JP2000327355A - Ring for supporting glass plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively, uniformly and sufficiently cool the whole surface of a glass plate and prevent the generation of a mechanical strain by supporting a heated glass plate on a glass plate-supporting ring to flexurally mold the glass plate and then blowing cooled air from the blowing ports of the support surface to quench and temper the molded glass plate. SOLUTION: A glass plate is heated and softened at a molding temperature of about 600 to 700 deg.C in a heating oven, carried out from the oven and then disposed on a support ring 21. The glass plate is pressed and flexurally molded on the support ring 21 by the use of a mold. The support ring 21 on which the molded glass plate is loaded is carried to a cooling zone and then blown with cooled air through upper and lower wind boxes to quench and temper the molded glass plate. Therein, the support ring 21 is formed from a hollow material having an approximately rectangular cross section, and plural ports 23 for connecting to air pipes are disposed on the support ring 21. Plural blowing ports 25 are formed in the glass plate support surface, and cooled air is blown out from the blowing ports 25, when the molded glass plate is cooled. Thereby, the glass plate is floated from the support ring 21 to sufficiently cool the glass plate to its peripheral portion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a glass sheet support ring for supporting a glass sheet when the glass sheet after bending is quenched and strengthened by a glass sheet forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A glass sheet forming apparatus for producing curved glass such as window glass for automobiles comprises a heating zone comprising a heating furnace, a forming zone provided with a forming mold, and a cooling zone for rapidly cooling and strengthening the glass sheet. The flat glass plate is heated in a heating furnace in a heating zone to soften it, and is pressed and bent by a mold in a forming zone to be bent.
Cooling air is blown to the curved glass sheet formed by press bending in a cooling zone to rapidly cool and strengthen the glass sheet.

[0003] Such a glass sheet forming apparatus includes an in-furnace forming die in which a forming zone is provided in a heating furnace and press forming is performed in the heating furnace, and a forming zone is provided outside the heating furnace and press forming is performed outside the heating furnace. There is a molding apparatus for a mold outside the furnace. In the in-furnace mold glass sheet forming apparatus, press forming of a relatively complicated shape can be performed with high precision because the press forming is performed while the high temperature state is maintained, but since the press apparatus is provided in the heating furnace, the structure is It gets complicated. In the out-of-furnace mold glass forming apparatus, press molding is performed outside the heating furnace, so the temperature during molding is somewhat reduced, but the structure of the heating furnace is simplified,
It is suitable for bending a relatively simple glass plate.

[0004] In such a glass sheet forming apparatus, a glass sheet to be bent and formed is press-formed in a forming zone in a state in which a peripheral edge portion thereof is supported by a support ring, and cooling air (up and down) is formed on both surfaces thereof in a cooling zone. Normal temperature air) is blown.

[0005] Usually, in a molding apparatus for forming glass sheets in a furnace, a supporting ring for forming a lower mold of a mold is used in a forming zone as a supporting ring for supporting a glass sheet, and in a cooling zone, this is used. Separately, a cooling support ring is used. After being formed, the glass sheet is transferred from the forming support ring to the cooling support ring, transported to the cooling zone, and cooled.

On the other hand, in an out-of-furnace glass sheet forming apparatus, a forming and cooling supporting ring having a common supporting ring for cooling and a supporting ring for cooling is used, and press forming is performed on the forming and cooling supporting ring. After that, many methods are employed in which the glass sheet is directly conveyed to a cooling zone and cooled.

In any case, the support ring is made of a solid bar such as a steel material formed in a ring shape according to the shape of the glass plate to be formed, and supports the peripheral portion of the glass plate.

When the glass plate supported on such a support ring is rapidly cooled and strengthened, in order to enhance the strengthening action,
It is necessary to efficiently blow cooling air over the entire glass surface.

[0009]

However, since the conventional glass plate support ring supports the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the glass plate during cooling in the cooling zone, the peripheral edge of the glass plate supported on the support surface of the support ring. Since the cooling air did not spread to the portion, the peripheral supporting portion was not sufficiently cooled, and the peripheral portion of the glass sheet could not be sufficiently strengthened as compared with the central portion.

