JP2020007168A - Method and device for manufacturing glass article - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve a degree of freedom in a layout of a glass article manufacturing line while preventing such a situation that heterogenous molten glass that may be generated in a melting line from remaining at a product portion of blass ribbon.SOLUTION: In a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present invention, when molten glass Gm whose state is adjusted in a state adjustment tank 7 is supplied to a molding 8 to mold glass ribbon Gr, a first bending portion 13 of a connection pipe 12 is connected to a flow outlet 7e of the state adjustment tank 7, and a second bending portion 14 of the connection pipe 12 is connected to a flow inlet 8c of the molding 8. When a flow direction of the molten glass when flowing inside the state adjustment tank 7 is designated as a reference flow direction d0, the first bending portion 13 is bent in a first direction d1 the same as the reference flow direction d0 while seeing the first bending portion 13 in a plane view from the same direction as the flow outlet 7e of the state adjustment tank 7, and the second bending portion 14 is bent in a second direction d2 oriented to either of right and left sides to the reference flow direction d0 while seeing the second bending portion 14 in a plane view from the first direction d1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a glass article, and more particularly to a technique for improving a layout of a manufacturing line by improving a conveying path of a molten glass to a formed body.

  As is well known, a production line for a glass roll or a sheet glass includes a melting line in which molten glass flows and a processing line in which a glass ribbon flows. In this case, for example, the melting line includes, in order from the upstream side, a melting tank, a fining tank, a homogenizing tank such as a stirring tank, a condition adjusting tank, and a molded body, and each of these tanks and the molded body. Are connected by a supply pipe of molten glass (for example, see Patent Document 1). In a glass roll manufacturing line, the transport direction of a glass ribbon is changed from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction (for example, see Patent Document 2). For this reason, the processing line extends in a direction perpendicular to the melting line from the end (molded body) of the melting line in a state where the manufacturing line is viewed in plan.

JP-A-2006-88754 JP 2011-16705 A

  Thus, in the glass roll production line, the melting line and the processing line are arranged in a direction orthogonal to each other. In this case, if the production lines for the glass rolls are arranged in parallel, the distance between the melting lines must be increased by the amount corresponding to the processing lines, which wastes installation space. Further, if the melting line and the processing line seem to have only a perpendicular positional relationship, the layout of the manufacturing line is limited, and it is difficult to flexibly change the layout.

  As a countermeasure for solving the above problem, for example, a layout shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be considered. In this layout, the condition adjusting tank 101 is located downstream of a not-shown homogenizing tank, and the molded body 102 is located downstream of the condition adjusting tank 101 (see FIG. 8). Then, the homogenizing tank and the condition adjusting tank 101 are connected by a connection pipe 103 having a predetermined shape (see FIG. 9), and the condition adjusting tank 101 and the molded body 102 have a shape bent in a predetermined direction. They are connected by a connection pipe 104 (see FIG. 8). In this case, the outflow port 101a of the condition adjusting tank 101 faces downward (see FIG. 8), and the connection pipe 104 connected to the outflow port 101a adjusts the state of the connection pipe 104 in a plan view. It is bent in a direction orthogonal to the inflow direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the tank 101 (see FIG. 9). In this manner, by bending the connection pipe 104, the feeding direction D0 of the glass ribbon Gr and the flow direction of the molten glass Gm (the inflow direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the inside of the condition adjusting tank 101) are parallel. Therefore, the melting line and the processing line can be arranged in parallel. 8 and 9, reference numeral 101b denotes an inlet of the condition adjusting tank 101, reference numeral 102a denotes an inlet of the molded body 102, and reference numerals Gr1 and Gr2 denote both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr to be formed. .

