Abstract: Apparatus for applying traction to an elongate cylindrical element produced by fusion of an end portion of a preform of glass material, in which a traction device is capable of being connected to a portion of the elongate cylindrical element to provide traction of the elongate cylindrical element along an axis. A device for the rotation of the elongate cylindrical element applies a twist to the elongate cylindrical element about the axis simultaneously with the traction.

Abstract: The automatic strand take-up installation comprises at least one gripping member (12) for taking hold of at least one strand coming from a bushing (2), the gripping member being guided by a single conveying loop (1) to the vicinity of a chopper (7). One system for maneuvering the gripping member allows the gripping member (12) to be opened and closed in such a way as to release said strand at the chopper (7).

Abstract: An optical fiber production system and method are provided for producing optical fiber. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform in a furnace and passes through a treatment device under a reduced pressure in the range of 0.01 to 0.80 atm. The treatment device cools the bare optical fiber as it cools to a temperature in the range of at least 1,600° C. to 1,300° C. A non-contact fiber centering device is located near an exit of the treatment device to provide centering of the optical fiber as it exits the treatment device.

Abstract: Provided is a glass base material elongating method of using a glass base material elongation apparatus including a heating furnace, a feeding mechanism, and a pulling mechanism to elongate the rod-shaped glass base material to form a thinner glass rod, the method comprising gripping a pulling dummy rod connected to a bottom end of the glass base material with first pulling rollers of the pulling mechanism and, together with the feeding mechanism, feeding the glass base material to the heating furnace; and before a pulling force necessary for pulling the pulling dummy rod to elongate the glass base material reaches a load force that causes slipping between the pulling dummy rod and the first pulling rollers, gripping and pulling the pulling dummy rod with second pulling rollers of the pulling mechanism in addition to the first pulling rollers.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: an introducer to introduce a glass optical fiber that has passed a pulling mechanism pulling, to draw the glass optical fiber, one end of an optical fiber preform that has been fused by heating; a shredder including a casing connected to the introducer and a shredding mechanism to shred the glass optical fiber introduced by the introducer in the casing into glass optical-fiber pieces; a pipe connected to the casing of the shredder and to carry the glass optical-fiber pieces; and a suction unit connected to the pipe and to suction the glass optical-fiber pieces via the pipe.

Abstract: A method of elongating a glass base material to obtain a glass rod having a smaller diameter, using a glass base material elongating apparatus including a feeder at least for the glass base material, a heating furnace, and an elongating mechanism of the glass base material below the heating furnace, is such that a horizontal plane position measuring unit of the glass base material is provided inside or near the heating furnace, the feeder has a glass base material horizontal plane position adjusting unit, and the elongating mechanism has three or more sets of elongating rollers capable of switching between grasping and releasing for keeping the position of the glass rod in the horizontal plane to be constant, and the glass base material is elongated with the position thereof in the horizontal plane kept as targeted by controlling the glass base material horizontal plane position adjusting unit.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a composite yarn including continuous glass filaments intermingled with continuous organic thermoplastic filaments and an apparatus for implementing the process. The continuous glass filaments come from a bushing and are separated into plural sheets. The continuous organic thermoplastic filaments come from a spinning head and are separated into plural sheets. The thermoplastic filaments are thrown into the glass filaments so as to mingle them, in a ratio of at least one sheet of thermoplastic filaments in each sheet of glass filaments, the mingled filaments then being gathered into at least one composite yarn.

Abstract: Methods for producing optical fibers along nonlinear paths include incorporating fluid bearings. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform along a first pathway, contacted with a region of fluid cushion of a fluid bearing, and redirected along a second pathway as the fiber is drawn across said region of fluid cushion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a plant for producing fibers from molten rocks such as basalt, diabase, amphibolite, andesite, dacite, granite and rhyolite. The inventive method involves rock crushing for producing grains of a specified size, charging the crushed rock into a melting zone and drawing fibers from the melt. The melting zone is extended along the vertical axis. The sized grains successively fall under gravity into the melting zone and the fibers are drawn from each sized grain melt. The drop rate of each sized grain into the melting zone is limited by the upward flow of a hot gas-air mixture. The plant comprises a rock crushing device and melting device with a melting zone whose outlet is connected to the discharge orifice with a bushing assembly and a device for fiber winding at the output. The plant includes a funnel at the outlet of the rock crushing device rotatable around the vertical axis.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding a fiber strand onto a former, wherein there is provided a separating means for fixing and separating the fiber strand at the end of an operation of winding on a finish-wound first former and for bringing the fixed fiber-strand end to a second former to be wound in order to begin a new winding operation. At least one thread buffer for temporary storage of a fiber-strand portion between the end of one winding operation and the beginning of a new winding operation is disposed upstream from the separating means in the feed direction.

