Abstract: Apparatus and method for the heat processing of granular materials by the counterflow of the granular material and preheated particulate heat exchange media through a processing drum rotatable about an inclined axis. The hot media is imtimately mixed with the granular material internally of the drum to heat the material and to cool the media. Various arrangements are disclosed to recover the heat imparted to the material, or to utilize the media for successive heating operations, or to recover waste heat from other related heat processing operations or to utilize the material as preheated by the media.

Abstract: A tapered fiber and method and apparatus for making is provided in which the fiber has an increasing cross-sectional dimension in one direction along a portion of its length, and a decreasing cross-sectional dimension in the same direction along the same portion of its length.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a method and apparatus for forming glass fibers by flowing fine streams of glass from closely spaced orifices in a feeder plate while directing a cooling gas upwardly to promote separation of the streams of glass and eliminate the tendency of the molten glass to flood at the feeder plate.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a novel apparatus and method for the manufacture of glass fibers utilizing a bushing confining a body of molten glass over an orifice plate which may or may not have depending tips. Interposed in the glass body is a plate or other device for reducing the pressure of the molten glass body over the orifice plate to a pressure no greater than atmospheric pressure. The orifices are of relatively large diameter incapable of imposing a substantial pressure drop on molten glass flowing therethrough. Each tip contains a pool of molten glass at no greater than atmospheric pressure and, during fiber attenuation, a forming cone is drawn from the pool in each tip. The cones are located in the tips, each cone is smaller than the surrounding tip and each cone is stabilized on the interior tip wall by an annular glass portion integral with the cone. The process is dripless, since upon fiber interruption at any given tip, the molten glass pool remains in the tip.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming fibers includes a spinner having a porous member positioned therein in a region normally covered by molten glass, and means for supplying a gas to the porous member under pressure sufficient to cause introduction of the gas into the molten mineral material.

Abstract: Voids beneath a cylindrical underground tank are eliminated by providing a cradle for the tank which fills the space beneath the tank which would otherwise have to be filled with dirt, sand, or gravel.

Abstract: The present invention embraces apparatus for the production of mineral fibers such as glass fibers. In particular, the apparatus comprises a guide member for gathering filaments into side-by-side strands wherein the guide member has a locating hole and support means for holding the guide member normal to the side-by-side strands. The support means comprises a supporting member, a pin member extending upwardly from the support member for positioning the guide member thereon at the locating hole, and an adjustable member extending from the support member and adapted to support the guide member so that the guide member is held above the support member by the pin and the adjustable member.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for producing fibers from heat softened mineral material, such as glass. More specifically, this invention relates to an orifice plate for a glass fiber drawing bushing of the type having a flat undersurface and a plurality of orifices formed therethrough with the improvement comprising at least two sets of grooves formed on said undersurface, said grooves extending in intersecting relationship to divide said undersurface into a plurality of sections, said orifices being located within said sections. The grooves can have a width in the range of from aout 0.1 mm to about 1.2 mm and a depth in the range of from about 0.1 mm to about 0.5 mm. The orifice plate can comprise rod members at the intersections of the grooves with said rod members projecting beneath said grooves.

Abstract: The disclosure embraces a method of and apparatus for automatically and remotely detecting and indicating when any filament breaks out or other discontinuity occurs in the process of attenuating streams of filament-forming material, such as glass, into filaments and wherein a break-out or discontinuity results in an accumulation or collection of the material or glass at the region of the break-out.

Abstract: An open-top, generally cylindrical housing including a bottom plate is droppable down the fill tube of an underground tank. A striking plate is resiliently supported in the housing by a coil spring or other resilient member.

Abstract: The disclosure embraces a method of and apparatus for processing heat-softened glass wherein a body of refractory has a cavity containing heat-softened glass and a floor construction associated with the body of refractory. The floor construction includes platinum alloy means having rows of orifices for flowing glass streams from the glass in the cavity in the refractory body and members of refractory associated with the platinum alloy means disposed between regions of certain of the rows of stream flow orifices.