  By the way, when the production line having the above-described melting line is operated, the stagnation region R1 of the molten glass Gm is provided in each of the tanks (for example, the homogenizing tank 105 and the condition adjusting tank 101 shown in FIG. 10) up to the compact 102. , R2 may occur. The molten glass Gm1 'and Gm2' in the stagnant regions R1 and R2 have different temperature histories from the molten glass Gm that has reached the molded body 102 without passing through the stagnant regions R1 and R2, and thus tend to be different. In the case of a conventional melting line, as shown in FIG. 11, the molten glass Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ in the stagnation regions R1 and R2 flow through the connecting pipe 106 from below the condition adjusting tank 101, and The glass ribbon Gr passes through an upper portion or a lower portion of the inflow port 102a, and becomes both ends Gr1 and Gr2 in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr. Since both ends Gr1 and Gr2 in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr are usually removed by cutting or the like in a subsequent processing line, there is no particular problem without dissimilar molten glass Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ remaining in the final product. . On the other hand, in the case of the melting line proposed above (see FIGS. 8 and 9), the connecting pipe 104 is moved from below in a direction perpendicular to the flowing direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the conditioning tank 101. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the molten glass Gm1 ′, Gm2 ′ in the stagnation regions R1, R2 is different from the portion (FIG. 11) of the connecting pipe 104 flowing in the conventional melting line. It flows through a different portion, passes through the middle part of the inlet 102 a of the molded body 102 in the vertical direction, and flows into the molded body 8. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the molten glass Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ of the stagnation regions R1 and R2 are mixed into the product portion located between both ends Gr1 and Gr2 in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr and processed. Dissimilar molten glass Gm1 ′, Gm2 ′ remains on the glass ribbon Gr (that is, a glass roll or a glass plate as a product), which causes a product defect.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present specification solves the problem of increasing the degree of freedom regarding the layout of a manufacturing line of glass articles while preventing a situation in which a foreign molten glass that may be generated in a melting line remains in a product portion of a glass ribbon. Technical issues to be addressed.

  The above object is achieved by a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present invention. In other words, this manufacturing method includes forming a molten glass in a molten glass generating apparatus, forming a molten glass in a state adjusting tank, and adjusting a state of the generated molten glass in a state adjusting tank. Comprising a forming step of forming a glass ribbon by supplying to the body, the outlet of the conditioner tank and the inlet of the formed body have a first bent portion and a second bent portion Connected by a connecting pipe, the outlet of the conditioning tank and the first bent portion are connected, the second bent portion and the inlet of the molded body are connected, and from the side of the molten glass producing device to the inside of the conditioning tank. When the flow direction of the molten glass at the time of inflow is set as the reference flow direction, the first bent portion is from the same direction as the outlet of the condition adjusting tank, and is the same direction as the reference flow direction when the first bent portion is viewed in plan. Bent in the first direction of Second bending portion, from a first direction, characterized with a point bent in a second direction of right or left direction with respect to the reference flow direction in a state in which the second bending portion in plan view.

  Thus, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the bending direction of the first bent portion connected to the outlet of the condition adjusting tank is set to the same direction as the reference flow direction when the first bent portion is viewed in plan. . Thus, as will be described later in detail, the molten glass in the stagnant area passes through the upper or lower part of the inlet of the molded body, as in the case of the conventional melting line. Therefore, the molten glass in the stagnation region reaches both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon formed by the formed body. In addition, by bending the connecting pipe as described above, the direction of the inflow port of the molded body can be appropriately set according to the bending direction (second direction) of the second bent portion. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of a production line while preventing as much as possible a situation in which a foreign molten glass remains on a glass ribbon after processing and causes a decrease in product quality. It becomes possible.

  In the manufacturing method according to the present invention, both the first direction and the second direction may be horizontal.

  In this way, by setting both the first direction and the second direction to the horizontal direction, the flow direction of the molten glass at the downstream end of the first bent portion is set to the horizontal direction, and the molten glass is The flow direction change can be performed on a horizontal plane. Therefore, for example, when the inflow port of the molded body is arranged so as to face the horizontal direction, the positional relationship when the molten glass in the stagnant region flows into the connection pipe (first bent portion, second bent portion) reaches the molded body. And it is possible to reliably prevent such undesirable molten glass from being mixed into the product part of the glass ribbon.

  Further, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the molded body is a method of molding a glass ribbon by causing molten glass overflowing from the overflow groove to flow down along both sides, and the inlet of the molded body is formed on both sides. May be provided in a direction perpendicular to the direction, and an angle between the first direction and the second direction may be set to 90 °. In the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the glass article may be a glass roll obtained by winding a glass ribbon into a roll.

  The reference flow direction and the orientation of the main surface of the glass ribbon formed by the molded body are matched by connecting the second bent portion having the bent form as described above to the molded body configured as described above. Can be done. In the manufacturing process of the glass roll, the formed glass ribbon is drawn downward, is then turned in the horizontal direction via the catenary, and is conveyed.According to the above configuration, the melting line and the processing line are separated. They can be arranged in parallel. Thereby, the production line of the glass roll is narrowed in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in the melting line, and the width direction of the glass ribbon in the processing line. The same applies hereinafter). This is suitable when a plurality of glass roll production lines are arranged in parallel.