Abstract: A method of fabricating micro/nano optical wires is disclosed, which comprises: providing a micro/nano optical wire drawing device comprising a feeding wheel, a drawing wheel, and a heating unit; fastening one end of a micrometer-sized preform at the feeding wheel; making the other end of the preform pass through the heating unit and be fastened at the drawing wheel; and switching on the heating unit to heat the perform to a softening temperature of the preform and drawing the preform by the drawing wheel to form a micro/nano optical wire. A device of fabricating micro/nano optical wires is also disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatus for applying traction to an elongate cylindrical element (5) produced by fusion of an end portion (2a) of a preform (2) of glass material, in which a traction device (3) is capable of being connected to a portion (5i) of the elongate cylindrical element (5) to provide traction of the elongate cylindrical element along an axis (6). A device (4) for the rotation of the elongate cylindrical element applies a twist to the elongate cylindrical element (5) about the axis (6) simultaneously with the traction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for drawing low loss fluoride glass fibers from a preform. A stream of reactive gas is passed around the preform and fiber so as to prevent moisture and oxygen contamination of the fiber while the fiber is being drawn. The apparatus includes an insulating vessel which surrounds a heating chamber in which the fiber is drawn, and a very narrow heating zone within the chamber for preventing crystallization of the drawn fiber.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for forming fiber strands comprising a fiber forming device, a gathering shoe device and a winder device, the improvement comprising a gathering shoe device which includes at least one gathering shoe having an annular groove for receiving the fibers from the fiber forming device, the gathering shoe having a generally circular cross section at the annular groove and a diameter at the annular groove ranging from about 2.54 to about 6.35 mm. Another aspect of the present invention is a gathering shoe comprising a rod member having a longitudinal axis; and a groove extending circumferentially about the rod member, wherein the rod member has a diameter at the groove in the range of about 2.54 to about 6.35 mm.

Abstract: A sizing applicator is provided for applying a coating of sizing composition to glass fibers. The sizing applicator includes a housing and a roll applicator which is rotatably coupled to the housing. The housing has a supply port adapted to receive sizing composition from a sizing supply source, an exit slot and a passageway extending from the supply port to the exit slot. The passageway receives sizing composition from the supply port and delivers the sizing composition to the exit slot such that the sizing composition exits the housing and is received on an outer surface of the roll applicator. The roll applicator is spaced from the housing such that the housing does not substantially contact the sizing composition once it is received on the roll applicator.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of using the apparatus to automate a labor intensive portion of the process of making continuous fiber products, like chopped glass fiber. In this process many fiberizers are used, each fiberizer forming as many as several thousand fibers. Fibers break frequently requiring the fiberizers to be restarted and this has always been a labor intensive part of the process. Apparatus for getting the fiberizers ready to restart quickly and for forming a fiber strand, apparatus for gripping the strand, breaking it and transporting it to strand pulling and processing equipment and apparatus for moving a newly started strand into a desired position on an optional strand separating and guiding means, and methods of using the apparatus are disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for the in-line production of composite strand material and the conversion of at least a portion of the strand material into a composite product. The apparatus (10) includes a combining station (48) where glass fibers (14) with a second polymeric material (66) are combined to form composite strand material (16), and at least one mold (54) for receiving a portion of the composite strand material and forming the portion into a composite product. The apparatus also includes transfer equipment for moving the composite strand material from the combining station to the mold, which may include a computer-controlled robotic arm (52). In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a collecting device (18) for accumulating the composite strand material (16) in looped form and equipment for delivering the accumulated portion from the collecting device to the mold (54).

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.