Abstract: The disclosure embraces a method of and apparatus for processing heat-softenable materials, such as glass, to form fibers or filaments from the streams of material and more particularly effecting successive distortions, oscillations or vibrations of the streams of glass by directing streams or jets of liquid for cooling or quenching the streams of glass at the region of formation of the fibers or filaments for establishing successive kinks, bends or crimps in the attenuated fibers or filaments, and delivering or conveying by the quenching streams of liquid or other streams of liquid powdered or particulate materials or metals for combining with, coating or reacting with the glass of the streams at the region of formation of the fibers or filaments for producing combined metal and glass fibers or filaments or coating the glass fibers or filaments with metals or other materials and utilizing electric current potential applied to the streams of liquid entraining metal or other particulate materials for establish

Abstract: Two boxes are mounted in vertical alignment adjacent a cylindrical mandrel surface, one above the mandrel axis and one below. The lower box contains a light source with a rectilinear filament parallel to the mandrel axis. The upper box contains an array of photosensors equidistantly spaced in a horizontal plane in a direction toward and away from the mandrel axis. Each of the photosensors is part of a separate electronic circuit with transistors, resistors, and a light emitting diode. The light emitting diodes are arranged in a display to form a column that lights up from the bottom in accordance with the thickness of a pipe wall being formed and the position of the edge of its shadow on the array of photosensors. In an alternative embodiment, a white scale is disposed in the upper box at an angle from the direction of the light source and the position of the edge of the shadow of the pipe wall on the scale gives a visual indication of thickness of the pipe wall.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming glass fibers. The invention comprises flowing streams of molten glass from a stream feeder through orificed projections depending from the feeder floor, directing gas upwardly into contact with the streams of molten glass at a velocity and in an amount effective to convey away from the streams sufficient heat to render the glass of the streams attenuable to fibers without appreciably disturbing the ambient gas above the streams in the region between the orificed projections and attenuating fibers from the streams of molten glass.

Abstract: Elastomeric pipe separators (14) are interlocked with an internal stop collar (10a) of a pipe coupling (10) to enable pipes (16 and 18) to be inserted as far as they will readily go into the pipe coupling (10) and yet allow for thermal expansion of the pipes (16 and 18) without damage to the pipes (16 and 18) or coupling (10).

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for producing fibers from heat softened mineral material, such as glass. More specifically, this invention relates to an orifice plate for a glass fiber drawing bushing of the type having a flat undersurface and a plurality of orifices formed therethrough with the improvement comprising grooves formed in the undersurface surrounding each orifice. The grooves are spaced from one another such that they not in intersecting relationship.

Abstract: The disclosure embraces a method of and apparatus for removing glass floods that may form on the tip section or orifice plate of a stream feeder, bushing or substrate from which normally flow streams of glass, the method and apparatus involving the application or delivery of a stream or streams of liquid carbonaceous or hydrocarbon material onto the glass flooded area, the liquid material being decomposed in an atmospheric environment or in an inert or nonoxidizing environment by the high temperatures of the feeder, bushing or substrate and the molten glass to release carbon particles which are effective to dewet the glass flood and remove the flood.

Abstract: The present invention embraces apparatus and methods of forming mineral fibers, such as glass. Such invention comprising a mineral fiber forming bushing bottom wall comprising a plurality of tubular members attached together at adjacent sides to form a rigid structure adapted for flow of molten mineral material through the tubular members to form a layer of molten mineral material along the undersurface of the tubular members and rod members projecting below the undersurface of the tubular members. The rod members are attached to the tubular members and are adapted for flow thereon of the molten mineral material from the undersurface of the tubular members for attenuation into fibers.

Abstract: The disclosure embraces a method of and apparatus for processing fibers or filaments of glass or other fiber-forming material into a roving and packaging the roving, the fibers or filaments during advancement being initially separated or segregated into strands or linear groups of fibers or filaments by fine streams or jets of air or other gas, maintaining the strands in separated condition by a guide, converging the separated strands into a roving and winding the roving into a package.

Abstract: The present invention embraces a winder method and apparatus for collecting linear material such as glass strand into a wound package. The winder has a rotatable collet of a first material and a second material positioned on the collet. The second material has a coefficient of friction sufficient to engage the strand and to bring the strand into fixed engagement with the collet upon the rotation of the collet.