Numerical simulation of temperature in forming surroundings for E-Glass fiber

Abstract

In spinning, the temperature of the glass melt and the forming surroundings play a crucial role in determining the diameter of the electrical glass (E-glass) filament. It is essential to control or predict the temperature of the forming surroundings. In this study, a simplified cooling model of the fin for G75 E-glass fiber was constructed and simulated to explore the influence of ambient temperature on the forming process of E-glass fiber. The multi-physical field coupling of solid-fluid conjugate heat transferring and surface-to-surface radiation imitates the cooling model. The temperature of the bottom of the bushing plate was measured with an infrared thermal imaging instrument, and the ambient temperature of the area of filament root forming was measured with a thermocouple. Considering the device is fixed, the key experimental variable of the numerical simulation is the distance from the top of the cooling fin to the bottom surface of the bushing plate. The simulated results are compared with the actual measurements, proving that it is feasible for the simplified cooling model to simulate the forming of E-glass fiber. The results of numerical simulations also show that (1) the temperature of the glass melt at the outlet of the nozzle is 1400 K and the ambient temperature of the filament root forming dropped by >500 K; (2) when the top of the cooling fin is 4 mm away from the bottom surface of the bushing plate, the fin has the best cooling effect on the E-glass fiber.