Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of fibres from thermoplastic materials such as glass

摘要

610,845. Making glass and other thermoplastic fibres. SOC. ANON. DES MANUFACTURES DES GLACES ET PRODUITS CHIMIQUES DE ST. GOBAIN, CHAUNY, & CIREY. Feb. 12, 1946, No. 4327. Convention date, Feb. 12, 1945. [Class 56] In a process for drawing glass &c. fibres combustion of a fuel in an enclosed space produces through an outlet orifice a high temperature gaseous blast, and the material to be drawn is fed into the enclosed space and passes out through the outlet orifice as a molten stream which is attenuated to fibres by the surrounding gaseous blast. Gaseous, liquid, or pulverized solid fuel and air or other comburent may be introduced into the chamber 1, Fig. 2, either through separate pipes 14, or, as shown, already mixed, and a glass rod 8, propelled, e.g. by electrically driven rollers, may enter through an opening 6 (serving as a seal) in the wall opposite to that carrying the orifice 4; after primary ignition through a closable orifice 9 (which also acts as a safety valve), the combustion products escape through the orifice 4 and carry with them molten glass from the surface of the lower end of the rod 8, the amount thus entrained depending on the distance between the latter and the orifice, i.e. upon the feed rate. An internal temperature of 1200‹ C. is referred to, and this may be localized to the zone Z by supplying air through the pipes 12, 13; a cylindrical cowl 11 may also be provided. Instead of feeding the material in rod form, a receptacle having a lower outlet slightly above the orifice 4 may be arranged within the chamber 1 (Fig. 3, not shown), and the material may be supplied thereto already molten, or in solid form, e.g. as glass balls introduced through a fluid-tight lock. Ignition may be maintained electrically if required, and the pressure in the chamber 1 may be constant or pulsating. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 refers to the passage of the glass in proximity to, but not through, the expansion orifice. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.