Polygonal Tip Plate Module for Glass Fibre Bushing Creep Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Glass fibre manufacturing bushing assemblies face challenges with creep and sagging due to high temperatures and loads, leading to increased use of expensive platinum alloys and complex, costly maintenance processes.
Innovation Solution
A bushing assembly design featuring a tip plate module with a convex polygonal geometry, specifically hexagonal, and a central stiffening rib forming a manifold, which reduces the amount of precious metals used and enhances creep resistance by aligning modules with shared edges and screens for efficient glass melt distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If larger tip plates with more numerous tips are used to increase production rate, then productivity increases, but creep and sagging of the tip plate worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The tip plate is divided into multiple separate tip plates (first tip plate and second tip plate) positioned side by side, each handling a portion of the glass melt flow. This segmentation reduces the load on each individual tip plate, thereby reducing creep and sagging while maintaining high overall production capacity through the combined output of multiple plates.
Solution Approach 2:
A longitudinal beam is introduced as a third dimensional element extending between the first and second tip plates. This beam provides additional structural support in the longitudinal direction, stiffening the assembly and reducing creep and sagging of the tip plates without reducing the number of tips or production rate.
2Reliability
If platinum or platinum alloys are used to manufacture bushing assembly components, then reliability and creep resistance improve, but manufacturing cost worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies platinum or platinum alloys selectively only to the tip plates where they are absolutely necessary for withstanding the extreme conditions of glass melt contact. Other components of the bushing assembly may use less expensive materials, thereby reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining reliability where it is most critical.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing assembly employs a composite structure combining platinum or platinum alloy tip plates with a longitudinal beam and supporting structures made of other materials. This composite approach allows the expensive platinum materials to be used only where necessary for creep resistance, while other components use more cost-effective materials, reducing overall manufacturing cost.
3Reliability
If a longitudinal central stiffening rib is added to stiffen the tip plate, then creep resistance improves, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The longitudinal beam serving as a stiffening element is merged with the functional division of glass melt flow between two tip plates. The beam not only provides structural support to reduce creep and sagging but also serves as a divider that organizes the flow of glass melt to the two separate tip plates, thereby reducing overall device complexity by combining structural and functional roles.
4Reliability
If bushing assembly is dismounted and replaced with a new one, then reliability is restored, but loss of time and manufacturing cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing assembly is segmented into modular components including tip plates and a longitudinal beam that can be independently accessed and replaced. This modular segmentation allows for quicker maintenance and replacement operations, reducing downtime while restoring reliability, as individual components can be serviced without completely disassembling the entire assembly.
Data Source
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Figure 3(a)~3(b)
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AI summary
The present invention concerns a tip plate module for use in a bushing assembly for the production of glass fibres, said tip plate module comprising side walls surrounding at least a portion of the perimeter of a tip plate (1 1 ) forming the floor of the module, said tip plate forming a convex polygon, characterized in that, said polygonal tip plate comprises at least five edges (N ? 5), preferably at least six edges (N ? 6), more preferably it comprises six edges (N = 6). The present invention also concerns a bushing assembly comprising at least one such tip plate module.