Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
  • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
  • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
  • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
  • B32B17/10009—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets
  • B32B17/10036—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets comprising two outer glass sheets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
  • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
  • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
  • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
  • B32B17/10009—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets
  • B32B17/10082—Properties of the bulk of a glass sheet
  • B32B17/10091—Properties of the bulk of a glass sheet thermally hardened
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
  • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
  • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
  • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
  • B32B17/10009—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets
  • B32B17/10082—Properties of the bulk of a glass sheet
  • B32B17/101—Properties of the bulk of a glass sheet having a predetermined coefficient of thermal expansion [CTE]
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
  • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
  • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
  • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
  • B32B17/1055—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer
  • B32B17/10752—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer containing polycarbonate
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B17/00—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
  • B32B17/06—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
  • B32B17/10—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin
  • B32B17/10005—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing
  • B32B17/1055—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer
  • B32B17/10761—Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material of synthetic resin laminated safety glass or glazing characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer containing vinyl acetal
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B27/00—Tempering or quenching glass products
  • C03B27/016—Tempering or quenching glass products by absorbing heat radiated from the glass product
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C21/00—Treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by diffusing ions or metals in the surface
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C23/00—Other surface treatment of glass not in the form of fibres or filaments
  • C03C23/007—Other surface treatment of glass not in the form of fibres or filaments by thermal treatment
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B2315/00—Other materials containing non-metallic inorganic compounds not provided for in groups B32B2311/00 - B32B2313/04
  • B32B2315/08—Glass
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B2605/00—Vehicles
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P40/00—Technologies relating to the processing of minerals
  • Y02P40/50—Glass production, e.g. reusing waste heat during processing or shaping
  • Y02P40/57—Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates

Definitions

• the disclosure relates generally to thermally strengthened, automotive glass sheets and articles (including monoliths and laminates), and specifically relates to thin thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets and articles and to related methods and systems for the thermal strengthening of such automotive glass sheets.
• Glass can be used as side windows, windshields, rear windows, display panels (including heads-up displays, infotainment display panels, global positioning system panels, etc.), rearview mirrors, headlight covers, taillight covers, door trim, seat backs, pillars, door panels, dashboards, center consoles, and sunroofs in vehicle or transportation applications, including automobiles, rolling stock, locomotive, boats, ships, and airplanes.
• display panels including heads-up displays, infotainment display panels, global positioning system panels, etc.
• rearview mirrors headlight covers, taillight covers, door trim, seat backs, pillars, door panels, dashboards, center consoles, and sunroofs in vehicle or transportation applications, including automobiles, rolling stock, locomotive, boats, ships, and airplanes.
• windshields a vehicle or transportation application
• such glass may be commonly referred to as "glazing”.
• Glass may be used as a monolith (i.e., as a single, and often thick, sheet of glass), or in a laminate (including more
• the glass may be transparent, semi-transparent, translucent or opaque.
• Common types of glazing that are used in vehicular or automotive applications include transparent and tinted.
• Laminate constructions have certain advantages, including low cost, sufficient impact resistance for automotive and otber applications, as well as lower fuel efficiencies for a respective vehicle.
• the strength of conventional glass can be enhanced by several methods, including coatings, thermal strengthening, mechanical strengthening and chemical strengthening (e.g., by ion. exchange processes).
• Thermal strengthening is conventionally employed in such applications with thick glass sheets, especially when such sheets are used as monoliths, and has the advantage of creating a thick compressi ve stress layer through the glass surface.
• the magnitude of the compressive stress is relatively low, however, typically less than 100 MPa.
• Conventional thermal strengthening becomes increasingly ineffective for relatively thin glass, e.g., glass sheets with a thickness of less than about 2 mm.
• Thermal strengthening of glass is distinguished from chemical strengthening of glass, in which surface compressi ve stresses are generated by changing the chemical composition of the glass in regions near the surface by a process such as ion diffusion.
• exterior portions of glass may be strengthened by exchanging larger ions for smaller ions near the glass surface to impart a compressive stress (also called negative tensile stress) on or near the surface.
• the compressive stress is believed to limit crack initiation and/or propagation.
• Strengthened glass has advantages relative to unstrengthened glass.
• the surface compression (or compressive stress) of the strengthened glass provides greater resistance to fracture than unstrengthened glass. Fracture modes for automotive glass in particular include vandals, being struck by roadside debris, flexure during manufacture, shipping, installation and also during use.
• the increase in strength generally is proportional to the amount of surface compression stress. If a strengthened glass sheet possesses a sufficient level of thermal strengthening, relative to its thickness, then if the sheet is broken, generally it will divide into small fragments rather than into large or elongated fragments with sharp edges.
• Glass that breaks into sufficiently small fragments, or "dices,” as defined by various established standards may be known as safety glass, or “fully tempered” glass, or sometimes simply “tempered” glass. As used herein, "fully tempered” refers to strengthened glass that exhibits such dicing, as defined by various established standards.
• aspects of the present disclosure also relate generally to thin, thermally strengthened glass sheets exhibiting a stress profile. Such sheets may be used in automotive applications, as described above.
• This disclosure relates, in part, to highly strengthened thin automotive glass sheets and articles, and to methods, processes, and systems that achieve surprisingly high levels of heat strengthening of automotive glass sheets at thicknesses not achieved in the past.
• the process and method of the current disclosure is believed to surpass the automotive glass thickness limits and heat transfer rates provided by conventional convective gas thermal strengthening processes without the need to contact the automotive glass with liquid or solid heat sinks. In such systems and processes, during quenching, the automotive glass is contacted only with a gas.
• the systems and methods disclosed enable thermal strengthening, including up to "full temper” or dicing behavior, in automotive glass sheets having thicknesses down to at least as thin as 0.1 mm (in at least some contemplated embodiments); and in some embodiments, provides this strengthening in a thin automotive glass sheet that also has a low roughness and a high degree of flatness resulting from the lack of liquid or solid contact during quenching.
• these advantageous automotive glass sheet material properties are provided by a system and method with substantially lower quenching power requirements, as compared to conventional convective automotive glass strengthening systems.
• One embodiment of the disclosure relates to a process for thermally strengthening an automotive glass material.
• the process includes providing article formed from a glass material.
• the process includes heating the article above a glass transition temperature of the glass material.
• the process includes moving the heated article into a cooling station.
• the cooling station includes a heat sink having a heat sink surface facing the heated article and a gas gap separating the heat sink surface from the heated article such that the heat sink surface does not touch the heated article.
• the process includes cooling the heated article to a temperature below the glass transition temperature such that surface compressive stresses and central tensile stresses are created within the article.
• the article is cooled by transferring thermal energy from the heated article to the heat sink by conduction across the gap such that more than 20% of the thermal energy leaving the heated article crosses the gap and is received by the heat sink.
• the system includes a heating station including a heating element delivering heat to the automotive glass sheet, and the automotive glass sheet includes a first major surface, a second major surface and a thickness between the first and second major surfaces.
• the system includes a cooling station, including opposing first and second heat sink surfaces defining a channel therebetween such that during cooling the automotive glass sheet is located within the channel.
• the system includes a gas bearing delivering pressurized gas to the channel such that the automotive glass sheet is supported within the channel without touching the first and second heat sink surfaces, and the gas bearing defines a gap area.
• the gas bearing delivers a gas into the channel such that a total mass flow rate of gas into the channel is greater than zero and less than 2k/gC p per square meter of gap area, where k is the thermal conductivity of a gas within the channel evaluated in the direction of heat conduction, g is the distance between the automotive glass sheet and the heat sink surface, and C p ⁇ s the specific heat capacity of the gas within the channel.
• Glass-based articles disposed within an opening in a vehicle.
• glass-based articles include amorphous materials (e.g., glasses), and materials that include an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase (e.g., glass-ceramics). Unless otherwise specified, all compositions of such materials are expressed in terms of mole percent (mol%) and on an oxide basis.
• the article includes a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces.
• the article includes an average thickness between the first major surface and second major surface of less than 2 mm.
• the term thickness refers to an average thickness.
• an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of both the first major surface and the second major surface is the same as an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of the interior region.
• the first major surface and the second major surfaces are under compressive stress and the interior region is under tensile stress, and the compressive stress is greater than 150 MPa.
• the second glass-based layer includes a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface defining a thickness t and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces.
• the at least one interlayer is at least partially coextensive with the first glass-based layer and coupled directly or indirectly to a side of the first glass-based layer.
• the second glass-based layer is at least partially coextensive with the at least one interlayer and coupled directly or indirectly to the interlayer opposite the first glass-based layer.
• the second glass based layer includes a thickness between the first and second major surface of less than 2 mm.
• the second glass based layer includes an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of both the first major surface and the second major surface is the same as an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of the interior region.
• the first and second major surfaces are under compressive stress and the interior region is under tensile stress, and the compressive stress is greater than 150 MPa.
• a surface roughness of the first major surface is between 0.2 and 2.0 nm Ra roughness, over an area of about 15 micrometers by 15 micrometers.
• the first major surface, the second major surface or both the first major surface and the second major surface of the second glass-based layer exhibit a stress birefringence of about 10 nm/cm or less.
• the laminate includes a first glass-based layer, a second glass-based layer, and at least one interlayer.
• the second glass-based layer includes a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface separate by a thickness, and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces.
• the at least one interlayer is at least partially coextensive with the first glass-based layer and coupled directly or indirectly to a side of the first glass-based layer.
• the second glass-based layer is at least partially coextensive with the at least one interlayer and coupled directly or indirectly to the interlayer opposite the first glass-based layer.
• the first major surface is flat to 100 ⁇ total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm or less profile of the first major surface.
• the second glass-based layer includes a glass having a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T so / t and an annealing temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T amea i, and a surface Active temperature measured on the first major surface of the second glass-based layer represented by Tfs, when expressed in units of °C.
• the second glass-based layer having a non-dimensional surface fictive temperature parameter 6s given by (Tfs - T armea i)l(T so f t - an ai)-
• the parameter 0s is in the range of from 0.20 to 0.9.
• the laminate includes a first glass-based layer, a second glass-based layer, and at least one interlayer between the first and second glass-based layers.
• the second glass-based layer includes a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface and a thickness between the first and second major surfaces.
• the first major surface is flat to 100 ⁇ total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm or less profile of the first major surface.
• the second glass-based layer includes a glass material having a low temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, of a s C TE, a high temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, oi a L cTE, an elastic modulus, expressed in GPa, of E, a strain temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T strain , and a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T so f,.
• the first major surface of the second glass-based layer has a thermally induced surface compressive stress of less than 600 MPa and greater than in units of MPa; wherein Pi is given by h
• P2 is given by and h is greater than or equal to 0.020 cal/s-cm 2 -°C.
• FIG. 1 is a graph of blower power required for "full tempering" as a function of glass thickness.
• FIG. 2 is a graph of blower power required for "full tempering" as a function of glass thickness for an old process or machine O and a newer process or machine
• FIG. 3 (Prior Art) is a graph of the old curve O and the new curve N of FIG. 2 scaled to match and superimposed upon the graph of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an automotive glass-based article or sheet according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic partial cross-section of a thermally strengthened glass sheet of FIG. 4 according an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of estimated tensile stress versus thickness for a glass-based article according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 7 shows a portion of a fractured glass-based article according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 8 is a plot of fragmentation per square centimeter as a function of positive tensile stress from experiment.
• FIG. 9 is a plot of the magnitude of negative tensile stress at the surface as a function of initial hot zone temperature from experiment, showing a threshold to achieve dicing.
• FIG. 10 is a plot of the non-dimensional surface fictive temperature parameter 0s for fictive temperatures obtained by one or more embodiments of methods and systems of the present invention.
• FIG. 11 is a plot of surface compression stresses calculated by simulation for differing glass compositions, plotted against a proposed temperability parameter ⁇ for the various compositions shown.
• FIG S. 12 and 13 are graphs of two parameters Pi and P 2 as functions of heat transfer coefficient h.
• FIG. 14 is a graph of MPa of surface compression of a glass sheet as a function of thickness t of the sheet in millimeters, showing regions of performance newly opened by one or more embodiments of the systems and methods of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 15 is a graph showing compressive stress as a function of thickness plotted for selected exemplary embodiments of strengthened glass sheets of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating some aspects of a method according to the present disclosure.
• FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating some aspects of another method according to the present disclosure.
• FIG. 18 is the graph of FIG. 3 with a region R and points A, B, A' and B' marked thereon to show a region in which the methods and systems of the present disclosure allow operation, in contrast to the prior art.
• FIG. 19 is another representation of the region R and points A, B, A' and B' of FIG. 18, but shown adjacent to (and positioned relative to the scale) of a reduced size copy of FIG. 2.
• FIG. 20 (Prior Art) is a graph of the required heat transfer coefficient needed for strengthening as a function of glass thickness.
• FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a glass sheet being cooled by conduction more than by convection, according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a conductive strengthening system according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 23 is a perspective cut-away view of another embodiment of a system similar to that of FIG. 22 according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 24 is a perspective cut-away view of an alternative embodiment of the inset feature of FIG. 23 according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 25 is a perspective cut-away view of yet another alternative embodiment of the inset feature of FIG. 23 according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 26 is a flow chart illustrating some aspects of yet another method according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a building with glass windows according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a display on a countertop according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 29 is an exploded perspective view of a device including glass-based articles according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 30 is a perspective view of an automotive glass-based article or sheet according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional illustration of an automotive laminate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FTG. 32 is a perspective view of an automotive laminate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 33 is a side view of a vehicle including an automotive article according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
• Applicant has recognized a need for improvements in thermal processing of automotive glass, both in methods and systems for thermally strengthening automotive glass and the resulting thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets themselves.
• thinner, but strong optical-quality automotive glass sheet materials and products comprising such glass sheets are useful for a number of applications, including windows, windshields, rear view windows, forward or rear lights or mirrors, heads up displays, and rear displays in various automotives (e.g., vehicles, cars, trains, airplanes, etc.).
• Glass is very strong in compression but relatively weak against tension at the surface. By providing compression at the surface of a sheet, balanced by tension at the center where there is no exposed surface, the useful strength of an automotive glass sheet is dramatically increased.
• the present description provides improved methods and systems for utilizing thermal strengthening to produce highly strengthened automotive glass materials, and in particular highly strengthened thin automotive glass sheets.
• the methods and systems solve a variety of the limitations of conventional automotive glass strengthening processes, allowing for high levels of strengthening in automotive glass sheets with thicknesses less than about 3 mm, less than 2 mm, less than 1.5 mm, less than 1.0 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than about 0.25 mm, and less than about 0.1 mm.
• Applicant has developed a system and method that provides a very high rate of thermal conduction forming a large enough temperature differential between the surface and center of a automotive glass sheet to provide strengthening (even to full tempering levels) even in very thin automotive glass sheets.
• quenching typically via convection by blowing large amounts of ambient air against or along the glass surface.
• This gas cooling process is predominantly convective, whereby the heat transfer is by mass motion (collective movement) of the fluid, via diffusion and advection, as the gas carries heat away from the hot glass sheet.
• sheet thickness also imposes significant limits on the achievable temperature differential during quenching.
• FIG. 1 shows the power required by air blowers (in kilowatts per square meter of glass sheet area) employed to blow sufficient ambient air to "fully temper" soda-lime glass (“SLG”), as a function of glass thickness in millimeters, based on industry standard thermal strengthening processes developed 35 years ago.
• SSG soda-lime glass
• the power required increases exponentially as the glass used gets thinner.
• glass sheets of about 3 mm in thickness were the thinnest fully thermally tempered commercial glass available for many years.
• the thinner the sheet the greater the likelihood of deformation at a given softness (that is, at a given viscosity) of the glass.
• the performance curves of FIG. 2 were published using state of the art glass thermal strengthening equipment.
• This improved equipment continues to use traditional air blown convective processes to cool the glass, but replaces rollers used to support the glass during heating with a system that utilizes air to support the glass during at least the last stages of heating. Without roller contact, the glass can be heated to higher temperatures (and higher softness / lower viscosity) prior to quenching, reportedly allowing the production of fully tempered glass at 2 mm thickness.
• the reported blower power required to strengthen a 2 mm thick sheet is reduced from 1200 kW/m 2 to 400 kW/m 2 at the higher temperatures enabled by using air to support the glass (curve N) as compared to using rollers (curve O).
• FIG. 3 Prior Art
• FIG. 3 shows that the improvement in performance achieved by the state of the art convective strengthening process (shown in FIG. 2) is relatively small and simply an incremental change in the previous understanding of the energy needs in convective strengthening of glass sheets.
• FIG. 3 the old and new curves O and N of FIG. 2 are scaled to match the graph of FIG. 1, and overlaid thereon (with the old curve O truncated at the top at 240 kW/m 2 for easier viewing of the new curve N). From FIG.
• Liquid contact strengthening in the form of immersion in liquid baths or flowing liquids, as well as in the form of spraying, has been used to achieve higher cooling rates than convective gas strengthening, but has the drawback of causing excessive thermal variations across a sheet during the cooling process.
• immersion or immersion-like spraying or flowing of liquids large thermal variations over small areas can occur due to convection currents that arise spontaneously within the liquid bath or liquid flow.
• finer spraying the discrete spray droplets and the effects of nozzle spray patterns also produce significant thermal variations. Excessive thermal variations tend to cause glass breakage during thermal strengthening by liquid contact, which can be mitigated by limiting the cooling rates, but limiting cooling rates also lowers the resulting strengths that can be achieved.
• liquid cooling methods such as high cooling rate quenching by oil immersion and various spraying techniques, can alter the glass surface during such cooling, requiring later removal of glass material from the sheet surface to produce a satisfactory finish.
• Solid contact thermal strengthening involves contacting the surface of the hot glass with a cooler solid surface.
• excessive thermal variations like those seen in liquid contact strengthening, can easily arise during the quenching process.
• contacting the hot glass sheet with a solid object can lead to the formation of surface defects, such as chips, checks, cracks, scratches, and the like.
