KR20190012264A - Apparatus and method for glass transportation work - Google Patents

Abstract

Glass manufacturing apparatus and methods include molding apparatus and melting and transporting components. The melting and transporting component is configured to flow the molten glass along a transport path extending along at least a portion of the fusing and transporting component in a first direction. The molding apparatus extends in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction.

Description

Apparatus and method for glass transportation work

This disclosure generally relates to apparatus and methods for manufacturing glass articles, and more specifically to apparatus and methods for manufacturing glass articles in a plurality of shipping directions.

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/353881, filed June 23, 2016, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

In the manufacture of glass sheets for display applications, including glass articles such as televisions and portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets, there is a continuing need to increase the efficiency and flexibility of processes and devices for the production of these glass articles Lt; / RTI >

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing glass articles.

The embodiments disclosed herein include a glass article manufacturing apparatus. The apparatus includes a molding apparatus and a melting and conveying component configured to flow molten glass along a conveying path that extends along at least a portion of the melting and conveying component along a first direction. The molding apparatus extends in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction.

The embodiments disclosed herein include a method of manufacturing a glass article. The method includes processing the glass melt along a melting and conveying component configured to flow the molten glass along a conveying path extending in a first direction along at least a portion of the melting and conveying component. The method also includes processing the glass melt in a molding apparatus. The molding apparatus extends in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction.

Additional features and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > embodiment < / RTI > as described herein.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments that are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed embodiments. The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and serve to explain the principles and operations thereof, along with the description.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus and process.
Figure 2 is a top view of an exemplary apparatus and process embodiment of Figure 1 wherein the molding apparatus is oriented such that the sheet transport component extends in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction as described herein.
3 is an exploded plan view showing the relationship between the longitudinal direction of the molding apparatus and the first direction as described herein, and the relationship between the orientation of the inlet conduit of the molding apparatus to the outlet conduit of the carrier container.
4 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the exemplary apparatus and process of FIG. 1 wherein the molding apparatus is oriented such that the sheet carrying component extends in a second direction approximately the same as the first direction as described herein.
Figure 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the exemplary apparatus and process of Figure 1 wherein the forming apparatus is oriented such that the sheet carrying component extends in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction as described herein.
6 is a plan cut view of a molding apparatus according to embodiments disclosed herein, wherein the height of the molding apparatus can be independently adjustable in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction.

Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Ranges may be expressed herein as "about" one particular value and / or to "about" another specific value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes the one specific value and / or the other specific value. Similarly, it will be appreciated that when values are expressed as approximations, for example, by use of the "about" preceding, the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the respective end points of the ranges are meaningful in relation to the other end points and independently of the other end points.

As used herein, directional terms-for example, up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom-are only made with reference to the figures as shown, It does not.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, no method presented herein is to be construed as requiring that the steps be performed in any particular order, nor is it intended that a particular orientation be required in any arrangement. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the claims of the method do not actually refer to the order in which the steps should be followed, or that any device claim does not actually refer to the order or orientation to the individual components or that the steps are limited to a particular order. In no case are orders or orientations intended to be inferred unless specifically stated or a particular order or orientation of the components of the device is not mentioned. This is a matter of logic related to the placement of the steps, the workflow, the order of the components, or the orientation of the components; Ordinary meanings derived from grammatical composition or punctuation; Quot; applies to any possible non-expressive basis for interpretation, including the number or type of embodiments described herein.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural objects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an "a" component includes aspects having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1 is an exemplary glass making apparatus 10. In some instances, the glass manufacturing apparatus 10 may include a glass fusing furnace 12, which may include a melting vessel 14. In addition to the melting vessel 14, the glass fusing furnace 12 may optionally include one or more additional components, such as heating the raw materials to convert the raw materials into heating components (e. G., Combustion burners or electrodes ). In additional examples, the glass fusing furnace 12 may include thermal management devices (e. G., Insulating components) that reduce heat loss from the vicinity of the melting vessel. In additional examples, the glass fusing furnace 12 may include electronic devices and / or electromechanical devices that facilitate melting of the raw materials into the glass melt. The glass fusing furnace 12 may also include support structures (e.g., a support chassis, support member) or other components.

The glass melting vessel 14 is typically comprised of a refractory material, such as a refractory ceramic material, for example, refractory ceramic material comprising alumina or zirconia. In some instances, the glass melt vessel 14 may be comprised of refractory ceramic bricks. Specific embodiments of the glass melt vessel 14 will be described in more detail below.

In some instances, the glass fusing furnace may be included as a component of a glass substrate, for example, a glass manufacturing apparatus for producing continuous length glass ribbon. In some instances, the glass fusing furnace of the present disclosure may be used in a slot draw device, a float bath device, such as a down-draw device such as a fusion process, an up-draw device, a press-rolling device, a tube drawing device, As a component of a glass making apparatus that includes any other glass making apparatus that can obtain the same. By way of example, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a glass fusing furnace 12 as a component of a fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus 10 for fusion drawing glass ribbons for subsequent processing into individual glass sheets.

The glass manufacturing apparatus 10 (e.g., the fusion down-draw apparatus 10) may optionally include an upstream glass manufacturing apparatus 16 positioned upstream with respect to the glass melt vessel 14. [ In some embodiments, some or all of the upstream glass manufacturing apparatus 16 may be included as part of the glass fusing furnace 12.