In addition, since the load of the glass plate is received by the support ring at the periphery of the glass plate, there is a problem that mechanical strain on the periphery of the glass plate is increased.

On the other hand, there is known a support ring in which a cooling support ring is formed in a comb shape so that cooling air passes through a support surface of a glass plate to enhance a cooling effect of the support surface. However, when the comb-shaped support ring is used as a common support ring during molding and cooling, there is a problem that irregularities of the comb teeth are formed on the periphery of the glass during molding. By changing the glass plate from a support ring at the time of molding to a comb-shaped support ring instead of a common support ring, traces due to comb teeth at the time of molding can be eliminated, but cooling of the peripheral supporting portion that can still be placed on the glass plate Not enough, and the distortion problem is not ameliorated.

Moreover, in the out-of-furnace glass sheet forming apparatus, the temperature of the glass sheet falls below the temperature required for rapid cooling due to the holding time of the glass sheet, and a sufficient strengthening treatment cannot be performed. If the temperature of the glass sheet in the heating zone is increased in consideration of the temperature drop, the glass sheet becomes too soft, and the shape of the glass sheet becomes defective.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned prior art, and when quenching and strengthening a bent glass sheet, the peripheral edge of the glass sheet is supported to efficiently and uniformly cover the entire surface of the glass sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide a glass plate support ring that can be cooled and reduce the occurrence of mechanical distortion.

[0014]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a glass sheet heated by a heating furnace is bent and formed, and the bent glass sheet is used in a glass sheet forming apparatus for rapidly cooling and strengthening. A glass plate support ring for supporting a peripheral portion of a glass plate during rapid cooling strengthening, wherein a cooling air outlet is provided on a support surface of the glass plate.

According to this structure, a cooling air outlet is provided on the glass plate supporting surface of the support ring, and the cooling air is supplied to the lower peripheral edge of the glass plate from the outlet, so that the blowing pressure of the cooling air is provided. Thereby, the load of the glass plate on the support ring is reduced, and the cooling air flows through the lower surface of the support portion of the glass plate and escapes. Therefore, the cooling air is uniformly supplied to the entire support surface of the support ring, and the peripheral portion of the glass plate is sufficiently and uniformly cooled in the same manner as the central portion without keeping heat on the support surface of the support ring. In addition to the above, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of mechanical distortion in the peripheral portion of the glass plate, and to sufficiently strengthen the peripheral portion of the glass plate, which is liable to cause a problem such as breakage during transport or assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, the glass sheet forming apparatus is an out-of-pile mold forming apparatus for bending and forming a glass sheet outside the heating furnace, wherein the support ring supports the glass sheet during bending and It is characterized in that the glass plate is supported successively during rapid cooling.

According to this configuration, by using the support ring of the present invention in a molding apparatus of an out-of-furnace mold in which the temperature drops during press molding and the cooling temperature difference due to the cooling air is reduced, the cooling temperature difference caused by the cooling air is reduced. Since the cooling air can be increased, the effect of the quenching enhancement by the cooling air is remarkably obtained.

In a further preferred configuration example, a soft cover is provided on the glass plate supporting surface.

According to this configuration, when used as a support ring for forming and cooling, the thermal and mechanical distortion of the glass sheet can be reduced at the time of forming and the mechanical distortion at the time of cooling can be further reduced.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a glass sheet forming apparatus of a mold outside the furnace to which the present invention is applied. The glass sheet forming apparatus 1 includes a heating zone 2, a forming zone 3 provided outside an end outlet of the heating zone 2,
First cooling zones 4 provided on both sides of the molding zone 3
And a second cooling zone 5 and a rail 6 for transferring a molding cooling support ring to be described later. The heating zone 2 includes a heating furnace 7 and a transport roller 8. The molding zone 3 includes a mold 10 and a transport roller 9.
The first cooling zone 4 includes an upper blow port 11, a lower blow port 12 and
And a next cooling unit 13. The second cooling zone 5 includes an upper blow port (not shown), a lower blow port 14, and a secondary cooling unit 15. The conveying roller 9 in the molding zone 3 is divided to raise and lower the support ring, and a gap 9a is formed.

