KR20140065400A - Isolator for use in separating glass sheets from a glass ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed an isolator system 13 that is used between a full roll assembly 140 of a glass manufacturing system 100 and a scoring / separating assembly 150 to produce a glass ribbon 11 from which a glass sheet 15 is separated . Characterized in that said isolator system (13) comprises S-shaped edge guides (30), said S-shaped edge guides (30) Abuts the opposing edges of the ribbon (11) so that the centerline (18) of the ribbon intersects the curve of the S shape. The isolator system 13 is configured to move the glass ribbon 13 on the isolator system 13 as a result of a force applied to the ribbon 11 by the scoring / separating assembly 150 below the isolator system 13. [ Thereby reducing the motion and / or stress of the substrate 11. A method of manufacturing glass sheets (15) using an isolator system (13) and a glass manufacturing system (100) using the isolator system (13) is also disclosed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an isolator used for separating a glass sheet from a glass ribbon,

This application is a priority claim of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 536,607, filed September 20, 2011, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to the production of glass sheets, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for separating individual glass sheets from a moving glass ribbon.

Within this context, the following phrase / term has the following meaning / scope of right:

(1) The term "glass" includes both glass and glass-ceramics.

(2) The phrase "substantially vertical" means within ± 10 ° of full vertical.

(3) The phrase "substantially flat" means that the maximum deviation from full flat is less than 20 millimeters.

The fusion process is one of the basic techniques used in glass making technology to manufacture sheet glass. See, for example, Varshneya, Arun K., "Flat Glass", Fundamentals of Inorganic Glasses, Academic Press, Inc., Boston, 1994, Chapter 20, Section 4.2., 534-540. Compared to other processes known in the art, such as float and slot drawing processes, the bonding process produces a glass sheet having a better surface in terms of flatness and smoothness . As a result, the bonding process is particularly important for the manufacture of glass substrates used in the manufacture of displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

The bonding process, particularly the overflow downdraw fusion process, is disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 3,338,696 and 3,682,609 to Stuart M. Dockerty. A schematic diagram of an exemplary glass manufacturing system 100 that uses a bonding process to make glass sheets 15 is shown in FIG. As shown, the glass manufacturing system 100 includes a melting vessel 110, a fining vessel 115, a mixing vessel 120 (e.g., a stir chamber 120) Includes a container 125 (e.g., a bowl 125), a fusion draw machine (FDM) 141, and a traveling anvil machine (TAM)

The melting vessel 110 is where the glass batch materials melt and melt to form the molten glass 126. The quenching vessel 115 (e.g., a finer tube 115) has a high-temperature processing zone to receive molten glass 126 (not shown at this point in Figure 1) from the melting vessel 110 , The bubbles are removed from the molten glass 126 in the above-mentioned quenching container. The calibrating vessel 115 is connected to the mixing vessel 120 (e.g., the stirring chamber 120) by a stirring chamber connecting tube 122 (in a clarifier) and the mixing vessel 120 is connected And is connected to the transfer container 125 by the bowl connection pipe 127.

The transfer vessel 125 transfers the molten glass 126 to the FDM 141 via a downcomer 130 where the FDM 141 is connected to the inlet 132, For example, an isopipe 135), and a pull roll assembly 140. As shown, the molten glass 126 from the downcomer 130 flows into the through-opening 136 of the side of the inlet pipe 132, the molding vessel 135, to the trough 137. The molten glass overflows at the top of the trough 137 (i.e., overflows from the weirs of the trough), before being joined together in a configuration known as the root 139, And then travels down toward the sides 138a and 138b. In particular, the root 139 is where the two sides 138a and 138b of the molding vessel are joined, and the two overflowing sheets of molten glass 126 join together to form the glass ribbon 11 Where the glass ribbon 11 is pulled downward by the full roll assembly 140.

Because the edges of the glass ribbon ("beads") are thicker than the center of the glass ribbon, the glass ribbon exhibits different cooling rates in the across-the-ribbon direction. These different cooling rates are provided in turn in a temporary configuration (e.g., a bow) of the ribbon, and are provided in two directions, the transverse direction of the ribbon and the downward direction of the ribbon.