• the present disclosure surpasses the traditional processes described above to effectively, efficiently, and evenly thermally strengthen thin automotive glass sheets at commercial scales without generating various flaws common in conventional processes, e.g., without damaging the surface of the automotive glass, without inducing birefringence, without uneven strengthening, and/or without causing unacceptable breakage, etc.
• the resulting thermally strengthened thin automotive glass sheet exhibits a stress birefringence of about 10 nm/cm or less (e.g., 9.5 nm/cm or less, 9 nm/cm or less, 8.5 nm/cm or less, 8 nm/cm or less, 7.5 nm cm or less or about 7 nm/cm or less).
• Previously unobtainable, thin, thermally strengthened (even to fully tempered levels) automotive glass sheets can be produced by one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein.
• the systems and processes discussed herein accomplish this by providing very high heat transfer rates in a precise manner, with good physical control and gentle handling of the automotive glass.
• the processes and systems discussed herein utilize a small-gap, gas bearing in the cooling/quenching section that Applicant has identified as allowing for processing thin automotive glass sheets at higher relative temperatures at the start of cooling, resulting in higher thermal strengthening levels.
• this small-gap, gas bearing cooling/quenching section achieves very high heat transfer rates via conductive heat transfer to heat sink(s) across the gap, rather than using high air flow based convective cooling.
• Some embodiments of automotive glass sheets treated by methods and/or systems according to the present disclosure have higher levels of permanent thermally induced stresses than previously known. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the achieved levels of thermally induced stress are obtainable for a combination of reasons.
• the high uniformity of the heat transfer in the processes detailed herein reduces or removes physical and unwanted thermal stresses in the automotive glass, allowing automotive glass sheets to be strengthened at higher heat transfer rates without breaking.
• the present methods can be performed at lower glass sheet viscosities (higher initial temperatures at the start of quench), while still preserving the desired glass flatness and form, which provides a much greater change in temperature in the cooling process, thus increasing the heat strengthening levels achieved.
• thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets particularly thin automotive glass sheets
• the thermally strengthened, thin automotive glass sheets formed as discussed herein have one or more unique properties and/or combinations of properties, previously unachievable through conventional thermal or other strengthening methods.
• FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a thermally strengthened automotive glass-based article or sheet 500
• FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic partial cross- section of thermally strengthened automotive glass sheet 500 according to one or more embodiments.
• Automotive glass sheet 500 may be provided with an opening of a vehicle (e.g., plane, train, automobile, etc.)
• a strengthened automotive glass-based article 500 (e.g., sheet, beam, plate), includes a first major surface 510, a second major surface 520 (dotted line to back side of the sheet 500, which may be translucent as disclosed herein), and a body 522 extending therebetween.
• the second major surface 520 is on an opposite side of the body 522 from the first major surface 510 such that a thickness t of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 is defined as a distance between the first and second major surfaces 510, 520, where the thickness t is also a dimension of depth.
• a width, w, of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 is defined as a first dimension of one of the first or second major surfaces 510, 520 orthogonal to the thickness /.
• a length, /, of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 is defined as a second dimension of one of the first or second major surfaces 510, 520 orthogonal to both the thickness and the width w.
• thickness t of automotive glass sheet 500 is less than length / of automotive glass sheet 500. In other exemplary embodiments, thickness t of automotive glass sheet 500 is less than width w of automotive glass sheet 500. In yet other exemplary embodiments, thickness t of automotive glass sheet 500 is less than both length / and width w of automotive glass sheet 500. As shown in FIG. 5, automotive glass sheet 500 further has regions of permanent thermally induced compressive stress 530 and 540 at and/or near the first and second major surfaces 10, 520, balanced by a region of permanent thermally induced central tensile stress 550 (i.e., tension) in the central portion of the sheet.
• regions of permanent thermally induced compressive stress 530 and 540 at and/or near the first and second major surfaces 10, 520, balanced by a region of permanent thermally induced central tensile stress 550 (i.e., tension) in the central portion of the sheet.
• thickness t of automotive glass sheet 500 ranges from 0.1 mm to 5.7 or 6.0 mm, including, in addition to the end point values, 0.2 mm, 0.28 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.55 mm, 0.7 mm, 1 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.8 mm, 2 mm, and 3.2 mm.
• Contemplated embodiments include thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets 500 having thicknesses t in ranges from 0.1 to 20 mm, from 0.1 to 16 mm, from 0.1 to 12 mm, from 0.1 to 8 mm, from 0.1 to 6 mm, from 0.1 to 4 mm, from 0.1 to 3 mm, from 0.1 to 2 mm, from 0.1 to less than 2 mm, from 0.1 to 1.5 mm, from 0.1 to 1 mm, from 0.1 to 0.7 mm, from 0.1 to 0.5 mm and from 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
• automotive glass sheets of 3 mm or less in thickness are used.
• the automotive glass thickness is about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 8 mm or less, about 6 mm or less, about 3 mm or less, about 2.5 mm or less, about 2 mm or less, about 1.8 mm or less, about 1.6 mm or less, about 1.4 mm or less, about 1.2 mm or less, about 1 mm or less, about 0.8 mm or less, about 0.7 mm or less, about 0.6 mm or less, about 0.5 mm or less, about 0.4 mm or less, about 0.3 mm or less, or about 0.28 mm or less.
• automotive glass sheets are as thin as 0.1 mm. In other embodiments, the thickness of automotive glass sheets is less than 2 mm, and may be in a range from about 0.1 mm to up to 2 mm. In some embodiments, thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets have high aspect ratios - i.e., the length and width to thickness ratios are large.
• thermal strengthening processes discussed herein do not rely on high pressures or large volumes of air, various automotive glass sheet properties, such as surface roughness and flatness, can be maintained after strengthening by the use of gas bearings and high thermal transfer rate systems discussed herein.
• the thermal strengthening processes discussed herein allow high aspect ratio automotive glass sheets (i.e., automotive glass sheets with high ratio of length to thickness, or of width to thickness, or both) to be thermally strengthened while retaining the desired or necessary shape.
• sheets with length to thickness and/or width to thickness ratios (“aspect ratios”) of approximately at least 10: 1, at least 20:1, and up to and over 1000:1 can be strengthened.
• sheets with aspect ratios of at least 200: 1, at least 500:1, at least 1000: 1, at least 2000: 1, at least 4000:1 can be strengthened.
• the length / of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 is greater than or equal to the width w, such as greater than twice the width w, greater than five times the width w, and/or no more than fifty times the width w.
• the width w of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 is greater than or equal to the thickness t, such as greater than twice the thickness /, greater than five times the thickness , and/or no more than fifty times the thickness /.
• the length / of the automotive glass-based sheet 500 is at least 1 cm, such as at least 3 cm, at least 5 cm, at least 7.5 cm, at least 20 cm, at least 50 cm, and/or no more than 50 m, such as no more than 10 m, no more than 7.5 m, no more than 5 m.
• the width w of the automotive glass-based sheet 500 is at least 1 cm, such as at least 3 cm, at least 5 cm, at least 7.5 cm, at least 20 cm, at least 50 cm, and/or no more than 50 m, such as no more than 10 m, no more than 7.5 m, no more than 5 m.
• automotive glass-based is in the form a sheet 500 has a thickness t that is thinner than 5 cm, such as 2.5 cm or less, 1 cm or less, 5 mm or less, 2.5 mm or less, 2 mm or less, 1.7 mm or less, 1.5 mm or less, 1.2 mm or less, or even 1 mm or less in contemplated embodiments, such as 0.8 mm or less; and/or the thickness t is at least 10 ⁇ , such as at least 50 ⁇ , at least 100 ⁇ , at least 300 ⁇ .
• the automotive glass-based article may be sized other than as disclosed herein.
• the length /, width w, and/or thickness t of the automotive glass-based articles may vary, such as for more complex geometries (see generally FIG. 30), where dimensions disclosed herein at least apply to aspects of the corresponding automotive glass-based articles having the above-described definitions of length /, width w, and thickness t with respect to one another.
• first and/or second surfaces 510, 520 of automotive glass sheet 500 has a relatively large surface area.
• first and/or second surfaces 510, 520 having areas of at least 100 mm 2 , such as at least 900 mm 2 , at least 2500 mm 2 , at least 5000 mm 2 , at least 100 cm 2 , at least 900 cm 2 , at least 2500 cm 2 , at least 5000 cm 2 , and/or no more than 2500 m 2 , such as no more than 100 m 2 , no more than 5000 cm 2 , no more than 2500 cm 2 , no more than 1000 cm 2 , no more than 500 cm 2 , no more than 100 cm 2 .
• the automotive glass-based sheet 500 may have a relatively large surface area; which, except by methods and systems disclosed herein, may be difficult or impossible to thermally strengthen particularly while having the thicknesses, surface qualities, and/or strain homogeneities of the automotive glass sheets discussed herein.
• the thermally strengthened sheets discussed herein may have surprisingly high surface compressive stresses, e.g., in regions 530, 540 shown in FIG. 5, surprisingly high central tensile stresses, e.g., in region 550 shown in FIG. 5, and/or unique stress profiles (see FIG. 6). This is particularly true considering the low thickness and/or other unique physical properties (e.g., very low roughness, high degree of flatness, various optical properties, Active temperature properties, etc.) of automotive glass sheet 500 as discussed herein.
• unique physical properties e.g., very low roughness, high degree of flatness, various optical properties, Active temperature properties, etc.
• Compressive stresses of automotive glasses can vary as a function of thickness t of the automotive glasses.
• automotive glasses e.g., glass sheet 500, having a thickness of 3 mm or less have a compressive stress (e.g., surface compressive stress) of at least 80 MPa, at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, at least 350 MPa, at least 400 MPa, and/or no more than 1 GPa.
• a compressive stress e.g., surface compressive stress
• automotive glasses having a thickness of 2 mm or less have a compressive stress of at least 80 MPa, at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 175 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, at least 350 MPa, at least 400 MPa, and/or no more than 1 GPa.
• automotive glasses having a thickness of 1.5 mm or less have a compressive stress of at least 80 MPa, at least 100-MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 175 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300-MPa, at least 350 MPa, and/or no more than 1 GPa.
• automotive glasses having a thickness of 1 mm or less have a compressive stress of at least 80 MPa, at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 175 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, and/or no more than 1 GPa.
• automotive glasses having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less have a compressive stress of at least 50 MPa, at least 80 MPa, at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 175 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, and/or no more than 1 GPa.
• the thermally induced central tension in automotive glasses formed by the processes and systems disclosed herein may be greater than 40 MPa, greater than 50 MPa, greater than 75 MPa, greater than 100 MPa. In other embodiments, the thermally induced central tension may be less than 300 MPa, or less than 400 MPa. In some embodiments, the thermally induced central tension may be from about 0 MPa to about 300 MPa, about 60 MPa to about 200 MPa, about 70 MPa to about 150 MPa, or about 80 MPa to about 140 MPa. In some embodiments, the thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets have high thinness i.e., are particularly thin.
• a conceptual stress profile 560, at room temperature of 25° C and standard atmospheric pressure, of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 of FIG. 4, shows an interior portion 550 of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 under positive tensile stress and portions 530, 540 of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 exterior to and adjoining the interior portion 550 under negative tensile stress (e.g., positive compressive stress).
• negative tensile stress e.g., positive compressive stress
• tensile stress in the stress profile 560 sharply transitions between the positive tensile stress of the interior portion 550 and the negative tensile stress of the portions 530, 540 exterior to and adjoining the interior portion 550.
• This sharp transition may be understood as a rate of change (i.e., slope) of the tensile stress which may be expressed as a magnitude of stress (e.g., 100 MPa, 200 MPa, 250 MPa, 300 MPa, 400 MPa, a difference in peak values of the positive and negative tensile stresses + ⁇ , - ⁇ ) divided by a distance of thickness over which the change occurs, such as a distance of 1 mm, such as a distance of 500 ⁇ , 250 ⁇ , 100 ⁇ (which is the distance used to quantify a rate of change, which may be a portion of article thickness, and not necessarily a dimension of the article geometry).
• a rate of change i.e., slope
• a magnitude of stress e.g., 100 MPa, 200 MPa, 250 MPa, 300 MPa, 400 MPa, a difference in peak values of the positive and negative tensile stresses + ⁇ , - ⁇
• a distance of thickness over which the change occurs such as a distance of 1 mm, such as
• the rate of change of the tensile stress does not exceed 7000 MPa divided by 1 mm, such as no more than 5000 MPa divided by 1 mm.
• the difference in peak values of the positive and negative tensile stresses is at least 50 MPa, such as at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, at least 400 MPa, at least 500 MPa, and/or no more than 50 GPa.
• the automotive glass-based sheet 500 has a peak negative tensile stress of at least 50 MPa in magnitude, such as at least 100 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, at least 400 MPa, at least 500 MPa.
• the steep tensile curve transitions generated by the system and method discussed herein are believed to be indicative of the ability to achieve higher magnitudes of negative tensile stress at a surface of an automotive glass sheet for a given thickness and/or to manufacture thinner automotive glass articles to a higher degree of negative tensile stress, such as to achieve a fragmentation potential for dicing as disclosed herein.
• Conventional thermal strengthening approaches may be unable to achieve such steep tensile stress curves.
• the high rate of change of tensile stress is at least one of the above-described magnitudes or greater sustained over a thickness-wise stretch of the stress profile 560 that is at least 2% of the thickness, such as at least 5% of the thickness, at least 10% of the thickness, at least 15% of the thickness, or at least 25% of the thickness of automotive glass sheet 500.
• the strengthening extends deep into the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 such that the thickness- wise stretch with the high rate of change of tensile stress is centered at a depth of between 20% and 80% into the thickness from the first surface, which may further distinguish chemical strengthening for example.
• the automotive glass sheet 500 may comprise a depth of compression (DOC) (indicating the change from compression to tension) greater than or equal to about 10% or greater of the thickness as measured from the first surface (i.e., greater than or equal to about 0. It from the first thickness).
• DOC depth of compression
• the DOC (as measured from the first thickness) of the automotive glass sheet 500 may be about O.lt or greater, 0.1 It or greater, 0.12t or greater, 0.13t or greater, 0.14t or greater, 0.15t or greater, 0.16t or greater, 0.17t or greater, 0.18t or greater, 0.19t or greater, 0.2t or greater, or about 0.2 It or greater.
• the strengthened automotive glass- based article includes a change in the composition thereof in terms of ion content, conceptually shown as dotted line 562 in FIG. 6. More specifically, the composition of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 500 in such embodiments includes exchanged or implanted ions that influence the stress profile 560. In some such embodiments, the exchanged or implanted ions do not extend fully through the portions 530, 540 of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 500 under the negative tensile stress because the negative tensile stress is also a result of the thermal strengthening as disclosed herein.
• the curve of the tensile stress profile 560 with ion exchange strength augmentation includes a discontinuity or sudden change 564 in direction where tangents of the curve differ from one another on either side of the discontinuity or sudden change 564.
• the sudden change 564 is located within the portions 530, 540 under negative tensile stress such that the tensile stress is negative on either side immediately adjacent to the discontinuity or sudden change 564.
• the discontinuity or sudden change 564 may correspond to the depth of the different ion content, however in some such embodiments other parts of the portions 530. 540 under negative tensile stress still have the same composition in terms of ion content as the portion 550 under positive tensile stress.
• the composition of at least a part of the portions 530, 540 of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500, which is under the negative tensile stress and is exterior to and adjoining the interior portion 550 is the same as the composition of at least a part of the interior portion 550, which is under the positive tensile stress.
• at least some of the negative tensile stress of the stress profile is independent of a change in the composition (e.g., ion composition) of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500.
• Such structure may simplify the composition of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 at least to a degree by providing sufficient strength without and/or with less chemical strengthening. Further, such structure may reduce stress concentrations within the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 due to discontinuity/changes in composition, possibly reducing chances of delamination and/or cracking at the composition discontinuity.
• an automotive glass sheet is considered to dice when an area of the automotive glass sheet 25 cm 2 breaks into 40 or more pieces. In some embodiments, dicing is used as a qualitative measure of showing that the automotive glass sheet is "fully tempered” (i.e., for 2 mm or thicker glass, where the glass sheet has a compressive stress of at least 65 MPa or an edge compression of at least 67 MPa). In various embodiments, automotive glass sheet 500 has sufficient tensile stress in region of tensile stress 550 such that a 25 cm 2 piece of automotive glass sheet 500 breaks into 40 or more pieces.
• an automotive glass-based article 610 having properties as disclosed herein with respect to the glass-based sheets, such as sheet 00, has been fractured, such as using a prick punch or other instrument and/or generally in accordance with
• the glass-based article 610 has been strengthened to a degree that dicing has occurred upon the fracture, forming a plurality of small granular chunks 616 (e.g., fragments, pieces).
• the automotive glass-based article 610 has a thermally-induced stress sufficient to produce a number of granular chunks 616 that is not less than 40 within an area of 50-by-50 mm of the automotive glass-based article 610 in a fragmentation test in which an impact is applied with a hammer or a punch to initiate cracking of the automotive glass into granular pieces.
• a standard office thumb tack 612, with a metal pin length 614 of about 1 cm is shown for reference.
• the stress profile (see generally FIG. 6) imparts a high fragmentation potential of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 such that when fractured the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 shatters into particularly small granular chunks 616, those having an area on either the first or second surface of less than 90 mm 2 , such as less than 50 mm 2 , such as less than 20 mm 2 , such as less than 10 mm 2 , such as less than 5 mm 2 , and/or at least 10 ⁇ 2 .
• the fragmentation potential of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 is such that at least 20% (e.g., at least 50%, at least 70%, at least 95%) of the granular chunks 616 have an area of at least one of the first or second surfaces of one of the above-described amounts when the strengthened automotive glass-based article is fractured.
• the fragmentation potential of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 is such that, when fractured, the strengthened glass-based article 610 shatters into particularly low- volume granular chunks, those having a volume of less than 50 mm 3 , such as less than 40 mm 3 , such as less than 30 mm 3 , such as less than 25 mm 3 , and/or at least a volume of 50 ⁇ 3 .
