Ppg Industries, Inc.

Herbert W Barch

August G Bohy

Rudolph Blair

Michael A Smoot

William P Marshall

Balbhadra Das

Joseph J Hammel

S Thomas Greer

George T Salego

Howard J Hudson

Walter J Robertson

Emil Martin

William H Retsch, Jr

Dennis M Fahey

Richard P Beaver

Jerry C Hedden

Carl A Melle

Donald E McWilliams

Patrick C Chardello

Roy D Hegedus

Frank E Harvey

Balbhadra Daas

John G Holloway

Martin A Grodin

The instant invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of hollow glass fibers using a novel tip design. It is believed that the success of the instant invention is due to the injection of pressurized gas to create a central lumen at distances farther removed from the terminus of the tip than taught possible by the prior art. This results in a more stable process and the production of hollow fibers having more uniform wall concentricity.

Method and apparatus for forming hollow fibers

Porous, silica-rich shapes have improved strength and abrasion resistance by leaching the precursor glass shape in preconditioned acid having silica ion and at least one common ion that is also present in the precursor glass shape. The precursor glass shapes have shapes such as fibers, hollow fibers, tubes, rods, beads, hollow spheres and plates and compositions having 30-75 volume percent silica and at least 10-65 volume percent nonsiliceous acid extractable components. Preconditioning of the acid solution results from a pretreatment of the acid with compounds that dissociate into the ions when added to the acid solution or with shapes, particles or fragments of glass compositions different from or similar to the glass shape to be leached so long as the glass composition has extractable material to provide the silica ion and at least one common ion.

Silica-rich porous substrates with reduced tendencies for breaking or

A hollow, porous, silica-rich fiber, a process for producing same, and a process for enriching at least one gas from a gaseous mixture utilizing at least one fiber to result in gas separations with good permeability and good selectivity. The fiber is non-crystalline and has pore sizes having a range of 1 to around 50 Angstroms in diameter and a mean pore size of around less than 20 Angstroms in diameter and a filament diameter in the range of 1 to around 250 microns and a wall thickness in the range of around 1 to 50 microns. The fibers with a fine pore structure and thin walls are produced by forming hollow glass fibers hindered or fully phase-separable boron and/or alkali metal glass composition, by attenuation from melt at speeds in the range of 500 ft/min to around 30,000 ft/min. The phase-separable glass fibers are heat treated to yield limited phase-separated hollow glass fibers and these fibers are leached to extract acid and/or water soluble components. For fully phase-separable, hollow glass fibers, a limited heat treatment is used before leaching, where the heat treatment is at a temperature of around 300 to less than 480.degree. C. for a time of around 5 minutes to 24 hours. The hindered, phase-separable, hollow glass fibers are heat treated at a temperature in the range of about 400 to about 600.degree. C. At least one hollow, porous, silica-rich fiber is used in a device suitable to contain a gaseous mixture and the permeate is withdrawn from the silica-rich fiber at the opposite side from that at which the gaseous mixture contacts the hollow, porous fiber.

Process of gas enrichment with porous siliceous-containing material

A fluid separation device in the form of a cartridge is shown in which there is provided a fluid inlet to the cartridge, a distribution tube to feed fluid from the center of the cartridge outwardly across alternate layers of permeable membranes and glass fibers, rovings and strands and wherein the fibers are porous, hollow, or porous and hollow. The fibers are oriented parallel to each other and sealed at one end of the cartridge and open at the other end when hollow fibers are used. A vessel for housing the cartridge is also shown.

Novel cartridge with stress relieving member

A novel mat composite is shown in which a plurality of glass fibers, strands or rovings are carried on a fluid permeable sheet with two generally parallel ribbons of mastic on each side of the sheet inboard of the edges affixing the fibers, strands or rovings to the sheet and maintaining the fibers, strands and rovings generally parallel to each other.