The full roll assembly 140 can be used to separate the drawn glass ribbon 11 (which has a curved / curved shape at the point of the process) into a scoring / separating assembly 150 (e.g., Separating assembly includes a flat nosing device 152 and a scoring device 154 in the base form of the scoring / separating assembly, and wherein the flat tip device and / The scoring device is used to score and separate the curved glass ribbon 11 into separate glass sheets 15 (an enlarged top view of the TAM 150 shown in FIG. 1). The scoring device 154 is not used until the flat end device 152 comes into contact with the curved glass ribbon 11. [ In a process known as "pressing ", the ribbon tends to flatten when it abuts a flat tip. The scoring device 154 then scales the scoring wheel 156 where the scoring wheel scans the glass ribbon 11 and further pushes the ribbon towards the front end ironing "). After scoring, the flattened glass ribbon 11 is bent and separated in a direction perpendicular to the original curved surface of the glass ribbon to produce a separate sheet of glass (in FIG. 1, under the scoring / separating assembly 150) Sheet 15).

The pressing process, the ironing process, the scoring process, and the separation process cause the motion of the glass ribbon 11 in which the continuous ribbon moves upward. As a result, this motion source is due to the generation of two specifications for the final product or glass sheets 15. First, motion can create an internal stress change in the ribbon and in the glass sheets cut from the ribbon. Secondly, this low motion can cause a change in shape in the viscoelastic part of the ribbon, thereby causing the product shape to "freeze ". The stressed glass sheet 15 can be twisted / twisted, and when the stressed sheet is cut into small pieces, for example by the display manufacturer, these small pieces can also be twisted / twisted . In view of the strict tolerance associated with display manufacturing, minimizing such deflection / twist is an important challenge in the glass manufacturing industry.

Many techniques have been developed to help reduce the motion of the glass ribbon 11 and thereby reduce the generation of internal stress variations in the ribbon, while the glass ribbon is scored / separated into individual glass sheets . For example, U.S. Patent No. 7,895,861, commonly assigned, describes the use of conformable nosing devices to more closely match the shape of the ribbon during scoring and separation, while the co- The patent application publication US 2006/0042314 describes the use of various non-contact stabilization devices to reduce ribbon motion.

While these approaches can reduce problems associated with stress generation caused by ribbon motion and sheet scoring / separating processes, the thinner and / or wider the glass ribbon, the more problematic the problem becomes, Loses. As a result, additional measures are needed to overcome the above problems. The present invention substantially separates the sheet scoring / separating process from the ribbon forming process to reduce both the adverse effects of ribbon motion and ribbon shape on the sheet scoring / separating process and the adverse effects of the sheet scoring / Method and apparatus.

According to a first aspect, a glass manufacturing system 100 is disclosed, the system comprising:

(a) at least one vessel (110, 115, 120, 125) for melting the batch material and forming a molten glass;

(b) a molding vessel (135) receiving said molten glass and forming a glass ribbon (11) having a center line (18) and two opposing edges;

(c) a full roll assembly (140) for drawing said glass ribbon (11) in a substantially vertical direction; And

(d) a scoring / separating assembly (150) scoring and separating the glass ribbon (11) into individual sheets (15);

The glass manufacturing system 100 includes an isolator system 13 between the full roll assembly 140 and the scoring / separating assembly 150, It is possible to reduce the motion and / or stress of the ribbon 11 on the isolator system 13 such that the force applied to the ribbon 11 by the scoring / separating assembly 150 below the isolator system 13 Shaped edge guides 30, and the S-shaped edge guides can be reduced as a result of the ribs 11, Abuts against two opposing edges of the ribbon (11) as it passes through the isolator system (13), such that the centerline (18) of the ribbon intersects the S-shaped curve, The center line (18) of the ribbon (11) Is substantially vertical before entering the isolator system 13 and exiting the isolator system 13.

Reference numerals used in the foregoing and in the following summary of the various aspects of the present invention are for convenience of reader only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. As should be understood more generally, both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely representative of the invention and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and features of the invention.

Additional technical features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and in part will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and by way of example only, It can be recognized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. It is to be understood that the various features of the invention set forth herein and in the drawings may be used in part or in combination, as described by the following additional aspects.

