JP2019172549A - Glass fiber spinning nozzle plate, glass melting furnace having the same and glass fiber spinning method using glass melting furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a glass fiber spinning nozzle plate, capable of manufacturing glass fibers having a diameter of approximately 1.0 μm or more and approximately less than 6.0 μm.SOLUTION: A glass fiber spinning nozzle plate 30 comprises: a plate-like part 31 for receiving molten glass; and a nozzle 40 having an open hole 41 penetrating the plate-like part 31 in the inside, projected from the plate-like part 31 and discharging the molten glass received by the plate-like part 31. The inner diameter d1 of the nozzle 40 is 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less; and glass fibers having a diameter of approximately 1.0 μm or more and approximately less than 6.0 μm can be manufactured by the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass fiber spinning nozzle plate, a glass melting furnace having the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate, and a glass fiber spinning method using the glass melting furnace.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a glass fiber spinning nozzle plate having nozzles having a nozzle inner diameter of 0.9 mm to 1.3 mm. According to Patent Document 1, by setting such an inner diameter of the nozzle, the amount of glass can be sufficiently stably supplied even with respect to temperature fluctuation of the molten glass, and a glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 4 to 8 μm can be stably provided. It is said that spinning is possible.

JP 7-215729 A

  However, there is no clear disclosure as to whether or not glass fibers having a fiber diameter in the range of 4 to 8 μm can be produced within a nozzle inner diameter range of 0.9 mm to 1.3 mm. For example, according to Examples 1 to 3 of Patent Document 1, only nozzle plates having nozzle inner diameters of 1.2 mm, 1.1 mm, and 1.0 mm are used. And when the nozzle plate of such a nozzle inner diameter was used, in Examples 1-3, it was disclosed that all could manufacture 6 micrometer glass fiber.

In recent years, a thin glass fiber of less than about 6.0 μm has been demanded as a reinforcing material used for printed wiring boards and the like. Then, the present inventor knows that the thin glass fiber is more prone to fluff and has a greater effect on the quality of the printed wiring board and the like than the thicker glass fiber. Got. Further, the present inventor has found that the thin glass fiber is more likely to be spun off and the productivity is likely to be inferior to that of a thicker glass fiber.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a glass fiber spinning nozzle plate capable of producing glass fibers of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm with reduced generation of fluff and high productivity, and the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate. And a glass fiber spinning method using the glass melting furnace.

The characteristic configuration of the nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning according to the present invention is as follows:
A plate-like portion for receiving molten glass;
A nozzle that has a through-hole penetrating the plate-like portion inside, protrudes from the plate-like portion, and discharges molten glass received by the plate-like portion;
With
The nozzle inner diameter d1 of the nozzle is 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

  According to this characteristic configuration, since the nozzle inner diameter d1 is 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, a desired glass fiber having a thickness of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be reduced, and fuzz generation can be reduced. It can be obtained with good productivity.

  When the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds 1.0 mm, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is relatively large, the discharge amount of molten glass from the nozzle is large, and the fiber diameter is increased. Therefore, in order to obtain a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, in particular, a relatively thin glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm, a nozzle is used. It is necessary to lower the melting temperature (nozzle temperature) of the glass to be supplied. This increases the viscosity of the molten glass and suppresses the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle. However, if a glass fiber having a relatively small fiber diameter is obtained by lowering the melting temperature of the glass and the nozzle temperature, the spinning tension of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle is increased. It becomes easy to break, and it becomes difficult to reduce the occurrence of fluff as glass fiber.

  On the other hand, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 is less than 0.9 mm, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is relatively small, and the amount of molten glass discharged from the nozzle is small. Therefore, in order to obtain glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter, it is necessary to increase the melting temperature (nozzle temperature) of the molten glass supplied to the nozzle in order to ensure the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle. Thereby, the viscosity of a molten glass is made small and the discharge amount of the molten glass from a nozzle is increased. However, since the melting temperature of the glass is high, reboiling bubbles generated by melting the glass raw material at an excessively high temperature are likely to occur. Therefore, the glass fiber discharged by entering the reboil bubbles into the molten glass is easily broken, and it becomes difficult to produce the glass fiber with reduced fuzz and high productivity.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
The nozzle inner diameter d1 is not less than 0.9 mm and not more than 0.95 mm.

  According to this feature, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is further adjusted to 0.9 mm or more and 0.95 mm or less, so that a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be obtained with higher productivity. be able to.

  As described above, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds 1.0 mm, it is necessary to lower the nozzle temperature. If it does so, the spinning tension of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle will become large, and will receive damages, such as a glass fiber breaking. By setting the upper limit of the nozzle inner diameter d1 to 0.95 mm or less, which is smaller than 1.0 mm, the degree of lowering the melting temperature of the glass can be further reduced, and the viscosity of the molten glass is further suppressed from becoming too high. it can. As a result, the spinning tension can be further reduced, the glass fiber can be further prevented from being damaged such as breaking, and a glass fiber having a desired fiber diameter with higher quality can be obtained.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
The ratio of the nozzle outer diameter d2 of the nozzle to the nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.85 to 2.20.

  According to this characteristic configuration, (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.85 or more and 2.20 or less, so that a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be obtained. It can be obtained with good productivity.

  A large (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) means that the nozzle thickness, which is the difference between the nozzle outer diameter d2 and the nozzle inner diameter d1, is large.

  By setting (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) to 1.85 or more and 2.20 or less, the occurrence of molten glass wetting from the nozzle to the nozzle plate surface is further suppressed, and the strength of the nozzle itself is increased. The difference between the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature can be further reduced by further improving the exothermic property of the nozzle while extending the life of the nozzle. Thereby, the generation of reboil bubbles generated by melting the glass raw material at an excessively high temperature can be further reduced, and glass fibers having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be obtained with higher productivity. A glass fiber having a desired fiber diameter with better quality can be obtained.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
A ratio of the nozzle outer diameter d2 to the nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.9 or more and 2.1 or less.

  According to this characteristic configuration, (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is further adjusted to 1.9 or more and 2.1 or less, so that glass having a desired fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm. The fibers can be obtained with higher productivity.

  When (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 2.1 or less, it is smaller than the case of 2.20 or less, so that the occurrence of molten glass wetting from the nozzle to the nozzle plate surface is further suppressed.

  When (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.9 or more, it is larger than 1.85 or more. Therefore, the strength of the nozzle itself is further increased and the life of the nozzle plate is further extended, and the exothermic property of the nozzle is increased. By further improving the difference, the difference between the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature can be further reduced. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the glass fiber from being broken or the like due to the generation of the reboil bubbles, and to manufacture a glass fiber with higher quality.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
At least a part of the through hole is formed with a linear portion extending linearly along the vertical direction.

  According to this characteristic configuration, at least a part of the through hole is formed so as to extend linearly along the vertical direction, so that the contact resistance between the molten glass and the inner surface of the nozzle can be further reduced. Therefore, since the molten glass moves downward from the nozzle by its own weight in a state where the contact resistance is small, the burden on the molten glass can be further reduced as compared with the case where the contact resistance is large. As a result, damage such as breaking when the molten glass is cooled downward can be further reduced.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
The through-hole has a taper portion in which a taper whose width narrows toward the linear portion is formed at an upper end communicating with the plate-like portion.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the tapered portion is formed at the upper end of the through hole of the nozzle, and the tapered portion is formed so that the width becomes narrower toward the straight portion. Therefore, the molten glass received by the plate-like portion is easily introduced into the linear portion of the nozzle through the tapered portion.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
In the vertical direction, the ratio of the length I4 of the taper portion to the length I5 of the straight portion (the length of the taper portion I4 / the length of the straight portion I5) is 0.035 to 0.060. .