The glass plate 16 to be formed is placed in the heating zone 2
Then, the inside of the heating furnace 7 is conveyed as indicated by an arrow A by the conveying rollers 8 and heated to a predetermined bending temperature (about 600 to 700 ° C.). The heated and softened glass plate 16 is transferred to the forming zone 3 by the conveying roller 9, transferred to a support ring (not shown), the mold 10 is lowered, and held between the mold 10 and the support ring. And press molded. The support ring is movable along the rail 6 as shown by arrow B. After press molding, the mold 10 rises,
The support ring on which the bent glass plate is mounted is cooled by blowing cooling air from the upper blow port 11 and the lower blow port 12 in the first cooling zone 4 along the rail 6 to be rapidly cooled and strengthened. After that, it is further transferred to the secondary cooling unit 13 where it is cooled to room temperature, and is shipped via an inspection process.

The second cooling zone 5 operates in the same manner as the first cooling zone 4, and the glass plate 16 which is continuously conveyed is alternately sorted into the first cooling zone 4 and the second cooling zone 5. By cooling, the production efficiency of the device itself is improved.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the forming cooling support ring in the first cooling zone 4. Air blow ducts 11a and 12a are connected to the upper blow port 11 and the lower blow port 12, respectively, to supply cooling air to both surfaces of a glass plate (not shown) mounted on the forming and cooling support ring 21 as shown by arrows C and D. Blow out to. The support ring 21 has, for example, a substantially rectangular ring shape corresponding to the shape of the bent glass sheet, and supports the periphery of the glass sheet.

The cooling zone 4 is provided adjacent to the cooling zone 4.
The book rail 6 suspends and supports the transfer plate 17. The transfer plate 17 slides along the rail 6 as shown by an arrow B (FIG. 1) by a drive mechanism (not shown). A support 19 is attached to the transfer plate 17 via a link mechanism 18. The support base 19 can be moved up and down as shown by an arrow E via a link mechanism 18 by a lifting piston (not shown). As a result, the support ring 21 is lowered from the upper surface of the roller through the divided gap 9a of the transport roller 9 in the above-described molding zone 3, and
Enables delivery of the upper glass plate.

A cooling air chamber 20 is provided in the support base 19.
Is formed, and cooling air is sent from a blower or a compressor (not shown). This cooling air may be branched and sent from the same system as the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12.
The support ring 2 is attached to the support base 19 via a bracket 24.
1 is attached.

The support ring 21 has a substantially rectangular shape made of a hollow material, and air pipes 22 communicating with the air chamber 20 via air pipe connection ports 23 are connected to four sides thereof. A large number of cooling air outlets (not shown) are formed on the glass plate supporting surface (upper surface) of the support ring 21, and blow out cooling air as shown by an arrow F. The air chamber 20 for the cooling air to be sent into the support ring 21 may be provided at a different position without being provided in the support base 19, and may be provided in the same system as the upper and lower blowing ports 11 and 12 without the air chamber 20. Support ring 2 directly through an air pipe branched from
1 may be supplied with cooling air.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the molding and cooling support ring 21 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof. As shown in the figure, a substantially rectangular support ring 21 is formed of a hollow material, and a cooling air outlet 25 formed of, for example, a large number of small holes is formed on an upper surface thereof. Cooling air (compressed air) is sent in as indicated by arrow G. On the upper surface of the support ring 21,
As shown in FIG. 4, a soft cover 26 made of resin or the like is provided, through which an outlet 25 is formed, and cooling air is blown out as shown by an arrow F.

As described above, the cooling air outlet 25 is formed on the upper surface of the support ring 21 serving as the plate glass supporting surface, and the cooling air is blown out from the air outlet 25 to thereby support the glass plate supported by the support ring 21. Cooling air is supplied to the periphery of the lower surface of the glass plate, and the sheet glass is floated by the pressure, and the cooling air flows uniformly over the entire periphery of the lower surface of the glass plate, and a sufficient cooling effect is obtained, and the effect of strengthening rapid cooling is obtained. Is enhanced. In addition, the load of the glass plate on the support ring 21 is reduced by the pressure of the cooling air that is blown from the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the glass plate, and mechanical distortion generated at the edge of the glass plate is suppressed.

