GB848231A - A method and apparatus for finely dividing heat softenable materials - Google Patents

Abstract

848,231. Glass fibre manufacture. OWENSCORNING FIBERGLAS CORPORATION. Aug. 21, 1957, No. 26407/57. Class 56. [Also in Group XXIX] Forming molten glass into fibres comprises establishing a plurality of gaseous blasts the axes of which are in skewed relationship to one another and to a central axis, all the blasts passing through or close to the central axis in brushing engagement with one another, and feeding molten glass along or substantially along the central axis. Streams S of molten glass flow from a feeder 12 below a forehearth 10 between burners 14, Figs. 4, 6, or 224, Fig. 15, or in front of a single burner 150, Fig. 11 which mix a fuel and air mixture to give blasts which transform the glass to fibres F which may be confined within a hood 17 and collected on an endless conveyer 21 over a reduced pressure chamber 25. Lubricant or other coating for the fibres as they are formed may be applied through nozzles 27 in the hood 17 and the mat M of fibres may be treated with a bonding resin by applicators 29 over the conveyer 21. The burners 14, Figs. 4, 6 are mounted on a frame 35 for angular movement and for movement up and down and towards and away from each other. A platform 44 is mounted on posts 42 sliding in tubes 41 secured to columns 38 of the frame 35 and is raised and lowered by a wheel 50 on a shaft 46 having gears 48 engaging the teeth of racks 49 (not shown) on the posts 42 and provided with suitable locking means. Carriages 56, 57 are mounted on the platform 44 by depending members 59 sliding on rods 54 mounted between members 52, each carriage having vertically extending sides 60 joined by a top plate 61. A shaft 65, journalled in uprights 63 on platform 44 and extending through the carriages 56, 57, has right and left hand threaded portions 67 to cooperate with members 69 secured to the sides 60 so that rotation of shaft 65 moves the carriages 56, 57 towards or away from each other. Each carriage 56, 57 supports a shaft 74 in bearings 75 and a shaft 78 is secured to shaft 74 by end flanges 79, 80, the shaft 78 ending in a semi-annular portion 82 which is secured by bolts 84 and nuts 85 to a semi-annular portion 83 to rigidly clamp the burner 14. The relative angular positions of the burners 14 is adjusted from a shaft 90, also journalled in uprights 63, of square or polygonal cross-section on which slide right and left hand worms 88, each co-operating with a worm wheel 86 on each shaft 74, so that rotation of the shaft 90 turns the shaft 74 in opposite directions. Each burner 14 may also be individually adjusted by release of the nuts 85. Each burner 14 comprises a metal shell 95 lined with refractory material 97 to form a combustion chamber 98 which is joined at its rear wall 99 by small passages 100 to a manifold 101 supplied by an inlet pipe with fuel and air mixture under a comparatively low pressure. The discharge orifices 107 are formed in plate 105 set as in Fig. 2, so that they are at an angle to each other and to the vertical. A number of different burner and orifice constructions are disclosed. As in Fig. 8, the plate 105 is formed with an opening 106 aligned with the combustion chamber 98 and the orifice 107 is bounded by walls 108, 109 projecting downwardly and at a slight angle with respect to a vertical phase, the burners being slightly angled. A chamber 111 surrounding the orifice 107 is cooled by a liquid passed by an inlet pipe at the bottom to an outlet pipe 114. In a modified construction, the lower edge of the orifice 107 is itself set at an angle so that the burners need not be angled. As in Fig. 15, a member 225 with a central downwardly converging slot 230 has at each side manifolds 226 with horizontal passageways 228 (not shown) leading into the slot 230, the sides of the slot 230 having baffle plates 232, 233 formed with narrow ribs 221. The ribs on the two plates 232, 233 are slanted downwardly in opposed directions. In an alternative construction, the ribs 221 are straight and the plates 232, 233 secured to separate members which are set at an angle to each other. In Fig. 11, a simple burner is provided with two series of openings 165, 167 set at an angle to each other, one series 165 being downwardly and the other 167 upwardly inclined. The openings 165, 167 are formed as passages in blocks 161, 162 welded between two plates 152, 153 joined by a wall 154 forming a chamber 156 cooled by liquid through pipes 158, 159. In a modification, simple inclined slots are provided at each side of the vertical.