  According to this characteristic configuration, (the length I4 of the tapered portion / the length I5 of the straight portion) is 0.035 to 0.060, and the length I4 of the tapered portion is shorter than the length I5 of the straight portion. . Therefore, the molten glass received by the plate-like portion is efficiently introduced into the straight portion through the taper portion, and the contact resistance of the molten glass at the time of passage by flowing through the relatively long straight portion. Can be reduced. Therefore, damage such as breaking when the molten glass is cooled downward can be further reduced.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
The ratio of the nozzle protrusion length from the plate-like portion to the difference between the nozzle outer diameter d2 and the nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) is 4.5 or more and 5 .5 or less,
Ratio of the length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle with respect to the thickness I3 of the plate-like portion (length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle / thickness I3 of the plate-like portion) ) Is 4.0 or more and 5.5 or less.

  According to this characteristic configuration, (nozzle protruding length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) and (length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle / thickness I3 of the plate-like portion) ) Is set within a predetermined range, the desired glass fiber of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be obtained more stably.

  While (nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) is 4.5 or more and 5.5 or less, (length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle / the plate-like portion By setting the thickness I3) to 4.0 or more and 5.5 or less, the cooling capacity at the nozzle can be made more appropriate, and both the suppression of reboiling and the optimization of spinning tension can be achieved. Can be easier.

Further features of the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention are as follows:
The said nozzle is in the point which discharges the glass fiber whose fiber diameter is 3.0 micrometers or more and 5.0 micrometers or less.

  According to this characteristic configuration, since the nozzle inner diameter d1 is 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, the melting temperature of the molten glass supplied to the nozzle is appropriately adjusted, and the nozzle has a fiber diameter of 3.0 μm or more and 5. Glass fiber of 0 μm or less can be discharged.

  For example, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds 1.0 mm, it is necessary to lower the melting temperature and the nozzle temperature, so that the glass fiber is likely to break due to an increase in the spinning tension. On the other hand, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 is less than 0.9 mm, it is necessary to increase the melting temperature and the nozzle temperature. As a result, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds 1.0 mm and at least one of the nozzle inner diameter d1 is less than 0.9 mm, glass fibers having a fiber diameter of 3.0 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less are used as fluff. It becomes very difficult to reduce the generation and manufacture with high productivity.

The characteristic configuration of the glass melting furnace according to the present invention is as follows:
A slot into which glass material is charged;
A melting part that is continuous with the charging port and melts the charged glass material to form a molten glass;
The nozzle plate provided at a lower portion of the melting portion and discharging the molten glass;
Heating means for heating the melting part and the nozzle plate;
It is in the point provided with.

  According to this characteristic configuration, a glass plate having a nozzle inner diameter d1 of 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less is employed in a glass melting furnace, so that desired glass fibers of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm are fluffed. Can be obtained with good productivity.

The characteristic configuration of the glass fiber spinning method according to the present invention is:
A glass fiber spinning method for spinning glass fibers of 1.0 μm or more and less than 6.0 μm using the glass melting furnace described above,
A spinning speed condition in which the spinning speed of the glass fiber from the nozzle provided in the nozzle plate is 2500 m / min or more and 3200 m / min or less;
A nozzle temperature condition in which the nozzle temperature of the nozzle heated by the heating means is 1260 ° C. or higher and 1300 ° C. or lower;
A melting temperature condition in which the melting temperature of the glass in the glass melting furnace heated by the heating means is 1530 ° C. or higher and 1580 ° C. or lower;
The point is based on at least one of the following conditions.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the fiber diameter of a desired fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm is obtained by spinning the glass fiber using at least one of the spinning speed condition, the nozzle temperature condition, and the melting temperature condition. Glass fiber can be produced with higher productivity. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of fluff can be suppressed more and the glass fiber which improved the tensile strength and toughness can be manufactured.

  By setting the spinning speed to 2500 m / min or more and 3200 m / min or less, the cooling effect on the discharged glass fiber by the accompanying flow is further enhanced, and the spinning temperature is adjusted by setting the melting temperature and nozzle temperature of the molten glass to an appropriate range. It becomes easy to make it an appropriate range, generation | occurrence | production of fluff can be suppressed more, and it becomes easy to manufacture the glass fiber which improved the tensile strength and toughness.

  The glass fiber diameter is mainly adjusted by the nozzle inner diameter d1, the spinning speed, and the nozzle temperature. Accordingly, when the spinning speed is set while the nozzle inner diameter d1 is set to 0.9 mm to 1.0 mm, the fiber diameter is particularly set to about 3.0 to about 5 by setting the nozzle temperature to 1260 ° C. to 1300 ° C. It becomes easy to produce glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of 0.0 μm or less.

  In addition, by setting the melting temperature condition that the melting temperature of the glass is 1530 ° C. or more and 1580 ° C. or less, the viscosity of the molten glass is appropriately adjusted while suppressing the generation of the reboiling bubbles, and the reboiling bubbles and the glass material are originally provided. It becomes easy to remove minute bubbles contained from the glass liquid surface above the melted part. In particular, in the case of glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of about 3.0 to about 5.0 μm, the fine bubbles have a relatively large influence on the spun yarn. Therefore, by using the glass melting temperature, glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of about 3.0 to about 5.0 μm in particular can be produced with less generation of fluff and more production. It becomes easy to manufacture with good performance. As a means for adjusting to such a melting temperature, for example, if a glass melting furnace is provided with a first member 50 and / or a second member 60 described later, a temperature adjusting function by heat generation of the member, The function of increasing the residence time of the molten glass by the member is more preferable because the minute bubbles can be more easily removed. Furthermore, by combining the above-described configuration (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) of 1.85 or more and 2.20 or less, it is easier to remove the minute bubbles and the heat generation property of the nozzle is further improved. By making it, it becomes easier to make compatible the suppression of generation | occurrence | production of a reboil bubble by making the difference of the melting temperature of molten glass and nozzle temperature smaller.

The characteristic constitution of the glass yarn composed of the glass fiber composed of the E glass composition according to the present invention is as follows:
The fiber diameter of the glass fiber is 3.0 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less,
The tensile strength (N / tex) of the glass yarn is 0.80 N / tex or more,
The glass yarn has a toughness (MJ / m ³ ) of 33 MJ / m ³ or more.

The perspective view of the glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The side view of the glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus of FIG. The top view of the glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the 1st member, (a) is a top view which looked at the 1st member from the upper surface, and (b) is a side view of the 1st member. It is a schematic diagram of the 2nd member, (a) is a top view which looked at the 2nd member from the upper surface, (b) is a side view of the 2nd member. The top view of a nozzle plate. Sectional drawing of a nozzle.

Embodiment
An embodiment of a glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus having a glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the whole structure of a glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-3.

(1) Overall configuration of glass fiber bundle production apparatus As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a glass fiber bundle production apparatus 300 produces a glass fiber by spinning a molten glass with a glass melting furnace 100 that melts a glass material. And a spinning device 200. 1 and 2, a part of the side wall is omitted so that the inside of the glass melting furnace 100 can be visually recognized.

  The glass melting furnace 100 is disposed in the upper part of the glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 300 and melts the glass material that has been charged. The spinning device 200 is disposed in the lower part of the glass melting furnace 100, melted in the glass melting furnace 100, and spun glass fibers by discharging molten glass from nozzles 40 of a nozzle plate 30 described later. Further, in the present embodiment, the spinning device 200 manufactures a glass fiber bundle by aligning glass fibers that are a plurality of filaments as one bundle.