• the fragmentation potential of the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 is such that, when fractured, the strengthened automotive glass-based article 610 shatters into at least 100 granular chunks 616 of at least of 50 ⁇ 3 in volume, such as at least 200, at least 400, at least 1000, at least 4000 granular chunks 616 of at least of 50 ⁇ 3 in volume.
• the thermally strengthened glass sheets formed by the systems and methods discussed herein have high fictive temperatures.
• high fictive temperatures of the automotive glass materials discussed herein relate to the high level of strengthening, high central tensile stresses and/or high compressive surface stress of automotive glass sheet 500.
• Surface fictive temperatures may be determined by any suitable method, including differential scanning calorimetry, Brillouin spectroscopy, or Raman spectroscopy.
• the automotive glass-based sheet 500 has a portion thereof, such as at or near the first and/or second surfaces 510, 520, that has a particularly high fictive temperature, such as at least 500° C, such as at least 600° C, or even at least 700° C in some embodiments, such as for soda-lime glass.
• the automotive glass-based sheet 500 has a portion thereof, such as at or near the first and/or second surfaces 510, 520, that has a particularly high fictive temperature relative to annealed automotive glass of the same chemical composition, such as at least 10° C greater, at least 30° C greater, at least 50° C greater, at least 70° C greater, or even at least 100° C greater.
• High fictive temperature may be achieved by the presently disclosed inventive technology at least in part due to the rapid transition from the hot to the cooling zones in the strengthening system (see e.g., FIG. 21, FIG. 22 and FIG. 23). Applicant believes that high fictive temperature may correspond or relate to increased damage resistance of automotive glass.
• the peak near 1090 cm “1 in soda-lime glass and in glass 2 corresponds to the 1050 cm “1 peak observed in silica glass.
• ⁇ is the measured peak wavenumber for the peak near 1090 cm " '
• ⁇ ⁇ is the surface compressive stress measured by any suitable technique, yielding stress- corrected measurement of Active temperature in °C.As a demonstration of increased damage resistance related to the determined fictive temperature, four glass sheet samples were prepared, two 6 mm soda-lime glass (SLG) sheets by conventional strengthening methods to approximately 70 and 110 MPa surface compressive stress (CS), and two 1.1 mm SLG sheets by the methods and systems disclosed herein to about the same levels of CS. Two additional sheets, one of each thickness were used as controls. The surfaces of each test sheet were subjected to standard Vickers indentation.
• the 50% cracking threshold (defined as the load at which the average number of cracks appearing is two out of the four points of the indenter at which cracks tend to initiate) was determined for each sample.
• the Vickers crack initiation threshold improved to greater than 10 N, a 10-fold increase over the Vickers damage resistance imparted by conventional strengthening.
• the T fS minus T g was at least 50°C, or at least 75°C, or at least 90°C, or in the range of from approximately 75°C to 100°C. Even In one or more embodiments comprising lower levels of heat strengthening, the embodied glasses can still provide increased resistance, at levels such as 5 N, for instance.
• the 50% cracking threshold after a 15 second Vickers crack initiation test may be equal to or greater than 5 N, 10 N, 20 N, or 30 N.
• non-dimensional fictive temperature parameter ⁇ can be used to compare the relative performance of a thermal strengthening process in terms of the fictive temperature produced. Given in terms of surface fictive temperature 9s in this case:
• FIG. 10 is a plot of 6s for measured surface fictive temperatures as a function of heat transfer rate, h, applied during thermal strengthening for two different glasses. As shown in FIG. 10, the results for the two different glasses overlie each other fairly closely.
• parameter ⁇ provides a means to compare the fictive temperatures of different glasses compared directly, in relation to the heat transfer rate h required to produce them.
• the vertical range of results at each h corresponds to variation in the value of T 3 ⁇ 4 the initial temperature at the start of quenching.
• parameter 9s comprises from about (e.g., plus or minus 10%) 0.2 to about 0.9, or 0.21 to 0.09, or 0.22 to 0.09, or 0.23 to 0.09, or 0.24 to 0.09, or 0.25 to 0.09, or 0.30 to 0.09, or 0.40 to 0.09, or 0.5 to 0.9, or 0.51 to 0.9, or 0.52 to 0.9, or 0.53 to 0.9, or 0.54 to 0.9, or 0.54 to 0.9, or 0.55 to 0.9, or 0.6 to 0.9, or even 0.65 to 0.9.
• ⁇ X S CTE is the low temperature linear CTE (equivalent to the average linear expansion coefficient from 0-300°C for the glass), expressed in 1/°C (°C )
• a L CTE is the high temperature linear CTE (equivalent to the high-temperature plateau value which is observed to occur somewhere between the glass transition and softening point), expressed in 1/°C (°C ⁇ ')
• E is the elastic modulus of the glass, expressed in GPa (not MPa) (which allows values of the (non-dimensional) parameter Wto range generally between 0 and 1)
• the thermal strengthening process and resulting surface compressive stresses were modeled for glasses having varying properties to determine the tempering parameter, ⁇ .
• the glasses were modeled at the same starting viscosity of 10 s 2 Poise and at varying heat transfer coefficients.
• the properties of the various glasses are shown in Table II, together with the temperature for each glass at 10 8 2 Poise and the calculated value of the temperability parameter ⁇ for each.
• a similar expression may be used to predict the central tension (CT) of a thermally strengthened automotive glass sheet, particularly at a thickness of 6 mm and less, and the thermal transfer coefficient, such as 800 W/m 2 K and up, by simply dividing the compressive stress predicted under the same conductions by 2.
• CT central tension
• expected central tension may be given by
• h and her may have the same value for a given physical instance of thermal strengthening. However, in some embodiments, they may vary, and providing separate variables and allowing variation between them allows for capturing, within descriptive performance curves, instances in which the typical ratio of 2:1 CS/CT does not hold.
• the heat transfer value rates (h and h CJ ) may be from about 0.024 to about 0.15, about 0.026 to about 0.10, or about 0.026 to about 0.075 cal/s cm 2 o C.
• FIG. 14 shows the newly opened performance space in MPa of surface compression of a glass sheet as a function of thickness t (in mm), by a graph of
• the traces labeled GC represent the estimated range of maximum stresses versus thinness of SLG sheets achievable by gas convective strengthening, from 0.02 cal/s cm 2 -°C (or 840 W/m 2 K) to 0.03 cal/s cm 2 o C or 1250 W/m 2 K, assuming that these levels of heat transfer coefficient can be employed in that process at a heated glass viscosity of 10 8 2 Poises or about 704°C, a temperature above the capability of convective gas processes.
• Examples of highest reported sheet CS values based on gas convective strengthening processes are shown by the triangle markers labeled Gas in the legend.
• the value 601 represents advertised product performance capability of commercial equipment, while the value 602 is based on an oral report at a glass processing conference.
• the trace labeled LC represents the curve of maximum stresses versus thinness of SLG sheets estimated to be achievable by liquid contact strengthening, given by a heat transfer rate h of 0.0625 cal/s-cm 2 -°C (or about 2600 W/m 2 K), also assuming processing at an initial heated glass viscosity of 1 8 2 Poises or about 704°C.
• Examples of highest reported sheet CS values based on liquid contact strengthening processes are shown by the circle markers labeled Liquid in the legend.
• the higher of the two values at 2 mm thickness is based on a report of strengthening of a borosilicate automotive glass sheet, and the stress achieved has been scaled for the figure by (3 ⁇ 4 iG )/( ⁇ borosilicate) for scaled direct comparison.
• the trace labeled 704 represents stresses achievable by one or more embodiments of the presently disclosed methods and systems at a heat transfer rate of 0.20 cal/s cm 2 -°C (or about 8370 W/m 2 K) and an initial temperature, just before quenching, of 704 °C.
• the level of stress on the automotive glass sheet thus achievable represents almost the same scope of improvement over liquid strengthening strength levels as liquid strengthening represents over state of the art gas convective strengthening.
• the trace labeled 704 is not an upper limit - embodiments have been shown to be viable above this value due to the good control of form and flatness achievable in a small-gap gas bearing thermal strengthening at even higher temperatures (at lower viscosities of the automotive glass).
• the trace labeled 730 shows some of the additional strengthening performance achieved by a heat transfer rate of 0.20 cal/s cm 2 -°C (or about 8370 W/m 2 K) at a starting temperature for a SLG sheet of 730°C, very near or above the softening point of the automotive glass.
• a heat transfer rate of 0.20 cal/s cm 2 -°C or about 8370 W/m 2 K
• Significant improvements in compressive stress and thus in automotive glass sheet strength are thus achieved particularly by the combination of high heat transfer rate and the use of high initial temperatures enabled by the good handling and control of sheet flatness and form in a tight gas bearing— and the improvements are particularly striking at thickness 2 mm and below.
• FIG. 15 shows the traces of FIG. 14 explained above, at 2 mm and below, but with compressive stress as a function of thickness plotted for selected examples of strengthened glass sheets produced by one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, showing the extreme combination of thermal strengthening levels and thinness enabled by the present disclosure.
• thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets disclosed herein such as sheet 500
• the processes and methods disclosed herein can thermally strengthen a sheet of automotive glass without increasing the surface roughness of the as-formed surfaces.
• incoming float automotive glass air-side surfaces and incoming fusion formed automotive glass surfaces were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after processing.
• R a surface roughness was less than 1 nm (0.6-0.7 nm) for incoming 1.1 mm-thick soda-lime float automotive glass, and the R a surface roughness was not increased by thermal strengthening according to the present processes.
• thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets have a surface roughness on at least a first surface in the range from 0.2 to 1.5 nm R a roughness, 0.2 to 0.7 nm, 0.2 to 0.4 nm or even such as 0.2 to 0.3 nm, over at least an area of 10 x 10 ⁇ .
• Surface roughness may be measured over an area of 10 x 10 ⁇ in exemplary embodiments, or in some embodiments, 15 x 15 ⁇ .
• thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets disclosed herein have both high thermal stresses and low, as-formed surface roughness and/or coated surfaces.
• the processes and methods disclosed herein can thermally strengthen a sheet of automotive glass without increasing the surface roughness of smooth as-formed or as-delivered surfaces of automotive glass sheets, and likewise without damaging sensitive low-E or anti-reflective or other coatings.
• Incoming float automotive glass air-side surfaces, and incoming fusion-formed automotive glass surfaces, were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after processing.
• AFM atomic force microscopy
• R a surface roughness was less than 1 nm (such as 0.6 to 0.7 nm) for incoming on the air side of 1.1 mm soda-lime float automotive glass and was not increased by thermal strengthening according to the present disclosure.
• Ra surface roughness was less than 0.3 nm (such as 0.2 to 0.3 nm) incoming on 1.1 mm sheets of fusion-formed automotive glass and likewise was not increased by thermal strengthening according to this disclosure.
• thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets have surface roughness on at least a first surface in the range of at least 0.2 nm and/or no more than 1.5 nm 3 ⁇ 4 roughness, such as no more than 0.7 nm, such as no more than 0.4 nm or even such as no more than 0.3 nm, or have thermally strengthened sheets having coatings thereon of the type that may be applied before strengthening, or have combinations of these low roughness values and coatings, are obtained from the present process used with corresponding automotive glass sheets as starting material. It is Applicant's understanding that such preservation of surface quality and/or surface coating(s) previously required use of convective gas strengthening or perhaps a low heat transfer liquid strengthening process, which produces limited thermal strengthening effects relative to the total range available with the present processes and methods.
• the thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets described herein have high flatness.
• the strengthening system discussed herein utilizes controlled gas bearings to support the automotive glass material during transporting and heating, and in some embodiments, can be used to assist in controlling and/or improving the flatness of the automotive glass sheet, resulting in a higher degree of flatness than previously obtainable, particularly for thin and/or highly strengthened automotive glass sheets.
• sheets at least 0.6 mm can be strengthened with improved post-strengthening flatness.
• the flatness of thermally strengthened automotive glass sheets embodied herein can comprise 100 ⁇ or less total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm length along one of the first or second surfaces thereof, 300 ⁇ TIR or less within a 50 mm length on one of the first or second surfaces, 200 ⁇ TIR or less, 100 ⁇ TIR or less, or 70 ⁇ TIR or less within a 50 mm length on one of the first or second surfaces.
• TIR total indicator run-out
• sheets with thickness disclosed herein have flatness 200 ⁇ TIR or less within a 20 mm length on one of the first or second surfaces, such as flatness 100 ⁇ TIR or less, flatness 70 ⁇ TIR or less, flatness 50 ⁇ TIR or less.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based articles discussed herein e.g., automotive glass sheet 500 shown in FIG. 4
• have a high- degree of dimensional consistency such that the thickness t thereof along a 1 cm lengthwise stretch of the body 522 does not change by more than 50 ⁇ , such as, by not more than 10 ⁇ , not more than 5 ⁇ , not more than 2 pm.
• Such dimensional consistency may not be achievable for given thicknesses, areas, and/or magnitudes of negative tensile stress, as disclosed herein, by solid quenching due to practical considerations, such as cooling plate alignment and/or surface irregularities that may distort the dimensions.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based articles discussed herein have at least one major surface (e.g., first and second surfaces 510, 520 of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 in FIG. 4) that is flat such that a 1 cm lengthwise profile therealong stays within 50 ⁇ of a straight line, such as within 20 ⁇ , 10 ⁇ , 5 ⁇ , 2 ⁇ ; and/or a 1 cm widthwise profile therealong stays within 50 ⁇ of a straight line, such as within 20 ⁇ , 10 ⁇ , 5 ⁇ >, 2 ⁇ .
• first and second surfaces 510, 520 of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 in FIG. 4 that is flat such that a 1 cm lengthwise profile therealong stays within 50 ⁇ of a straight line, such as within 20 ⁇ , 10 ⁇ , 5 ⁇ , 2 ⁇ ; and/or a 1 cm widthwise profile therealong stays within 50 ⁇ of a straight line, such as within 20 ⁇ , 10 ⁇ , 5 ⁇ >, 2 ⁇ .
• Such high flatness may not be achievable for given thicknesses, areas, and/or magnitudes of negative tensile stress, as disclosed herein, by liquid quenching due to practical considerations, such as warping or bending of the automotive glass strengthened in these processes due to convective currents and associated forces of the liquid.
• Another aspect comprises thermally strengthened low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) sheets.
• CTE coefficient of thermal expansion
• thermal strengthening effects are significantly dependent upon the CTE of the automotive glass of which the automotive glass sheet is comprised.
• thennal strengthening of low CTE automotive glasses may provide strengthened automotive glass compositions having advantageous properties, such as increased chemical resistance, or better compatibility with electronic devices due to low alkali content.
• Automotive glass sheets having CTEs of 65, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, and even SS x lO ⁇ C' and below are capable of safety-glass like break patterns ("dicing") at thicknesses of less than 4 mm, less than 3.5 mm, less than 3 mm, and even at 2 mm or less.
• Automotive glasses having CTE values of 40 x 10 "6 °C ⁇ l and below can be strengthened using the processes described herein.
• Such low CTE automotive glasses strengthened by the systems and methods discussed herein can have similar surface compressions to SLG sheets strengthened by convention commercial (gas convective) processes at the same thickness.
• the compressive stress of low CTE automotive glasses can comprise at least 50 MPa, at least 100 MPa, at least 125 MPa, at least 150 MPa, at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa, at least 300 MPa, or at least 400 MPa for automotive glass sheets having a thickness of no more than 1 cm, no more than 5 mm, no more than 3 mm, no more 2 mm, no more than 1.5 mm, no more than 1 mm, no more than 0.75 mm, no more than 0.5 mm, no more than 0.3 mm, no more than 0.2 mm, or no more than 0.1 mm.
• Automotive glass sheets formed according to the present disclosure have a multitude of applications, for example in electronic displays, in laminates, such as glass- interlayer-glass laminates used in automotive glass sidelights, windshields, windows, rearview mirrors, etc. Stronger and thinner laminates can be produced, resulting in weight and cost savings and fuel efficiency increases. Desirably, a thermally strengthened thin sheet may be cold bent and laminated to a formed thicker automotive glass, providing an easy and reliable manufacturing process not requiring any hot forming of the thin sheet.
• Table IV shows results obtained by the methods of the present disclosure (indicated as “Source of Method” I in the table), and a figure of merit, Alpha, that is a rough measure of the coefficient of heat exchange obtained within the strengthening process.
• Alpha is given by: cs
• Alpha , journal (13) where CS is physical compressive stress (in MPa), t is thickness in millimeters, CTE is the coefficient of thermal expansion in 0 ( ⁇ and E is the elasticity of the glass in (MPa), and yields units in °C/mm.
• Samples 1 and 3 are repeatable values obtained from the disclosed processes, sample 1 using air and sample 3 using helium as the gas in the process.
• Sample 2 represents a "champion" value using air within the present process, that is, not reliably repeatable to date.
• Automotive glass samples processed by the processes of the present disclosure (samples 1-3) all exceeded an Alpha at 117 °C/mm. Applicant believes that the slope of Alpha with thickness may have an inherent trend lower with lower glass thickness. Glass disclosed herein has an Alpha of greater than 20t+77, where t is thickness of the glass, in mm, in some embodiments.
• a process for strengthening an automotive glass sheet comprises supporting or guiding at least a portion of an automotive glass sheet, such as automotive glass sheet 500, into a cool or quenching zone in which the sheet is rapidly cooled creating a strengthened automotive glass sheet having one or more of the properties discussed herein.
• the automotive glass sheet is supported at least in part by a flow or a pressure of a gas delivered to a gap between the surfaces of the automotive glass sheet and one or more heat sinks.
• the temperature of the automotive glass sheet is above the transition temperature of the glass when the sheet is moved into the cool zone, and in various embodiments, the automotive glass sheet is cooled within the cooling zone by thermal conduction more than by convection.
• Conduction is a process of heat transfer where energy is transmitted through interactions between adjacent molecules
• convection is a process of heat transfer where energy is communicated via motion of a fluid (e.g., air, helium, etc.), such as where heated fluid moves away from a heat source and is replaced by cooler fluid.
• a fluid e.g., air, helium, etc.
• an overall process for strengthening an automotive glass sheet comprises heating an automotive glass sheet in a hot zone and then cooling the automotive glass sheet in a cooling zone.
