GB989671A - Method and apparatus for processing glass and other heat softenable materials into foliated or flake form - Google Patents

Abstract

To form glass and like flakes, the molten glass is delivered on to an inwardly facing annular surface which is rotated to subject the glass to centrifugal force, the molten glass being flowed off an edge of the surface so as to project the glass outwardly in the form of a film which is then fractured into flakes. A stream S of molten glass falls freely into a distributer 60 rotating with a rotor 44 and having peripheral holes 62 to distribute the glass on to the inner surface 58 of an imperforate wall 50 extending from a downwardly flared portion 48 of the rotor 44. The hub 46 of the rotor 44 and a flange 66 on the distributer 60 are secured to a flange 52 on a hollow shaft 38 rotated from a motor 30, the shaft 38 being cooled by fluid through a surrounding chamber 92. Preferably the wall 50 is frusto-conical and diverges towards the lower edge 56 from which the glass is thrown in a flat film 70. To assist the formation of the film 70, the lower edge 56 may have its inner edge bevelled off or curved. The film 70 is fractured to flakes 110 by gas under pressure from an annular slot 104 of a blower 96, the pressure being regulated to give the required size of flakes 110. A guard 108 surrounds the blower 96 and the flakes 110 are collected on the usual foraminous belt conveyer 115 moving over a reduced pressure chamber 118. The rotor 44 is heated to maintain the glass molten by an annular burner 72 having orifices 80 in its lower wall 78 to direct hot gases between walls 112 and 114 on to the rotor 44. A second combustion chamber 86 surrounds the burner 72 and is used when additional heat is required adjacent the rotor in the formation of the film. Specification 794,322 is referred to. <PICT:0989671/C1/1>