According to a second aspect, in the provision of the glass manufacturing system of the first aspect, each of the S-shaped edge guides includes a plurality of rollers, wherein each roller is in contact with the surface of the roller Conformity is small enough not to have.

According to a third aspect, in the provision of the glass manufacturing system of the second aspect, (i) each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section recessed in opposite directions, (ii) (Iii) each roller has a diameter of R / n or less, where n is greater than 5;

According to a fourth aspect, in providing a glass manufacturing system according to any one of the first to third aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section, Has a radius of curvature R that satisfies the following relationship:

0.3? R? 5,

Where R is in meters.

According to a fifth aspect, in the provision of the glass manufacturing system of any one of the first to fourth aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section, , Said lower section having an outlet for said glass ribbon, said outlet being offset in a horizontal direction from said inlet by a distance J that satisfies the following relation: < RTI ID = 0.0 >

1? J? 25,

Where the unit of J is millimeter.

According to a sixth aspect, in the provision of the glass manufacturing system of any one of the first to fifth aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has a vertical height H satisfying the following relationship:

25? H? 100,

Where the unit of H is in centimeters.

According to a seventh aspect there is provided an apparatus for scraping / separating a glass ribbon 15 from a scorching / separating assembly 150 used between a full roll assembly 140 and a scoring / separating assembly 150 of a glass manufacturing system 100, Wherein the S-shaped edge guides (30) are arranged such that, during use, the ribbon (11) comprises an edge guide (30) Abuts the opposing edges of the ribbon 11 so that the centerline 18 of the ribbon traverses the curve of the S shape when passing through the laser system 13, Wherein said ribbon is substantially vertical before it enters said isolator system (13) and after it exits said isator system, said isator system (13) Glass Ribbons (11) As a result of the force exerted on the ribbon 11 by the scoring / separating assembly 150 below the isolator system 13, as shown in FIG.

According to an eighth aspect, in the provision of the isolator system of the seventh aspect, each of the S-shaped edge guides includes a plurality of rollers, wherein each roller is configured such that the glass ribbon does not abut the surface of the roller And has a sufficiently small diameter.

According to a ninth aspect, in the provision of the isolator system of the eighth aspect, (i) each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section recessed in mutually opposite directions, (ii) (Iii) each roller has a diameter of R / n or less, where n is greater than 5;

According to a tenth aspect, in the provision of the isolator system of any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section, Has a radius of curvature R that satisfies the following relationship:

0.3? R? 5,

Where R is in meters.

According to an eleventh aspect, in the provision of the isolator system of any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section, , Said lower section having an outlet for said glass ribbon, said outlet being staggered in a horizontal direction from said inlet, staggered by a distance J satisfying the following relation:

1? J? 25,

Where the unit of J is millimeter.

According to a twelfth aspect, in the provision of the isolator system of any one of the seventh to eleventh aspects, each of the S-shaped edge guides has a vertical height H satisfying the following relationship:

25? H? 100,

Where the unit of H is in centimeters.

According to a thirteenth aspect, a method of making a glass sheet is disclosed, the method comprising:

(a) melting a batch material to form a molten glass;

(b) treating said molten glass to form a glass ribbon (11) having a centerline and two opposing edges;

(c) pulling the glass ribbon (11) in a substantially vertical direction, pulling it out using the full roll assembly (140);

(d) scoring the glass ribbon (11) to form a score line; And

(e) separating the glass sheet (15) from the glass ribbon (11) along the score line,

(D) and / or (e) by providing an S-shape to the glass ribbon (11) at a location below the full roll assembly (140) prior to step (d) Wherein the center line (18) of the ribbon (11) is oriented such that the center line (18) of the ribbon (11) The S-shape is substantially perpendicular before and after being provided to the ribbon (11).

According to a fourteenth aspect, in providing the method for producing a glass sheet of the thirteenth aspect, the step of providing an S-shape to the ribbon causes the centerline of the ribbon to be displaced in the horizontal direction by a distance J that satisfies the following relationship :

1? J? 25,

Where the unit of J is millimeter.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the provision of the glass sheet production method of the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the S-shape is provided with a ribbon of vertical distance H that satisfies the following relationship:

25? H? 100,

Where H is in centimeters

According to a sixteenth aspect, in the provision of the glass sheet production method of any one of the thirteenth to fifteenth aspects, at the edges of the glass ribbon, the thickness of the glass ribbon is 2.5 mm or less, and the S- Providing the shape produces a maximum calculated stress at less than 35 MPa at the edges.