  Further, the above object can be achieved by a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. That is, this manufacturing apparatus includes a molten glass generating apparatus that generates molten glass, a state adjusting tank that adjusts the state of the generated molten glass, and a molded body that forms the molten glass whose state has been adjusted into a glass ribbon. In a glass article manufacturing apparatus comprising: an outlet of the conditioning tank and an inlet of the molded body are connected by a connecting pipe having a first bent portion and a second bent portion, and the outlet of the conditioning tank and the second outlet. The one bent portion is connected, the second bent portion and the inlet of the molded body are connected, and the flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank from the side of the molten glass generation device is defined as a reference flow direction. When doing, the first bent portion is bent in the first direction in the same direction as the reference flow direction in the state where the first bent portion is viewed in plan, from the same direction as the outlet of the condition adjusting tank, and the second bent portion Part, flatten the second bent part from the first direction It characterized with a point bent in a second direction of right or left direction with respect to the reference direction of flow in the vision state.

  Thus, also in the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the bending direction of the first bent portion connected to the outlet of the condition adjusting tank is set to the same direction as the reference flow direction when the first bent portion is viewed in plan. By doing so, the molten glass in the stagnation region passes through the upper or lower part of the inlet of the molded body. Therefore, the molten glass in the stagnation region reaches both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon formed by the formed body. In addition, by bending the connecting pipe as described above, the direction of the inflow port of the molded body can be appropriately set according to the bending direction (second direction) of the second bent portion. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent foreign molten glass from being mixed into a product portion located between both ends in the width direction of a glass ribbon. In addition, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the manufacturing line.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to raise the degree of freedom regarding the layout of the production line of glass articles, while preventing the situation where foreign molten glass that may occur in the melting line remains in the product part of the glass ribbon.

It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the manufacturing device of the glass article concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of the 4th connection pipe shown in FIG. 1, and its peripheral part. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fourth connection pipe shown in FIG. 3 and a peripheral portion thereof. It is the figure which looked at the 4th connection pipe shown in FIG. 3, and its peripheral part from the front. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically illustrating a flow of molten glass in a stagnant region to the inside of a molded body in the manufacturing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is the side view which looked at the 4th connection pipe shown in FIG. 6 from the Y direction. It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article used for comparison with this invention from the side, and is the side view of the connection pipe which connects a condition adjustment tank and a molded object. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the connection pipe shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a front view schematically illustrating a flow of molten glass in a stagnant region to the inside of a molded product in the apparatus for manufacturing a glass article provided with the connection pipe illustrated in FIG. 8. It is the front view which drawn typically the flow until the molten glass of the stagnation area reaches the inside of a forming object in the manufacturing device of the glass article concerning the conventional composition. It is the side view which looked at the flow of the molten glass of the stagnation area shown in Drawing 10 from the Y direction. It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the manufacturing device of the glass article concerning other embodiments of the present invention from the front.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same glass article manufacturing apparatus 1. As shown in these drawings, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a melting line 2 through which a molten glass Gm flows, and a processing line 3 for a formed glass ribbon Gr. Among these, the melting line 2 is provided with a melting tank 4 as a molten glass generating device arranged in the uppermost stream area, a fining tank 5 provided downstream of the melting tank 4, and a fining tank 5 provided downstream of the fining tank 5. A homogenizing tank 6, a conditioning tank 7 disposed downstream of the homogenizing tank 6, a molded body 8 disposed further downstream of the conditioning tank 7, and each of the tanks 4 to 7, And connection pipes 9 to 12 for connecting between the molded bodies 8.

  Also, the processing line 3 for processing the glass ribbon Gr is, for example, not shown, and is located below the molded body 8, and is provided with a gradual cooling processing unit that performs gradual cooling processing on the glass ribbon Gr formed by the molded body 8. A cooling unit that cools the glass ribbon Gr that has been subjected to the slow cooling process to a predetermined temperature, for example, around room temperature, and a direction change unit that changes the feeding direction of the cooled glass ribbon Gr from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction, The first cutting portion for separating both ends (also called ears) in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr conveyed in the lateral direction from the glass ribbon Gr main body, and the glass ribbon Gr with both ends in the width direction removed along the width direction. It comprises a second cutting section for cutting, and a winding section for winding the glass ribbon Gr that has passed through the second cutting section into a roll. Of course, the above-described configuration is merely an example, and some of the above-described components may be changed or omitted, or components other than the above may be added as necessary. Hereinafter, the melting line 2 will be described focusing on the connection between the condition adjusting tank 7 and the molded body 8.

