Patent ID: 7694535
Filing Date: 2010-04-13
Classification: C03B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of making fibers from molten mineral or glass material comprising flowing the molten material into an electrically heated bushing comprising a tip plate having a plurality of orifices therein and tips extending from a bottom surface of the tip plate, each tip aligning with one of the orifices, supplying electrical power to the bushing to heat the bushing and cause the molten material to flow through the orifices and tips to form fibers, pulling the fibers away from the tip plate and tips at a speed of at least 1000 ft./minute, cooling the fibers using a plurality of cooling tubes having a cooling fluid running therethrough mounted beneath and spaced from the tip plate and pulling the cooled fibers away from the bushing to make a fiber product, a desired fiberization mode, the improvement comprising upon the detection of the beginning of a breakout of the bushing and during the time the bushing is making beads and primary fibers, applying additional cooling to the tip plate and tips until near the time the bushing is once again in the desired fiberization mode to cause the throughput of molten material from the bushing to remain within 97-103 percent of the throughput during the desired fiberization mode, wherein the additional cooling comprises a combination of a starting, upon the detection of the beginning of a breakout, a plurality of flows of rapidly moving gas from a plurality of air tubes spaced apart across the width of and beneath the tip plate, each having a slot or a plurality of orifices in its lower portion, downward, away from the tip plate, to induce lateral air flow into a zone beneath the tip plate, and further directing two cooling air flows upward towards the tip plate from locations about 9-36 inches below and with a location being on each side of the bushing and from outside the path of the array of fibers, beads and primary fibers produced by the bushing, the cooling air flows coming from nozzles or manifolds having centerlines within about 4 to about 10 inches from a centerline of the tip plate, and then turning off this upward flow of cooling air within 0-4 minutes of the time that the bushing is again put into the desired fiberizing mode and leaving this upward flow of cooling air turned off until the bushing again breaks out, the additional cooling being sufficient to maintain the amount of the electric power to the bushing within +/−1 percent of the amount of electric power to the bushing during the desired fiberization mode.