• the automotive glass is heated sufficiently to bring the automotive glass sheet above the transition temperature, and then moved into a cooling zone.
• the automotive glass can be transitioned from the hot zone to a cool zone through a transition zone.
• the surfaces of the automotive glass sheet are positioned adjacent to heat sinks, one on either side of the automotive glass sheet, each with a gap in between one of the automotive glass surfaces and an opposing surface of the heat sink.
• Gas is delivered into the gaps through multiple apertures in the heat sinks, and in some embodiments, this delivered gas forms an air bearing which supports the automotive glass between the heat sinks such that the automotive glass surfaces are not in contact with the heat sinks.
• the automotive glass sheet is cooled by conduction more than by convection and is cooled sufficiently to fix or create a thermally induced surface compression and a thermally induced central tension of the sheet which provides the increased strength as discussed herein.
• primarily cooling via conduction is achieved by having a very low gap size within the cooling zone such that the automotive glass sheet is close to, but not touching, the opposing surfaces of the heat sinks.
• An apparatus for enabling the processes described can include a heating zone for heating an automotive glass sheet to a temperature above the transition temperature and a cooling zone for cooling the heated automotive glass sheet to provide a strengthened automotive glass sheet.
• the apparatus can include an optional transition zone between the heating zone and the cooling zone.
• the cooling zone may include a heat sink having a pair of opposing surfaces defining a gap, within which the heated automotive glass sheet is received.
• the cooling zone can comprise a pair of gas bearings disposed on opposite sides of that gap that acts to support the automotive glass sheet within the gap.
• the gap can be configured to cool the heated automotive glass sheet by conduction more than by convection.
• the gas bearings can include a plurality of apertures for delivering the gas to the gap, and the gas bearing surfaces act as the heat sinks, capable of conducting heat away from the heated automotive glass sheet by conduction more than by convection.
• Strengthening processes and equipment disclosed herein allow for strengthening of automotive glass-based articles (see generally FIGS. 4-7 and 27-30) by an inventive form of thermal strengthening.
• the processes allow for steep, tensile stress versus thickness/depth curves (see generally FIG. 6), particularly steep in slope near the surface of the automotive glass-based articles, which enable strengthening of the automotive glass-based articles to particularly high levels of negative tensile stress for a given thickness near the surface of the respective articles, without requiring strengthening by ion-exchange or laminating different automotive glasses.
• the thennal strengthening processes disclosed herein may be augmented with ion-exchange or applied to glass-to-glass laminations.
• the thermal strengthening processes disclosed herein enable particularly high levels of strengthening in large-area articles (e.g., sheets) that may be too large for strengthening via conventional thermal strengthening methods, such as due to alignment limitations of contact quench equipment, cooling rale limitations of conventional convection systems, and/or warping damage associated with liquid quench strengthening.
• the processes disclosed herein uniquely allow high levels of strengthening in particularly thin sheets that may be too thin for strengthening via conventional strengthening methods, such as due sensitivity to breakage or fracture of the thin automotive glass-based articles during the strengthening process and associated contact forces with solid or liquid quenching and/or due to the cooling rate limitations of conventional convection strengthening.
• automotive glass-based articles as disclosed herein may be manufactured with at least some solid or liquid quenching, such as in combination with the unique strengthening processes disclosed herein.
• the method or process 100 includes a step 140 of providing an automotive glass sheet that is at a temperature above a transition temperature of the automotive glass sheet.
• the method or process 100 also includes the step 160 of supporting an automotive glass sheet at least in part by a gas (through gas flow and pressure).
• Step 160 includes, while the automotive glass sheet is support by the gas, cooling the sheet: 1) by conduction more than by convection through the gas to a heat sink, and 2) sufficiently to create or fix a thermally-induced surface compression stress and a thermally-induced central tension stress, of the sheet when at ambient temperature.
• the method can include the step 110 of heating an automotive glass sheet sufficiently such that the sheet is above a transition temperature of the automotive glass.
• the method 100' further comprises, in step 120, providing a heat sink (whether as a single piece or in separate pieces) having first and second heat sink surfaces (see generally FIGS. 21-25), each having apertures therein.
• the method further includes positioning a first sheet surface facing a first heat sink surface across a first gap and, in step 130B, positioning the second sheet surface facing a second heat sink surface across a second gap.
• the heat sink surfaces can include apertures and/or can be porous.
• the method 100' can further include, in step 160, cooling the sheet, by conduction more than by convection through a gas to the respective heat sink surfaces, sufficiently to strengthen the automotive glass (e.g., to sufficiently create or fix in the sheet a thermally-induced surface compression stress and a thermally-induced central tension stress).
• the step 160 also can include delivering the gas to the first and second gaps through the apertures or porous heat sink, and in some such embodiments, the gas is delivered to form air bearings that support the automotive glass sheet adjacent the heat sinks.
• the gas is delivered only through the apertures of the heat sink or only through the pores or pores and apertures of the porous heat sink.
• gas flow and gap size can be selected, controlled or optimized for other purposes, such as for controlling stiffness of the gas cushion in the gap, for supporting the sheet, for flattening or otherwise shaping a sheet, for optimizing heat conduction, for maintaining sheet flatness and/or shape during thermal strengthening, and/or for balancing ease of sheet handling with high cooling rates.
• helium becomes an economically viable alternative to air in the system of the present disclosure due to the very low gas flow rates that support the gas bearing, and in such embodiments, helium offers thermal conductivity about five times that of air. Even helium with prices assumed at multiples of those available today becomes an economically viable alternative at the low flow rates of the system of the present disclosure.
• the systems and methods discussed herein decrease the potential risk of deformation of hot thin sheets of automotive glass typically caused by the high speed, high volume air flows needed in conventional convection based strengthening systems. This also allows softer, higher temperature automotive glass sheets to be handled with no or minimal distortion, further improving the achievable degree of strengthening. Eliminating high air flow rates also eases problems sometimes seen in transporting the sheet into the quenching chamber (moving against the high air flow) and in keeping the high-flow, cooler air from entering into and cooling the adjacent parts of the furnace used to heat the sheet.
• conduction through a gas
• a gas may mitigate contact damage, warping, shaping, etc. associated with conventional liquid contact or solid contact quench strengthening.
• Use of a gas as an intermediate conductor preserves the surface quality of the processed articles by avoiding solid-to-solid contact. Mediating the high conduction rates through a gas also avoids liquid contact.
• Some types of liquid quenching can introduce unwanted distortions, spatial variation in strengthening and contamination of the automotive glass surfaces.
• Points A and B of FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 represent a high-end estimate of peak power use of the air bearing, per square meter of automotive glass sheet, by a compressed air supply at relatively high flow. Practical low-end peak power use of compressed air could be as little as 1/16 of the values shown. Points A and B do not include active cooling of the heat sink, however, which can be included in some embodiments, especially where a machine is in continuous, quasi-continuous or high frequency operation.
• the difference in total energy demands would tend to be greater than the difference for peak power demand, which is represented in the figure.
• the processes described herein have peak powers of less than 120 KW/m 2 , less than 100 KW/m 2 , less than 80 KW/m 2 to thermally strengthen an automotive glass sheet of 2 mm thickness or less.
• heat transfer from the thin automotive glass sheet in the system and process of the present disclosure includes a conduction component, a convection component and a radiant component.
• the thennal strengthening system of the present disclosure provides for thin automotive glass strengthening by utilizing conductive heat transfer as the primary mechanism for quenching the thin automotive glass sheets.
• the amount of thermal conduction at conditions embodied in processes using systems described herein can be determined via the following.
• an automotive glass sheet may be at a temperature of 670°C, for example, while the heat sink surface may start at 30°C, for example. Accordingly, the average temperature of the air in the gap would be 350°C, at which dry air has a thermal conductivity of about 0.047 WVnvK; more than 75% higher than its thermal conductivity at room temperature and sufficiently high to conduct large amounts of heat energy through gaps of the sizes within the system of the present disclosure, as discussed below, assuming the sheet is finished to a reasonably high degree of surface and thickness consistency.
• the conductive component of the rate of heat transfer through a gap of distance g which gap has an areaA g may be given by: c 1 ⁇ 2*0kzl1 ⁇ 2> (14)
• T is the temperature of the automotive glass surface
• T H s is the temperature of the heat sink surface (or the heat source surface, for other embodiments).
• k may be taken as the value of k for the gas in the gap when at the average of the temperatures of the two surfaces, T S and THS-
• FIG. 20 shows an industry-standard curve from about 35 years ago
• helium or hydrogen as the gas allows for a gap size about 5 times larger for the same heat transfer coefficient.
• using helium or hydrogen as the gas in the gap increases the heat transfer coefficient available for quenching by about 5 times at the same gap size. So even with air the spacing is not impractical, and with high conductivity gases, the gap spacing is relatively easy to achieve, even for sheet thicknesses smaller than 2 millimeters.
• another embodiment includes heating (or heating and/or cooling) through a gas by conduction more than by convection.
• the convective Q com component of the rate of heat transfer across the gap (or gaps) may be given by:
• m is the mass flow rate of the gas
• Cp is the specific heat capacity of the gas
• 7 ⁇ is the inlet temperature of the gas as it flows into the gap
• e is the effectiveness of the heat exchange between the gas flowing in the gap, the sheet surface and the surface of the heat sink/source (the "walls" of the gap).
• the value of e varies from 0 (representing zero surface- to-gas heat exchange) to 1 (representing the gas fully reaching the temperature of the surfaces).
• the value of e can be computed by those skilled in the art of heat transfer using, for example, the e-NTU method.
• the mass flow rate m of the gas should be less than 2kA g /gC p , or 2k/gC p per square meter of gap area.
• B is a positive constant less than one and greater than zero, specifically having a value of 2/3 or less, or even 4/5 or 9/10 or less.
• m should be kept as low as possible, consistent with the needs of using the gas flow to control the position of the automotive glass sheet (e.g., sheet 200 shown in FIG. 21 relative to the heat sink surface(s)) (e.g., heat sink surfaces 201b, 202b, shown in FIG. 21) or the position of the heat exchange surfaces themselves.
• the ratio of convective cooling to conductive cooling can be any value from less than one to lxlO "8 .
• B is less than 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.1, 5x10 " 2 , lxlO "2 , 5xl0 "3 , lxlO "3 , 5xl0 "4 , lxlO -4 , 5xl0 "s , lxlO "5 , 5x10 ⁇ , lxlO 6 , 5xl0 7 , lxlO "7 , 5xl0 “8 , or lxl 0 "8 .
• th is minimized, consistent with the needs of using the gas flow to support and control the sheet position relative to the heat sink surface(s).
• m should be selected to control the position of the heat exchange surfaces themselves, relative to the sheet.
• the mass flow rate m of the gas within the conductive- based cooling system of the present disclosure is substantially lower as compared to the conventional convection-based strengthening systems. This substantially lower gas flow rate allows the conductive system to be operated at substantially reduced power usage, as discussed herein. Further, in at least some embodiments, the reduced gas flow rate also results in a substantially quieter cooling system as compared to a conventional convective cooling system. In such embodiments, the decrease in noise may increase operator safety by reducing the potential for hearing damage and even reducing or eliminating the need for operators to use hearing protection.
• the automotive glass sheet has first and second sheet surfaces, and cooling of the automotive glass sheet is performed by positioning the first sheet surface (e.g., a lower surface of the automotive glass sheet) adjacent to a first heat sink surface (e.g., a surface of a lower heat sink) such that a first gap is located between the first sheet surface and the first heat sink surface and by positioning the second sheet surface (e.g., an upper surface of the automotive glass sheet) adjacent to a second heat sink surface (e.g., a surface of an upper heat sink) such that a second gap is located between the second sheet surface and the second heat sink surface.
• first sheet surface e.g., a lower surface of the automotive glass sheet
• a first heat sink surface e.g., a surface of a lower heat sink
• second sheet surface e.g., an upper surface of the automotive glass sheet
• a second heat sink surface e.g., a surface of an upper heat sink
• the first gap has a length across the first gap of g ⁇ and an area of the first gap of A gi> and the second gap has a length across the second gap of g3 ⁇ 4 and an area of the second gap ofA g 2.
• a first flow of a first gas to the first gap is provided, and a second flow of a second gas to the second gap is provided.
• the first gas has a heat capacity C p j and a thermal conductivity kj, and the first flow is provided at a mass flow rate ih ⁇ .
• m ⁇ is greater than zero and less than
• the second gas has a heat capacity C P 2 and a thermal conductivity &2, and the second flow is provided at a mass flow rate m 2 .
• rii 2 is greater than zero and less than
• the first and second flows contact the automotive glass sheet such that the automotive glass sheet is supported without touching the heat sink surfaces. In this manner, the sheet is cooled by conduction more than by convection in a manner to create a surface compressive stress and a central tension of the sheet.
• FIG. 21 a diagrammatic cross-section of a high conduction glass cooling/quenching station and of a glass sheet being cooled by conduction more than by convection is shown.
• a hot glass sheet 200 has its first and second (major) surfaces 200a, 200b each facing a respective first and second surface 201b, 202b of respective first and second heat sinks 201a, 202a across respective gaps 204a and 204b.
• Gas 230 is fed through the first and second surfaces 201b, 202b as represented by the arrows, to supply the gaps 204a, 204b, and to assist in keeping the automotive glass sheet centered or otherwise positioned between the heat sinks 201a, 202a.
• automotive glass sheet 200 will be cooled more by conduction than convection.
• automotive glass sheet 200 is cooled by heat sinks 201a and 202a such that more than 20%, specifically more than 50%, and more specifically more than 80%, of the thermal energy leaving a heated article, such as automotive glass sheet 200, crosses the gaps, such as gaps 204a and 204b, and is received by the heat sink 201a and 202a.
• the gaps 204a, 204b are configured to have a thickness or distance across the gap sufficient such that the heated automotive glass sheet is cooled by conduction more than by convention.
• size of gaps 204a, 204b generally is the distance between the major automotive glass surfaces and the opposing heat sink surfaces.
• gaps 204a and 204b may have a thicknesses of about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 100 ⁇ or greater (e.g., in the ranges from about 100 ⁇ ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 190 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 1 80 pm, from ⁇ about 100 ⁇ to about 170 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 160 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 150 ⁇ , from about 110 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 120 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 130 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , or from about 140 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ ).
• gaps 204a and 204b may have a thicknesses of about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 100 ⁇ or less (e.g., in the ranges from about 10 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 20 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 30 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 40 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 90 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 80 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 70 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 60 ⁇ , or from about 10 ⁇ to about 50 ⁇ ).
• Heat sinks 201a, 202a may be solid or porous configurations. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum, bronze, carbon or graphite, stainless steel, etc. Heat sink dimensions may be designed to be sufficient to address the size of the glass sheet and to efficiently and effectively transfer heat without changing the heat sink temperature significantly. In the case where heat sinks 201a and/or 202a are porous, they may still include additional apertures or holes for flowing gas or may use the porous structure to provide flow, or both. In some embodiments, the heat sinks further comprise passages to allow fluid flow for controlling the temperature of the heat sink, described in more detail in FIGS. 23-25 and below.
• apertures may be less than 2 mm, less than 1.5 mm, less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than 0.25 mm, or less than or equal to 200, 150, 100, 50, 30, 20, or 10 ⁇ , when measured in the smallest direction (e.g., diameter in the case of circular apertures).
• the apertures are from about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 10 ⁇ to about 1 mm, about 20 ⁇ to about 1 mm, or about 50 ⁇ to about 1 mm.
• Spacing between adjacent apertures 206 can be from about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 10 ⁇ to about 3 mm, about 20 ⁇ to about 2 mm, or about 50 ⁇ to about 1 mm, measured edge-to-edge of apertures.
• Small apertures or pores may function as individual flow restrictors, providing high-performance, gas-bearing-type dynamics, such as high levels of stiffness and consistency of support of the sheet to position the sheet and control gap size, allowing for high homogeneity of thermal strengthening effects to avoid or reduce stress birefringence. Further, because very small pores or apertures may be used, the relative amount of solid matter at the surface of the heat sink facing the sheet surface across the gap(s) can be maximized, thereby increasing conductive heat flow.
• apertures 206 as the only path for providing gas to the gaps 204a, 204b, and desirably using apertures 206 that lie in directions close to normal to the heat sink surface 201b, 202b, ensures that air-bearing type dynamics are optimized, and not compromised by gas flows from larger apertures, or from sources other than through the heat sink surface(s) 201b, 202b adjacent to the sheet 200, or by other excessive lateral flow.
• gas may be provided to the gaps 204a, 204b via other sources, such as in addition to the apertures 206 or pores. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure allow for power and energy savings by use of low gas flows and solid-gas- solid conduction, such as relative to conventional convective strengthening processes.
• FIGS. 22-25 show an exemplary embodiment of an automotive glass strengthening system 300 according to this disclosure.
• FIG. 22 shows a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the system 300, in which an automotive glass sheet can be cooled via conduction of heat from the automotive glass sheet, through a gas into a conductive heat sink.
• the apparatus includes a hot zone 310, a cold zone 330, and a transition gas bearing 320.
• Transition gas bearing 320 moves or directs an automotive glass article (e.g., automotive glass sheet 400a) from the hot zone 310 to the cold zone 330 such that no contact or substantially no contact occurs between the automotive glass and the bearings.
• the hot zone 310 has gas bearings 312 each fed from a hot zone plenum 318, and the bearings 312 have cartridge heaters 314 inserted into holes through the bearings 312, which serve to heat the hot zone gas bearings 312 to a desired starting process temperature.
• a automotive glass sheet (hot zone) 400a is kept between the hot zone gas bearings 312 for a duration long enough to bring it to a desired pre-cooling temperature (e.g., above the transition temperature).
• heating the sheet in the hot zone may be done
• the conductive heating processes used in the hot zone can be similar to, but the reverse of the cooling processes described herein (e.g., pushing heat into the glass sheet).
• gaps 316, between the hot zone gas bearings 312 and the automotive glass sheet 400a may be relatively large, on the order of 0.05" (1.27 mm) to 0.125" (3.175 mm) or greater, since the automotive glass sheet 400a may be heated up relatively slowly and thermal radiation from the hot gas bearings 312 into the automotive glass sheet 400a is adequate for this purpose.