  The melting tank 4 is a container for performing a generation process of melting the charged glass raw material to generate the molten glass Gm. The dissolution tank 4 is connected to the fining tank 5 by a first connection pipe 9.

  The fining tank 5 is a container for performing a fining step of fining the molten glass Gm supplied from the melting tank 4 through the first connection pipe 9 by the action of a fining agent or the like. The fining tank 5 is connected to the homogenizing tank 6 by a second connection pipe 10.

  The homogenization tank 6 is a container for performing a homogenization step of stirring and homogenizing the clarified molten glass Gm. The homogenizing tank 6 is connected to the condition adjusting tank 7 by a third connection pipe 11. The number of the homogenizing tanks 6 may be one as shown in the figure, or two or more homogenizing tanks may be arranged.

  The condition adjusting tank 7 is a container for performing a condition adjusting step of adjusting the molten glass Gm to a state suitable for molding, and adjusts, for example, a flow rate of the molten glass Gm supplied to the molded body 8. In the present embodiment, the state adjusting tank 7 is connected to the third connection pipe 11, and the upper part 7a into which the molten glass Gm flows from the third connection pipe 11, and the molten glass Gm whose state has been adjusted flows out. And a middle portion 7c connecting the upper portion 7a and the lower portion 7b. An inflow port 7d through which the molten glass Gm flows is provided on a side surface of the upper portion 7a. An outlet 7e for molten glass Gm is provided at the lower end of the lower portion 7b. The condition adjusting tank 7 having the above configuration is connected to the molded body 8 by the fourth connection pipe 12.

  The molding 8 forms the molten glass Gm into a desired shape. In the present embodiment, the molded body 8 is formed into a strip shape of the molten glass Gm by an overflow down draw method. More specifically, the molded body 8 has a substantially wedge-shaped cross-section, has an overflow groove 8a at an upper portion thereof, and has both side surfaces 8b, 8b through which the molten glass Gm overflowing from the overflow groove 8a flows down. In the molded body 8 according to the above configuration, the molten glass Gm that has flowed down along the side surfaces 8b, 8b is fused at the lower apexes of the side surfaces 8b, 8b, and can be formed into a band-shaped glass ribbon Gr. The formed glass ribbon Gr has a thickness of, for example, 0.01 to 2 mm (preferably 0.3 mm or less), and is used for substrates such as flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays, organic EL lighting, and solar cells. And used for protective covers. The molded body 8 may execute another downdraw method such as a slot downdraw method.

  The first connection pipe 9 to the fourth connection pipe 12 are each formed of a cylindrical pipe made of, for example, platinum or a platinum alloy, and each of the tanks 5 to 7 that adjoin the molten glass Gm from the melting tank 4 on the downstream side, and It is sequentially transferred to the molding 8.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram (perspective view) of the fourth connection pipe 12 connecting the condition adjusting tank 7 and the molded body 8 and a peripheral portion thereof as viewed obliquely from above. As shown in FIG. 3, the fourth connection pipe 12 has a first bent portion 13 and a second bent portion 14. The upstream end of the first bent portion 13 is connected to the condition adjusting tank 7, and the downstream end of the second bent portion 14 is connected to the molded body 8. The downstream end of the first bent portion 13 and the upstream end of the second bent portion 14 are directly connected. Here, the first bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14 are bent on different virtual planes. For example, the vertical direction is the Z direction, and the flow direction of the molten glass Gm flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank 7 through the inflow port 7d when the condition adjusting tank 7 is viewed from the Z direction (vertical upward) as shown in FIG. Assuming that the Y direction, a direction orthogonal to the flow direction (Y direction), is the X direction, the first bent portion 13 is bent on the YZ plane, and the second bent portion 14 is bent on the XY plane. .

