Process for drying wet glass fibre forming packages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12304854-B2
Application number	US-202418631162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2024
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

Herein is described a process for drying wet glass fibre forming packages, the process comprising: providing a wet glass fibre forming package comprising a strand of glass fibres with an aqueous sizing applied to the glass fibres; and subjecting the wet glass fibre forming package to microwave radiation having a frequency in the range of about 750 to about 1050 MHz.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wet glass fiber forming package processing system, the system comprising:
a glass fiber producing apparatus comprising a bushing for extruding glass fibers;
an aqueous sizing applicator for applying an aqueous sizing to the glass fibers extruded from the bushing to form sized glass fibers;
a strand forming device for forming a glass fiber strand from the sized glass fibers;
a winding device for forming a wet glass fiber forming package from the glass fiber strand;
a magnetic metal support for supporting the wet glass fiber forming package; and
a microwave drier configured to dry the wet glass fiber forming package on the support to form a dried glass fiber forming package by subjecting the wet glass fiber forming package to microwave radiation having a frequency in the range of about 750 MHz to about 1,050 MHz.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising an oven for subjecting the dried glass fiber forming package to an elevated temperature to cure the glass fiber forming package.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the elevated temperature is in the range of about 50° C. to about 150° C.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the dried glass fiber forming package is subjected to the elevated temperature for at least about 5 hours.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the microwave radiation frequency has a range of about 800 MHz to about 1,000 MHz.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the wet glass fiber forming package is subjected to the microwave radiation for at least about 30 mins.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the wet glass fiber forming package is subjected to the microwave radiation for up to about 5 hours.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the microwave radiation to which the wet glass fiber forming package is subjected has a power of at least about 10 W/kg of wet glass fiber forming package.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the microwave radiation to which the wet glass fiber forming package is subjected has a power of up to about 150 W/kg of wet glass fiber forming package.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the wet glass fiber forming package has a mass in the range of about 10 kg to about 50 kg.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the wet glass fiber forming package has a cylindrical shape and an internal diameter in the range of about 5 cm to about 20 cm.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the wet glass fiber forming package has a cylindrical shape and an external diameter in the range of about 20 cm to about 60 cm.

Assignees

• Owens Corning Intellectual Capital Llc

Inventors

• Roux Etienne
• Boissonnat Philippe

Classifications

• C03C25/12

  General methods of coating; Devices therefor · CPC title

• C03C25/002 Primary

  Thermal treatment · CPC title

• C03B37/02

  by drawing or extruding, {e.g. direct drawing of molten glass from nozzles; Cooling fins therefor (C03B37/04 takes precedence; sizing of the fibres C03C25/00)} · CPC title

• C03C25/36

  Epoxy resins · CPC title

• C03C25/18

  Extrusion · CPC title