• hot zone gap size may be as small as 150 microns per side or 500 microns per side. Smaller gaps may be
• the process may re-form the automotive glass sheets - flattening them - in the initial heating step, for example via the pressure supplied by the gas bearings 312.
• the top and bottom hot zone bearings may be on actuators, allowing for changing the gap width in a continuous manner or, alternatively, allowing the automotive glass to be brought into the hot zone when the gap is large and then compressing the gap to flatten the automotive glass while it is still soft.
• Process temperatures are dependent on a number of factors, including automotive glass composition, automotive glass thickness, automotive glass properties (CTE, etc.), and desired level of strengthening.
• the starting process temperature may be any value between the automotive glass transition temperature and the Littleton softening point, or in some embodiments, even higher.
• system 300 heats the automotive glass sheet 400a to a temperature between about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 640 to about 730°C or between about 690 to about 730°C.
• system 300 heats the automotive glass sheet 400a to a temperature from about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 620 to about 800°C, about 640 to about 770°C, about 660 to about 750°C, about 680 to about 750°C, about 690 to about 740°C, or about 690 to about 730°C.
• the automotive glass sheet 400a is heated to its desired starting process temperature (e.g., above the automotive glass transition temperature), and it is then moved from the hot zone 310 to the cold zone 330 using any suitable means.
• moving the automotive glass sheet 400a from the hot zone 310 to the cold zone 330 may be accomplished by, for example (1) tilting the entire assembly such that gravity acting on the automotive glass sheet forces it to move to the cold zone, (2) blocking off the gas flow from the leftmost exit of the hot zone 310 (the sides are enclosed in this embodiment), thereby forcing all of the gas emanating from all of the gas bearings to exit from the rightmost exit of the cold zone, causing fluid forces to be exerted on the automotive glass sheet 400a and causing it to move to the cold zone 330, or (3) by a combination of (1) and (2))
• the transition gas bearings 320 may be supplied with gas by transition bearing plenums 328.
• the solid material thickness behind the surfaces of the transition gas bearings 320 may be thin, of low thermal mass and/or low thermal conductivity, allowing for reduced heat conduction from the hot zone 310 to the cold zone 330.
• the transition gas bearings 320 may serve as a thermal break or transition between the two zones 310 and 330 and may serve to transition from the larger gaps 316 of the hot zone down to small gaps 336 of the cold zone 330. Further, the low thermal mass and/or low thermal conductivity of transition gas bearings 320 limit(s) the amount of heat transfer and therefore cooling experienced by automotive glass sheet 400a while passing past transition gas bearings 320.
• stop gate 341 a mechanical stop or any other suitable blocking mechanism, shown as stop gate 341.
• the stop gate 34 may be moved, unblocking cold zone channel 330a, and then the automotive glass sheet 400b may be removed from the system 300. If desired, the automotive glass sheet 400b may be left in the cold zone 330 until somewhere near room temperature before removal.
• the cold zone 330 includes a channel 330a for receiving heated automotive glass sheet 400b through an opening 330b, conveying the automotive glass sheet 400b, and cooling the automotive glass sheet 400b in the cold zone.
• the channel 330a includes a conveyance system that may include gas bearings, roller wheels, conveyor belt, or other means to physically transport the automotive glass sheet through the cold zone.
• cold zone 330 includes gas bearings 332 which are fed plenums 338 that are separate from hot zone plenums 318 and transition plenums 328.
• the cold zone 330 includes one or more heat sinks 331 disposed adjacent to the channel 330a. Where two heat sinks are utilized, such heat sinks may be disposed on opposite sides of the channel 330a, facing each other across a channel gap 330a.
• the heat sinks include a plurality of apertures 331a which form part of the gas bearing 332, and the surfaces of the cold gas bearings 332 of the cold zone 330 serve as the two heat sink surfaces.
• automotive glass sheet 400b is cooled within cold zone 330 primarily by conduction of heat from the automotive glass sheet across the gap and into the solid heat sinks 331, without the automotive glass sheet 400b touching the heat sink surfaces.
• the heat sinks and/or the surfaces thereof may be segmented.
• the heat sinks may be porous, and in such embodiments, the apertures through which the gas for gas bearings 332 is delivered are the pores of the porous heat sinks.
• the plurality of apertures 332b, a gas source and the channel gap 330a may be in fluid communication.
• the gas flows through the apertures 331a to form gas cushions, layers or bearings in the channel gap 330a.
• the gas cushions of some embodiments prevent the automotive glass sheet 400b from contacting the heat sink 331 surfaces.
• the gas also serves as the gas through which the automotive glass sheet 400b is cooled by conduction more than by convection.
• the sheet may be (1) introduced quickly into the cold zone, optionally at higher speeds than those typically used in convection-based quenching and/or (2) the process is operated in a quasi-continuous mode, in which multiple sheets are heated and cooled one after the other in a continuous stream with little space between them, and where the heat sink is actively cooled such that it reaches a thermal equilibrium so that the front and trailing edges of the large sheets have similar thermal history.
• the gas flowed through the apertures 33 la cools the heat sinks.
• the gas flowed through the apertures both facilitates heat conduction, from the automotive glass, across the gap, into the heat sinks, and also cools the heat sinks 331.
• a separate gas or fluid may be used to cool the heat sinks 331.
• the heat sinks 331 may include passages 334, for flowing a cooling fluid therethrough to cool the heat sinks 331, as is more fully described with respect to FIG. 23.
• the passages 334 can be enclosed.
• one or more gas sources may be used to provide a gas to the channel gap 330a.
• the gas sources may include the same gas as one another or different gases.
• the channel gap 330a may, therefore, include one gas, a mixture of gases from different gas sources, or the same gas source.
• Exemplary gases include air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium or other noble gases, hydrogen and various combinations thereof.
• the gas may be described by its thermal conductivity when it enters the channel 330a just before it begins to conductively cool the automotive glass sheet 400b.
• the gas may have a thermal conductivity of about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 0.02 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.025 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.03 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.035 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.04 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.045 W/(m K) or greater, about 0.05 W/(m K) or greater, about 0.06 W/(m K) or greater, about 0.07 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.08 W/(m K) or greater, about 0.09 W/(m K) or greater, about 0.1 W7(m-K) or greater, about 0.15 W/(nvK) or greater, or about 0.2 W/(m K) or greater).
• a thermal conductivity of about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 0.02 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.025 W/(m-K) or greater, about 0.03 W/
• the heat sinks 331 of one or more embodiments may be stationary or may be movable to modify the thickness of the channel gap 330a.
• the thickness of the automotive glass sheet 400b may be in a range from about 0.4 times the thickness to about 0.6 times the thickness of channel gap 300a, which is defined as the distance between the opposing surfaces of the heat sinks 331 (e.g., upper and lower surface of heat sinks 331 in the arrangement of FIG. 22).
• the channel gap is configured to have a thickness sufficient such that the heated automotive glass sheet is cooled by conduction more than by convection.
• the channel gap may have a thickness such that when automotive glass sheet 400b is being conveyed through or located within the channel 330a, the distance between the major surfaces of the automotive glass sheet 400b and the heat sink surface (e.g., the gap size discussed above) is about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 100 ⁇ or greater (e.g., in the range from about 100 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 190 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 180 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 170 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 160 ⁇ , from about 100 ⁇ to about 150 ⁇ , from about 110 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 120 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , from about 130 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ , or from about 140 ⁇ to about 200 ⁇ ).
• the channel gap may have a thickness such that when automotive glass sheet 400b is being conveyed through the channel, the distance between the automotive glass sheet and the heat sink surface (the gap or gaps 336) is about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 100 ⁇ or less (e.g., in the range from about 10 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 20 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 30 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 40 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 90 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 80 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 70 ⁇ , from about 10 ⁇ to about 60 ⁇ , or from about 10 ⁇ to about 50 ⁇ ).
• the gap or gaps 336 is about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 100 ⁇ or less (e.g., in the range from about 10 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 20 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 30 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about 40 ⁇ to about 100 ⁇ , from about
• the total thickness of the channel gap 330a is dependent on the thickness of the automotive glass sheet 400b, but can be generally characterized as 2 times the distance between the heat sink surface and the automotive glass sheet, plus the thickness of the automotive glass sheet. In some embodiments, the distance or gaps 336 between the automotive glass sheet and the heat sinks may not be equal. In such embodiments, the total thickness of the channel gap 330a may be characterized as the sum of the distances between the automotive glass sheet and each heat sink surface, plus the thickness of the automotive glass sheet.
• the total thickness of the channel gap may be less than about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 2500 ⁇ (e.g., in the range from about 120 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 150 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 200 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 300 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 400 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 500 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 600 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 700 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 800 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 900 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 1000 ⁇ to about 2500 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 2250 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 2000 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 1800 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 1600 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 1500 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 1400 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ ⁇ to about 1300 ⁇ , about 120 ⁇ to about 1200 ⁇ , or
• the total thickness of the channel gap may be about 2500 ⁇ or more (e.g., in the range from about 2500 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 9,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 8,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 7,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 6,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 5,000 ⁇ , about 2500 ⁇ to about 4,000 ⁇ , about 2750 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , about 3000 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , about 3500 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , about 4000 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , about 4500 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ , or about 5000 ⁇ to about 10,000 ⁇ ).
• the apertures 33 la in the heat sink 331 may be positioned to be perpendicular to the heat sink surface or may be positioned at an angle of 20 degrees or less, such as about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 15 degrees or less, about 10 degrees or less or about 5 degrees or less) from perpendicular to the heat sink surface.
• the material behind the heat sink (cold bearing 332) surfaces can be any suitable material having high heat transfer rates, including metals (e.g., stainless steel, copper, aluminum), ceramics, carbon, etc. This material may be relatively thick compared to the material behind the surfaces of the transition bearings 320, as shown in FIG. 22, such that heat sink can easily accept relatively large amounts of thermal energy.
• the material of the heat sinks 331 is stainless steel.
• FIG. 23 is a cut-away perspective cross-section of an apparatus similar to that of FIG. 22, albeit reversed from right to left, and comprising additionally a load/unload zone 340, next to cold zone 330 of system 300, including a load/unload gas bearing 342 with an automotive glass sheet 400c positioned thereon. Also, the apparatus of FIG. 23 uses tight channel gaps (not indicated on the figure) in hot zone 310, transition bearing 320, and cold zone 330.
• FIG. 23 shows an alternative embodiment of a cold zone gas bearing 332a, in which the gas bearing 322a is actively cooled by coolant channels 334, between gas bearing feed holes 333, where the feed holes feed the apertures in the surface of the bearing 322a.
• the cooling channels 334 are defined between heat sink segments 333b, which are assembled together to form the heat sink 331 and the surface thereof facing the automotive glass sheet 400b.
• the cooling channels 334 may be positioned very near the surface of the heat sink 331 , in the solid material of the gas bearing 332, with a region of solid bearing material between the heat sink/gas bearing surface and the nearest-the-surface edge of the coolant channel 334, having the same width as the nearest-the-surface edge of the coolant channel 334. Accordingly, in some embodiments there is no region of reduced cross section in the solid material of the heat sink 331/gas bearing 332a between a coolant channel 334 and the surface facing the automotive glass 400b. This differs from the typical convective gas cooling equipment, because the high gas flow rates mandate that significant space be provided in the middle of the array of gas nozzles for the gas flows to escape.
• heat sink 331/gas bearing 332a has a region of reduced cross section in the solid material of the gas nozzle design, relative to the solid material nearest the automotive glass surface.
• the reduced cross section region is generally positioned between the active cooling fluid and automotive glass sheet under treatment, in order to give a high-volume path for the large volume of heated gas returning from the sheet.
• FIG. 24 shows yet another alternative embodiment of a cold zone gas bearing 332, like that of the inset of FIG. 23.
• coolant channels 334 are formed between a gas bearing feed member 335, containing gas bearing feed holes 333, and a gas bearing face member 337a, which provides the automotive glass sheet 400b facing surface of the gas bearing 332.
• FIG. 25 shows yet another alternative cold zone gas bearing 332c having a similar structure to the embodiment of FIG. 24, but having a porous member 339 between a bearing plate member 337b and automotive glass sheet 400b, such that porous member 339 forms the surface facing the automotive glass sheet 400b.
• the automotive glass strengthening processes and systems described herein in relation to FIGS. 16-26 may be used or operated to form an automotive glass-based article (such as automotive glass sheet 500) having any combination of features, characteristics, dimensions, physical properties, etc. of any of the automotive glass article embodiments discussed herein.
• Automotive glass sheets having undergone the thermal strengthening processes described herein may be further processed by undergoing ion exchange to further enhance their strength.
• Ion-exchanging the surface of automotive glasses heat strengthened as described herein may increase the above-described compressive stresses by at least 20 MPa, such as at least 50 MPa, such as at least 70 MPa, such as at least 80 MPa, such as at least 100 MPa, such as at least 150 MPa, such as at least 200 MPa, such as at least 300 MPa, such as at least 400 MPa, such as at least 500 MPa, such as at least 600 MPa and/or no more than 1 GPa, in some such contemplated embodiments.
• the processes and systems described herein can be used for additional thermal conditioning processes as well. While cooling is specifically discussed herein, the systems and processes can be used to transfer heat into the automotive glass sheet via a conductive method. Accordingly, additional embodiments of the processes of the current disclosure, including heating through a gas by conduction more than convection. Such a process or method 700 is illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 26.
• the method 700 includes two main steps.
• the first step, step 710 involves providing an article, such as an automotive glass sheet, having at least one surface.
• the second step, step 720 involves heating or cooling a portion of the surface of the article, up to and including the entire surface of the article.
• Step 720 is performed by conduction more than by convection through a gas from or to a heat source or a heat sink source as shown in subpart 720a, and is performed sufficiently to complete thermal conditioning of the article or the portion of the surface of the article in sub-part 720b, and the conduction of the
• step 720 cooling/heating of step 720 is performed at a high rate of heat transfer, at least 450 kW/m 2 of the area of the portion in sub-part 720b.
• an article can be thermally conditioned - i.e., either heated or cooled - by cooling or heating a portion of the surface of the article, up to and including the entire surface of the article(the portion having an area), by conduction more than by convection, the conduction mediated through a gas to or from a heat sink or a heat source and not through solid-to-solid contact, sufficiently to complete a thermal conditioning of the article or of the portion of the surface of the article, and the conduction being performed, during at least some time of the heating or cooling, at a rate of at least 450, 550, 650, 750, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000 or even 5000 or more kW per square meter.
• the high rates of thermal power transfer allow for thermal processing or conditioning of all kinds, including heating and cooling during strengthening, edge strengthening of automotive glass, firing or sintering of ceramics, glasses, or other materials, and so forth. Additionally, since the heat is extracted or delivered primarily by conduction, tight control is provided over the thermal history and the heat distribution in the treated article while preserving surface smoothness and quality. Accordingly, in yet another aspect of the present disclosure, tight control is provided over the thermal history and the heat distribution in the treated article, since the heat is extracted or delivered primarily by conduction, yet surface smoothness and quality are preserved.
• the strengthened glass-based articles and sheets discussed herein have a wide range of uses in a wide range of articles, devices, products, structures, etc.
• a structure 1010 such as a building, house, vehicle, etc., includes glass-based article 1012 in the form of a window, portion of walls (e.g., surfaces), dividers, etc.
• the glass-based article 1012 may be strengthened such that the glass-based article 1012 has a negative tensile stress on or near surfaces thereof, balanced by a positive tensile stress internal thereto, as disclosed herein.
• the glass-based article 1012 may have a composition that resists chemicals and/or corrosion as may be present in outdoor environments by having a relatively high silicon dioxide content, such as at least 70% silicon dioxide by weight, such as at least 75% by weight.
• the glass-based article 1012 has major surfaces orthogonal to a thickness thereof (see generally sheet 500 as shown in FIG. 4), where the major surfaces have a large area (e.g., at least 5 cm 2 , at least 9 cm 2 , at least 15 cm 2 , at least 50 cm 2 , at least 250 cm 2 ) relative to glass-based articles used in other applications (e.g., lenses, battery components, etc.).
• major surfaces orthogonal to a thickness thereof (see generally sheet 500 as shown in FIG. 4), where the major surfaces have a large area (e.g., at least 5 cm 2 , at least 9 cm 2 , at least 15 cm 2 , at least 50 cm 2 , at least 250 cm 2 ) relative to glass-based articles used in other applications (e.g., lenses, battery components, etc.).
• total light transmission through the glass-based articles 1012 is at least about 50% (e.g., at least 65%, at least 75%) from wavelengths of about 300 nm to about 800 nm, when the automotive glass- based article 1012 has thicknesses as disclosed herein, such as a thickness of less than 5 cm, less than 3 cm, less than 2 cm, less than 1.75 cm, less than 1.5 cm, less than 1 cm, less than 5 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, less than 1.75 mm, less than 1.5 mm, less than 1 mm, less than 0.8 mm, less than 0.6 mm, less than 0.5 mm, less than 0.4 mm, less than 0.2 mm, and/or at least 10 micrometers, such as at least 50 micrometers.
• Thin thicknesses of the automotive glass-based article 1012 may not harm the function of the glass-based article 1012 in architectural, automotive, or other applications relative to conventional articles because the high level of strength of the glass-based article 1012 provided by the inventive processes disclosed herein.
• Thin glass-based articles 1012 may be particularly useful in such architectural, automotive, or other applications because the glass-based article 1012 may be lighter than conventional such articles, reducing the weight of the corresponding overall structure.
• a result may be greater fuel efficiency.
• buildings a result may be sturdier or less resource-intensive structures.
• glass-based articles disclosed herein may have areas of lesser magnitude, greater thicknesses, transmit less light, and/or may be used in different applications, such as those disclosed with regard to FIGS. 27-32, for example.
• a surface 1110 includes a glass-based article 11 12, manufactured as disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties discussed herein that functions as a countertop and/or as a portion of a display.
• total transmission through the glass-based articles 1012 is at least about 30% (e.g., at least 50%) from infrared wavelengths of about 800 nm to about 1500 nm, facilitating use of the surface 11 10 as a cooktop.