  Further, in terms of the relationship with the flow direction of the molten glass Gm reaching the condition adjusting tank 7, the first bent portion 13 is, as shown in FIG. The bent portion 13 is bent in the first direction d1 in the same direction as the reference flow direction d0 when viewed in a plan view (as viewed from vertically above). Here, the reference flow direction d0 refers to the flow direction of the molten glass Gm when flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank 7 from the side of the homogenizing tank 6 through the inflow port 7d. Therefore, the reference flow direction d0 is the same as the flow direction of the molten glass Gm into the condition adjusting tank 7 indicated by the reference numeral d0 in FIGS. In the present embodiment, the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions, and the Z direction is a vertical direction. The reference flow direction d0 and the first direction d1 are, as shown in FIG. Both face the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from the horizontal direction, the reference flow direction d0 is slightly obliquely upward from the Y direction, and the first direction d1 is oriented in the Y direction. As in the present embodiment, when the outlet 7e of the condition adjusting tank 7 faces vertically downward, the first bent portion 13 bends 90 ° from the Z direction (vertical direction) to the Y direction (horizontal direction). I have.

  Similarly, in terms of the relationship with the flow direction of the molten glass Gm reaching the condition adjusting tank 7, the second bent portion 14 is, as shown in FIG. It is bent in the second direction d2 in the left or right direction with respect to the reference flow direction d0 when viewed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the reference flow direction d0 is in the Y direction when viewed from vertically above, whereas the second direction d2 is (the positive direction of) the X direction. Is facing. The angle between the reference flow direction d0 and the second direction d2 is 90 °. Therefore, the angle between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2 is also 90 °. In this case, the second bent portion 14 is bent 90 ° from the Y direction (horizontal direction) in the X direction (horizontal direction).

  Next, an example of a method of manufacturing a glass article using the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described, particularly focusing on a flow mode of the molten glass Gm from the conditioning tank 7 to the molded body 8.

  When manufacturing a glass article using the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, first, a glass raw material is charged into a melting tank 4 located at the uppermost stream area of a melting line 2, By melting the raw materials, molten glass Gm is generated. Next, the molten glass Gm is supplied to the fining tank 5 via the first connection pipe 9, and the molten glass Gm clarified in the fining tank 5 is supplied to the homogenization tank 6 via the second connection pipe 10. The molten glass Gm supplied to the homogenizing tank 6 is homogenized by stirring or the like, and then supplied to the condition adjusting tank 7 through the third connection pipe 11. The molten glass Gm whose flow rate has been adjusted, for example, in the condition adjusting tank 7 is supplied to the molded body 8 through the fourth connection pipe 12. In the molded body 8, the molten glass Gm is formed into a strip-shaped glass ribbon Gr by, for example, an overflow down draw method. The formed glass ribbon Gr is conveyed on a processing line 3 extending in parallel with the melting line 2 and subjected to the above-described appropriate processing or processing such as cutting, thereby obtaining, for example, a glass roll. In this way, the production of glass articles is performed continuously.

  By the way, when manufacturing glass articles continuously by the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, a stagnant region R1 of the molten glass Gm may be generated at the bottom of the homogenization tank 6, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In this case, the molten glass Gm1 ′ in the stagnation region R1 flows into the conditioning tank 7 through the lower portion of the third connection pipe 11, and the outlet 7e is closer to the homogenization tank 6 (in the XYZ coordinate system). −Y direction side) to reach the fourth connection pipe 12. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, a stagnant region R2 of the molten glass Gm may be generated at the top of the condition adjusting tank 7 (the region above the inlet 7d in the upper part 7a). In this case, the molten glass Gm2 'in the stagnation region R2 reaches the fourth connection pipe 12 through the side of the outlet 7e close to the molded body 8 (the side in the + Y direction in the XYZ coordinate system).

