Submerged Combustion Glass Fiber Voids From Controlled Melt Bubbles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for producing hollow glass fibers using submerged combustion melting technologies result in turbulent molten glass with high bubble content, leading to processing issues like fiber breakage, and existing solutions fail to effectively utilize the bubble content in glass fibers.
Innovation Solution
The process involves feeding vitrifiable materials into a turbulent melting zone, heating them with combustion products from submerged burners to create a turbulent molten material with bubbles, and then drawing this material through bushings to produce glass fibers with consistent regions devoid of glass, either randomly or non-randomly shaped, achieving a consistent void fraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional submerged combustion melting is used to produce hollow glass fibers, then the process is simple and cost-effective, but the fiber breakage rate increases due to high bubble content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of bubbles (which cause fiber breakage) into a beneficial feature by controlling bubble formation to create hollow glass fibers with desired void fractions. The combustion gases that would normally be considered defects are intentionally utilized to form the hollow structure, transforming a processing problem into a product feature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of bubble formation by controlling combustion conditions, gas injection rates, and melting zone characteristics to achieve specific void fractions (5-50%). This parameter control allows the system to produce consistent hollow fiber structures rather than random bubble distributions that cause breakage.
2Reliability
If traditional fining processes are used to reduce bubble content, then fiber breakage is reduced, but the manufacturing cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing bubbles through complex fining processes, the patent inverts the approach by intentionally introducing and controlling bubbles through submerged combustion. The system accepts bubble presence as desirable for creating hollow fiber structures, eliminating the need for expensive fining operations while maintaining fiber integrity through controlled void fractions.
Solution Approach 2:
The submerged combustion process itself serves the dual function of heating the glass melt and introducing the gas bubbles needed for hollow fiber formation. The combustion gases automatically provide both thermal energy and the void structure, eliminating the need for separate fining equipment or additional processing steps.
3Adaptability or versatility
If high bubble content is produced in turbulent molten glass, then hollow fiber formation is enabled, but manufacturing precision decreases due to inconsistent void distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring combustion parameters, gas flow rates, and melt turbulence characteristics to maintain consistent void fractions. By adjusting combustion conditions based on process measurements, the system achieves repeatable hollow fiber structures with controlled void distributions across different production batches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary bubble formation during the melting phase through controlled gas injection, ensuring uniform void distribution before fiber drawing. By establishing the desired bubble structure in advance during combustion, the system prevents inconsistent void formation that would occur during subsequent fiber processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for the production of hollow or solid glass fibers with controlled bubble content, reducing the need for expensive fining processes and improving fiber consistency and production efficiency by utilizing the bubble content within the glass fibers.
Implementation Method 1
combustion gases emitted from sidewall-mounted and/or floor-mounted burners are injected beneath the surface of a molten or partially molten mass of material being melted
Implementation Method 2
The materials are heated at a high efficiency via the intimate contact with the combustion gases
Implementation Method 3
Using submerged combustion burners produces turbulence of the molten material or partially molten material
Data Source
AI summary
Processes and systems for producing glass fibers having regions devoid of glass using submerged combustion melters, including feeding a vitrifiable feed material into a feed inlet of a melting zone of a melter vessel, and heating the vitrifiable material with at least one burner directing combustion products of an oxidant and a first fuel into the melting zone under a level of the molten material in the zone. One or more of the burners is configured to impart heat and turbulence to the molten material, producing a turbulent molten material comprising a plurality of bubbles suspended in the molten material, the bubbles comprising at least some of the combustion products, and optionally other gas species introduced by the burners. The molten material and bubbles are drawn through a bushing fluidly connected to a forehearth to produce a glass fiber comprising a plurality of interior regions substantially devoid of glass.