According to a seventeenth aspect, in the provision of the glass sheet production method of any one of the thirteenth to sixteenth aspects, the thickness of the glass ribbon along the center line of the ribbon is 0.5 mm or less.

According to an eighteenth aspect, in the provision of the glass sheet production method of any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, the step of providing the S-shape allows the ribbon to be substantially flat in the transverse direction of the ribbon .

According to a nineteenth aspect, in the provision of the glass sheet producing method of any one of the thirteenth to eighteenth aspects, the scoring step and the separating step are performed with flat nosing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a representative prior art glass manufacturing system using a bonding process.
Figures 2-4 are graphs that illustrate the effect of a standard sheet scoring / separating cycle on ribbon motion (ribbon position) as a function of thickness and cycle time, with thicknesses for Figures 2, 3 and 4, respectively, of 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.4 mm.
Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of an exemplary embodiment of the present isator system in the exemplary glass manufacturing system of Figure 1;
6 is a schematic diagram showing a glass ribbon having a typical S-shaped area as a result of passing through the inventor system of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a schematic side view of an S shaped edge guide of a representative embodiment of the isolator system of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a schematic side view of an S shaped edge guide of a representative additional embodiment of the isolator system of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a schematic side view showing representative parameters of an edge guide of an exemplary embodiment of the isolator system of the present invention.
10 is a graph showing the maximum bending stresses calculated for the thickest part of the glass ribbon, for example, the bead of the ribbon, as a function of the bend radius (pit (vertical axis)) for a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 millimeters (psi (horizontal axis)).

2-4 show one of the important challenges posed by a reduction in the thickness of the glass ribbon (i.e., increased ribbon motion). In particular, this figure shows the center position (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) of the glass ribbon at the tip, in the course of the separation cycle (single sheet cycle). The three glass thicknesses are presented as a standard 0.7 mm thickness (Fig. 2) and two thin thicknesses, i.e. 0.5 mm (Fig. 3) and 0.4 mm (Fig. 4). The horizontal grid lines in these figures have a 10 mm space.

As is apparent, when the thickness decreases, the amplitude of the motion substantially increases. Further, as shown in Figs. 2-4, since each glass sheet contains less glass, the separation cycle becomes shorter as the thickness decreases. A short split cycle makes the motion problem worse, because it takes less time to damp out motion during a given cycle. This allows products with standard thicknesses to have a sufficiently long cycle time and stiffness of the ribbon to substantially mitigate small perturbations before the next cycle while reducing the thickness of thin products The fast drawing speed and short cycle time associated with the product (s)) increases the ribbon motion from one sheet cycle to the next sheet cycle, risking a runaway process.

It is generally desirable to provide a ribbon having a warped shape that traverses the direction of motion of the ribbon to assist in stabilizing the glass ribbon while the glass ribbon is being produced Curvature). This flexure shape allows for snapping ("bow-pop") of the ribbon from a concave-towards-the-nosing configuration to a concave-away-from- Quot;). ≪ / RTI >

If the glass ribbon becomes thinner and therefore less rigid, the curvature needs to be increased to avoid flexural rupture. However, when the curvature is increased, there is a greater probability that a crack will occur while the ribbon is pressed / ironed against the tip. Thus, the ribbon scoring / separating process window for thin / small rigid / large size substrates requires, on the one hand, to have a large warp to help minimize bending bursts and, on the other hand, It is related to the fact that cracks occur due to bending.

Warping, flexural rupture and cracking are only three considerations that can harmonize the need to stabilize the ribbon during ribbon production, with the need to successfully and efficiently separate individual glass sheets from the ribbon. Other factors affecting the process include:

(1) Tensile force applied - Some lateral tension applied by vacuum cups can not be used to make the ribbon completely flat against the tip, but is often used before scoring to help flatten the ribbon. do. As the bending magnitude increases for low stiffness ribbons, it becomes difficult to achieve vacuum and tensile forces.