  Below, the structure of each part of the glass melting furnace 100 and the spinning apparatus 200 is demonstrated. In the following, description will be given in the direction shown in FIG. 1, that is, up, down, front, back, right, left. The description will be made according to these directions, but the present invention is not limited by these directions.

(1-1) Glass melting furnace 100
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the glass melting furnace 100 discharges a charging port 10 into which a glass material is charged, a melting part 20 that is a region for melting the charged glass material, and a molten glass that has been melted. And a nozzle plate 30 on which a plurality of nozzles 40 are formed.

(A) Input port 10
In the upper part of the glass melting furnace 100, a charging port 10 for charging a glass material is provided. The inlet 10 is formed by a cylindrical body that penetrates in the vertical direction, and is connected to the upper end of the melting part 20. In addition, the charging port 10 is formed to be smaller than, for example, the melting part 20 in a top view, whereby the opening of the melting part 20 by the charging port 10 can be reduced, and the temperature in the melting part 20 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

(B) Melting part 20
The melting unit 20 includes a housing that melts the glass material charged from the charging port 10. As shown in FIG. 3, this casing is composed of a pair of side walls 101a, 101b facing in the left-right direction, 101c, 101d facing in the front-rear direction, and an upper wall 102, and a nozzle plate 30 at the bottom. By being arranged, it is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an internal space. And this fusion | melting part 20 is formed with the fireproof material mentioned later. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first member 50 and a second member 60, which will be described later, are arranged in the inner space of the melting part 20 from the top to the bottom. In addition, the first member 21, the second member 23, and the third member 25 are partitioned in order from the top by the second members 50 and 60. Further, the melting part 20 is provided with a heating means 70 for melting the glass material. Hereinafter, the member which comprises the fusion | melting part 20 is demonstrated in detail.

(B-1) Heating means 70
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, heating means 70 a and 70 b are respectively provided on the right and left side walls 101 a and 101 b of the melting part 20. Each of the heating means 70a and 70b includes electrode terminals, and a voltage is applied from a power source (not shown). Thereby, in the glass melting furnace 100, a current along the direction between the heating means 70a and 70b, that is, the left-right direction flows, and the melting part 20 is heated. The heating means 70 applies a voltage to the melting part 20 to adjust the melting temperature of the glass material in the melting part 20, and heats the glass material so that the viscosity of the glass material is 400 poise or less, for example. Further, the heating means 70 heats the nozzle plate 30 in addition to the inside of the housing, thereby adjusting the nozzle temperature of the nozzle 40 and adjusting the spinning speed of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle 40, the thickness of the fiber, and the like. Configured to adjust.

  The heating means 70 can individually control the nozzle temperature of the nozzle 40 and the melting temperature of the melting part 20. Thereby, the discharge state of the molten glass from the nozzle 40 can be variously controlled. However, since the molten glass melted in the melting part 20 is finally discharged from the nozzle 40 and manufactured into glass fibers, it is important to adjust the nozzle temperature at the time of discharge. Therefore, it is preferable to use the heating means 70 to adjust the melting temperature based on the nozzle temperature, and to discharge the molten glass from the nozzle 40 to produce a desired glass fiber.

(B-2) First member 50
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first member 50 is disposed between the first region 21 and the second region 23. As shown in FIG. 4, the first member 50 is formed in a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the rectangular parallelepiped melting portion 20. If it demonstrates in detail, the 1st member 50 is attached to the side walls 101a-101d of the fusion | melting part 20 by welding etc., for example so that a plate-shaped surface may follow a left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the first member 50 is formed in a V shape in a side view. That is, it inclines so that it may go upward as it goes to the right end part 52a and the left end part 52b from the center part 51 of the left-right direction, and the right end part 52a and the left end part 52b are connected with the left and right side walls 101a and 101b. . The right end 52a is formed with openings 53a (openings 53a1 and 53a2) arranged in the front-rear direction, and the left end 52b is formed with openings 53b (openings 53b1 and 53b2) arranged in the front-rear direction.

  As will be described later, the first member 50 completely melts the solid glass in the molten glass in the first region 21 by the inclination from the central portion 51 toward the right end portion 52a and the left end portion 52b. Therefore, in the first member 50, the left and right inclination angles θa and θb with the central portion 51 as the center are adjusted so that the solid glass in the molten glass can be sufficiently dammed with respect to the horizontal direction. In other words, the inclination angles θa and θb are sufficient to cause the molten glass in the first region 21 b to gradually flow from the central portion 51 toward the openings 53a and 53b of the end portions 52a and 52b and stay there. It is adjusted to such an extent that it can secure the time for dissolution in the solution. Since the viscosity of the molten glass varies depending on the type and temperature of the glass material, it is preferable to vary the inclination angles θa and θb depending on, for example, the type of glass material.

  Similarly, the distances La and Lb from the central portion 51 to the ends of the openings 53a and 53b on the central portion 51 side are also adjusted so that the molten glass can be retained and the solid glass can be sufficiently melted. ing. Note that the distances La and Lb are substantially the same and the inclination angles θa and θb are also substantially the same in order to supply the molten glass from which the solid glass has completely disappeared to the second region 23 from the openings 53a and 53b. Preferably there is.

(B-3) Second member 60
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second member 60 is disposed between the second region 23 and the third region 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the second member 60 is formed in a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the rectangular parallelepiped melting portion 20. The second member 60 is attached to the side walls 101a to 101d of the melting portion 20 by, for example, welding so that the plate-like surface is along the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the second member 60 is inclined upward as it goes from the central portion 61 in the left-right direction toward the right end portion 62 a and the left end portion 62 b in a side view. In other words, the central portion 61 of the second member 60 is closer to the lower nozzle plate 30 than the right end portion 62a and the left end portion 62b.

  The second member 60 is formed with a plurality of rectangular openings 63 penetrating the plane in the vertical direction. The openings 63 are formed to be alternately located. That is, for example, the opening 63a and the opening 63b are formed so that the positions in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are shifted.

  The second member 60 mixes the molten glass in the second region 23 substantially uniformly by an inclination from the right end portion 62a and the left end portion 62b toward the central portion 61. Therefore, in the second member 60, the left and right inclination angles θc and θd with respect to the center portion 61 with respect to the left and right direction are determined by the molten glass in the second region 23 from the right end portion 62 a and the left end portion 62 b to the center portion. As it flows toward 61, it is adjusted to such an extent that it can be mixed almost uniformly. Since the viscosity of the molten glass varies depending on the type and temperature of the glass material, for example, it is preferable to vary the inclination angles θc and θd depending on the type and temperature of the glass material.

  Further, the distances Lc and Ld from the central portion 61 to the right end portion 62a and the left end portion 62b are substantially the same so that the molten glass can be mixed almost uniformly and flow out of the opening 63, and the inclination angles θc and θd. Are also preferably substantially the same.

