Method and apparatus for forming containerized glass strand package

A novel method and apparatus for forming a containerized package of glass fiber strand is disclosed. The method comprises impinging attenuated glass fiber strand onto a rotating surface, swirling the glass strand due to its inertial forces upon impingement with the surface, and collecting the swirled glass strand to form a containerized package of glass strand. Apparatus for accomplishing the attenuation and swirling operations is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Glass filaments are typically attenuated from molten glass through bushing 
tips in a bushing, coated with a lubricant binder and/or size, 
consolidated into a unified strand, and wound around a mandrel to produce 
a forming package of glass fiber strand. These packages are limited in 
size and do not normally exceed about 110 pounds (49.9 kilograms). An 
average size forming package ranges from about 20 to about 30 pounds (9.1 
to 13.6 kilograms). 
In an effort to produce packages of strand having greater weight, 
containerized packages of strand sometimes replace the forming packages 
previously mentioned. Typical of these packages are those shown in U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 2,719,350; 2,719,351; 2,719,352; 2,736,512; 2,746,118; 
2,834,092; 2,863,208; 2,736,676; 3,295,942; 3,318,746; and 3,887,347. Of 
particular interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,120,689; 3,430,312; and 
3,887,347. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,689 and 3,430,312 a containerized package is formed 
of a plurality of swirls of glass strand. However, unlike the present 
invention, the strands in these patents are wound around a sphere and are 
continuously doffed from the sphere. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,347 glass strand is impinged upon a surface to 
relieve inertial forces after attenuation between a pair of toothed belts. 
This surface does not rotate and thus does not form the swirled strand as 
in the present invention. 
It is desirable to form packages of swirled glass strand without the 
necessity of winding the strand prior to packaging. 
THE PRESENT INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a containerized package of glass 
fiber strand is formed by taking advantage of the inertial forces present 
in the attenuated glass strand. The method comprises impinging the 
attenuated strand upon a rotating surface which is angled from the axis of 
the glass strand. The combination of the impingement of the glass strand 
on the rotating surface and the rotation of the surface itself swirls the 
glass strand forming a plurality of coils. These coils can be directly 
collected in a container for shipment to the customer. The container may 
be stationary and collect a plurality of coils so as to vertically stack 
the coils or, if the container is larger than the coils, the container may 
be rotated as it collects the coils to form a larger package. The 
containerized package formed in this manner can be made considerably 
larger than the forming packages normally produced on present commercial 
winders. These packages may contain, for example, up to about 400 pounds 
(181.5 kilograms) of glass strand, or even more.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
In the FIGURE shown in the drawing, glass strand 10 has been previously 
formed by attenuating glass filaments through bushing tips in a bushing. 
The filaments have been coated with a lubricant binder and/or size and 
were gathered into a unified strand by a gathering shoe or roller prior to 
their arrival at the apparatus illustrated by means well-known in the 
glass fiber art. The strand 10 passes over guide 12 and around pulley 14 
along with endless belt 19. The strand 10 is pulled between the belt 19 
and a driven wheel 22, whose driving means are not shown. While the FIGURE 
illustrates a single strand 10 being attenuated, the apparatus may also 
attenuate several strands from one or more bushings at the same time, 
combining them into a roving having a plurality of strands at the guide 
12. The strand 10 is pulled around wheel 22 with the belt 19 and follows 
the path of belt 19 until the strand 10 reaches the pulley 20. As the belt 
19 abruptly turns around the pulley 20, the strand 10 is ejected in a 
straight line. As this occurs, the belt 19 passes around pulleys 18 and 16 
in a continual loop. In addition to pulling the strand 10 along its path, 
the belt 19 and wheel 22 provide the attenuation forces necessary for the 
attenuation of the glass filaments associated with the strand 10. The 
release of a glass strand 10 from a belt by abruptly changing the 
direction of the belt is more fully explained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,293,013, 
which is incorporated herein by reference. 