• the glass- based article 1 112 has a coefficient of thennal expansion (CTE) from about 10* 10 ⁇ 7 °C to about 140x 10 7 °C', about 20x l 0 ⁇ 7 0 C _1 to about 120x 10 7 °C A , about 30x l0 "7 °C '1 to about 100x 10 "7 °C _1 , about 40x 10 "7 °C to about lOOx lO "7 about 50x l0 "7 "C 1 to about lOOx lO "7 or about 60 ⁇ 10 ⁇ 7 "C 1 to about 120 ⁇ 10 ⁇ 7 °C '1 .
• CTE coefficient of thennal expansion
• the processes are ideally suited for glass compositions having moderate to high CTEs.
• Example glasses that work well with the processes described herein include alkali aluminosilicates, such as Coming's® Gorilla® Glasses, boroaluminosilicates, and soda-lime glasses.
• the glasses used have CTEs greater than 40, greater than 50, greater than 60, greater than 70, greater than 80, or greater than 90x 10 "7 /°C.
• Some such CTEs may be particularly low for thermal strengthening as disclosed herein, where the degree of negative tensile stress is no more than 50 MPa and/or at least 10 MPa.
• a device 1210 e.g., handheld computer, tablet, portable computer, cellular phone, television, display board, etc.
• a device 1210 includes one or more glass-based articles 1212, 1214, 1216, manufactured as disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein, and further includes electronic components 1218 and a housing 1220.
• the housing 1220 may be or include a glass-based article as disclosed herein.
• a substrate 1222 for the electronic components 1218 may be a glass-based article as disclosed herein.
• the glass-based articles 1212, 1214 may function as frontplane and backplane substrates, and the glass-based article 1216 may function as a cover glass in the device 1210.
• the glass-based article 1216 of the device 1210 is an alkali-aluminosilicate glass.
• Such composition may allow the glass-based article 1216 to be strengthened by thermal strengthening, as disclosed herein, and may be additionally strengthened by ion-exchange, providing a particularly high degree of negative tensile stress (e.g., at least 200 MPa, at least 250 MPa) at or near surfaces thereof.
• the glass-based article 1216 may include sodium carbonate, calcium oxide, calcium magnesium carbonate, silicon dioxide (e.g., at least 70% by weight), aluminum oxide, and/or other constituents; and may be strengthened by the inventive processes disclosed herein.
• the glass-based article 1216 may be particularly thin or otherwise structured, such as having any of the dimensions as disclosed herein.
• an automotive glass-based article 1310 manufactured according to processes disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein, has curvature and/or a variable cross-sectional dimension D.
• Such articles may have thicknesses disclosed herein as an average of dimension D or as a maximum value of dimension D.
• the automotive glass-based article 1310 is shown as a curved sheet, other shapes, such as more complex shapes, may be strengthened by processes disclosed herein.
• the automotive glass-based article 1310 may be used as a window for an automobile (e.g., sunroof, windshield, rear window, etc.), as a lens, as a container, or for other applications.
• glass material manufactured according to processes disclosed herein, and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein is useful to form at least one sheet of a glass-polymer- interlayer-glass laminate, such as used in many automotive applications. Stronger and thinner laminates can be produced, resulting in weight and cost savings and fuel efficiency increases.
• a thermally strengthened thin sheet may be cold-formed (see generally FIG. 32), as described herein (i.e., may be formed without hot forming/shaping).
• Automotive glass-based article 1310 manufactured according to processes disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein, installed in a vehicle or automobile may result in weight and cost savings, acoustical advantages, and fuel efficiency increases.
• Automotive laminate 1410 may be installed in any vehicle or automotive (e.g., plane, train, automobile, etc.).
• automotive laminate 1410 may be installed within an internal or external opening in a vehicle or automobile.
• the opening may be for a windshield, rear window, sunroof or moon roof, a side or door window, a side light, interior display panels, a display cover, an interactive touch screen, a surface on a dash board, etc.
• laminate 1410 may be moveable with respect to the vehicle or automobile opening.
• laminate 1410 is disposed adjacent to a display in an automobile.
• Automotive laminate 1410 may have advantages over other conventional monoliths and laminates that do not include at least one thermally strengthened glass-based of the present disclosure. These advantages include higher impact resistance, lighter weight for improved fuel efficiency, improved sound isolation (acoustical) properties, etc.
• automotive laminate 1410 includes a first glass- based layer 1412, a second glass-based layer 1416, and at least one interlayer 1414 therebetween.
• the first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 each include a first major surface 1413, 1417 opposite a second major surface 1415, 1419, respectively.
• Any major surface of glass-based layers 1412, 1416 of laminate 1410 may have a feature for haptic feedback for a user. For example, raised projections, ridges, contours, or bumps are non- limiting surface features for haptic feedback.
• interlayer 1414 is at least partially coextensive with first glass-based layer 1412 and/or second glass-based layer 1416.
• interlayer 1414 connects directly and/or indirectly to one of the major surfaces of each of the first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 forming laminate structure 1410.
• interlayer 1414 may include a polymer material.
• the polymer material may include poly vinyl butyral (PVB),
• first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 is a thermally strengthened glass-based sheet manufactured according to systems and methods disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein.
• second glass-based layer 1416 is a thermally strengthened glass-based according to the present disclosure (e.g., FIG.
• first glass-based layer 1412 is a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and mechanically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer.
• both of first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 include a thermally strengthened soda- lime glass sheet according to the present disclosure.
• the other of the first and second glass-based layers may be unstrengthened. As used herein, unstrengthened glass-based layers may be annealed.
• one of the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer may be different from the automotive glass sheet 500 described herein and may be strengthened to exhibit a surface CS of 250 MPa or greater, 300 MPa or greater, e.g., 400 MPa or greater, 450 MPa or greater, 500 MPa or greater, 550 MPa or greater, 600 MPa or greater, 650 MPa or greater, 700 MPa or greater, 750 MPa or greater or 800 MPa or greater.
• such strengthened glass-based layer i.e., one of the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer which differs from the automotive glass sheet 500
• the DOC may be about O.lt or greater, 0.1 It or greater, 0.12t or greater, 0.13t or greater, 0.14t or greater, 0.15t or greater, 0.16t or greater, 0.17t or greater, 0.18t or greater, 0.19t or greater, 0.2t or greater, or about 0.2 It or greater).
• the strengthened glass-based layer that differs from the automotive glass sheet 500 may exhibit a CT of 10 MPa or greater, 20 MPa or greater, 30 MPa or greater, 40 MPa or greater (e.g., 42 MPa, 45 MPa, or 50 MPa or greater) but less than 200 MPa (e.g., 175 MPa or less, 150 MPa or less, 125 MPa or less, 100 MPa or less, 95 MPa or less, 90 MPa or less, 85 MPa or less, 80 MPa or less, 75 MPa or less, 70 MPa or less, 65 MPa or less, 60 MPa or less, 55 MPa or less).
• a CT 10 MPa or greater, 20 MPa or greater, 30 MPa or greater, 40 MPa or greater (e.g., 42 MPa, 45 MPa, or 50 MPa or greater) but less than 200 MPa (e.g., 175 MPa or less, 150 MPa or less, 125 MPa or less, 100 MPa or less, 95 MPa or less, 90 MPa or
• first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 may be a made of a material including soda-lime glass, alkali aluminosilicate glass, alkali containing borosilicate glass, alkali
• first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 may have the same or different glass compositions and/or properties according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure.
• the thicknesses of first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 may be the same or different.
• the automotive laminate 1410 may have a thickness of 6.85 mm or less, or 5.85 mm or less, where the thiclmess of the automotive laminate 1410 comprises the sum of thicknesses of the first-glass-based layer 1412, the second glass-based layer 1416, and the interlayer 1414.
• the automotive laminate 1410 may have a thickness in the range of about 1.8 mm to about 6.85 mm, or in the range of about 1.8 mm to about 5.85 mm, or in the range of about 1.8 mm to about 5.0 mm, or 2.1 mm to about 6.85 mm, or in the range of about 2.1 mm to about 5.85 mm, or in the range of about 2.1 mm to about 5.0 mm, or in the range of about 2.4 mm to about 6.85 mm, or in the range of about 2.4 mm to about 5.85 mm, or in the range of about 2.4 mm to about 5.0 mm, or in the range of about 3.4 mm to about 6.85 mm, or in the range of about 3.4 mm to about 5.85 mm, or in the range of about 3.4 mm to about 5.0 mm.
• the automotive laminate 1410 exhibits radii of curvature that is less than 1000 mm, or less than 750 mm, or less than 500 mm, or less than 300 mm.
• the laminate, the first glass-based layer and/or the second glass-based layer are substantially free of wrinkles.
• the second glass-based layer 1416 is relatively thin in comparison to the first glass-based layer 1412.
• the first glass-based layer 1412 has a thickness greater than the second glass-based layer 1416.
• the first glass-based layer 1412 may have a thickness that is more than two times the thickness of the glass-based layer 1416.
• the first glass-based layer 1412 may have a thickness in the range from about 1.5 times to about 2.5 times the thickness of the glass-based layer 1416.
• the first glass-based layer 1412 and the second glass-based layer 1416 may have the same thickness, wherein the first glass-based layer is more rigid or has a greater stiffness than the second glass-based layer, and in very specific embodiments, both the first glass-based layer 1412 and the second glass-based layer 1416 have a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm and 1.6 mm.
• either one or both the first glass-based layer 1412 and the second glass-based layer 1416 may have a thickness in the range of about 0.1 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.2 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.3 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.4 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.5 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.6 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.7 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.8 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 0.9 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 1 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 1.1 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of about 1.2 mm to up to about 2 mm, or in the range of
• the first glass-based layer 1412 may have a thickness greater than the second glass-based layer 1416. In one or more embodiments, the first glass- based layer has a thickness of 4.0 mm or less, or 3.85 mm or less.
• the first glass-based layer may have a thickness in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 3.85 mm, or in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 3.5 mm, or in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 3.0 mm, or in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 2.8 mm, or in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 2.5 mm, or in the range of about 1.4 mm to about 2.0 mm, or in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 3.85 mm, or in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 3.5 mm, or in the range of about 1 .5 mm to about 3.0 mm, or in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 2.8 mm, or in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 2.5 mm, or in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 2.0 mm, or in the range of about 1.6 mm to about 3.85 mm, or in the range of about 1.6 mm to about 3.5 mm, or in the range of about 1.6 mm to about
• First and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 may have any major surface dimensions and/or physical properties as disclosed herein.
• the automotive laminates 1410 may include first and second glass-based layers 1412, 1416 that are thermally strengthened soda-lime glass sheets manufactured according to systems and methods disclosed herein, and an interlayer 1414 including PVB or acoustic PVB.
• one of the first glass-based layer 1412 or the second glass-based layer 1416 may be cold-formed (with an intervening interlayer 1414).
• a second glass-based layer 1 16 is laminated to a relatively thicker and curved first glass-based layer 1512.
• the first glass-based layer 1512, the second glass-based layer 1516 or both the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer may include the automotive glass sheet 500 described herein.
• first glass-based layer 1512 includes a first surface 1513 and a second surface 1515 in contact with an interlayer 1514
• the second glass-based layer 1516 includes a third surface 1517 in contact with the interlayer 1514 and a fourth surface 1519.
• An indicator of a cold-formed laminate is the fourth surface 1519 has a greater surface CS than the third surface 1517.
• a cold-formed laminate can comprise a high compressive stress level on fourth surface 1519 making this surface more resistant to fracture from abrasion.
• the respective compressive stresses in the third surface 1517 and fourth surface 1519 are substantially equal.
• the third surface 1517 and the fourth surface 1519 exhibit no appreciable compressive stress, prior to cold-forming.
• the second glass-based layer 1516 is strengthened (as described herein)
• the third surface 1517 and the fourth surface 1519 exhibit substantially equal compressive stress with respect to one another, prior to cold-forming.
• the compressive stress on the fourth surface 1 19 increases (i.e., the compressive stress on the fourth surface 1519 is greater after cold-forming than before cold-forming).
• the cold-forming process increases the compressive stress of the glass-based layer being shaped (i.e., the second glass-based layer) to compensate for tensile stresses imparted during bending and/or forming operations.
• the cold- forming process causes the third surface of that glass-based layer (i.e., the third surface 1517) to experience tensile stresses, while the fourth surface of the glass-based layer (i.e., the fourth surface 1519) experiences compressive stresses.
• the third and fourth surfaces (1517. 1519) are already under compressive stress, and thus the third surface 1517 can experience greater tensile stress. This allows for the strengthened second glass-based layer 1516 to conform to more tightly curved surfaces.
• the second glass-based layer 1516 has a thickness less than the first glass-based layer 1512. This thickness differential means the second glass- based layer 1516 may exert less force and is more flexible to conform to the shape of the first glass-based layer 1512. Moreover, a thinner second glass-based layer 1516 may deform more readily to compensate for shape mismatches and gaps created by the shape of the first glass-based layer 1512. In one or more embodiments, a thin and strengthened second glass- based layer 1516 exhibits greater flexibility especially during cold-forming. In one or more embodiments, the second glass-based layer 1516 conforms to the first glass-based layer 1512 to provide a substantially uniform distance between the second surface 1515 and the third surface 1517, which is filled by the interlayer.
• the cold-formed laminate 1510 may be formed using an exemplary cold forming process that is performed at a temperature at or just above the softening temperature of the interlayer material (e.g., 1414, 1514) (e.g., about 100 °C to about 120 °C), that is, at a temperature less than the softening temperature of the respective glass layers.
• the interlayer material e.g., 1414, 1514
• the cold-formed laminate may be formed by: placing an intcrlayer between the first glass-based layer (which is curved) and a second glass-based layer (which may be flat) to form a stack; applying pressure to the stack to press the second glass-based layer against the interlayer layer which is pressed against the first glass-based layer; and heating the stack to a temperature below 400° C to form the cold-formed laminate in which the second glass-based layer conforms in shape to the first glass-based layer.
• Such a process can occur using a vacuum bag or ring in an autoclave or another suitable apparatus.
• cross sectional stress profiles of an exemplary inner glass layer may change from substantially symmetrical to asymmetrical according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• first glass-based layer, the second glass-based layer, the laminate or a combination thereof may have a complexly curved shape and may optionally be cold-fonned.
• first glass-based layer 1 12 may be complexly-curved and have at least one concave surface (e.g., surface 1515) providing a first surface of the laminate and at least one convex surface (e.g., surface 1513) to provide a second surface of the laminate opposite the first surface with a thickness therebetween.
• the second glass-based sheet 1516 may be complexly-curved and have at least one concave surface (e.g., fourth surface 1519) and at least one convex surface (e.g., third surface 1517) with a thickness therebetween.
• at least one concave surface e.g., fourth surface 1519
• at least one convex surface e.g., third surface 1517
• complexly-curved mean a non-planar shape having curvature along two orthogonal axes that are different from one another.
• Examples of complexly curved shapes includes having simple or compound curves, also referred to as non-developable shapes, which include but are not limited to spherical, aspherical, and toroidal.
• the complexly curved laminates or sheets according to the embodiments disclosed herein may also include segments or portions of such surfaces, or be comprised of a combination of such curves and surfaces.
• a complexly-curved laminate or sheet may have a compound curve including a major radius and a cross curvature.
• a complexly curved laminate or sheet according to one or more embodiments may have a distinct radius of curvature in two independent directions.
• complexly curved laminates or sheets may thus be characterized as having "cross curvature," where the laminate or sheet is curved along an axis (i.e., a first axis) that is parallel to a given dimension and also curved along an axis (i.e., a second axis) that is perpendicular to the same dimension.
• the curvature of the laminate or sheet can be even more complex when a significant minimum radius is combined with a significant cross curvature, and/or depth of bend.
• Some laminates or sheets may also include bending along axes that are not perpendicular to one another.
• the complexly-curved laminate or sheet may have length and width dimensions of 0.5 m by 1.0 m and a radius of curvature of 2 to 2.5 m along the minor axis, and a radius of curvature of 4 to 5 m along the major axis.
• the complexly-curved laminate or sheet may have a radius of curvature of 5 m or less along at least one axis.
• the complexly-curved laminate or sheet may have a radius of curvature of 5 m or less along at least a first axis and along the second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.
• the complexly-curved laminate or sheet may have a radius of curvature of 5 m or less along at least a first axis and along the second axis that is not perpendicular to the first axis.
• one or more of interlayer 1414, first glass-based layer 1412 and second glass-based layer 1416 comprise a first edge with a first thickness and a second edge opposite the first edge with a second thickness greater than the first thickness.
• the automotive glass-based articles described herein may be disposed in a vehicle.
• a vehicle 1600 comprising a body 1610, at least one opening 1620, and a glass-based article 1630, according to one or more embodiments described herein, disposed in the opening.
• the vehicle may include an interior surface (not shown), and a glass-based layer is disposed on the interior surface.
• the interior surface includes a display and the glass-based layer is disposed over the display.
• a thermally strengthened glass-based sheet manufactured according to systems and methods disclosed herein and/or with any combination of stress profiles, structures and/or physical properties as disclosed herein may be substituted for or applied to one or more glass layers in an automotive laminate (e.g., FIG. 31), and methods of forming said laminates, as disclosed in PCT Publications Nos.
• WO2014/022663 MULTI-LAYER TRANSPARENT LIGH T-WEIGHT SAFETY GLAZINGS
• WO2014/176059 LAMINATED GLASS STRUCTURES HAVING HIGH GLASS TO POLYMER INTERLAYER ADHESION
• WO2015/031594 THIN GLASS LAMINATE STRUCTURES
• WO2015/054112 GLASS LAMINATE STRUCTURES HAVING IMPROVED EDGE STRENGTH
• STRUCTURES STRUCTURES
• 62/121,076 THIN LAMINATE STRUCTURES WITH ENHANCED ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE
• 62/159,477 SURFACE DISPLAY UNITS WITH
• the automotive glass-based article 1310 and the automotive laminate 1410, 1510 may include a glass material be substantially optically clear, transparent and free from light scattering.