  Here, in the present invention, as for the fourth connecting pipe 12 for connecting the condition adjusting tank 7 and the molded body 8, the fourth connecting pipe 12 is provided with the first bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14 (FIG. 3), and the bending direction (first direction d1) of the first bending portion 13 connected to the outlet 7e of the condition adjusting tank 7 is changed to the reference flow direction d0 when the first bending portion 13 is viewed in plan. (See FIG. 4). By setting the bending direction of the first bent portion 13 in this manner, the molten glass Gm1 'in the stagnant region R1 reaches the lower portion 14a of the second bent portion 14 through the outer region 13a of the first bent portion 13. Alternatively, the molten glass Gm2 'in the stagnation region R2 reaches the upper portion 14b of the second bent portion 14 through the inner region 13b of the first bent portion 13 (refer to FIG. 6). Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the second bent portion 14 is directed to the left or right from the first direction d1 with respect to the reference flow direction d0 in a state where the second bent portion 14 is viewed in a plan view (this embodiment). Since the molten glass Gm1 ′ in the stagnation region R1 continues to flow through the lower portion 14a of the fourth connection pipe 12 (the second bent portion 14), it reaches the lower portion of the inlet 8c of the molded body 8 because it is bent leftward. . Alternatively, the molten glass Gm2 ′ in the stagnation region R2 continues through the upper portion 14b of the fourth connection pipe 12 (the second bent portion 14) to reach the upper portion of the inlet 8c of the molded body 8 (both refer to FIG. 7). . The molten glass Gm1 ', Gm2' of each of the stagnant regions R1, R2 flowing into the inside of the molded body 8 becomes both ends Gr1, Gr2 in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the positions of the molten glasses Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ in the stagnant regions R1 and R2 when flowing into the fourth connection pipe 12 can be adjusted by the upper or lower part of the fourth connection pipe 12. Since the molten glass Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ can be maintained as much as possible and supplied to the molded body 8, these foreign glass melts Gm1 ′ and Gm2 ′ remain on the processed glass ribbon Gr and the quality of the product is reduced as much as possible. Can be prevented. Further, the bending direction of the second bent portion 14 may be any one of the left and right directions with respect to the reference flow direction d0 in a state where the second bent portion 14 is viewed in a plan view. By appropriately setting the direction d2 within the above range, it is possible to relatively freely set the direction of the molded body 8 and the direction of the processing line 3 of the glass ribbon Gr formed by the molded body 8.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the inflow port 8c of the molded body 8 is provided in a direction orthogonal to both side surfaces 8b, 8b through which the molten glass Gm overflowing from the upper overflow groove 8a flows down, and the second bent portion is formed. The angle between the first direction 14 before bending and the second direction d2 after bending was set to 90 °. By determining the bending angle of the second bent portion 14 and the posture thereof in relation to the inlet 8c of the molded body 8 in this manner, the reference flow direction d0 and the main surface of the glass ribbon Gr formed by the molded body 8 are determined. The orientation can be matched. After the formed glass ribbon Gr is drawn downward, it is conveyed while changing its direction in the horizontal direction via the catenary. According to the above configuration, the melting line 2 and the processing line 3 are arranged in a straight line. (See FIG. 2). This makes it possible to narrow the glass roll production line in the width direction, which is suitable, for example, when a plurality of glass roll production apparatuses 1 (production lines) are arranged in parallel.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concern on this invention employ | adopt various forms within the range of this invention, without being limited to the said embodiment. Is possible.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the reference flow direction d0 (when flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank 7 via the inflow port 7d) is a reference when defining the bending directions of the first bending section 13 and the second bending section 14. Although the case where the flow direction of the molten glass Gm) is slightly obliquely higher than the horizontal direction has been illustrated, the reference flow direction d0 may be, for example, the horizontal direction, or may be other directions. Similarly, the reference flow direction d0 and the first direction d1 may not be parallel in the XYZ coordinate system, and as described above, the reference flow direction d0 and the first It is sufficient that the one direction d1 is the same direction. Further, the second direction d2 is not limited to the horizontal direction. It is sufficient that the second direction d2 forms a predetermined angle (not the same direction) with respect to the reference flow direction d0 when viewed from vertically above. In addition, from the above, the bending angle (the angle between the direction of the outlet 7e of the condition adjusting tank 7 and the first direction d1) in the first bending portion 13 is not limited to 90 °. Similarly, the bending angle (the angle between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2) at the second bending portion 14 is not limited to 90 °, but may be any angle within a range satisfying the above-described conditions.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the third connection pipe 11 having a constant outer diameter is connected to the condition adjusting tank 7 is illustrated (see FIG. 5), but other connection forms are of course also possible. It is. FIG. 13 is an enlarged front view of a connection portion between the third connection pipe 11 and the condition adjusting tank 7 according to an example (another embodiment of the present invention). As shown in FIG. 13, the third connection pipe 11 is located between the main body 11 a and the main body 11 a and the condition adjusting tank 7 side, and has a cross-sectional area from the main body 11 a to the condition adjusting tank 7 side. (A cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, hereinafter simply referred to as “cross-sectional area”). Thereby, the main body 11a of the third connection pipe 11 and the condition adjusting tank 7 are connected via the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b.