(C) Nozzle plate 30
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a nozzle plate 30 is provided at the bottom of the third region 25 of the melting part 20. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the nozzle plate 30 includes a plate-like portion 31 formed in a rectangular plate shape having a predetermined thickness I3 corresponding to the shape of the rectangular parallelepiped melting portion 20, and a plate-like shape. And a plurality of nozzles 40 protruding downward from the portion 31. The plate-like portion 31 is attached to the side walls 101a to 101d of the melting portion 20 by, for example, welding so that the plate-like surface extends in the left-right direction, and constitutes the bottom wall of the melting portion 20.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle 40 has a cylindrical projecting portion 42 formed so as to project downward from the lower surface of the plate-like portion 31. The nozzle 40 has a cylindrical through-hole 41 penetrating from the upper surface of the plate-like portion 31 to the lower end of the protruding portion 42. The through hole 41 is formed by a tapered portion 41 a formed at the upper end of the plate-like portion 31 and a linear portion 41 b continuing from the tapered portion 41 a. The straight portion 41b is formed to extend linearly along the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the plate-like surface of the plate-like portion 31 is along the horizontal direction, and the extending direction of the straight portion 41 b is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal direction of the plate-like surface of the plate-like portion 31. On the other hand, the taper portion 41a is formed at an upper end communicating with the plate-like portion 31 so as to be inclined so as to become narrower toward the straight portion 41b.

  At least a part of the through hole 41 is formed by a straight portion 41b extending linearly along the vertical direction. That is, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is constant in the straight portion 41b. Therefore, the contact resistance between the molten glass and the inner surface of the nozzle 40 can be reduced. Therefore, since the molten glass moves downward of the nozzle 40 due to its own weight in a state where the contact resistance is small, the burden on the molten glass can be reduced as compared with the case where the contact resistance is large. As a result, damage such as breakage when the molten glass is cooled downward can be reduced. Furthermore, since the contact resistance received by the molten glass is small and the burden is small, glass fibers that are excellent in quality are manufactured. Therefore, at least one of improvement in tensile strength and improvement in toughness is easily achieved.

  Moreover, since the taper part 41a is formed in the upper end of the through-hole 41 of the nozzle 40, the molten glass which the plate-shaped part 31 received is easy to be introduce | transduced into the linear part 41b of the nozzle 40 through the taper part 41a.

  Further, the protruding portion 42 is configured such that the diameter of the outer periphery decreases from the upper surface of the plate-like portion 31 toward the lower end of the protruding portion 42. The inclination of the outer diameter is, for example, 5 °. The molten glass in the third region 25 is received by the plate-like portion 31 and discharged from the through hole 41 of the nozzle 40.

  The number of nozzles 40 formed on the nozzle plate 30 is about 50 to 250 when the nozzle plate 30 is about 35 mm × about 400 mm, for example.

  In the present embodiment, it is expressed that molten glass is discharged from the nozzle 40 or glass fiber is discharged from the nozzle 40, and these expressions have the same meaning. From the nozzle 40, at least one of the molten glass being cooled and the cooled glass fiber is discharged. That is, from the nozzle 40, any one of a state where the molten glass being cooled from the nozzle 40 is discharged, a state where the cooled glass fiber is discharged, or a state where the molten glass and the glass fiber are mixed is selected. Discharged in a state.

Next, the nozzle 40 will be further described.
In this embodiment, a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly a relatively thin glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm is manufactured from the nozzle 40. Therefore, the nozzle inner diameter d1 and the like of the nozzle 40 were adjusted.

As a method for obtaining a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly a relatively thin glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm, The adjustment of the spinning speed of the glass fiber from the nozzle 40 and the adjustment of the nozzle inner diameter d1, etc. were considered.
Then, an experiment was carried out in which the spinning speed was adjusted to be fast and the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle was pulled quickly to reduce the fiber diameter. As a method of adjusting the spinning speed, there is a method of increasing the rotational speed of a take-up roller 211 of the spinning device 200 described later. However, as the spinning speed is increased, for example, a larger tensile tension (spinning tension) is applied to the glass fiber, the contact resistance between the glass fiber and the spinning device 200 is increased, and the glass fiber is broken. As a result, glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter could not be obtained with a desired length. In addition, the spinning speed was increased, and the temperature of the molten glass supplied to the nozzle 40 was increased to lower the viscosity, and spinning was attempted. However, glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter could not be obtained with a desired length.
Therefore, the inventors tried to obtain a desired glass fiber by adjusting the nozzle inner diameter d1. As a result, glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter could be obtained with a desired length.

(C-1) Nozzle inner diameter d1
The inventors of the present invention devised a glass fiber having a desired fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm by adjusting the nozzle inner diameter d1 instead of adjusting the spinning speed or the like. It was found that thin glass fibers having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm can be obtained. Furthermore, the inventors have particularly desired that the glass inner diameter d1 is about 0.9 mm or more and about 1.0 mm or less to reduce generation of fuzz and increase the productivity of glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter. It was found that it can be obtained with a length of.

  When the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds about 1.0 mm, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is relatively large, the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle 40 is large, and the fiber diameter is increased. Therefore, in order to obtain glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter, it is necessary to adjust the melting temperature in the melting part 20 to be low in order to lower the melting temperature (nozzle temperature) of the molten glass supplied to the nozzle 40. This is because if the melting temperature of the glass is high, the viscosity of the molten glass decreases, the amount of molten glass discharged from the nozzle 40 increases, and the fiber diameter of the glass fiber becomes relatively large.

  Therefore, the viscosity of the molten glass is increased by lowering the glass melting temperature and the nozzle temperature, and the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle is suppressed. However, in this case, if a glass fiber having a relatively small fiber diameter is to be obtained, the spinning tension of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle 40 increases. That is, when the glass temperature is to be obtained by lowering the nozzle temperature, the viscosity of the molten glass discharged from the nozzle 40 is increased, and a desired tensile force is applied to the molten glass from the nozzle inner diameter d1 by the spinning device 200. More tensile force is required to deform the fiber diameter, and as a result, the spinning tension applied to the discharged glass fiber increases. When the discharged glass fiber comes into contact with the spinning device 200 or the like in a state where the spinning tension is increased, the glass fiber is damaged such as breaking.

  In the present embodiment, the melting temperature means, for example, the temperature of the molten glass particularly in the first region 21 of the melting part 20. The nozzle temperature refers to, for example, the temperature of the outer surface of the nozzle 40 and the temperature of the molten glass in the nozzle.

  On the other hand, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 is less than about 0.9 mm, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is relatively small, and the discharge amount of molten glass from the nozzle 40 is small. Therefore, in order to obtain glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter, it is necessary to adjust the melting temperature at the melting part 20 to be high in order to increase the melting temperature (nozzle temperature) of the molten glass supplied to the nozzle 40. This is because when the melting temperature of the molten glass is low, the viscosity of the molten glass increases and the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle 40 becomes too small.

  Therefore, the viscosity of the molten glass is decreased by increasing the melting temperature of the glass, and the discharge amount of the molten glass from the nozzle 40 is increased. However, in this case, since the melting temperature of the glass is high, reboil bubbles generated by melting the glass raw material at an excessively high temperature are likely to be generated.

  Taking the above points into consideration, the inventors have devised and conducted experiments using the nozzles 40 having various nozzle inner diameters d1, and as a result, the nozzle inner diameter d1 is about 0.9 mm or more and about 1.0 mm or less. Thus, glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm, can reduce the occurrence of fluff. In addition, the desired length could be obtained with high productivity.

  Furthermore, the inventors have also found that at least one of improvement in tensile strength and improvement in toughness can be achieved by setting the nozzle inner diameter d1 to about 0.9 mm or more and about 1.0 mm or less.

  In this embodiment, as described above, a glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly a relatively thin glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm is obtained. Can do. The glass fiber having such a fiber diameter is greatly affected by the size of the nozzle inner diameter d1 of the nozzle 40 that discharges the molten glass because the fiber diameter is small. Further, when fluff is generated on the surface of the glass fiber, the glass fiber is greatly affected by the fluff because of the small fiber diameter. Glass fibers having such a fiber diameter can be used in various applications such as a reinforcing material for printed wiring boards, for example, but glass fibers such as small tensile strength and small toughness are inferior in quality for use in various applications.