• the glass material may exhibit an average light
• the glass material may be opaque or exhibit an average light transmission over a wavelength range from about 400 nm to about 780 nm of less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, less than about 1%, or less than about 0%.
• these light reflectance and transmittance values may be a total reflectance or total transmittance (taking into account reflectance or transmittance on both major surfaces of the glass material).
• the glass material may optionally exhibit a color, such as white, black, red, blue, green, yellow, orange etc.
• the systems and methods discussed may be used to thermally strengthen a wide variety of automotive glass-based materials.
• the processes and systems described herein may generally be used with almost any glass composition, and some embodiments can be used with glass laminates, glass ceramics, and/or ceramics.
• the glass compositions and properties listed below are also applicable to one or more of the glass-based layers in the glass laminate structure (e.g., 1410 in FIG. 31, 1510 in FIG. 32) described herein.
• the processes can be used with glass compositions having high CTEs.
• automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein include alkali aluminosilicates, such as Coming's® Gorilla® Glasses, SLG, soda- or alkali-free glasses and the like.
• automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein have CTEs of greater than 40xl0 "7 /°C, greater than 50xl0 ⁇ 7 /°C, greater than 60xl0 ⁇ 7 /°C, greater than 70xl0 ⁇ 7 l°C, greater than 80xl0 "7 /°C, or greater than 90x10 "7 /°C.
• Example glasses that may be used in the glass material may include soda lime glass, alkali aluminosilicate glass, alkali containing borosilicate glass and alkali
• aluminoborosilicate glass Suitable glasses are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,759,238, entitled “ION EXCHANGEABLE GLASSES", U.S. Patent No. 9,156,724, entitled “ION EXCHANGEABLE GLASS WITH HIGH CRACK INITIATION THRESHOLD", U.S. Patent No. 8,765,262, entitled “ION EXCHANGEABLE GLASS WITH HIGH CRACK INITIATION THRESHOLD", U.S. Patent No. 8,951,927, entitled "ZIRCON
• automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein may have a composition configured for chemical durability.
• the composition comprises at least 70% silicon dioxide by weight, and/or at least 10% sodium oxide by weight, and/or at least 7% calcium oxide by weight.
• Conventional articles of such compositions may be difficult to chemically strengthen to a deep depth, and/or may be difficult, if not impossible, to thermally strengthen by conventional processes to a sufficient magnitude of negative surface tensile stress for thin thicknesses, such as due to fragility and forces of conventional processes.
• inventive processes disclosed herein allow a strengthened automotive glass-based article or sheet, such as automotive glass sheet 500, with such a composition, where negative tensile stress extends into the respective strengthened automotive glass-based sheet to a distance of at least 10% of the thickness of the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet from at least one of the first and second surfaces (e.g., surfaces 510, 520 of automotive glass sheet 500), such as at least 12% of the thickness, 15% of the thickness, 16% of the thickness, 17% of the thickness, 18% of the thickness, 19% of the thickness, 20% of the thickness, or 21% of the thickness.
• first and second surfaces e.g., surfaces 510, 520 of automotive glass sheet 500
• the automotive glass-based sheets and articles strengthened as discussed herein have one or more coatings that are placed on the glass prior to the thermal strengthening of the automotive glass sheet.
• the processes discussed herein can be used to produce strengthened automotive glass sheets having one or more coatings, and, in some such embodiments, the coating is placed on the automotive glass prior to thermal strengthening and is unaffected by the thermal strengthening process. Specific coatings that are
• automotive glass sheets of the present disclosure include low E coatings, reflective coatings, antireflective coatings, anti-fingerprint coatings, cut-off filters, pyrolytic coatings, etc.
• automotive glass-based sheets or articles discussed herein are boro-aluminosilicate glasses.
• automotive glass-based sheets or articles discussed herein, for example articles 1212, 1214 of the device 1210 shown in FIG. 29, are generally non-alkali glasses, yet still have stress profiles and structures as disclosed herein. Such composition may reduce the degree of relaxation of the glass, facilitating coupling of transistors thereto.
• the automotive glass sheets/articles discussed herein are flexible automotive glass sheets.
• the automotive glass sheets/articles discussed herein comprise a laminate of two or more glass sheets.
• automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein may include an amorphous material , a crystalline material or a combination thereof (such as a glass-ceramic material).
• Automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein may include an alkali aluminosilicate glass, alkali containing borosilicate glass, alkali aluminophosphosilicate glass or alkali
• automotive glasses strengthened via the processes and systems discussed herein may include a glass having a composition, in mole percent (mol%), including: Si0 2 in the range from about (e.g., plus or minus 1%) 40 to about 80 mol%, AI 2 O3 in the range from about 10 to about 30 mol%, B 2 (3 ⁇ 4 in the range from about 0 to about 10 mol%, R 2 O in the range from about 0 to about 20 mol%, and/or RO in the range from about 0 to about 15 mol%.
• mol% in mole percent
• the composition may include either one or both of Zr ⁇ 3 ⁇ 4 in the range from about 0 to about 5 mol% and P2O5 in the range from about 0 to about 1 mol%.
• Ti0 2 can be present from about 0 to about 2 mol%.
• compositions used for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein may be batched with from about 0 mol% to about 2 mol% of at least one fining agent selected from a group that includes Na 2 S0 4 , NaCl, NaF, NaBr, K 2 S0 4 , KC1, F, KBr, and Sn0 2 .
• the automotive glass composition according to one or more embodiments may further include Sn0 2 in the range from about 0 to about 2 mol%, from about 0 to about 1 mol%, from about 0.1 to about 2 mol%, from about 0.1 to about 1 mol%, or from about 1 to about 2 mol%.
• Automotive glass compositions disclosed herein for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 may be substantially free of AS 2 O 3 and/or Sb 2 (3 ⁇ 4, in some embodiments.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein may include alkali aluminosilicate glass compositions or alkali aluminoborosilicate glass compositions that are further strengthened via an ion exchange process.
• One example automotive glass composition comprises Si0 2 , B 2 O 3 and Na 2 0, where (Si0 2 + B2O3) > 66 mol. %, and/or Na 2 0 > 9 mol. %.
• the automotive glass composition includes at least 6 wt.% aluminum oxide.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein may include an automotive glass composition with one or more alkaline earth oxides, such that a content of alkaline earth oxides is at least 5 wt.%.
• Suitable automotive glass compositions in some embodiments, further comprise at least one of K 2 O, MgO and CaO.
• the automotive glass compositions used in the strengthened glass-based sheet or article discussed herein can comprise 61-75 mol.% Si02; 7-15 mol.% AI7.O3; 0-12 mol.% B 2 0 3 ; 9-21 mol.% Na 2 0; 0-4 mol.% 2 0; 0-7 mol.% MgO; and/or 0-3 mol.% CaO.
• a further example glass composition suitable for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein comprises: 60-70 mol.% Si0 2 ; 6-14 mol.% A1 2 0 3 ; 0-15 mol.% B 2 0 3 ; 0-15 mol.% Li 2 0; 0-20 mol.% Na z O; 0-10 mol.% K 2 0; 0-8 mol.% MgO; 0-10 mol.% CaO; 0-5 mol.% Zr0 2 ; 0-1 mol.% Sn0 2 ; 0-1 mol.% Ce0 2 ; less than 50 ppm As 2 0 3 ; and less than 50 ppm Sb 2 0 3 ; where 12 mol.% ⁇ (Li 2 0 + Na 2 0 + K 2 0) ⁇ 20 mol.% and/or 0 mol.% ⁇ (MgO + CaO) ⁇ 10 mol.%.
• a still further example glass composition suitable for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein comprises: 63.5-66.5 mol.% Si0 2 ; 8-12 mol.% A1 2 0 3 ; 0-3 mol.% B 2 0 3 ; 0-5 mol.% Li 2 0; 8-18 mol.% Na 2 0; 0-5 mol.% K 2 0; 1-7 mol.% MgO; 0-2.5 mol.% CaO; 0-3 mol.% Zr0 2 ; 0.05-0.25 mol.% Sn0 2 ; 0.05-0.5 mol.% Ce0 2 ; less than 50 ppm As 2 0 3 ; and less than 50 ppm Sb 2 0 3 ; where 14 mol.% ⁇ (Li 2 0 + Na 2 0 + K 2 0) ⁇ 18 mol.% and/or 2 mol.% ⁇ (MgO + CaO) ⁇ 7 mol.%.
• an alkali aluminosihcate glass composition suitable for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein comprises alumina, at least one alkali metal and, in some embodiments, greater than 50 mol.% Si0 2 , in other embodiments at least 58 mol.% Si0 2 , and in still other embodiments at least 60 mol.% Si0 2 , wherein the ratio (A1 2 0 3 + B 2 0 3 )/ ⁇ modifiers (i.e., sum of modifiers) is greater than 1, where in the ratio the components are expressed in mol.% and the modifiers are alkali metal oxides.
• This automotive glass composition in particular embodiments, comprises: 58-72 mol.% Si0 2 ; 9-17 mol.% A1 2 0 3 ; 2-12 mol.% B 2 0 3 ; 8-16 mol.% Na z O; and/or 0-4 mol.% K 2 0, wherein the ratio (A1 2 0 3 + B 2 0 3 )/ ⁇ modifiers (i.e., sum of modifiers) is greater than 1.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet 500 may include an alkali aluminosihcate glass composition comprising: 64-68 mol.% Si0 2 ; 12-16 mol.% Na 2 0; 8-12 mol.% A1 2 0 3 ; 0-3 mol.% B 2 0 3 ; 2-5 mol.% K 2 0; 4-6 mol.% MgO; and 0-5 mol.% CaO, wherein: 66 mol.% ⁇ Si0 2 + B 2 0 3 + CaO ⁇ 69 mol.%; Na 2 0 + K 2 0 + B 2 0 3 + MgO + CaO + SrO > 10 mol.%; 5 mol.% ⁇ MgO + CaO + SrO ⁇ 8 mol.%; (Na 2 0 + B 2 0 3 ) - A1 2 0 3 ⁇ 2 mol.%; 2 mol.% ⁇ Na 2 0 - A1 2 0 3 mol.%;
• the strengthened automotive glass- based sheet or articles discussed herein may comprise an alkali aluminosilicatc glass composition comprising: 2 mol.% or more of AI2O 3 and/or Zr0 2 , or 4 mol.% or more of
• examples of suitable glass-ceramics for the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or articles discussed herein may include Li 2 0- Al 2 0 3 -Si0 2 system (i.e. LAS-System) glass-ceramics, MgO-Al 2 0 3 -Si0 2 system (i.e. MAS- System) glass-ceramics, and/or glass-ceramics that include a predominant crystal phase including ⁇ -quartz solid solution, ⁇ -spodumene ss, cordierite, and lithium disilicate.
• Li 2 0- Al 2 0 3 -Si0 2 system i.e. LAS-System
• MgO-Al 2 0 3 -Si0 2 system i.e. MAS- System
• glass-ceramics that include a predominant crystal phase including ⁇ -quartz solid solution, ⁇ -spodumene ss, cordierite, and lithium disilicate.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein may be characterized by the manner in which it is fonned.
• the strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein may be characterized as float-formable (i.e., formed by a float process), down-drawable and, in particular, fusion-formable or slot- drawable (i.e., formed by a down draw process such as a fusion draw process or a slot draw process).
• a float-formable strengthened automotive glass-based sheet or article may be characterized by smooth surfaces and consistent thickness, and is made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal, typically tin.
• molten glass-based that is fed onto the surface of the molten tin bed forms a floating glass-based ribbon.
• the temperature is gradually decreased until the glass-based ribbon solidifies into a solid automotive glass-based article that can be lifted from the tin onto rollers.
• the automotive glass-based article can be cooled further and annealed to reduce internal stress.
• the automotive glass-based article is a glass ceramic
• the automotive glass article formed from the float process may be subjected to a ceramming process by which one or more crystalline phases are generated.
• Down-draw processes produce automotive glass-based articles having a consistent thickness that possess relatively pristine surfaces. Because the average flexural strength of the automotive glass-based article is controlled by the amount and size of surface flaws, a pristine surface that has had minimal contact has a higher initial strength. When this high strength automotive glass-based article is then further strengthened (e.g., chemically), the resultant strength can be higher than that of an automotive glass-based article with a surface that has been lapped and polished. Down-drawn automotive glass-based articles may be drawn to a thickness of less than about 2 mm. In addition, down-drawn automotive glass- based articles have a very flat, smooth surface that can be used in its final application without costly grinding and polishing. Where the automotive glass-based article is a glass ceramic, the automotive glass-based article formed from the down-draw process may be subjected to a ceramming process by which one or more crystalline phases are generated.
• the fusion draw process uses a drawing tank that has a channel for accepting molten glass raw material.
• the channel has weirs that are open at the top along the length of the channel on both sides of the channel.
• the molten glass overflows the weirs. Due to gravity, the molten glass flows down the outside surfaces of the drawing tank as two flowing glass films. These outside surfaces of the drawing tank extend down and inwardly so that they join at an edge below the drawing tank. The two flowing glass films join at this edge to fuse and form a single flowing automotive glass article.
• the fusion draw method offers the advantage that, because the two glass films flowing over the channel fuse together, neither of the outside surfaces of the resulting automotive glass article comes in contact with any part of the apparatus. Thus, the surface properties of the fusion drawn automotive glass article are not affected by such contact.
• the automotive glass-based article is a glass ceramic
• the automotive glass- based article formed from the fusion process may be subjected to a ceramming process by which one or more crystalline phases are generated.
• the slot draw process is distinct from the fusion draw method.
• the molten raw material glass is provided to a drawing tank.
• the bottom of the drawing tank has an open slot with a nozzle that extends the length of the slot.
• the molten glass flows through the slot/nozzle and is drawn downward as a continuous automotive glass article and into an annealing region.
• the automotive glass-based article is a glass ceramic
• the automotive glass article formed from the slot draw process may be subjected to a ceramming process by which one or more crystalline phases are generated.
• the automotive glass article may be formed using a thin rolling process, as described in U.S. Patent No. 8,713,972, U.S. Patent No. 9,003,835, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0027169, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050099618, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
• the automotive glass-based article may be formed by supplying a vertical stream of molten glass, forming the supplied stream of molten glass-based with a pair of forming rolls, maintained at a surface temperature of about 500° C or higher or about 600° C or higher, to form a formed glass ribbon having a formed thickness, sizing the formed ribbon of glass with a pair of sizing rolls, maintained at a surface temperature of about 400° C or lower to produce a sized glass ribbon having a desired thickness less than the formed thickness and a desired thickness consistency.
• the apparatus used to form the glass ribbon may include a glass feed device for supplying a supplied stream of molten glass; a pair of forming rolls maintained at a surface temperature of about 500° C or higher, the forming rolls being spaced closely adjacent each other, defining a glass forming gap between the forming rolls with the glass forming gap located vertically below the glass feed device for receiving the supplied stream of molten glass and thinning the supplied stream of molten glass between the forming rolls to form a formed glass ribbon having a formed thickness; and a pair of sizing rolls maintained at a surface temperature of about 400° C or lower, the sizing rolls being spaced closely adjacent each other, defining a glass sizing gap between the sizing rolls with the glass sizing gap located vertically below the fonning rolls for receiving the formed glass ribbon and thinning the formed glass ribbon to produce a sized glass ribbon having a desired thickness and a desired thickness consistency.
• the thin rolling process may be utilized where the viscosity of the automotive glass does not permit use of fusion or slot draw methods.
• thin rolling can be utilized to form the automotive glass-based articles when the automotive glass exhibits a liquidus viscosity less than 100 kP.
• the automotive glass-based article may be acid polished or otherwise treated to remove or reduce the effect of surface flaws.
• the automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein has a composition that differs by side surface.
• an exemplary composition is: 69-75 wt.% Si0 , 0-1.5 wt.% A1 2 0 3 , 8-12 wt.% CaO, 0-0.1 wt.% CI, 0-500 ppm Fe, 0-500 ppm K , 0.0-4,5 wt.% MgO, 12-15 wt.% Na 2 0, 0-0.5 wt.% S0 3 , 0-0.5 wt.% Sn0 2 , 0-0, 1 wt.% SrO, 0-0.1 wt.% Ti0 2 , 0-0.1 wt.% ZnO, and/or 0-0.1 wt.% Zr0 2 .
• an exemplary composition is: 73.16 wt.% S1O2, 0.076 wt.% A1 2 0 3 , 9.91 wt.% CaO, 0.014 wt.% CI, 0.1 wt.% Fe 2 0 3 , 0.029 wt.% K 2 0, 2.792 wt.% MgO, 13.054 wt.% Na 2 0, 0.174 wt.% S0 3 , 0.001 Sn0 2 , 0.01 wt.% SrO, 0.01 wt.% Ti0 2 , 0.002 wt.% ZnO, and/or 0.005 wt.% Zr0 2 .
• composition of the automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein includes Si0 2 55-85 wt.%, Al 2 0 3 0-30 wt.%, B 2 0 3 0-20 wt.%, Na 2 0 0-25 wt.%, CaO 0-20 wt.%, K 2 0 0-20 wt.%, MgO 0-15 wt.%, BaO 5-20 wt.%, Fe 2 0 3 0.002-0.06 wt.%, and/or Cr 2 0 3 0.0001-0.06 wt.%.
• Si0 2 55-85 wt.% Al 2 0 3 0-30 wt.%
• B 2 0 3 0-20 wt.% Na 2 0 0-25 wt.%
• CaO 0-20 wt.% K 2 0 0-20 wt.%
• MgO 0-15 wt.% BaO 5-20 wt.%
• composition of the automotive glass-based sheet or article discussed herein includes Si0 2 60-72 mol.%, A1 2 0 3 3.4-8 mol.%, Na 2 0 13-16 mol.%, K 2 0 0-1 mol.%, MgO 3.3-6 mol.%, Ti0 2 0-0.2 mol.%, Fe 2 0 3 0.01-0.15 mol.%, CaO 6.5-9 mol.%, and/or S0 3 0.02- 0.4 mol.%.