(2) The scoring-ironing process can sometimes push the residual deflection after the stretching step applied to the leading edge, and the residual shape after the stretching force is sufficiently large, like a wave that causes a flip.

(3) Bending - After ironing, some warpage to the leading edge is still often present, and the bending process used to achieve the separation causes this warp to be flat against the leading edge. The portion of the vertical shape created by this flatness can be detrimental to the stability of the sheet on the TAM.

(4) Snap - When the separated sheet snaps from the ribbon, the warp of the ribbon returns and the ribbon bounces off. During the snap, the edges of the ribbon (beads) may be held in place to mitigate the risk of flexural tearing, but the edges also need to eventually be released so that the tip can be retracted.

(5) Nosing Retraction - When separated into individual sheets, the ribbon is now shortened, and when the leading edge is retracted, the entire ribbon is moved to the beginning (short ribbon) position of the ribbon, The location of the ribbons is different due to the length, weight, and temperature field of the ribbon.

(6) Sheet Growth - When the ribbon grows in the longitudinal direction and the two-dimensional temperature field of the ribbon changes, the ribbon warpage and position are different along the drawing length.

In accordance with the present invention, as will be appreciated, owing to the need to bend the ribbon for stability and the need to flatten the ribbon for separation processes (score, bend, snap), multiple ribbon shapes and ribbon motions . Historical approaches have proven difficult to demonstrate flat ribbons while maintaining process stability, which can lead to bottom-of-the-draw (BOD) cycles (ribbon growth, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > conveyor) can be added to the risk of flexural rupture.

According to the present invention, this fundamental collision between stability and separation is solved by separating the lower ribbon from the upper ribbon. 5, the isolator system 13 is introduced between the full roll assembly 140 and the scoring / separating assembly 150 to substantially separate the top ribbon from the BOD ribbon interaction .

In an embodiment, the isolator system 13 may be configured to move through a catenary arc in one horizontal direction, then through a cate- nary arc in opposing horizontal directions (i.e., through a jog) By providing a continuous flat ribbon at the scoring / separation assembly 150 (e.g., at the TAM tip) by positioning the substantially vertical ribbon provided by the full roll assembly, whereby the ribbons, after leaving the isolator, And moves continuously in a vertical plane. In this way, when the ribbon reaches the scoring / separating assembly (e.g., TAM equipment), the ribbon moves as before (i.e., in a substantially vertical direction) It provides an important advantage in that it does. In addition, "S-bend" can cause the ribbon to flatten in the scoring / separating assembly, which is a necessary configuration for the ribbon of the scoring / separating assembly. In addition, "S-bending" can limit the effect of the BOD detachment motion on the FDM underneath that is sufficiently cooled to allow the ribbon to be substantially resiliently actuated. In this way, as a result of the BOD motion, the occurrence of unwanted internal stresses in the ribbon can be reduced.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a glass ribbon 11 subjected to S-bending according to the present invention. As shown, the ribbons have S bent portions lib surrounded up and down by substantially vertical portions 11a and 11c. Due to the S-bending, both of the vertical portions 11a and 11c are substantially perpendicular, but they are not located on the same plane, i.e., the vertical portion 11c is inclined forward It is jogged. If necessary, the protruding phenomenon can occur in the opposite direction, i.e., the vertical portion 11c can protrude backward with respect to the vertical portion 11a. For reference, the nosing line 17 is shown in Fig. Although Fig. 6 is not shown to scale, in practice, as shown in Fig. 6, the leading line 17 has an S-bend (not shown) to take advantage of the stiffness imparted to the ribbon by S-bending during scoring and separating 0.0 > 11b. ≪ / RTI >

As described above, for the stability of the ribbon and various factors affecting the separation process, the isolator including "S-bend" can provide the following advantages in various embodiments:

(a) Ribbon warp-warp is no longer needed for ribbon stability in a scoring / separating assembly (e.g., TAM). Accordingly, the warpage can be managed on the S-bend for ribbon stability during the production process, where "S-bend" provides separation for the ribbon, with respect to the separating action taking place beneath the bottom of the draw area.

(b) The applied tensile force. If desired, for example, to widen the ribbon significantly, the applied tensile force can be applied to the flattened ribbon, which flattened ribbon improves the effectiveness of the applied tensile force, Can be reduced.