  In the present embodiment, assuming that the cross-sectional area of the main body 11a of the third connection pipe 11 is S1 and the cross-sectional area of the upper part 7a of the condition adjusting tank 7 is S2, the cross-sectional area S1 of the main body 11a is the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper part 7a. Different from the above, more specifically, the cross-sectional area S1 of the main body 11a is smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a. In this case, the shape of the inner surface 11c of the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b is set such that the cross-sectional area of the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b gradually increases from the main body portion 11a side toward the condition adjusting tank 7 side. Specifically, the shape of the vertical cross section (cross section along the longitudinal direction) of the inner surface 11c of the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b is an arc shape. For this reason, the inner surface 11c of the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b has a cylindrical shape, and the diameter thereof is increased from the main body 11a toward the condition adjusting tank 7.

  The cross-sectional area S1 of the main body 11a is preferably set to be 0.75 times or more and 1.25 times or less the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a. When the cross-sectional area S1 of the main body 11a is smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper part 7a as in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area S1 of the main body 11a is 0.75 times or more the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper part 7a. And it is good to set to 0.96 times or less. For example, the inner diameter of the main body 11a can be set to 150 mm or more and 300 mm or less, and the radius of curvature of the inner surface 11c of the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b can be set to 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, preferably 20 mm It is preferable to set it to not less than 40 mm.

  The lower portion 7b of the condition adjusting tank 7 and the upstream end 13c of the first bending portion 13 are cut off (in a state where the lower portion 7b of the condition adjusting tank 7 does not contact the upstream end 13c of the first bending portion 13). In addition, the molten glass Gm can be supplied from the condition adjusting tank 7 side to the first bending portion 13 side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, in a state where the lower portion 7 b is inserted into the inner periphery of the upstream end 13 c of the first bent portion 13, the molten glass Gm whose state has been adjusted in the state adjusting tank 7 is removed from the molten glass Gm. It can be supplied to the molded body 8 through the one bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14 (the fourth connection pipe 12).

  Here, assuming that the cross-sectional area of the lower portion 7b of the condition adjusting tank 7 is S3 and the cross-sectional area of the upstream end 13c of the first bent portion 13 is S4, the cross-sectional area S3 of the lower portion 7b is equal to the cross-sectional area S4 of the upstream end 13c. It is preferable to set it to 0.75 times or more and 0.96 times or less.

  Further, when the third connection pipe 11 has the above configuration, the viscosity of the molten glass Gm passing through the cross-sectional area changing portion 11b between the main body 11a and the condition adjusting tank 7 is preferably set to 800 Pa · s or more. It is more preferably set to 1000 Pa · s or more. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of suppressing devitrification, it is preferable that the viscosity of the molten glass Gm passing through the cross-sectional area change portion 11b be set to 50,000 Pa · s or less.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the third connecting pipe 11 has a cross-sectional area in which the cross-sectional area gradually changes from the main body 11a to the state adjusting tank 7 between the main body 11a and the state adjusting tank 7. It has a changing part 11b. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a separated flow is generated in the molten glass Gm flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank 7 from the third connection pipe 11 as much as possible, and to prevent the molten glass Gm stagnating at the bottom of the homogenizing tank 6. The glass Gm1 ′ (see FIG. 6) passes through the outer region 13a of the first bent portion 13 and the lower portion 14a of the second bent portion 14, and one end Gr2 in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr of the molded body 8 (see FIG. 6). 7) can surely flow into the region. In addition, the molten glass Gm2 ′ stagnating in the upper portion 7a of the condition adjusting tank 7 passes through the inner region 13b of the first bent portion 13 and the upper portion 14b of the second bent portion 14 and passes through the glass ribbon Gr of the molded body 8. It is possible to reliably flow into the region that becomes the other end Gr1 in the width direction (see FIG. 7). As described above, according to the method and the apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to the present embodiment, the foreign molten glass Gm1 ′ (Gm2 ′) that causes a molding defect remains on the processed glass ribbon Gr, and is used as a product. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the quality of the glass article is deteriorated as much as possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the molten glass Gm whose condition has been adjusted in the condition adjusting tank 7 in a state where the lower portion 7b of the condition adjusting tank 7 is inserted into the inner periphery of the upstream end 13c of the first bending portion 13 is Although the case where it is possible to supply the molded body 8 through the first bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14 (the fourth connection pipe 12) has been exemplified, it is needless to say that the upstream end 13c of the first bent portion 13 is connected to the condition adjusting tank 7. May be directly connected to the lower part (outflow port 7e). In addition, the connection form between the fourth connection pipe 12 (the first bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14) and the condition adjusting tank 7 and the molded body 8 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is not shown, for example. However, the outlet 7e of the condition adjusting tank 7 and the first bent portion 13 may be connected via a cylindrical connecting pipe extending linearly, or may be formed via the above-described cylindrical connecting pipe. The inlet 8c of the body 8 and the second bent portion 14 may be connected. Further, the first bent portion 13 and the second bent portion 14 may be connected via the above-described cylindrical connection pipe.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the glass roll is obtained from the glass ribbon Gr in the processing line 3 is exemplified. However, the glass plate may be obtained from the belt-shaped glass ribbon Gr in the processing line 3. In this case, the processing line 3 cuts a glass sheet sequentially from the glass ribbon Gr by cutting the glass ribbon Gr along the width direction at predetermined intervals in addition to the above-described slow cooling processing section and cooling section. It has one cutting part and a second cutting part for removing both ends in the width direction of the glass plate by cutting.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manufacturing apparatus of glass article 2 Melting line 3 Processing line 4 Melting tank 5 Refining tank 6 Homogenization tank 7 Conditioning tank 7a Inflow port 7b Outflow port 8 Molded body 8a Overflow grooves 8b, 8b Side faces 8c Inflow port 9 First Connecting pipe 10 Second connecting pipe 11 Third connecting pipe 12 Fourth connecting pipe 13 First bending portion 13a Outside area 13b Inner area 14 Second bending section 14a Lower part 14b Upper part 104 Connecting pipe (configuration used for comparison)
106 Connection tube (conventional configuration)
D0 Glass ribbon feeding direction Gm Molten glass Gm1 ', Gm2' Molten glass Gr in stagnant area Glass ribbon Gr1, Gr2 Both ends R1, R2 in width direction Stagnant area d0 Reference flow direction (inflow direction into condition adjusting tank)
d1 first direction d2 second direction