The glass strand 10, which is moving at speeds of about 1,000 to 9,000 feet 
per minute (304.8 to 2,743.2 meters per minute) or more, impinges upon a 
deflector surface 34 as does the ambient air pulled downwardly with the 
strand as it moves at these speeds. The surface 34 is located at an angle 
of about 30.degree. to 45 degrees from the straight trajectory of the 
strand 10. The surface 34 is formed of such material as fine wire mesh 
screen. This material has two advantages. First, there is little or no 
tendency for the wet strand 10 to stick to the surface 34. Additionally, 
and most importantly, the air is passed through the surface 34 as the 
strand 10 impinges upon the surface 34 moving downwardly with the strand. 
This is necessary to prevent the strand 10 from becoming partially 
filamentized or fluffed. This effect was noticed and used to advantage in 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,676 wherein glass strand was impinged upon a solid 
oscillating surface and the resulting strand was collected and sprayed 
with a binder to produce a glass fiber mat. However, such a fluffed strand 
would be unsatisfactory for purposes of the present invention. 
The surface 34 is connected to a rotating chamber 24 by means such as a rod 
37. The entire chamber 24 rotates about the axis of the strand 10. This is 
preferably accomplished by a belt drive, however, other rotating means 
could also be employed. Pulley 36 engages the exterior wall of chamber 24. 
A belt 28 rides in the pulley 36 and the pulley 30, the latter being 
driven by motor 32. This causes the chamber 24 and the deflector surface 
34 to rotate around the axis of the strand 10. The chamber 24 rotates 
inside of bearing 26. The chamber 24 and the bearing 26 are located within 
a housing 40. 
The vertical inertial forces of the strand 10 combined with the rotational 
forces of the deflector 34 cause the strand 10 to form swirls or coils 
below the deflector. A collector 38 is located below the deflector 34 and 
collects the coils or swirls of strand 10 as they pass downwardly from the 
deflector 34. Optionally, the collector 38 may be larger than the 
collected swirls of strand 10 and may itself be rotating. When such a 
collector is employed, the resulting package of coiled or swirled glass 
strand resembles a doughnut as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,689. 
Variations in the size of the coils or swirls can be readily made. The size 
of the coil or swirl is inversely proportional to the rotational speed of 
the deflector. Thus, increases in the deflector rotational speed decreases 
the diameter and circumference of the coil or swirl. In addition, the size 
of the coil or swirl is directly proportional to the speed of the glass 
strand 10. Thus, an increase of the speed of the strand 10 increases the 
diameter and circumference of the coil or swirl formed. Strand coils 
having diameters from about 3.0 inches (7.62 centi-meters) to about 60.0 
inches (152.4 centimeters) may be formed in this manner. It has been found 
particularly desirable to collect the strand having swirled, or coiled 
diameters of from about 3.0 to about 5.0 inches (7.62 to 12.70 
centimeters). 
While the attenuating and coiling apparatus has been described with 
reference to its preferred embodiment of packaging wet glass strand 10 as 
it is formed from a bushing and coated, the apparatus may be used to 
package previously formed and dried strand into containers, both as single 
strands and as rovings containing a plurality of strands. 
EXAMPLE 
Using the apparatus illustrated in the FIGURE of the accompanying drawing, 
strand 10 was attenuated at a speed of 8,000 feet per minute (2,438.4 
meters per minute). The strand 10 was impinged upon a fine mesh wire 
screen 34 located at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the axis of 
the strand which was rotated at 5,333.3 revolutions per minute. Swirled or 
coiled glass strand was formed 2.0 inches (5.08 centimeters) below the 
screen. The swirls or coils had a diameter of 6.0 inches (15.24 
centimeters). 300 pounds (136.1 kilograms) of glass strand were collected 
into a container 38. The resulting packaged strand could be easily removed 
for further processing. 
While the present invention has been described with reference to specific 
examples thereof, it is not intended to be so limited except insofar as in 
the accompanying claims.