(c) Scoring, bending, and snapping - these steps can now occur on flattened ribbons, which can enhance the effectiveness of the steps and reduce variability.

(d) Sheet growth and tip withdrawal-The sheet weight delta and thermal pattern from start to finish still occur, but the separation provided by "S-bend" The adverse effects of this conversion can be reduced and / or at least so that the impact of the weighted delta from cycle to cycle is more consistent.

The S-bend can be achieved through the use of edge guides to which the edges (not the center (quality) part of the ribbon) are contacted, since the center of the ribbon can be the quality part of the separated glass sheets. Figure 7 shows an edge guide 30 in the form of a channel with an S-shape, while Figure 8 shows that the rollers 33 (shown in Figure 7) are provided to reduce the amount of drag applied to the ribbon by the edge guide Is mounted.

When the rollers are used, the number n of rollers is set so that the glass ribbon does not make area contact with the rollers, but rather realizes line contact in the transverse direction of the ribbon, i.e., prevents substantial wrapping of the ribbon around the individual rollers. , So that the tangent point (tangent line) is sufficient. In another approach, the number of rollers n is chosen so that each roller has a sufficiently small diameter to be able to advance on the surface of the roller (unlike the less rigid ribbon conforms to the radius of the roller). Such compliance is undesirable because the bending stress of the glass can exceed safe operating levels (see discussion of FIG. 10 below). In an embodiment, in the S-bend consisting of two arcs with each radius R (see the description of FIG. 9 below), the diameter of the roller may be, for example, R / Here, n is 5 or more.

9 is a schematic diagram showing representative parameters for an edge guide designed to produce a projecting phenomenon with a front and back depth J; If J is relatively small and the protrusion is composed of two arcs (two catenaries) equal to radius R, then the total length of equipment (H _Equipment ) of the edge guide can be calculated from Pythagorean theorem as Can be estimated

식 (1)

Equation (1)

Indeed, H and J reduce the cross-the-ribbon bow on the one hand in the separating / scoring assembly, separate the assembly from the FDM machine, and, on the other hand, Or at least not to excessively increase the pull-out length. In addition, R needs to be large enough to prevent excessive stresses of the ribbon edges from being produced when the ribbon edges pass through the S-bend.

The estimate of the edge stress can be obtained using the Roark's formula for the bending stress? In the sheet as a function of the sheet thickness t and the radius of curvature R:

식 (2)

Equation (2)

Figure 10 shows a ribbon (i.e., it could be the body of ribbons and / or bits, as the case may be) of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm (2) < / RTI > As can be seen from these curves, for a given maximum stress level, a small bending radius can be used with a small maximum thickness. Generally, the maximum safe bending stress for the type of glass used in display applications is in the order of 3000-5000 psi (20-35 MPa), so that the radius of curvature is also estimated to be 15 feet (4.5 Meter). Table 1 is evaluated with equation (1), where R = 15 feet (4.5 meters) and horizontal projections are 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 inches (0.6, 1.3 and 2.5 centimeters) R = 10 feet (3.0 meters) represent the corresponding values (the approximate radius of the ribbon with a maximum thickness of less than 2.0 mm). As these tables show, the integration of the S-bend between the full roll assembly and the scoring / separating assembly can be achieved with edge guides having a relatively short machine length. As should be noted, the smaller the maximum ribbon thickness, the smaller R can be substantially less than 3.0 meters, for example, 0.3 meters.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, as the protrusion size increases, the equipment length also increases. Generally, the projected size, which needs to achieve substantial flatness at the scoring / separating assembly (e.g., the tip of such an assembly) increases, at which time the glass thickness is reduced. Indeed, the appropriate protrusion size for a particular application of the present invention is readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, and may be determined empirically and / or modeled, for example, by a glass ribbon Can be determined by finite element modeling of the stresses at the interface.

Various modifications that do not depart from the scope and spirit of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. For example, although the present invention has been described and illustrated with regard to a bonding factory, other lower drawing processes, such as molding a container, may be used to form a slotted draw process (including a slotted molten glass through the slot rather than an isopipe through which the molten glass flows Drawn). The following claims are intended to include the specific embodiments described herein and, in addition, to variations, changes and equivalents of the embodiments described above and other typologies.

