GB254281A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for feeding molten glass - Google Patents

Abstract

254,281. Hartford-Empire Co., (Assignees of Peiler, K. E.). June 24, 1925, [Convention date]. Delivering molten metal.-Relates to a feeder of the kind in which a rotary implement extends into the glass in the forehearth for stirring the glass prior to its discharge through an outlet. According to the invention, the implement is a tube surrounding the reciprocating plunger, and means are provided for directing cooling air adjacent to the bearing of the tube, and for facilitating the withdrawal of the tube from its bearing. The molten glass is contained in a forehearth 10, Fig. 1. and is discharged in " gobs " through an outlet 12 by means of a plunger 14, the flow of glass to the outlet being controlled by a tube 16 surrounding the plunger. The tube is rotated to stir the glass in order to obtain uniform temperature and viscosity in the " gobs," and the height of the tube above the outlet is adjusted by means of a crank 20 that raises or lowers the arm 17 by which the tube is supported. The tube is carried by a cylindrical member 28, Fig. 3, the upper edge of which is bolted to a gear ring 23 supported between ball bearings 24 in an annular housing 22. The tube is clamped in the member 28 by another cylindrical member 34 having lugs 36 which are bolted to the gear ring 23. By loosening the bolts, 37, the member 34 can be removed, thus enabling the tube 16 to be removed without disturbing its operating mechanism. The gear ring 23 is driven from a shaft 46, Fig. 1, rotated by a motor 45. The speed of the motor can be adjusted to suit the conditions of the glass and is independant of the means for operating the plunger. The lower portion of the housing 22 is arranged to form an annular chamber 42, Fig. 3, and air is blown into this chamber through inlets 43 and escapes downwardly through the space between the housing 22 and the member 28. The air thus supplied keeps the bearing cool and is given suf. ficient force to blow downwards against the cover of the forehearth, thus further protecting the mechanism from the heat radiated from the forehearth. A cable 53, attached to a counterweight, assists in supporting the weight of the. mechanism.