Abstract: A centrifuge to rotate about a rotation axis, the centrifuge including: an annular wall pierced with a plurality of holes, the annular wall having the rotation axis as its axis of symmetry; and a row of one continuous relief or of discontinuous reliefs, situated on an outer surface of the centrifuge, on the annular wall and/or above and close to the annular wall when the centrifuge is in a centrifuging position, the row being horizontal or inclined at an angle of more than 0° and less than 90° relative to the horizontal when the centrifuge is in the centrifuging position. The centrifuge makes it possible to improve energy consumption of a device for forming mineral fibers furnished with the centrifuge.

Abstract: Tubular pipe insulation is made from a glass fiber mat produced utilizing a rotary glass fiberization process. A spinner disc is rotated to centrifuge molten glass through fiberization holes in an annular sidewall of the spinner disc and form primary glass fibers. The primary glass fibers are attenuated and formed into a veil where the fibers are dispersed to reduce in length the fiber networks formed from the fibers. Binder is applied to the fibers and the fibers are collected into a mat that, when pulled apart by longitudinally directed, opposing forces, separates across the width of the mat into two mat sections having feathered edges with substantially no fibrous stringers extending beyond the feathered edges for a distance greater than about four inches. The leading mat section is then wound about a mandrel and the binder in the mat is cured to form the pipe insulation.

Abstract: The invention relates to glass powder, especially a biologically active glass powder, which includes a plurality of glass particles and which is characterized by the following features: the glass particles are made up by >90% of non-spherical particles; the geometry of the individual non-spherical particle is characterized by a ratio of length to diameter of 1.1 to 105.

Abstract: Incinerator ashes, which is obtained after treating municipal solid waste, incinerator ashes or its plasma vitrified slag is made into mineral fibers. Cullet is added during manufacturing the mineral fibers for conditioning. The mineral fibers thus obtained have a good strength and could raise value of recycled product. In addition, it could reduce impact of the incinerator ashes to the environment and environmental protection is achieved.

Abstract: A low viscosity E-glass composition including SiO2 in an amount ranging from 52-54 weight percent, Al2O3 in an amount ranging from 12-14 weight percent, F2 in an amount ranging from 0-1.0 weight percent, Fe2O3 in an amount ranging from 0 to 0.8 weight percent, Na2O in an amount ranging from 0-2.0 weight percent, K2O in an amount ranging from 0-2.0 weight percent, CaO in an amount ranging from 16-23 weight percent, MgO in an amount ranging from 0-3.0 weight percent, Li2O in an amount ranging from 0-3.0, TiO2 in an amount ranging from 0-1.5 weight percent, ZnO in an amount ranging from 0-4.0 weight percent, and B2O3 in an amount ranging from 8.0-10 weight percent is provided. The glass composition has a log 3 viscosity temperature between 1750 and 2150° F. and a ?T temperature greater than 50° F.

Abstract: In a process for pulverizing and granulating melts, especially oxidic slag, glass, or thermoplastic melts, in which the melts are heated with burner (6) in an antechamber (5) and ejected as a shroud surrounding a propellant stream into a granulating chamber (11), hot combustion gases from the antechamber (5) are mixed with the propellant stream.

Abstract: The invention is directed to the production of optical fibers from optical fiber preforms using flow physics. The present methods provide for the “drawing” of an optical fiber preform using focusing of the preform by a surrounding fluid, e.g. a heated gas.

Abstract: A fiberglass insulation binder composition made from a polycarboxy polymer, a polyhydroxy crosslinking agent, and a cationic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant, nonionic surfactant, or mixture thereof. Also, a process for manufacturing a fiberglass insulation product, which involves a step of applying the binder composition onto a fiberglass substrate and curing the fiberglass substrate so treated. Binders produced in accordance with the present invention are characterized by improved atomization, improved binder dispersion and fiber wetting properties, and improved protection of individual fibers during processing.

Abstract: The invention is directed to the production of optical fibers from optical fiber preforms using flow physics. The present methods provide for the “drawing” of an optical fiber preform using focusing of the preform by a surrounding fluid, e.g. a heated gas.

Abstract: Novel boron-free glass compositions are described which are particularly suited for making fine diameter glass fibers for HEPA electronic clean-room filtration media using flame-attenuation or rotary glass processing.

Abstract: Relatively viscous glass is fiberized in a rotary fiberization process at relatively high disk speeds and through relatively large diameter holes to form long, fine diameter glass fibers which preferably are rapidly solubilized in biological fluids. The method of forming the long, fine diameter glass fibers includes maintaining a ratio of the velocity of the external surface of the peripheral wall of the fiberizing disk to the velocity of the glass passing through the fiberizing orifices within a specific range (the disc/glass velocity ratio); maintaining a ratio of the velocity of the air exiting the air ring to the velocity of the glass passing through the fiberizing orifices within a specific range (the air-ring/glass velocity ratio); and maintaining a ratio of the BTU content of the fuel expended forming the hot attenuating combustion gases to the BTU content of a pound of molten glass being fiberized within a specific range (the attenuating combustion gases/glass heat content ratio).

