Glass manufacturing – Fiber making apparatus – With specified bushing – tip – or feeder structure
Utility Patent
1998-07-10
2001-01-02
Hoffmann, John (Department: 1731)
Glass manufacturing
Fiber making apparatus
With specified bushing, tip, or feeder structure
C065S502000, C065S504000, C065S521000
Utility Patent
active
06167729
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing fibers from thermoplastic materials, and more particularly to a fiberizer with a spinner for centrifuging single or multiple component fibers from molten thermoplastic materials such as glass or other minerals or polymers.
BACKGROUND ART
Fibers of glass and other thermoplastic materials are useful in a variety of applications including acoustical or thermal insulation materials. Common prior art methods for producing glass fiber insulation products involve producing glass fibers from a rotary process. A single glass composition or multiple glass compositions are melted and forced through orifices in the outer peripheral wall of a centrifuge, known as a centrifugal spinner, to produce the fibers. one commonly used spinner is generally cup shaped with a bottom wall with a central hole, a top opening and an outer peripheral wall which curves upward from the bottom wall, forming the top opening. The lower end of a drive shaft, used to rotate the spinner, extends down through the top opening and is fixed to the center of the bottom wall with a quill. The central hole of the bottom wall is simply press-fit onto the outside diameter of the quill, and the quill is mounted to the lower end of the drive shaft.
The spinner becomes very hot during the fiber manufacturing process. Because of the high temperatures reached, the spinner walls are necessarily made from a high temperature resistant material, typically a high temperature metal alloy. Even so, at such high temperatures, the spinner exhibits a tendency to creep and sag downward as the spinner rotates. This deformation can significantly reduce the creep life of the spinner and can introduce process variables that adversely impact fiber production. The problem of creep tends to become more pronounced as the size of the spinner increases.
In addition, because it is simply press-fit on to the quill, the spinner has a tendency to loosen around the quill over time, due to thermal expansion, rotational stresses and creep to which the spinner and quill are subjected. As the fit loosens, the spinner can move off-center, resulting in a serious problem of excessive vibration and warping of the spinner. This problem generally becomes more pronounced as the size of the spinner, and thus the diameter of the central hole, increases.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved spinner that is less likely to exhibit temperature induced deformation that reduces the creep life of the spinner and introduces undesirable process variables during the fiber manufacturing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This need is met by a spinner adapted to be fixed at one end of a rotatable shaft in a fiberizer, the spinner comprising a radial wall extending radially out from the shaft and having an upper surface, a dam separating the upper surface into an inner portion and an outer portion, a lower surface, at least one first flow hole connecting the upper surface to the lower surface, and at least one second flow hole connecting the inner portion and the outer portion of the upper surface, and an outer peripheral wall connected to the radial wall and having a plurality of orifices therethrough.
This need is also met by an apparatus for making fibers including a rotatable shaft, and a spinner fixed at one end of the rotatable shaft, wherein the spinner includes an outer peripheral wall having a plurality of orifices therethrough for centrifuging fibers from a molten thermoplastic material, a top opening and a bottom opening between the outer peripheral wall and the shaft, and a radial wall positioned between the top opening and the bottom opening and extending radially out between the outer peripheral wall and the shaft. The radial wall includes an upper surface, a dam disposed so as to separate the upper surface into an inner portion and an outer portion, a lower surface, at least one first flow hole disposed radially before the dam and formed through the radial wall so as to connect the upper surface to the lower surface, and at least one second flow hole formed through the dam so as to connect the inner portion and the outer portion of the upper surface. The apparatus further includes a source of molten thermoplastic. material located above the inner portion of the upper surface, such that supply of the molten thermoplastic material to the inner portion of the upper surface when the rotatable shaft rotates causes the molten thermoplastic material to flow radially outward across the upper surface through the first flow hole and the second flow hole to the orifices both above and below the radial wall.
The objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the description herein and the appended claims and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 24708 (1959-09-01), Heymes et al.
patent: 2199309 (1940-04-01), Freudenberg
patent: 2582561 (1952-01-01), Peyches
patent: 2984864 (1961-05-01), Levecque et al.
patent: 2998620 (1961-09-01), Stalego
patent: 3026563 (1962-03-01), Slayter et al.
patent: 3078691 (1963-02-01), Charpentier et al.
patent: 3254482 (1966-06-01), Stalego
patent: 4203745 (1980-05-01), Battigelli et al.
patent: 4203748 (1980-05-01), Battigelli et al.
patent: 4294783 (1981-10-01), Snowden
patent: 4534779 (1985-08-01), Herschler
patent: 4622054 (1986-11-01), Huey et al.
patent: 4718930 (1988-01-01), Gartner et al.
patent: 4832723 (1989-05-01), Shisler et al.
patent: 5326241 (1994-07-01), Rook et al.
patent: 5468275 (1995-11-01), Lin et al.
patent: 5474590 (1995-12-01), Lin
patent: 5482527 (1996-01-01), Czastkiewicz
patent: 5582841 (1996-12-01), Watton
Snyder James G.
Watton William A.
Barns Stephen W.
Eckert Inger H.
Hoffmann John
Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology Inc.
LandOfFree
Fiber manufacturing spinner does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fiber manufacturing spinner, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fiber manufacturing spinner will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2554386