[Table 1]

[Table 2]

Claims (14)

In a glass manufacturing system,
(a) at least one vessel for melting the batch material and forming a molten glass;
(b) receiving said molten glass and forming a glass ribbon having a centerline and two opposing edges;
(c) a full roll assembly for drawing said glass ribbon in a substantially vertical direction; And
(d) a scoring / separating assembly for scoring and separating the glass ribbon into individual sheets,
Wherein the glass manufacturing system includes an isolator system between the full roll assembly and the scoring / separating assembly, wherein the isolator system is capable of reducing motion and / or stress of the ribbon on the isolator system, As a result of the force exerted on the ribbon by the scoring / separating assembly under the lighter system,
Said isolator system comprising S-shaped edge guides,
The S-shaped edge guides being in contact with two opposing edges of the ribbon when the ribbon passes through the isator system so that the centerline of the ribbon traverses the S-shaped curve,
Wherein the centerline of the ribbon is substantially vertical before the ribbon enters the isator system and exits the isator system.
CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. An isolator system for use between a full roll assembly and a scoring / separating assembly of a glass manufacturing system for producing a glass ribbon from which a glass sheet is separated,
Said isolator system comprising S-shaped edge guides,
Said S-shaped edge guides being in use in contact with opposing edges of said ribbon during passage of said ribbon through said isolator system such that a centerline of said ribbon intersects a curve of S- Wherein the centerline is substantially vertical before the ribbon enters the isolator system and after exiting the isolator system,
The isator system may, during use, reduce motion and / or stress of the glass ribbon on the isator system, wherein, as a result of the force exerted on the ribbon by the scoring / separating assembly under the isolator system, Isolator system that can.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the S-shaped edge guides includes a plurality of rollers,
Each roller having a diameter sufficiently small such that the glass ribbon does not conform to the surface of the roller.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
(i) each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section recessed in opposite directions,
(ii) each section has a radius of curvature R, and
(iii) each roller has a diameter of R / n or less, wherein n is greater than 5.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section,
Each of the upper section and the lower section having a radius of curvature R satisfying the following relationship:
0.3? R? 5,
Where the unit of R is the meter.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the S-shaped edge guides has an upper section and a lower section,
Wherein the upper section has an inlet for the glass ribbon and the lower section has an outlet for the glass ribbon and the outlet is offset in a horizontal direction from the inlet by a distance J that satisfies the following relationship: :
1? J? 25,
Where J is in millimeters.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the S-shaped edge guides has a vertical height H that satisfies the following relationship:
25? H? 100,
Where H is in centimeters.
A method for producing a glass sheet,
(a) melting a batch material to form a molten glass;
(b) treating said molten glass to form a glass ribbon having a centerline and two opposing edges;
(c) pulling the glass ribbon in a substantially vertical direction, and drawing using a full roll assembly;
(d) scoring the glass ribbon to form a score line; And
(e) separating the glass sheet from the glass ribbon along the score line,
The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising providing an S-shape to the glass ribbon at a position below the full roll assembly prior to step (d) Shaped ribs, wherein the centerline of the ribbons is formed before and after the S-shape is provided to the ribbon and substantially perpendicular to the R- Of the glass sheet.
The method of claim 8,
The step of providing an S-shape to the ribbon causes the centerline of the ribbon to be displaced in the horizontal direction by a distance J that satisfies the following relationship:
1? J? 25,
Wherein the unit of J is millimeters.
The method of claim 8,
The S-shape is provided with a ribbon of vertical distance H that satisfies the following relationship:
25? H? 100,
Wherein the unit of H is centimeters.
The method of claim 8,
At the edges of the glass ribbon, the thickness of the glass ribbon is less than 2.5 millimeters, and providing the S-shape produces a maximum calculated stress at less than 35 MPa at the edges.
The method of claim 8,
Wherein the thickness of the glass ribbon along the centerline of the ribbon is 0.5 millimeters or less.
The method of claim 8,
Wherein providing the S-shape is such that the ribbon is substantially flat in the transverse direction of the ribbon.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the scoring step and the separating step are performed with a flat tip.

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