BUSHING FOR MANUFACTURING GLASS FIBER

Abstract

The present invention is a bushing for manufacturing a glass fiber that includes a base plate, a plurality of nozzles for discharging molten glass, and a nozzle group in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in lines, being bonded to the base plate, wherein nozzles constituting at least one nozzle array among nozzle arrays of outermost layers of the nozzle group are plugged to a half or more of a nozzle length from a tip in depth. The glass-fiber-production bushing plate makes long-term, stable discharge of a uniform glass flow possible.

Claims

1. A bushing for manufacturing a glass fiber, the bushing comprising: a base plate; a plurality of nozzles for discharging molten glass; and a nozzle group in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in lines, being bonded to the base plate, wherein nozzles constituting at least one nozzle array among nozzle arrays of outermost layers of the nozzle group are plugged to a half or more of a nozzle length from a tip in depth.

2. The bushing for manufacturing a glass fiber according to claim 1, wherein a plugged nozzle is plugged over the whole nozzle length.

3. The bushing for manufacturing a glass fiber according to claim 1, wherein the plugged nozzle is a solid body.

4. The bushing for manufacturing a glass fiber according to claim 2, wherein the plugged nozzle is a solid body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an abrasion state of the tip of a nozzle of the outermost layer caused by an air current.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an external view of a bushing plate for manufacturing a glass fiber according to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 2 roughly illustrates a bushing plate 100 for manufacturing a glass fiber according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the bushing plate for manufacturing a glass fiber is provided with a base plate 10 and a plurality of nozzles 20 arranged in lines at the bottom face of the plate.

[0023] The base plate 10 is formed by subjecting a plate material (1.5 mm in thickness) made of platinum to bending processing, and is processed by bending end parts while providing a convex part in the center (bottom face dimension: 444 mm×120 mm). The reason why the convex part is provided in the center is to rectify a molten glass basis material flowing from the upper side.

[0024] The nozzles 20 form four nozzle groups like islands and are bonded to the base plate 10. In an individual nozzle group, 20×20 nozzles are bonded at intervals of 6.4 mm. Number of nozzles bonded to the base plate 10 is 1600 in total.

[0025] Each of the nozzles 20 is a tapered cylindrical tubular body of 2.94 mm (outer diameter at the uppermost end part)×2.35 mm (outer diameter at the lowermost end part) in an external shape. Further, each of these is made of platinum. Further, among nozzles in respective nozzle groups, nozzles 20′ configuring nozzle arrays of the outermost layer lying along four sides of the base plate are plugged. Furthermore, the other nozzles are ordinary ones having a through-hole of 1.65 mm φ.

[0026] With respect to processes for manufacturing respective nozzles, a tubular-but-solid body formed into the above-described external shape and dimension was prepared, and the solid member was used as it was as the plugged nozzle 20′, or was subjected to boring processing to thereby give the ordinary nozzle 20. Subsequently, these nozzles were bonded to the base plate 10. With respect to installation of the nozzles 20, 20′ on the base plate 10, holes of 2.76 mm were previously bored at places of the base plate 10 at which respective nozzles were to be installed, the nozzles 20, 20′ were inserted into holes, which was then heated in an electric furnace to carry out preparatory bonding and was furthermore welded at a base of the bonded part from an upper face of the base plate (inflow surface of molten glass) with a YAG laser.

[0027] As a manufacturing example of a glass fiber using the bushing plate for manufacturing a glass fiber according to the embodiment, first, to the bushing plate, a terminal and a box-shaped side flange are bonded to thereby configure a bushing being a box-shaped container. The bushing is incorporated into a glass manufacturing apparatus. The glass manufacturing apparatus is provided with a melting tank of a glass raw material compounded according to a target composition, a cleaning tank of the molten glass and a stirring tank stirring and homogenizing the cleaned molten glass, and the bushing is installed on the downstream side of these tanks. A glass fiber discharged from the bushing is wound appropriately.

[0028] Here, with a glass manufacturing apparatus provided with the bushing plate for manufacturing a glass fiber according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, glass fiber manufacturing was carried out for one year. During the period, remarkable uncommonness was not found out in the bushing plate. In addition, spinning of the glass fiber was also stable. Further, after the one-year operation of the apparatus, the apparatus was shut down and nozzles of the bushing plate were checked. As the result, abrasion was observed at a tip part of a part of nozzles lying in rows of plugged nozzles, and a side face of a nozzle had been shaved in a range of around 1.5 mm from the tip. On the other hand, for ordinary nozzles lying in the inside, completely no abrasion was observed. It is understood that plugged nozzles lying in the outermost layer acted as a sacrifice and protected a group of nozzles lying in the inside.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0029] The bushing plate for manufacturing a glass fiber according to the present invention suppresses abrasion and damage of a group of nozzles carrying out fiber spinning, as a result of plugging a part of nozzles. According to the present invention, a stable operation of a glass manufacturing apparatus for a long operation period can be made possible, and a good-quality glass fiber can be manufactured effectively.