Patent GB-909154-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for forming glass fibres
IPC: C03B37/03
Filed: 1961-02-01
Abstract: 909,154. Drawing glass fibres. PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS CO. Feb. 1, 1961 [Feb. 5, 1960], No. 3780/61. Addition to 879,972. Class 56. [Also in Groups IX and XXVI] In the method and apparatus of the parent Specification a drawn glass fibre 20, Fig. 2, is passed over a guide 22 and a traverse 25 as it is wound on to a tube 18, the winding of the whole tube being achieved by reciprocating either the traverse and guide together or, as shown, the tube. The present invention provides for an initial portion of fibre, until the tube has attained full speed, to be wound on the collet 19 which supports the tube so that it can be discarded. The driving mechanism for traverse and collet is shown in Fig. 4. The wire cams 112 of the traverse 25 are carried on a shaft 110 belt driven by a motor 116. The spindle 62 for the collet 19 and the motor 60, with electromagnetic brake 70, which drives it through a belt 68, are mounted on a base 34 slideable on guides 36. The guides are protected by bellows 39. The base 34 is reciprocated by the. piston 48 in an air cylinder 52 forming part of the pneumatic system of Fig. 5 controlled by a valve 58. The valve has a chamber 132 to which air is fed through a pipe 134 and which contains spool 135 with coupled pistons 137, 138 having small ports 142, 143 communicating with end compartments 140, 141. These compartments communicate through pipes 155, 156 with valves 153, 154 operated alternately at the ends of travel of base member 34, by a rod 159 attached to it. The spool 135 operates a slide valve 145 by which passages 146, 147 communicating with the ends of the cylinder 52 are connected alternatively to exhaust through a muffler 152 while the one of them is fed with air pressure from the space 132. This pressure, in the initial position shown, holds the piston 48 in the position 1 to hold the base member 34 in the position corresponding to the winding of the first length of fibre on to the collet 19. The electrical contact circuit by which the motor 60 is switched on contains a delay switch, which when the motor has reached full speed, actuates a solenoid switch to open a valve 128 in the pipe 156. The valve 154 already being held open by the rod 159, the spool 135 is allowed to moveuntil it actuates the valve 145 to uncover the port 147 to feed air to the cylinder 52 to move the piston 48 to the position 2. During the consequent movement of the base 34, the rod 159 allows the valve 154 to close and then opens the valve 153. This in turn reverses the movement of the spool 135. A continuous oscillation of the piston 48 ensues between the position 2 and 3 determined by the setting of the rod 159 in relation to the valves 153, 154. This movement is damped by a piston 47, having a port 160 and moving in an oil cylinder 50. Another electrical delay device gives a warning indication after a time when sufficient fibre has been wound. The operator stops the winding by switching a retarding current to the motor 60, the electromagnetic brake 70 being used for actual stopping.  The drawing tips 14, Fig. 2, may comprise 90% platinum and 10% rhodium. The drawn filaments 16 may be coated with a binder by a roller 28. Specification 585,094 also is referred to.