  However, as described above, the glass fiber of the present embodiment can achieve at least one of improvement in tensile strength and improvement in toughness by setting the nozzle inner diameter d1 to about 0.9 mm or more and about 1.0 mm or less. . Conventionally, in the technical common sense of glass fiber, the glass raw material composition and sizing agent deoiling have been mainly studied for the problem of improving the tensile strength. In addition, the toughness has not even been studied in the technical common sense of glass fiber. On the other hand, the present invention is directed to the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate, a glass melting furnace equipped with the nozzle plate, and a glass fiber spinning method using the glass melting furnace. Therefore, an approach that is completely different from the conventional technology is adopted.

  The nozzle inner diameter d1 is more preferably about 0.9 mm or more and about 0.95 mm or less. Since the nozzle inner diameter d1 is further adjusted to about 0.9 mm or more and about 0.95 mm or less, a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly about relatively thin about 3.0 μm. A glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 5.0 μm can be obtained with high productivity.

  As described above, when the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeds about 1.0 mm, the nozzle temperature needs to be lowered. If it does so, the spinning tension of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle 40 will become large, and glass fiber will receive damages, such as a fracture | rupture. By setting the upper limit of the nozzle inner diameter d1 to about 0.95 mm or less, which is smaller than about 1.0 mm, the degree of lowering the melting temperature of the glass can be made smaller, and the viscosity of the molten glass becomes too high. It can be suppressed more. As a result, the spinning tension can be further reduced, the glass fiber can be further prevented from being damaged such as breaking, and a glass fiber having a desired fiber diameter with higher quality can be obtained.

(C-2) Thickness of the nozzle 40 In the nozzle 40, (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is set to about 1.85 or more and about 2.20 or less, so that the desired about 1.0 μm or more and about 6.0 μm are obtained. A glass fiber having a fiber diameter of less than 3, particularly, a relatively thin glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm can be obtained with higher productivity.
A large (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) means that the nozzle thickness, which is the difference between the nozzle outer diameter d2 and the nozzle inner diameter d1, is large.

  By setting (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) to about 1.85 or more and about 2.20 or less, the occurrence of molten glass wetting from the nozzle to the nozzle plate surface is further suppressed, and the strength of the nozzle itself is increased. Thus, the difference between the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature can be further reduced by further improving the heat generation property of the nozzle 40 while extending the life of the nozzle plate 30. As a result, the generation of reboil bubbles caused by excessive melting of the glass raw material at a high temperature is further reduced, and the glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly about 3.0 μm which is relatively thin. A glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 5.0 μm can be obtained with higher productivity, and a glass fiber having a desired fiber diameter with better quality can be obtained.

Further, (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is more preferably about 1.9 or more and about 2.1 or less. (Nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is further adjusted to about 1.9 or more and about 2.1 or less, so that glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly relative In particular, a glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm can be obtained with higher productivity.
Note that (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is preferably a ratio at the tip of the nozzle 40.

  When (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is about 2.1 or less, it is smaller than the case of about 2.20 or less, so that the occurrence of molten glass wetting from the nozzle to the nozzle plate surface is further suppressed.

  When (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is about 1.9 or more, it is larger than the case of about 1.85 or more, so that the strength of the nozzle itself is further increased and the life of the nozzle plate 30 is further extended. By further improving the exothermic property of the nozzle 40, the difference between the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature can be further reduced.

(C-3) Length of the taper portion 41a / length of the straight portion 41b In the nozzle 40, (length I4 of the taper portion 41a / length I5 of the straight portion 41b) is about 0.035 to about 0.060. Preferably there is. In this case, the length I4 of the tapered portion 41a is shorter than the length I5 of the linear portion 41b. Therefore, the molten glass received by the plate-like part 31 is efficiently introduced into the straight part 41b by passing through the taper part 41a, while flowing through the relatively long straight part 41b, The contact resistance between the molten glass and the inner surface of the nozzle 40 can be reduced. Therefore, damage such as breaking when the molten glass is cooled downward can be further reduced. Moreover, since the contact resistance which a molten glass receives is small and a burden is small, since the glass fiber which is excellent in quality is manufactured, it becomes easy to achieve at least any one of the improvement of tensile strength and the improvement of toughness.

In addition, when (the length of the taper part 41a / the length of the straight part 41b) exceeds 0.060, the length of the taper part 41a becomes relatively large, and the molten glass until being introduced into the straight part 41b. The contact resistance between the nozzle 40 and the inner surface of the nozzle 40 increases.
On the other hand, when (the length of the taper portion 41a / the length of the straight portion 41b) is less than 0.035, the length of the taper portion 41a becomes relatively short, and the molten glass of the plate-like portion 31 is replaced with the straight portion 41b. It becomes difficult to introduce efficiently.

  The total length of the nozzle 40 including the length of the tapered portion 41a and the length of the linear portion 41b is preferably about 4.5 mm or more and about 9.5 mm or less, for example. Furthermore, about 5.5 mm or more and about 7.5 mm or less are preferable. Thereby, the cooling capacity of the nozzle 40 can be made more appropriate, and it is possible to make the suppression of the generation of the reboil bubbles and the optimization of the spinning tension even easier.

(C-4) Nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1), length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion 31 to the tip of the nozzle 40 / thickness I3 of the plate-like portion 31
(Nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) is set to about 4.5 or more and about 5.5 or less, and (length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion 31 to the tip of the nozzle 40) / By setting the thickness I3) of the plate-like portion 31 to about 4.0 or more and about 5.5 or less, a desired glass fiber of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm can be stably obtained.

  While the (nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) is set to about 4.5 or more and about 5.5 or less, (length I2 / from the upper surface of the plate-like portion 31 to the tip of the nozzle 40) By setting the thickness I3) of the plate-like part 31 to about 4.0 or more and about 5.5 or less, the cooling ability at the nozzle 30 can be made more appropriate, and the generation of reboil bubbles can be suppressed and spinning can be performed. Tension optimization can be made even easier.

  In addition, (nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) and (thickness I3 of plate-like portion 31 / length I2 from the upper surface of plate-like portion 31 to the tip of nozzle 40) At least one of them may be set within a predetermined range.

(C-5) Spinning speed, nozzle temperature, melting temperature It is preferable that the spinning speed condition of the glass fiber discharged from the nozzle 40 is about 2500 m / min or more and about 3200 m / min or less. As a method of adjusting the spinning speed, there is a method of increasing or decreasing the rotational speed of the winding roller 211 of the spinning device 200.
Moreover, it is preferable that the nozzle temperature conditions of the nozzle 40 are about 1260 degreeC or more and about 1300 degrees C or less.
Moreover, it is preferable that the melting temperature conditions of the glass in the fusion | melting part 20 are about 1530 degreeC or more and about 1580 degrees C or less.

  By spinning the glass fiber using at least one of the spinning speed condition, the nozzle temperature condition, and the melting temperature condition, a desired glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm, particularly relative A glass fiber having a fiber diameter of about 3.0 μm to about 5.0 μm can be produced with higher productivity. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of fluff can be suppressed more and the glass fiber which improved the tensile strength and toughness can be manufactured.

  By setting the spinning speed to about 2500 m / min or more and about 3200 m / min or less, the effect of cooling the discharged glass fiber by the accompanying flow is further enhanced, and the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature are set within an appropriate range. It becomes easy to make the tension within an appropriate range, generation of fluff can be further suppressed, and it becomes easy to produce a glass fiber with improved tensile strength and toughness. The spinning speed is preferably about 2800 m / min or more and about 3200 m / min or less from the viewpoint of further suppressing the generation of fuzz and further improving the tensile strength and toughness, and about 2900 m / min. More preferably, it is about 3100 m / min or less.