• Apparatus setup - As detailed above, the apparatus comprises three zones - a hot zone, a transition zone, and a cool or quench zone.
• the gaps between the top and bottom thermal bearings (heat sinks) in the hot zone and the quench zone are set to the desired spacings.
• Gas flow rates in the hot zone, transition zone, and quench zone are set to ensure centering of the automotive glass material, sheet or part on the air-bearing.
• the hot zone is pre-heated to the desired T 3 ⁇ 4 the temperature from which the automotive glass article will be subsequently quenched.
• automotive glass articles are pre-heated in a separate pre-heating apparatus, such as a batch or continuous furnace.
• automotive glass sheets are pre-heated for greater than 5 minutes prior to loading in the hot zone.
• pre-heating is done around 450°C.
• the glass article is loaded into the hot zone and allowed to equilibrate, where equilibration is where the glass is uniformly at To- To can be determined by the level of strengthening desired, but is generally kept in the range between the softening point and the glass transition temperature.
• the time to equilibration is dependent at least on the thickness of the glass. For example, for automotive glass sheets of approximately 1.1 mm or less, equilibration occurs in approximately 10 seconds. For 3 mm automotive glass sheets, equilibration occurs in approximately 10 seconds to 30 seconds.
• the equilibration time may be on the order of 60 seconds.
• Example 1 A soda-lime silicate glass plate (e.g., glass comprising at least 70% silicon dioxide by weight, and/or at least 10% sodium oxide by weight, and/or at least 7% calcium oxide by weight) of 5.7 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 690°C for 60 seconds. After equilibrating to To, it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone filled with helium, which has a gap of 91 ⁇ (wherein the gap is the distance between the surface of the glass sheet and the nearest heat sink), where it is held for 10 seconds.
• the resulting article has a surface compression of -312 MPa, a central tension of 127 MPa, and a flatness of 83 ⁇ .
• Example 2 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 5.7 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 690°C for 60 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 91 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds.
• the resulting article has a surface compression of - 17 MPa, a central tension of 133 MPa, and a flatness of about 89.7 micrometers.
• Example 3 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 1.1 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a T 0 of 700°C for 1 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone filled with helium, which has a gap of 56 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds.
• the resulting article has a surface fictive temperature measured to be 661°C, a surface compression of -176 MPa, a central tension of 89 MPa, a flatness of 190 ⁇ , and a Vicker's cracking threshold of 10-20 N.
• Example 4 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 0.55 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 720°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 25 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds, resulting in an effective heat transfer rate of 0.184 cal/(cm 2 -s-°C).
• the resulting article has a surface compression of -176 MPa and a central tension of 63 MPa. Also, the resulting strengthened articles had a flatness of about 168 (for the initial 710° C temperature sample) and 125 micrometers (for the initial 720° C temperature sample).
• Example 5 A CORNING® GORILLA® Glass plate of 1.5 mm thickness is preheated for 10 minutes at 50°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a T 0 of 790°C for 30 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 226 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds.
• the glass article has an improvement in flatness measured to be 113 ⁇ pre-processing and 58 ⁇ post-processing.
• Example 6 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 0.7 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 730°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone filled with helium, which has a gap of 31 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds, resulting in an effective heat transfer rate of 0.149 cal/(cm 2 -s-°C). The resulting article has a surface compression of -206 MPa, a central tension of 100 MPa, and a flatness of 82 ⁇ . Upon fracture, the glass sheet is observed to "dice" (using standard terminology for 2 mm thickness or greater sheet dicing - i.e., a 5x5 cm square of glass sheet breaks into 40 or more pieces) suggesting that the sheet is fully tempered.
• "dice" using standard terminology for 2 mm thickness or greater sheet dicing - i.e., a 5x5 cm square of
• Example 7 A Borofloat-33 glass plate of 3.3 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 550°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 800°C for 30 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 1 19 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds. The resulting article has a flatness of 120 ⁇ . Upon fracture of the part it is observed to "dice" (using standard terminology for 2 mm or greater thickness sheet dicing - i.e., a 5x5 cm square of glass sheet breaks into 40 or more pieces) showing that the sheet is fully tempered.
• "dice" using standard terminology for 2 mm or greater thickness sheet dicing - i.e., a 5x5 cm square of glass sheet breaks into 40 or more pieces
• Example 8 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 3.2 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 690°C for 30 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 84 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds. The resulting article has a surface compression of - 218 MPa, a central tension of 105 MPa, and a flatness of 84 ⁇ .
• Example 9 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 0.3 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 630°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 159 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds. The resulting article has membrane stresses which are observable by gray field polarimetry, suggesting the glass has incorporated the thermal stress.
• Example 10 - A CORNING® GORILLA ⁇ Glass plate of 0.1 mm thickness is preheated for 10 minutes at 550°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a T 0 of 820°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 141 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds, resulting in an effective heat transfer rate of 0.033 cal/(cm 2 -s-°C). Upon fracture, the resulting article displays behavior consistent with a residually stressed glass.
• Example 11 A soda-lime silicate glass plate of 1.1 mm thickness is pre-heated for 10 minutes at 450°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a T 0 of 700°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 65 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds, resulting in an effective heat transfer rate of 0.07 cal/(cm 2 -s-°C). The resulting article has a surface fictive temperature measured to be 657°C, a surface compression of -201 MPa, a central tension of 98 MPa, a flatness of 158 ⁇ , and a Vicker's cracking threshold of 10-20 N.
• Example 12 - A CORNING® GORILLA® Glass plate of 1.1 mm thickness is preheated for 10 minutes at 550°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 810°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone which has a gap of 86 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds, resulting in an effective heat transfer rate of 0.058 cal/(cm 2 -s-°C).
• the resulting article has a surface fictive temperature measured to be 711 °C, a surface compression of -201 MPa, a central tension of 67 MPa, and a Vicker s cracking threshold of 20-30 N.
• Example 13 - A CORNING® GORILLA® Glass plate of 1.1 mm thickness is preheated for 10 minutes at 550°C before transferring to the hot zone where it is held at a To of 800°C for 10 seconds. After equilibrating it is rapidly transferred to the quench zone, which has a gap of 91 ⁇ , where it is held for 10 seconds.
• the resulting article has a surface fictive temperature measured to be 747°C, a surface compression of -138 MPa, a central tension of 53 MPa, a flatness of 66 ⁇ , and a Vicker's cracking threshold of 20-30 N.
• Example - a 5.7 mm thick sheet of glass comprising at least 70% silicon dioxide by weight, and/or at least 10% sodium oxide by weight, and/or at least 7% calcium oxide by weight was run with helium gas and gaps 204a, 204b (FIG. 21) of about 90 micrometers.
• the glass was heated to an initial temperature of about 690° C and quickly cooled.
• the resulting strengthened article had a negative tensile stress of about 300 MPa on surfaces thereof and a positive tensile stress of about 121 MPa in the center. Also, the resulting strengthened article had a flatness of about 106.9 micrometers.
• Aspect (1) of this disclosure pertains to a laminate for a vehicle, the laminate comprising: a first glass-based layer; at least one interlayer at least partially coextensive with the first glass-based layer and coupled directly or indirectly to a side of the first glass-based layer; a second glass-based layer comprising a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface defining a thickness, and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces; wherein the second glass-based layer is at least partially coextensive with the at least one interlayer and coupled directly or indirectly to the interlayer opposite the first glass-based layer; wherein one or both the first major surface and the second major surface of the second glass sheet comprise a stress birefringence of about 10 nm/cm or less; wherein an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of both the first major surface and the second major surface of the second glass-based layer is the same as an
• Aspect (2) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of Aspect (1), wherein the thickness of the second glass-based layer is less than 2 mm.
• Aspect (3) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of Aspect (1) or Aspect (2), wherein the thickness of the second glass-based layer is in a range from about 0.3 mm to up to about 2 mm.
• Aspect (4) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (3), wherein the surface compressive stress extends from one or both the first major surface and the second major surface to a depth of compression (DOC) greater than or equal to about 17% of the thickness.
• DOC depth of compression
• Aspect (5) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (4), wherein the surface roughness is between 0.2 and 1.5 nm Ra roughness over the area.
• Aspect (6) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (5), wherein the first and second major surfaces of the second glass-based layer are flat to at least 50 ⁇ total indicator run-out along a 50 mm profile of the first and second major surfaces of the second glass-based layer.
• Aspect (7) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (6), wherein the interlayer material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl butyral (PVB), polycarbonate, acoustic PVB, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ionomer, a thermoplastic material, and combinations thereof.
• the interlayer material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl butyral (PVB), polycarbonate, acoustic PVB, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ionomer, a thermoplastic material, and combinations thereof.
• Aspect (8) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (7), wherein the first glass-based layer is soda-lime glass.
• Aspect (9) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (8), wherein the second glass-based layer includes the same glass material as the first glass-based layer.
• Aspect (10) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (9), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and mechanically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer.
• Aspect (11) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (10), wherein the second glass-based layer comprises a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and mechanically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer.
• Aspect (12) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (11), wherein the average thickness of the second glass-based layer is about 0.1 mm to about 1.5 mm.
• Aspect (13) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect ( 1) through Aspect (12), wherein the average thicknesses of the first glass-based layer is about 6 mm or less.
• Aspect (14) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect ( 1 ) through Aspect (13), wherein the average thicknesses of the first and second glass-based layers are different.
• Aspect (15) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (13), wherein one of the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer is cold-formed.
• Aspect (16) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of Aspect (15) wherein the first glass-based layer is complexly-curved and has at least one concave surface providing a first surface of the laminate and at least one convex surface to provide a second surface of the laminate opposite the first surface with a thickness therebetween, wherein and the second glass-based sheet is complexly-curved and has at least one concave surface to provide a third surface of the laminate and at least one convex surface to provide a fourth surface of the laminate opposite the third surface with a thickness therebetween; and wherein the third and fourth surfaces respectively have compressive stress values such that the fourth surface has a compressive stress value that is greater than the compressive stress value of the third surface.
• Aspect (17) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (16), wherein the laminate is within an opening of a vehicle.
• Aspect (18) of this disclosure pertains to the laminate of any one of Aspect (1) through Aspect (17), wherein the opening in the vehicle forms a window or is an opening for a display.
• Aspect (19) of this disclosure pertains to a vehicle comprising: a body, an opening in the body, and a structure disposed in the opening, the structure comprising: a first glass- based layer comprising a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface defining a thickness, and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces; wherein the thickness is less than 2 mm; wherein an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of both the first major surface and the second major surface is the same as an ion content and chemical constituency of at least a portion of the interior region; wherein the first major surface and the second major surfaces are under compressive stress and the interior region is under tensile stress; wherein the compressive stress is greater than 150 MPa; wherein a surface roughness of the first major surface is between 0.2 and 1.5 nm Ra roughness over an area of 15 micrometers by 15 micrometers; wherein one or both the first major surface and the second major surface comprises an area greater than 2500 mm
• Aspect (20) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (19), wherein the surface compressive stress extends from one or both the first major surface and the second major surface to a depth greater than or equal to 17% of the thickness.
• Aspect (21) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (19) or Aspect (20), wherein the surface roughness is between 0.2 and 1.5 nm Ra roughness of the area.
• Aspect (22) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (19) through Aspect (21), wherein the first and second major surfaces are flat to at least 50 pm total indicator run-out along a 50 mm profile of the first and second major surfaces.
• Aspect (23) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (19) through Aspect (22), further comprising a second glass-based layer, and at least one interlayer between the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer.
• Aspect (24) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (23), wherein the interlayer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl butyral (PVB), polycarbonate, acoustic PVB, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ionomer, a thermoplastic material, and combinations thereof.
• PVB poly vinyl butyral
• EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• ionomer ionomer
• thermoplastic material ionomer
• Aspect (25) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (23) through Aspect (24), wherein the second glass-based layer is soda-lime glass.
• Aspect (26) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (23) through Aspect (25), wherein the second glass-based layer comprises a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and
• Aspect (27) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (23) through Aspect (26), wherein the average thicknesses of the first and second glass-based layers are selected from the group consisting of an average thickness not exceeding 1.5 mm, an average thickness not exceeding 1.0 mm, an average thickness not exceeding 0.7 mm, an average thickness not exceeding 0.5 mm, an average thickness within a range from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm, and an average thickness from about 0.5 mm to about 0.7 mm.
• Aspect (28) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (23) through Aspect (26), wherein the second glass-based layer has a thickness that differs from the thickness of the first glass-based layer.
• Aspect (29) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (19) through Aspect (28), wherein the structure is an automotive window, a sunroof, or a display cover.
• Aspect (30) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (19) through Aspect (29), wherein the first major surface or the second major surface has a feature for haptic feedback.
• Aspect (31) of this disclosure pertains to a vehicle with an opening, the opening containing a laminate structure comprising: a first glass-based layer; a second glass-based layer; and at least one interlayer layer between the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer; the second glass-based layer comprising a first major surface and a second major surface defining a thickness, the first major surface of the second glass-based layer being flat to 100 ⁇ total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm or less profile of the first major surface; the second glass-based layer comprising a glass material having a low temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, of ⁇ X S C TE, a high temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, of 1 ⁇ , an elastic modulus, expressed in GPa, of E, a strain temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T strain , and a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, of T s ofl,' the first major surface of the
• P2 is given by and h is greater than or equal to 0.020 cal s-cm 2 -°C.
• Aspect (32) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (31) wherein the laminate structure is movable with respect to the vehicle opening.
• Aspect (33) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (31), further comprising a display, wherein the laminate is disposed adjacent the display.
• Aspect (34) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (31) through Aspect (33), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and mechanically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer.
• Aspect (35) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (31) through Aspect (33), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer, and wherein the second glass layer comprises a surface compressive stress of about 200 MPa or greater.
• Aspect (36) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (31) through Aspect (35), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a depth of compression (DOC) of about 10 micrometers or greater.
• DOC depth of compression
• Aspect (37) of this disclosure pertains to vehicle with an opening, the opening containing a laminate structure comprising: a first glass-based layer; at least one interlayer at least partially coextensive with the first glass-based layer and coupled directly or indirectly to a side of the first glass-based layer; a second glass-based layer comprising a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface separated by the thickness t, and an interior region located between the first and second major surfaces; the second glass- based layer at least partially coextensive with the at least one interlayer and coupled directly or indirectly to the interlayer opposite the first glass-based layer; the first major surface of the second glass-based layer being flat to 100 ⁇ total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm or less profile of the first major surface of the second glass-based layer; the second glass- based layer comprising a glass having a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, of Tsofl and an annealing temperature, expressed in units of °C
• TIR
• Aspect (38) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle Aspect (37) wherein the first glass-based layer is soda-lime glass.
• Aspect (39) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) or Aspect (38), wherein the second glass-based layer includes the same glass material as the first glass-based layer.
• Aspect (40) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (39), wherein one of the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer is cold-formed.
• Aspect (41) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (40), wherein the interlayer material comprises a polymer material selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl butyral (PVB), polycarbonate, acoustic PVB, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ionomer, a thermoplastic material, and combinations thereof.
• the interlayer material comprises a polymer material selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl butyral (PVB), polycarbonate, acoustic PVB, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ionomer, a thermoplastic material, and combinations thereof.
• Aspect (42) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (41), wherein any one or more of the polymer layer, the first glass-based layer and the second glass-based layer comprise a first edge with a first thickness and a second edge opposite the first edge with a second thickness greater than the first thickness.
• Aspect (43) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (42), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a thermally strengthened glass layer, a chemically strengthened glass layer, a mechanically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and mechanically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer.
• Aspect (44) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (43), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a chemically strengthened glass layer, a thermally and chemically strengthened glass layer or a chemically and mechanically strengthened glass layer, and wherein the second glass layer comprises a surface compressive stress of about 200 MPa or greater.
• Aspect (45) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (44), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a depth of compressive stress layer (DOL) of about 10 micrometers or greater.
• DOL depth of compressive stress layer
• Aspect (46) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (45), wherein the laminate structure is an automotive window, a sunroof, or a display cover.
• Aspect (47) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (37) through Aspect (46), wherein the laminate structure is movable with respect to the vehicle opening.
• Aspect (48) of this disclosure pertains to a vehicle comprising: an interior surface; and a glass-based layer comprising a first major surface and second major surface opposite the first major surface defining a thickness t, the glass-based layer disposed on the interior surface, wherein the glass-based layer comprises a glass material having a low temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, of aSCTE, a high temperature linear CTE, expressed in 1/°C, of aLCTE, an elastic modulus, expressed in GPa, of E, a strain temperature, expressed in units of °C, of Tstrain, and a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, of Tsoft, and wherein the first major surface of the second glass-based layer comprises a thermally induced surface compressive stress of less than 600 MPa and greater than in units of
• Aspect (49) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (48), wherein the surface compressive stress extends to a depth of compression equal to or greater than about
• Aspect (50) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of Aspect (48) or Aspect (49), wherein the first glass-based layer comprises a depth of compressive stress layer (DOL) of about 10 micrometers or greater.
• DOL depth of compressive stress layer
• Aspect (51) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (48) through (50), wherein the interior surface comprises a display and the glass-based layer is disposed over the display.
• Aspect (52) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (48) through (51), wherein the first major surface of the glass-based layer is flat to 100 ⁇ total indicator run-out (TIR) along any 50 mm or less profile of the first major surface.
• TIR total indicator run-out
• Aspect (53) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (48) through (52),wherein the glass-based layer comprises a glass having a softening temperature, expressed in units of °C, ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ and an annealing temperature, expressed in units of °C, of Tanneai, and a surface Active temperature measured on the first major surface of the second glass-based layer represented by Tfs, when expressed in units of °C; and wherein the glass- based layer comprises a non-dimensional surface Active temperature parameter 6s given by (Tfs - T anneal)! i soji - Tamed); and wherein the parameter 9s is in the range of from 0.20 to 0.9.
• Aspect (54) of this disclosure pertains to the vehicle of any one of Aspect (48) through Aspect (53), wherein the glass-based layer is soda-lime glass..

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• 2016
  • 2016-07-28 JP JP2018504922A patent/JP2018529611A/ja not_active Abandoned
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