Further, the cover 26 on the upper surface of the support ring 21 can suppress thermal and mechanical distortions during molding. Also, at the time of cooling, the glass plate can be cushioned together with the ejection pressure of cooling air. The occurrence of distortion can be further reduced by reducing the mechanical stress on the substrate. Further, the correction of the contact with the glass plate can be easily adjusted by shaving the cover 26.

The above example is an example in which the glass plate support ring of the present invention is used in an out-of-furnace glass plate forming apparatus. The glass plate support ring of the present invention can also be used in an in-furnace glass plate forming apparatus. In this case, after the glass plate is bent and formed by the mold arranged on the downstream side in the heating furnace and the forming support ring for supporting the peripheral edge of the glass plate, the glass is transferred from the forming support ring to the glass plate support ring of the present invention. Change the board. Thereafter, the glass plate is transported to the cooling zone while being supported by the glass plate support ring of the present invention. Then, the cooling air is blown out from the glass plate support ring of the present invention in the cooling zone, and the cooling air is blown onto the glass plate from the upper and lower blowing ports of the cooling zone to cool the glass plate.

Incidentally, in the out-of-furnace forming glass sheet forming apparatus, a glass sheet is bent out of a heating furnace and then subjected to a quenching strengthening treatment. Therefore, the temperature of the glass sheet that has reached the cooling zone is more likely to be lower than that of the in-furnace glass sheet forming apparatus. If the temperature of the glass sheet is lowered, it is difficult to perform quenching for strengthening treatment.Therefore, the time from carrying out the glass sheet from the heating furnace to quenching it is as short as possible, and the temperature drop of the glass sheet can be suppressed. preferable. Therefore, it is particularly effective to use the glass plate support ring of the present invention, which can save the time required to switch from the forming support ring to the cooling support ring, in an out-of-furnace glass sheet forming apparatus.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, a cooling air outlet is provided on the glass plate supporting surface of the support ring, and the cooling air is supplied from the outlet to the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the glass plate. In addition, the load of the glass sheet on the support ring is reduced by the blowing pressure of the cooling air, and the cooling air flows through the lower surface of the supporting portion of the glass sheet and exits. Therefore, the cooling air is uniformly supplied to the entire support surface of the support ring,
The peripheral edge of the glass sheet can be uniformly and sufficiently cooled in the same manner as the central part without keeping the heat on the support surface of the support ring, and the occurrence of mechanical distortion at the peripheral edge of the glass sheet is suppressed, particularly It is possible to sufficiently strengthen the peripheral edge of the glass plate, which is likely to cause a problem such as breakage during transportation or assembly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a glass sheet forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a support ring driving unit of the glass sheet forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a support ring of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the support ring of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

1: glass plate forming apparatus, 2: heating zone, 3: forming zone, 4: first cooling zone, 5: second cooling zone, 6: rail, 7: heating furnace, 8, 9: transport roller, 10: mold , 11: upper blowing port, 12: lower blowing port, 13: secondary cooling section, 14: lower blowing port, 15: secondary cooling section, 16: glass plate, 17: transfer plate, 18: link mechanism, 19: Support base, 20: cooling air chamber, 21: support ring,
22: air pipe, 23: air pipe connection port, 24: bracket, 25: outlet, 26: cover.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A glass sheet which is used in a glass sheet forming apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated in a heating furnace and rapidly cooling and strengthening the bent glass sheet, and supporting a peripheral portion of the glass sheet during the rapid cooling and strengthening. A support ring, wherein a cooling air outlet is provided on a support surface of the glass plate. 2. The glass sheet forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said glass sheet forming apparatus is an out-of-furnace forming die forming apparatus for bending and forming a glass sheet outside said heating furnace. The glass plate support ring according to claim 1, wherein the glass plate support ring supports the glass sheet during quenching and strengthening continuously. 3. The glass plate support ring according to claim 1, wherein a soft cover is provided on the glass plate support surface.