  The glass fiber diameter is mainly adjusted by the nozzle inner diameter d1, the spinning speed, and the nozzle temperature. Therefore, when the spinning speed is set to about 0.9 mm or more and about 1.0 mm or less while setting the nozzle temperature to about 1260 ° C. or more and about 1300 ° C. or less, the fiber diameter is particularly about 3. Generation of fluff can be further reduced and glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of 0 to about 5.0 μm can be more easily produced with higher productivity.

  Further, by setting the melting temperature condition that the melting temperature of the glass is about 1530 ° C. or more and about 1580 ° C. or less, the generation of the reboiling bubbles is suppressed, and the viscosity of the molten glass is set to an appropriate value. It becomes easy to draw out the fine bubbles originally contained in the glass from the glass liquid surface above the melting part. In particular, in the case of glass fibers having a relatively thin fiber diameter of about 3.0 to about 5.0 μm, the fine bubbles have a relatively large influence on the spun yarn. Therefore, by setting the glass melting temperature, glass fiber having a relatively thin fiber diameter of about 3.0 to about 5.0 μm in particular can reduce the occurrence of fluff and improve productivity. Easy to manufacture. As a means for adjusting to such a melting temperature, for example, if the glass melting furnace 100 includes the first member 50 and / or the second member 60 described above, a temperature adjustment function by heat generation of the member, The function of increasing the residence time of the molten glass by the member is more preferable because the minute bubbles can be more easily removed. Further, by combining the above-described configuration (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) of about 1.85 or more and about 2.20 or less, it is easier to remove the minute bubbles, and the heat generation of the nozzle 40. By further improving the properties, the difference between the melting temperature of the molten glass and the nozzle temperature can be further reduced to suppress the occurrence of reboiling bubbles.

(2) Spinning apparatus 200
Next, a spinning device 200 that spins glass fiber by discharging molten glass from the nozzle 40 will be described. The spinning device 200 includes a sizing agent tray 201 for applying a sizing agent to the glass fibers discharged from the nozzle 40, a converging mechanism 202 for bundling the glass fibers into a predetermined number of glass fiber bundles, and a traversing mechanism 206 for traversing the glass fibers. And a winding roller 211 for winding the glass fiber bundle.

  In the sizing agent tray 201, a sizing agent supplied to the sizing agent tray 201, an applicator for picking up the sizing agent and applying the sizing agent to the glass fiber by the glass fiber coming into contact with the picked up sizing agent ( (Not shown). In addition, it can replace with the bundling tray 201 grade | etc., And a bundling agent can also be provided to glass fiber by spray injection etc.

  The focusing mechanism 202 includes a horizontal focusing shaft 203 that is rotationally driven by a motor or the like, and a plurality of focusing rollers 205 fixed to the focusing shaft 203. In the present embodiment, for example, three focusing rollers 205 are fixed to the focusing shaft 203. Therefore, the plurality of glass fibers discharged from the through hole 41 of the nozzle 40 are divided into three fiber bundles by the three converging rollers 205 as the converging shaft 203 rotates. Each glass fiber is introduced into a sizing agent tray 201 containing a sizing agent and applied with a sizing agent before the fiber bundle is made into three fiber bundles by the converging roller 205.

The traverse mechanism 206 includes a horizontal traverse shaft 207 that is rotationally driven by a motor or the like, and a traverse member 209 corresponding to each of the three focusing rollers 205. The fiber bundles converged by the three converging rollers 205 are traversed by the traversing member 209 by the rotational drive of the traversing shaft 207 and are evenly wound around the winding roller 211.
The winding roller 211 rotates around a predetermined rotation axis, and the rotation speed, the rotation driving force, and the like are adjusted. Thereby, the spinning tension (tensile tension) and spinning speed of the molten glass discharged from the nozzle 40 are adjusted, and the fiber bundle is wound up.

(3) Glass Fiber Manufacturing Method Next, a flow from when a glass material is introduced into the glass melting furnace 100 until the glass fiber is discharged from the nozzle 40 and wound by the spinning device 200 will be described.
First, glass materials are successively fed into the first region 21 of the melting part 20 of the glass melting furnace 100 from the inlet 10 to melt the glass material. Therefore, the first region 21 is filled with a glass material, a glass material in the middle of melting, and a molten glass. A voltage is applied to the melting part 20 by the heating means 70 (70a, 70b), and the first region 21 of the melting part 20 has a temperature higher than the softening point of the glass material, preferably in order to melt the glass material. Is a temperature above the nozzle temperature, more preferably a temperature above the nozzle temperature, and a temperature at which the viscosity of the glass material is 400 poise or less, more preferably a temperature above the nozzle temperature, and the viscosity of the glass material is The temperature is set to 100 poise or less, and for example, it is heated to 1500 ° C. or higher and 1650 ° C. or lower, preferably 1530 ° C. or higher and 1580 ° C. or lower. In the present invention, the melting temperature is a temperature at which the molten glass in the glass melting furnace 20 becomes highest.

  The molten glass melted in the first region 21 is received in contact with the first member 50 shown in FIG. 4 below the first region 21. Then, for example, the molten glass gradually flows from the central portion 51 toward the openings 53a and 53b along the upward inclination of the first member 50, against the weight of the molten glass. In the course of this flow, the solid glass in the molten glass is completely melted. And the molten glass by which the solid glass was melt | dissolved is supplied to the 2nd area | region 23 through each opening 53a, 53b.

  By supplying molten glass one after another from the first region 21, the second region 23 is filled with molten glass. The molten glass supplied to the second region 23 flows from the both end portions 62 a and 62 b toward the central portion 61 side along the inclination of the second member 60. The molten glass flows out from the plurality of openings 63 arranged at predetermined intervals to the third region 25 while being mixed in the course of flowing along the second member 60. Thereby, the substantially homogeneous molten glass flows out into the third region 25 almost uniformly and fills the third region 25.

  As described above, the second member 60 is inclined upward from the central portion 61 toward the right end portion 62a and the left end portion 62b, whereby the temperature of the entire nozzle plate 30 can be kept substantially uniform. That is, the central portion in the left-right direction of the nozzle plate 30 is farther from the heating means 70 than the both ends in the left-right direction of the nozzle plate 30, and the temperature tends to be lower than both ends due to the influence of the voltage drop. The central portion 61 of the second member 60 is located below the right end portion 62 a and the left end portion 62 b and is close to the nozzle plate 30. Therefore, the heat of the central portion 61 of the second member 60 is easily transmitted to the central portion of the nozzle plate 30, and the temperature drop at the central portion of the nozzle plate 30 can be compensated.

  Next, the molten glass is supplied to the nozzle plate 30 below the third region 25. Although the temperature of the nozzle plate 30 is adjusted by the heating means 70 and varies depending on the glass material or the like, for example, it may be 1200 ° C. or higher and 1350 ° C. or lower, and preferably 1260 ° C. or higher and 1300 ° C. or lower.

  Further, as described above, the molten glass is supplied to the nozzle plate 30 with the solid component in the molten glass sufficiently reduced in the first member 50. Therefore, molten glass with little solid component can be discharged from the nozzle 40, and the fall of the tensile strength of a glass product, etc. can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the temperature of the entire nozzle plate 30 is substantially uniform due to the inclination of the second member 60, substantially uniform glass fibers can be discharged from the nozzle 40.

