Method of controlling glass fiber formation and control system

Abstract

An improved fiber glass bushing control system. One aspect of the system has a weighing means for weighing complete collections of glass fiber strands produced from forming from a bushing through attenuation, a monitoring means for the time of attenuation at constant strand speed and a program computer means that receives signals from the weighing means and the monitoring means. The program computer means has a means for establishing a database of the weights and times, a means for determining the throughput of the glass from the bushing from the weights and times, a means for determining average throughputs and including these averages in the database, a means for comparing the average throughputs to a standard set throughput, and a means for initiating an adjustment to the main bushing temperature controller, when the average throughput deviates from the set point throughput by a value greater than the sensitivity factor of the bushing. The system has circuit means for carrying the adjustment signals to the controller and to the bushing for a temperature change. The system can have a second bushing controller connected across two sections of the bushing to regulate relative current flow in the two sections and the program computer means additionaly has means for determining the difference in throughputs between collections of strand produced from each section of the bushing at the same time and placing these difference values in the database, and a means for averaging the difference values, and a means for comparing the difference values to determine if they are other than the value of zero, and a means for adjusting the segment bushing controller to achieve average difference value in throughput other than zero.