Glass manufacturing – Processes of manufacturing fibers – filaments – or preforms – Formation of fiber or preform utilizing fluid blast
Patent
1993-07-09
1995-03-07
Lindsay, Robert L.
Glass manufacturing
Processes of manufacturing fibers, filaments, or preforms
Formation of fiber or preform utilizing fluid blast
65 213, 65142, 65508, 65524, 264 15, 2642108, C03B 37025, C03B 1910
Patent
active
053954122
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on a method for the treatment of fiber pieces of all shapes on an industrial scale, in particular long fibers, short fibers or the like, which are added to other materials as reinforcing material.
It is known in the art how to produce composite materials, in particular fiber reinforced materials, that consist of a matrix and reinforcing material embedded in the matrix. The incorporated material of such composite materials can consist of fiber bits that are thickened and rounded-off at the ends. Such composite material has higher quality mechanical characteristics. When the corners are rounded off, there is very little or no stress concentration at the ends of the fiber pieces, which means that cracks only appear at higher loads. This knowledge is based on the fact that incorporated fibers with rounded and/or thickened ends, rather than the sharp-edged ends that can be caused by breaking, cutting or the like exhibit smaller tension peaks in their surrounding matrix in the vicinity of these ends and therefore have lower stress concentration. Even though these advantages are known in the art, it has not been possible in the past to economically mass-produce fiber pieces, especially long fibers, short fibers or the like, and especially those made of glass fiber material, that have the desired rounded off and/or thickened ends.
It is the underlying purpose of the invention to therefore provide a method and/or an apparatus that facilitates the commercial treatment of fiber pieces with rounded and/or thickened exposed ends.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This purpose is achieved with the method according to the invention for the commercial treatment of fiber pieces in particular of long fibers, short fibers or the like, whose exposed ends are subjected in a gas/solid flow to a thermal treatment within the range of the melting temperature of those fibers, and the ends of the individual fibers are rounded off and/or thickened so that, after the thermal treatment, the fibers are still individually separate within a pile. This purpose is also achieved in accordance with an apparatus for the treatment of fiber pieces in particular characterizing a transport line exhibiting a fiber adding nozzle and a first injector whereby a heating device is allocated to the transport line and the heating device is followed by a feed line which is connected to a separating device. By creating the rounded off and/or thickened ends of the fiber pieces by means of a thermal treatment in a gas/solid stream in the vicinity of the melting temperature of the fibers, it is possible to commercially produce single fibers that do not adhere to each other, at low cost and of consistent quality. If fibers that have been produced in accordance with the inventive method and/or by the apparatus in accordance with the invention are used in composite materials or other components, the quality of the mechanical characteristics and features of these material will be considerably improved.
The preferred configuration in accordance with the invention is to feed the fibers that are to be treated into a transport line into which, via a first injector, a transporting gas flows whereby the transporting gas and the fibers form a gas/solid mix. The function of the gas in the gas/solid mix can also be taken over by a liquid or another solid matter, such as a flammable or soluble solid.
This has the advantage that the pile of loose fibers can be transported smoothly and can be exposed to an intensive heat exchange during the thermal treatment. The single fibers can be accelerated inside the transport line via the injector which can be configured in the form of a nozzle. Thereby it is possible to have the transporting gas already flow into the transport line at a higher temperature.
In a preferred procedural step, the fiber/transporting gas mix is subjected to a controllable and adjustable direct heat treatment in the annulus of a burner.
This has the advantage that the thermal treatment of each fiber can be conduct
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Eyerer Peter
Stockmayer Peter
Weigele Rolf
Lindsay Robert L.
Poly ID AG
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