(4) Refractory material In order to melt the glass material, at least the melting part 20 of the glass melting furnace 100 is formed of a refractory material. Examples of the refractory material include a metal composed of a platinum element alone; a metal composed of a rhodium element alone; a metal composed of a palladium element alone; a metal composed of a gold element alone; a metal compound containing a platinum element; a metal compound containing a rhodium element; A metal compound containing an element; a metal compound containing a gold element; an alloy consisting of two or more selected from the group consisting of platinum, rhodium, palladium and gold; and at least one selected from the group consisting of refractory bricks included. In addition, the refractory material includes at least one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, graphite, tin oxide, ceramic, alumina, chromium oxide, magnesia, zircon, zirconia, and yttrium oxide. Further, the refractory material includes combinations of the materials described above. For example, an alloy of a plurality of materials may be used as the refractory material. Further, a plurality of refractory materials may be combined as each layer. For example, in a furnace having a refractory brick as an outer wall, a plate material or a coating such as platinum or a platinum-rhodium alloy may be formed on the inner wall.

  Moreover, what is formed with a refractory material is not limited to the melted portion 20. For example, at least one of the nozzle plate 30, the first member 50, the second member 60, and the cooling means 80 may be formed of a refractory material.

(5) Glass material The glass material introduced into the glass melting furnace 100 includes a glass raw material such as powder (components of a glass composition constituting the glass material, for example, oxides such as SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , and MgO). Etc.), and solid glass. Moreover, solid glass is glass which melt | dissolved glass raw materials, such as powder, and shape | molded in predetermined shapes, such as rod shape, spherical shape, flake shape, scale shape, for example. In addition, when the glass product is glass fiber and is produced by a so-called direct melt method, and the glass melting furnace 100 is applied to a bushing, as a glass material to be put into the glass melting furnace 100, a molten molten material that can flow. It can also be glass.

As a glass composition which comprises the said glass material, a well-known glass composition can be used, For example, E glass, T glass, S glass, D glass, NE glass, L glass, C glass, AR glass etc. are mentioned. . In particular, from the viewpoint of making the effect of improving the tensile strength even more remarkable, it is strong when the fiber diameter is not originally high-strength glass but a relatively thin fiber diameter of 3.0 to 5.0 μm. From the glass composition containing 45 ≦ SiO ₂ ≦ 60, 20 ≦ B ₂ O ₃ ≦ 30, 10 ≦ Al ₂ O ₃ ≦ 20, expressed in terms of E glass, NE glass, and mass%, for which further improvement is required. 1 or more types of glass compositions chosen from the group which consists of are mentioned preferably, and E glass is mentioned especially preferably.

(6) Glass fiber and glass yarn The glass yarn of the present invention is a glass yarn composed of glass fibers composed of an E glass composition,
The fiber diameter of the glass fiber is 3.0 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less,
The tensile strength (N / tex) of the glass yarn is 0.80 N / tex or more,
The toughness (MJ / m ³ ) of the glass yarn is 33 MJ / m ³ or more.

  As described above, the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate of the present invention, the glass melting furnace equipped with the nozzle plate, or the glass fiber spinning method using the glass melting furnace, improves the tensile strength while suppressing the occurrence of fuzz and It has also been found that at least one of improved toughness can be achieved, which makes it possible to obtain the glass yarn for the first time.

  Although it does not restrict | limit especially as a glass fiber number (filament number) of the said glass yarn, For example, 20-60 are mentioned, 30-60 are mentioned preferably, 40-60 are mentioned more preferably. Although it does not restrict | limit especially as a count (tex) of a glass yarn, For example, 1-5 tex is mentioned, 1-3 tex is mentioned preferably.

  The fiber diameter of the glass fiber is 3.0 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less, and preferably 3.0 μm or more and 4.2 μm or less.

  The tensile strength (N / tex) of the glass yarn is 0.80 N / tex or more, preferably 0.85 N / tex or more. The upper limit value of the tensile strength is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include 1.00 N / tex or less. In the present invention, the tensile strength is in accordance with JIS R 3420: 2013 7.4.3, and an autograph (AGS-100S) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation is used for measurement, and a circular clamp with a radius of 13 mm is used for the test. The tensile strength (N) measured at a speed of 250 mm / min and a gripping interval of 250 mm is determined by dividing by the count (tex) of the obtained glass yarn.

Toughness of the glass yarn (MJ / ^{m 3)} is at 33 mJ / ^{m 3} or more, preferably 35 mJ / ^{m 3} or more, more preferably 37.0MJ / ^{m 3} or more. The upper limit of the toughness is not particularly limited, for example, 45 MJ / ^{m 3} or less can be cited include 40 MJ / ^{m 3} or less. In the present invention, the toughness is determined from the area of the SS curve obtained by measuring the tensile strength of the glass yarn. Specifically, in the range of the rising point and the breaking point (maximum tensile strength point) of the SS curve plotted at 100 ms intervals, the values (N) of the two adjacent plots are increased. The bottom and bottom bases, and the elongation (mm) are taken as the height, the area of the trapezoid is obtained, and all areas within the range are added to obtain toughness ((MJ / m ³ ).

  Although the twist number of the glass yarn of this invention is not restrict | limited in particular, 0-1.5 times / 25mm is mentioned, 0-1.0 times / 25mm is mentioned preferably.

(6) Examples and Comparative Examples (6-1) Examples Example 1
E glass was used as the glass material. Nozzle protrusion length I1 = 5 mm, nozzle inner diameter d1 = 0.95 mm, nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1 = 2.00, number of nozzles = 200 nozzle plates (35 mm × 400 mm) were used. At a spinning speed of 3000 m / min, 50 filaments of about 4.0 μm (one glass fiber discharged from each nozzle 40) are bundled, the glass strand is wound up, the glass strand is wound back and twisted, and the number of twists A glass yarn having a thickness of 0.5 Z was produced. The manufactured glass yarn was measured for fluff, tensile strength, and toughness.

The fluff measurement method is as follows. Glass yarn after spinning / twisting is set on a fluff measuring instrument manufactured by Enka Technica, applying tension of about 50 g while unwinding the yarn at a speed of 100 m / min, and counting fluff of 1.5 mm or more. The measurement was performed by measuring 10,000 m (10 km) of the glass yarn continuously and dividing the fluff count by 10 to evaluate the fluff count per 1000 m (1 km). The fluff was determined to be 25 pieces / km or less.
The measuring method of tensile strength (N / tex) is as follows. Measured according to JIS R 3420: 2013 7.4.3 using an autograph (AGS-100S) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, using a circular clamp with a radius of 13 mm, a test speed of 250 mm / min, and a gripping interval of 250 mm The tensile strength (N) to be obtained was determined by dividing by the count (tex) of the obtained glass yarn.
The toughness (MJ / m ³ ) was determined from the area of the SS curve obtained by measuring the tensile strength of the glass yarn. Specifically, in the range of the rising point and the breaking point (maximum tensile strength point) of the SS curve plotted at 100 ms intervals, the values (N) of the two adjacent plots are increased. The bottom and bottom bases, the height (mm) were taken as the height, the area of the trapezoid was determined, and all areas within the range were added to obtain toughness ((MJ / m ³ ).
The productivity was evaluated by the number of spun yarn cuts per hour during the period of continuous spinning for one week. When the number of spun yarn breaks per hour was 0.2 times / hr or less, it was determined as acceptable.
The generation of the reboil bubbles was evaluated visually from the glass raw material inlet during spinning.

Example 2
Glass fibers were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzle inner diameter d1 = 0.90 mm and the nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1 = 2.11. The fluff, tensile strength, and toughness were measured.