Mat structure

A filter cartridge is structured of a filtration mat assembly wrapped or rolled about a central distribution tube. The filtration mat includes a plurality of hollow porous fiber strands carried by a fluid permeable sheet. Once the mat has been wrapped about the porous central distribution tube, both ends of the mat and distribution tube are firmly embedded in end caps. The central distribution tube is comprised of two tube segments which are telescopingly connected. Shrinkage and contraction or swelling and elongation of the mat's fibers cause the end caps to move toward or away from each other. This movement of the end caps is able to occur due to the ability of the telescoping central distribution tube to decrease or increase in length.

Filtration cartridge and reactor

An applicator for use in applying chemical treatments to textile fibers is described which does not require the presence of a reservoir of the chemical treatment in close proximity to where the textile fibers are treated. The applicator has a rotating cylindrical roll which rotates continuously during application and is in rotatable horizontal attachment with a support means. The rotating cylindrical roll contacts the filaments at one portion one roll while at another portion on the roll a delivery means having a slot and cavity to which there is provided the chemical treatment is in fluid contact with the rotating applicator roll. The chemical treatment flows from the cavity through the slot and onto the rotating applicator roll to contact the textile filaments at another location on the roll. The chemical treatment is supplied to the cavity of the delivery means by a fluid control means which provides a continuous and controlled amount of the chemical treatment to the delivery means. In this manner, the precise amount of chemical treatment needed to treat the textile filaments can be applied to the cylindrical applicator roll to prevent waste of any chemical treatment. The applicator can also have a housing which surrounds the rotatable applicator roll and delivery means and provides an opening for fluid attachment between the delivery means and the fluid flow control means and also provides an opening through which a longitudinal portion of the rotatable applicating means can protrude to contact the textile filaments outside the housing. Also, in lieu of a housing, the applicator may simply have a collecting device located underneath the rotatable applicating roll and delivery means to catch any discarded chemical treatment.

Applicator for treating textile filaments with chemical treatments

Textile filaments are treated with chemical solutions during their manufacture and a longevous apparatus is provided to accomplish this treatment. The apparatus is a cylindrical sleeve engaged with a rotating engaging means for a substantial portion of the sleeve length and the sleeve and means are disposed to be contacted with the chemical solution contained by a receptacle. The peripheral surface of the sleeve is disposed in relation to the receptacle so that the sleeve comes in contact with the moving textile filaments. The sleeve can be a graphite, metallic or metallic coated noncorroding material. The sleeve can have a thickness ranging from a foil to a thickness which allows the sleeve to be coated with a metallic coating. The rotatable engaging means can be a noncorroding material such as stainless steel, a thermosetting polymer, graphite or rubber. The rotatable engaging means having mounted thereon the cylindrical sleeve for a substantial portion of length of the cylindrical sleeve can be horizontally disposed in the receptacle, where the receptacle has an opening at one end where the peripheral surface of the sleeve occupies the opening. This occupation can be arranged where the sleeve is adjacent to the opening or actually protruding through the opening. When the sleeve has a thickness of greater than 1.25 millimeters the sleeve can be coated with a metallic coating through a spray or sputtering process. The metallic coating is finished to a mat or a mirror finish. The sleeve is engaged upon the rotatable engaging means in such a manner that it can be easily removed from the engaging means.

Cylindrical sleeve applicator for use in manufacturing chemically

Coating compositions can be applied to substrates to produce a smooth finish by the use of a coating applicator having a mat of sized glass fibers and/or strands having fibers and/or strands projecting from the surface of the mat. The coating applicator has a core with two surfaces, a mat of sized glass fibers with projecting fibers and/or strands attached to one surface of the core. The glass fibers within the strands have a residue of a sizing composition having a carrier, a film forming polymer, and compatible coupling agent. The glass fibers within the strand may be selected from bulked, texturized, hollow, hollow with etching and solid continuous and staple glass fibers and mixtures thereof. The thickness of the mat on the core to comprise the applicator is in the range of about 0.125 to about 2 inches (3 to 50 mm.).