Abstract: Fine fibers are formed and carried in a high energy, high temperature gaseous stream to a primary fine fiber collection surface where fine fibers are collected from the gaseous stream. Gases of the gaseous stream along with fine fibers not removed from the gaseous stream by the primary collection surface are drawn through the primary collection surface and formed into an exhaust gas stream which is passed through a secondary fine fiber collection surface to remove additional fibers from the exhaust gas stream before it is discharged to the atmosphere. To reduce the operating temperatures at and surrounding the primary and secondary collection surfaces, the gas streams are cooled by evaporative cooling. Water is sprayed into the gas streams by nozzles, shielded from the gas streams by scoops, so that fibers do not collect on the nozzles and form fiber wads.

Abstract: A method of making an insulation product of hollow fibers whereby molten insulation material is centrifuged through a plurality of orifices and gas is directed into the molten insulation material through a plurality of gas conduits, wherein each gas conduit directs gas into one of the portions of the molten insulation material being centrifuged through one of the orifices to form a hollow fiber having a hollow bore formed therethrough. The hollow fibers are combined to form the insulation product.

Abstract: A rotary fiberizer includes a spinner for centrifuging fibers from molten material along a path generally coplanar with the spinner, and a pair of opposed annular blowers positioned on opposite sides of the path of the centrifuged fibers, with the blowers having an interior face which is oriented toward the path of the centrifuged fibers, and the blowers having an exterior face which is oriented away from the path of the centrifuged fibers. An induced air conduit associated with each of the blowers is adapted to supply air to the path of centrifuged fibers, and the exterior faces of the blowers contain blower openings to discharge attenuation gasses into the induced air conduits to attenuate the centrifuged fibers.

Abstract: An irregularly shaped glass fiber is provided which enjoys improved resiliency, and openness in pack structures. Wool packs and other wool portions having such irregularly shaped fibers may be processed directly through needling to form a non-woven material without intervening steps such as carding or blending of fibers which accompany conventional glass fiber processing operations. In a further aspect of the invention, a non-woven material including irregularly shaped fibers in a generally continuous wool tow is produced by "unwinding" a fiberglass wool pack collected by a direct forming method. Product applications include simplified, lower cost processing, and new uses of the irregularly shaped fibers produced by rotary fiberization in filtration elements, sorbants, gaskets, packings, shingles, composite structural elements, furnishings, textiles, yarns, and blown-in insulation systems.

Abstract: The method for forming fibers by introducing molten material into a spinner having a peripheral wall having a plurality of orifices and centrifuging the molten material through the orifices to create fibers, discharging gases from an opening in a first annular blower, the first blower positioned radially outward from the spinner, and where the gases from the first annular blower converge radially inwardly with respect to the spinner axis to partially attenuate the fibers and influence the flow path of the fibers towards a direction parallel to the spinner axis, and discharging gases from an opening in a second annular blower, the second blower being positioned radially outward from the first blower, and where the gases from the second annular blower converge radially inwardly with respect to the spinner axis to complete the attenuation of the fibers and influence the flow path of the fibers.

Abstract: In a method of and an apparatus for forming composite and other fibers, individual filaments from two or more sets of continuous primary filaments of two or more heat-softenable fiberizable materials are brought together lengthwise to form pairs of continuous primary filaments. The groupings of continuous primary filaments are fed into a high energy attenuation blast where the filaments are heated, attenuated and formed into composite or other staple fibers of the heat-softenable fiberizable materials. Preferably, the individual continuous primary filaments of the groupings of continuous primary filaments are fused, adhesively bonded or otherwise joined together, prior to being introduced into the high energy attenuation blast, to prevent the individual primary filaments of the groupings of continuous primary filaments from separating in the high energy attenuation blast.

Abstract: A fiber glass air filtration media comprises a blanket of glass fibers with about 25% to 35% by weight of the glass fibers being fine glass fibers having an average diameter of less than 3.5 microns and about 65% to 75% by weight of the glass fibers being coarse glass fibers having an average diameter of more than 3.5 microns. The fine and coarse glass fibers are randomly intermingled throughout the blanket. The blanket is formed by producing the fine glass fibers on a first set of fiber generators and the coarse glass fibers on a second set of fiber generators. The fiber generators are laterally aligned across the width of and direct gaseous streams of the glass fibers at a moving collection surface where the blanket is formed. The fiber generators of the first set alternate with the fiber generators of the second set and the glass fibers produced by the two sets of fiber generators are mixed together before being deposited on the collection surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the treatment of fiber pieces, with which the fiber pieces (24) in a gas/solid mix are fed through a transport line (11) into a heating device (14). Inside the heating device (14) the exposed ends of the fiber pieces (24) are rounded off and/or thickened. Subsequent to the treatment in the heating device the treated fibers (25) flow into a feed line and from there into a separating device (18), in which the gas/solid mix is separated. The fiber bits produced according to the invented method improve the mechanical quality and characteristics of fiber composite materials considerably. By utilizing the described device the invented method can be carried out most economically. (FIG.