Example 3
A glass fiber was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzle inner diameter d1 = 0.90 mm, the nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1 = 2.11, and the spinning speed was 2500 m / min, and fluff, tensile strength, toughness were produced. Was measured.

(6-2) Comparative Example Comparative Example 1
Glass fibers were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzle inner diameter d1 = 1.05 mm and the nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1 = 1.81, and the fluff, tensile strength, and toughness were measured.

Comparative Example 2
Glass fibers were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzle inner diameter d1 = 0.85 mm and the nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1 = 2.23, and fluff, tensile strength, and toughness were measured.

For the glass fibers produced in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the nozzle temperature (° C.) at the nozzle 40, the melting temperature (° C.) at the melting part 20, fluff (pieces / km), tensile strength ( Table 1 below shows the results of N / tex), toughness (MJ / m ³ ), the number of spun yarn breaks (times / hr), and the presence or absence of reboil bubbles.

In Examples 1 to 3, the glass fiber spinning nozzle plate 30 has a plate-like portion 31 that receives molten glass and a through-hole 41 that penetrates the plate-like portion 31 inside, and the plate-like portion 31. And a nozzle 40 for discharging the molten glass received by the plate-like portion 31, and a nozzle plate 30 for glass fiber spinning having a nozzle inner diameter d1 of 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. As a result, it was possible to obtain the desired glass fiber having a thickness of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm with reduced productivity and high productivity. Moreover, in Examples 1-3, the nozzle temperature in the nozzle 40 was adjusted to 1265 degreeC-1290 degreeC, and the melting temperature in the fusion | melting part 20 was adjusted to 1540 degreeC-1570 degreeC. In this case, the number of fluff is 22.5 pieces / km or less, and the generation of fluff is suppressed. Moreover, the tensile strength is 0.82 N / tex or more, and the tensile strength is excellent. Also, the toughness is 34.1 MJ / m ³ or more, which is excellent. Furthermore, almost no reboiling bubbles were observed.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, since the nozzle inner diameter d1 exceeded 1.0 mm, the number of fluff was 38.0 pieces / km and there was much occurrence of fluff, which was about 170% of the number of fluff of Example 1. there were. The tensile strength and toughness were only about 90% of Example 1.
In Comparative Example 2, since the inner diameter d1 of the nozzle was less than about 0.9 mm, generation of reboil bubbles was strongly observed, and the glass having a desired glass thickness of about 1.0 μm or more and less than about 6.0 μm due to the reboil bubbles. It was difficult to reduce the occurrence of fluff and to produce the fiber with high productivity.

[Other Embodiments]
Note that the configuration disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including the other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configuration disclosed in the other embodiment, as long as no contradiction occurs. In addition, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are exemplifications, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the object of the present invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the through hole 41 of the nozzle 40 has the tapered portion 41a that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. However, it is sufficient that glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter can be discharged from the through hole 41, and the tapered portion 41a is not necessarily provided.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the through-hole 41 has the linear part 41b extended in an up-down direction. However, it is sufficient that glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter can be discharged from the through hole 41, and the straight portion 41b may have an inclination with respect to the vertical direction. For example, the linear portion 41b may have an inclination direction from below to above that is, for example, about 5 to 10 ° with respect to the vertical direction.

  (2) In the said embodiment, the glass fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus 300 provided with the glass melting furnace 100 and the spinning apparatus 200 was demonstrated. However, the present invention can be applied only to the glass melting furnace 100 including the nozzle plate 30.

  (3) In the above embodiment, almost all of the through holes 41 are formed by the straight portions 41b. However, it is sufficient if glass fibers having a desired fiber diameter can be discharged, and the straight portion 41b may be at least a part of the through hole 41.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the second member 60 is provided, but the second member 60 may be omitted. Similarly, the first member 50 can be omitted. Moreover, the shape of the 1st member 50 and the 2nd member 60, the position of opening, etc. should just melt | dissolve glass material and can be made into molten glass, and are not limited to the said embodiment.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the inlet 10 is provided on the top of the glass melting furnace 100. However, the inlet 10 may be provided on the side wall of the melting part 20. Further, when the glass material is directly charged into the melting part 20, the charging port 10 may not be provided.

30: Nozzle plate 31: Plate-like portion 40: Nozzle 41: Through hole 70: Heating means 100: Glass melting furnace 200: Spinning device 300: Glass fiber bundle manufacturing device

Claims (12)

A glass fiber spinning nozzle plate,
A plate-like portion for receiving molten glass;
A nozzle that has a through-hole penetrating the plate-like portion inside, protrudes from the plate-like portion, and discharges molten glass received by the plate-like portion;
With
The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning whose nozzle inner diameter d1 of the said nozzle is 0.9 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.   The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle inner diameter d1 is 0.9 mm or more and 0.95 mm or less.   The nozzle for glass fiber spinning according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a ratio of nozzle outer diameter d2 of said nozzle to nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.85 or more and 2.20 or less. plate.   The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning according to claim 3, wherein a ratio of the nozzle outer diameter d2 to the nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle outer diameter d2 / nozzle inner diameter d1) is 1.9 or more and 2.1 or less.   The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a linear portion extending linearly along the vertical direction is formed in at least a part of the through hole.   5. The glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to claim 4, wherein the through-hole has a tapered portion formed with a taper whose width is narrowed toward the linear portion at an upper end communicating with the plate-like portion.   The ratio of the length I4 of the tapered portion to the length I5 of the linear portion (the length of the tapered portion I4 / the length of the linear portion I5) in the vertical direction is 0.035 to 0.060. 6. A glass fiber spinning nozzle plate according to 6. The ratio of the nozzle protrusion length I1 from the plate-like portion to the difference between the nozzle outer diameter d2 and the nozzle inner diameter d1 (nozzle protrusion length I1 / (nozzle outer diameter d2−nozzle inner diameter d1)) is 4.5. Above 5.5
Ratio of the length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle with respect to the thickness I3 of the plate-like portion (length I2 from the upper surface of the plate-like portion to the tip of the nozzle / thickness I3 of the plate-like portion) ) Is 4.0 or more and 5.5 or less, The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning of any one of Claims 1-7.   The nozzle plate for glass fiber spinning according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the nozzle discharges glass fibers having a fiber diameter of 3.0 µm or more and 5.0 µm or less. A slot into which glass material is charged;
A melting part that is continuous with the charging port and melts the charged glass material to form a molten glass;
The nozzle plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the nozzle plate is provided at a lower portion of the melting portion and discharges the molten glass.
Heating means for heating the melting part and the nozzle plate;
A glass melting furnace. A glass fiber spinning method for spinning glass fibers of 1.0 μm or more and less than 6.0 μm using the glass melting furnace according to claim 10,
A spinning speed condition in which the spinning speed of the glass fiber from the nozzle provided in the nozzle plate is 2500 m / min or more and 3200 m / min or less;
A nozzle temperature condition in which the nozzle temperature of the nozzle heated by the heating means is 1260 ° C. or higher and 1300 ° C. or lower;
A melting temperature condition in which the melting temperature of the glass in the glass melting furnace heated by the heating means is 1530 ° C. or higher and 1580 ° C. or lower;
A glass fiber spinning method based on at least one of the following conditions. A glass yarn composed of glass fibers composed of an E glass composition,
The fiber diameter of the glass fiber is 3.0 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less,
The tensile strength (N / tex) of the glass yarn is 0.80 N / tex or more,
The toughness (MJ / m ³ ) of the glass yarn is 33 MJ / m ³ or more,
Glass yarn.

Images