Applicator for applying a coating to a surface

Coating compositions can be applied to substrates to produce a novelty finish by the use of a coating applicator having a mat of sized glass fibers and/or strands in contact with the coating. The novelty finish achieved with the glass fiber strand coating applicator has continuity of pattern, which is achieved in a fascile and efficient manner. The coating applicator has a core with an inner and outer surface and mat of sized glass fiber attached to the outer surface. The glass fibers have a residue of a sizing composition having a carrier, a film forming polymer, and compatible coupling agent. The one or more glass fibers may be selected from bulked, texturized, hollow, hollow with etching and solid continuous and staple glass fibers and mixtures thereof. The thickness of the mat on the core to comprise the applicator is in the range of about 0.125 to about 2 inches (3 to 50 mm.).

Glass fiber sizing compositions and methods of making same and glass fibers containing dried residue of the sizing composition are provided that yield improved efficiencies, reduced migration, reduction in drying conditions, reduced cleaning time and improved housekeeping. The sizing composition, method and glass fiber strand involves the use of a high solids sizing composition having a water solubilized, condensation, cross-linkable, unsaturated polyester resin having free carboxyl groups either pendant or terminal or pendant and terminal and an amino-containing silane and an amount of water to yield a sizing composition having an amount of total solids in the range of about 18 to about 40 weight percent. In addition, other additives can be included in the sizing composition such as additional polyester resins, additional coupling agents, thermoplastic polymers, anti-static agents, film-former modifiers, wetting agents, stabilizers and lubricants.

Stable sizing compositions used during forming of glass fibers and

A sizing composition and process are provided for producing wound packages and particularly precision wound packages of glass fiber strand and/or roving. The sizing composition has a total solids content in the range of about 9 to about 30 weight percent and comprises a phenolic epoxy resin, the reaction product of a partial ester of a polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with a compound containing more than one epoxy group; and organo silane or silanes; a non-ionic surface active agent; a protective colloid; and a cationic lubricant. The process for producing the precision wound packages of glass fibers includes forming a plurality of glass fibers from molten glass, treating the glass fibers with the sizing composition having a total solids content of about 9 to about 30 weight percent, gathering the treated glass fibers together into one or more strands and collecting the gathered strand or strands on a winder in a precision wound package to produce glass fiber strands or roving.

Method of forming and sizing glass fibers

A traversing device composed of a central shaft or axle with a wire for traversing of the strand arranged in a generally oval shape surrounding the shaft. The wire in the oval shape is supported such that the plane of the oval is traverse of the shaft at an acute angle and the wires of the oval are generally at an equal distance from the shaft at all points.

Fiber traversing spiral

A method is disclosed for processing waste glass strands and/or fibrous filaments which are produced in the course of operating a glass fiber forming plant for subsequent reuse as batch ingredients for a glass fiber forming process. The method described involves controlled thermal treatment of the waste glass strands and/or filaments to produce particulate glass which can be recycled to a fiber glass forming furnace. The reprocessing of waste glass strands and/or filaments reduces substantially the raw material cost involved in feeding glass batch ingredients to a glass fiber forming operation. Apparatus for accomplishing the reprocessing of the waste glass filaments and/or strands in accordance with the method disclosed is also described.

Method for reprocessing glass fibers

A process is disclosed for preparing slubby strands in which a textile strand is passed either over a surface or through a slubbing tool. The surface, if employed, may include a plurality of fluid passages positioned therein. As the strand passes over the surface or through the slubbing tool, high pressure fluid is introduced onto the surface of and through the strand. The high pressure fluid passes through the strand. This passage of fluid through the strand causes the strand to twist and bulk along its length to form a slub which is rapidly removed from the working surface of the slubbing surface or tool as a consolidated slub positioned on the strand. When a surface is employed, the surface may be a moving surface and when the surface includes a plurality of fluid passages, the passages may be vented at a point below the surface. Various apparatus for carrying out the novel method are disclosed as is the novel strand produced thereby. The process is described with particular reference to producing strands of glass fibers.

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Natrona Heights, PA, United States of America

Herbert W Barch