Claims (5)

A generating step of generating molten glass in a molten glass generating apparatus, a state adjusting step of adjusting the state of the generated molten glass in a state adjusting tank, and supplying the molten glass whose state has been adjusted to a molded body. Comprising a forming step of forming a glass ribbon, a method of manufacturing a glass article,
An outlet of the condition adjusting tank and an inlet of the molded body are connected by a connection pipe having a first bent portion and a second bent portion,
The outlet of the condition adjusting tank and the first bent portion are connected, and the second bent portion and the inlet of the molded body are connected,
When the flow direction of the molten glass at the time of flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank from the side of the molten glass generation device is a reference flow direction,
The first bent portion is bent in the first direction in the same direction as the reference flow direction in a state where the first bent portion is viewed from above, from the same direction as the outlet of the condition adjusting tank, and The two bends, from the first direction, the second bend in a state viewed in a plan view, the glass is characterized by being bent in the second direction of the right or left direction with respect to the reference flow direction Article manufacturing method.   The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are both horizontal directions. The molded body is for molding the glass ribbon by flowing down the molten glass overflowing from the overflow groove along both side surfaces,
The inflow port of the molded body is provided in a direction orthogonal to the directions of the both side surfaces, and an angle formed by the first direction and the second direction is set to 90 °. 3. The method for producing a glass article according to item 2.   The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 3, wherein the glass article is a glass roll formed by winding the glass ribbon into a roll. A molten glass generating apparatus that generates molten glass, a condition adjusting tank that adjusts the state of the generated molten glass, and a formed body that flows down the molten glass whose state has been adjusted to form the glass ribbon. In a manufacturing apparatus of a glass article provided,
An outlet of the condition adjusting tank and an inlet of the molded body are connected by a connection pipe having a first bent portion and a second bent portion,
The outlet of the condition adjusting tank and the first bent portion are connected, and the second bent portion and the inlet of the molded body are connected,
When the flow direction of the molten glass at the time of flowing into the inside of the condition adjusting tank from the side of the molten glass generation device and the reference flow direction,
The first bent portion is bent in the first direction in the same direction as the reference flow direction in a state where the first bent portion is viewed from above, from the same direction as the outlet of the condition adjusting tank, and The two bends, from the first direction, the glass is characterized in that the second bend is bent in a second direction in a right or left direction with respect to the reference flow direction in a state in a plan view. Article manufacturing equipment.

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