 is rotated at 180 around the shaft 3 in Figures 1,2 and 3.

The glass rod bearing surfaces 11, 15 have angular edges 16, 17, 18 and 19, 20, 21, respectively formed in the direction at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the glass rods 1 row. These angular edges 16, 17, 18 and 19, 20, 21 are formed at the crossing lines between the faces 7 and 8,8 and 9, 9 and a face 23 connected between the faces 9 and 12, and between the faces 12 and 13, 13 and 14, 14 and a face 22 connected between the faces 7 and 14, respectively on the glass rod bearing surfaces 11 and 15 of the member 2 in such a manner that the edges 16, 17, 18 and 19,20,21 are located on the same sole convexly circular surfaces 11. 15, respectively.

All of these angular edges 16, 17, 18 or 19, 20, 21 simultaneously make contact with the glass rods 1 at three point contacts of each of the glass rods 1 as depicted in Figure 2.

The glass rods 1 thus supported at the angular edges 16, 17, 18 or 19, 20, 21 of the member 2 are urged at the position 6 for attenuating the glass rods 1 via the hot blast 5 to be supported by the low angularly curved plane formed by the elasticity of themselves at the glass rods 1 thus low angularly curved.

In Figure 2, the glass rods 1 make surface contact with the member 2 in the area between the edges 16 and 17. However, when the glass rods 1 are slightly moved toward the rotary shaft 3 of the member 2 at the position above the edge 16, they make complete iy three point contact with the member 2 as shown in Figure 1.

It is experimentally confirmed that, when the intervals between the edges 16 and 17, 17 and 18, and the distance from the hipping point of the drawing-off rollers F to the lowermost edge 18 are suitably selected in this structure, the stereoscopic three point edge contact bearing structure of the member 2 eliminates the displacement and vibration, etc. of the glass rdos 1 to be applied with various pressures of the hot air stream to steady state.

If the angular edges 16. 17. 18 on the glass rod bearing surface 11 of the member 2 are. for example, worn to the degree affecting adversely to the attenuating work of the glass rods 1, the glass rods 1 are immediately supported again by the alternative angular edges 19, 20, 21 on the glass rod bearing surface 15 of the member 2 by rotating the member 2 at 180 via the rotary shafts 3, 4 while continuing the attenuating work of the apparatus to shift the glass rod bearing surface 15 to the position for supporting the glass rods 1. It should be appreciated that, since the rotation of the member 2 can be completed in very short time, the glass rods are so affected in the attenuating work as to be ignored.

This enables to continue the glass fiber attenuating work of the glass rods at least twice the time as compared with that of the conventional apparatus with one member for supporting the glass rods.

It should also be seen that, since the member for supporting the glass rods thus constructed and operated as described above supports the glass rods elastically bent at attenuating time at the three angular edges formed on one convexly circular bearing surface along the curved glass rods in most stably state, it can eliminate the vibration of the glass rods affected by various pressures of the hot blast at attenuating time to stably support the glass rods to thereby prevent the size of fiber of the glass fiber thus attenuated from occurring irregularity.

It should also be appreciated that, since the glass rods can be supported by new and entirely the same structure of glass rod bearing surface of the member only by rotating the member at 180 without stopping the overall apparatus when the present glass rod bearing surface is worn thereby to extend the operating time of the member in the apparatus twice the time as compared with the conventional apparatus, this apparatus can eliminate the decrease of the production by the stoppage of the apparatus and wasteful loss of the glass stock to thereby improve the productivity as much.

Claims

1. A member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber having glass rod attenuating unit for attenuating the glass rods along hot blast comprising: a pair of glass rod bearing surfaces of the same structure with one another symmetrically formed at both sides of said member and rotatably supported to said apparatus to selectively support the glass rods on either bearing surface thereof, and further each including at least three lateral angular edges formed and spaced on each of sole convexly circular surfaces substantially at right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the glass rods row for simultaneously making contact with each of the glass rods, wherein said member is located directly above said glass rod attenuating unit and is hollow to contain a coolant pipe.

2. A member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber according to claim 1 further having bearing shaft rotatably supported at a frame and also formed integrally with said member, and a coolant feeding pipe arranged internally through the member to communicate externally, wherein said glass rod bearing surfaces are formed substantially symmetrical in respect of the bearing shaft so that they may retain at the same position with respect to the glass rods when said member is rotated at 180' around the shaft.

3. A member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber according to claim 1 further having a pair of drawing-off rollers, wherein the intervals between the edges of said glass rod bearing surface, and the distance from the nipping point of the drawing-off rollers to the lowermost edge of said glass rod bearing surfaces are predetermined to cause the glass rods to make three point contact with the three edges of said glass rod bearing surfaces.

4. A member for supporting glass rods in an apparatus for fabricating a glass fiber substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.