Abstract: An apparatus and method for manufacturing glass fibers are provided. The apparatus comprises means for containing a head of glass; an orifice plate having a large number of orifices arranged in flooding relationship, each of said orifices being provided on a projection or tip extending downwardly from said orifice plate; and means disposed below said orifice plate and being in communication with a gas supply for directing air upwardly to the undersurface of said orifice plate to cool the cones of glass formed at each projection or tip, said air impinging upon said orifice plate.

Abstract: The orifice plate 2 in the bottom of a bushing 1 is uniformly inwardly curved in a concave manner, whereby its resistance to outward deformation or sagging under the weight of molten glass in the bushing and the tension of glass filaments 5 withdrawn therethrough is greatly increased. The plate may be rectangular or circular, i.e. arch-shaped or domed, and may be further strengthened by reinforcing bars 7 secured to the interior side walls of the bushing and to the crown portion of the plate.

Abstract: An alloy for a nozzle plate for spinning glass fibers which contains between 82 and 92 percent by weight platinum, between 3 and 10 percent by weight gold, and between 3 and 12 percent by weight palladium. This alloy displays an excellent resistance to wetting by molten glass, a superior machinability, and a superior durability.

Abstract: Disclosed is an orifice plate for use in glass-fiber spinning having a number of densely arranged orifices. Each orifice has a larger diameter at the inlet side thereof facing the molten glass and a smaller diameter at the outlet side thereof facing the ambient air. The ratio of the larger diameter to the smaller diameter is so selected to fall within a range between 1 : 0.4 and 1 : 0.9. The reduced diameter of the orifices at their outlet side provides sufficiently large space between adjacent orifices at their outlet sides, in spite of the high density at which the orifices are arranged, so that the joining of glass cones suspended from respective orifices is conveniently avoided even after the brims of the orifices are ground by the viscous cooled molten glass.

Abstract: Disclosed is an orifice plate for use in a bushing for spinning glass fibers having a number of orifices each of which consists of two cascaded coaxial cylindrical bores of different diameters, one of which opens in the upper surface of the orifice plate to constitute a molten-glass inlet-side bore, while the other opens in the lower surface of the orifice plate to constitute a molten-glass outlet-side bore.The orifices are so densely arranged as would allow joining of molten glass cones formed at adjacent orifices if a suitable countermeasure such as a cooling by air flow were not taken.

Abstract: In a process for spinning glass fibers continuously from a nozzle plate having 25- 200 orifices per cm.sup.2, a start-up operation is improved by using the nozzle plate made of a material having a contact angle of 60.degree. or more, drawing flooded molten glass which has spread over the whole undersurface of the nozzle plate at a greater speed than the flowing speed of the molten glass by its own weight from each orifice, while maintaining the normal spinning temperature, and finding the ends of the individual filaments.