As shown in the illustrated example, the upstream glass manufacturing apparatus 16 may include a reservoir 18, a raw material conveying apparatus 20, and a motor 22 connected to the raw material conveying apparatus. The reservoir 18 may be configured to store a large quantity of raw materials 24 that may be fed into the melting vessel 14 of the glass fusing furnace 12 as indicated by the arrow 26. Raw materials 24 typically include one or more glass-forming metal oxides and one or more modifying agents. The raw material conveying device 20 can be driven by the motor 22 to allow the raw material conveying device 20 to convey a predetermined amount of the raw material 24 from the reservoir 18 to the melting vessel 13. [ have. In further examples, the motor 22 may drive the raw material delivery device 20 to dispense the raw material 24 at a controlled rate based on the level of molten glass sensed downstream from the molten container 14. The raw material 24 in the melting vessel 14 may then be heated to form the molten glass 28.

The glass manufacturing apparatus 10 may also optionally include a downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 positioned downstream relative to the glass fusing furnace 12. [ In some instances, a portion of the downstream glass making apparatus 30 may be included as part of the glass fusing furnace 12. In some cases, the first connecting conduit 32 discussed below, or other parts of the downstream glass making apparatus 30, may be included as part of the glass fusing furnace 12. The components of the downstream glass manufacturing apparatus including the first connecting conduit 32 may be formed from a noble metal. Suitable noble metals include platinum group metals selected from the group of metals consisting of platinum, iridium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium, and palladium, or alloys thereof. For example, the downstream components of the glass manufacturing apparatus may be formed from a platinum-rhodium alloy comprising about 70% to about 90% platinum by mass and about 10% to about 30% rhodium by mass. However, other suitable metals may include molybdenum, palladium, rhenium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, and alloys thereof.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a first conditioning (i.e., processing) vessel, e.g., a purifying vessel 34, located downstream from the lysing vessel 14 and coupled to the melting vessel 14 via the first connecting conduit 32 ). In some instances, the molten glass 28 may be supplied by gravity from the melting vessel 14 to the clarifying vessel 34 via the first connecting conduit 32. For example, gravity may cause the molten glass 28 to pass through the internal path of the first connecting conduit 32 from the melting vessel 14 to the clarifying vessel 34. It should be understood, however, that other conditioning vessels may be located downstream of the melting vessel 14, for example, between the melting vessel 14 and the purifying vessel 34. In some embodiments, a conditioning vessel may be used between the melting vessel and the purifying vessel, wherein the molten glass from the main vessel is further heated before entering the purifying vessel to continue the fusing process, Is cooled to a temperature lower than the temperature of the molten glass in the molten glass.

The bubbles can be removed from the molten glass 28 in the clarification vessel 34 by a variety of techniques. For example, the raw materials 24 may comprise polyatomic compounds (e. G., Clarifiers), e. G., Tin oxide, which upon exposure to heating undergo a chemical reduction reaction to release oxygen. Other suitable fining agents include, without limitation, arsenic, antimony, iron, and cerium. The purifying vessel (34) is heated to a temperature higher than that of the melting vessel, thereby heating the molten glass and the refining agent. The oxygen bubbles produced by the temperature-induced chemical reduction of the refining agent (s) rise through the refractory glass in the refining vessel, and the gases in the refractory glass produced in the fusing furnace, And may be diffused or combined with the oxygen bubbles. The enlarged gas bubbles can then be raised to the free surface of the molten glass in the purifying vessel and then vented out of the purifying vessel. The oxygen bubbles may further induce mechanical fusion of the molten glass in the purifying vessel.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include another conditioning vessel, for example, a mixing vessel 35 for mixing the molten glass. The mixing vessel 36 may be located downstream from the purifying vessel 34. The mixing vessel 36 may be used to provide a uniform glass melt composition and thereby reduce the cords of chemical or thermal non-uniformity that may be present in the clarified molten glass exiting the clarifying vessel. As shown, the clarifying vessel 34 may be coupled to the hopping vessel 36 via a second connecting conduit 38. In some instances, the molten glass 28 may be supplied by gravity from the clarifying vessel 34 to the mixing vessel 36 via the second connecting conduit 38. For example, gravity may cause the molten glass 28 to pass through the internal path of the second connecting conduit 38 to the refining container 34 and to the mixing vessel 36. It should be noted that while the mixing vessel 36 is shown downstream of the purifying vessel 34, the mixing vessel 36 may be located upstream of the purifying vessel 34. In some embodiments, the downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may include a plurality of mixing vessels, for example, a mixing vessel upstream from the purifying vessel 34 and a mixing vessel downstream from the purifying vessel 34. These multiple mixing vessels may be of the same design or of different designs.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include another conditioning vessel, for example, a transport vessel 40 that may be located downstream from the melting vessel 36. The transport vessel 40 can condition the molten glass 28 to be fed into the downstream molding apparatus. For example, the transport vessel 40 may serve as an accumulator and / or a flow controller for controlling and / or providing continuous flow of the molten glass 28 to the shaped body 42 through the outlet conduit 44 . As shown, the mixing vessel 36 may be coupled to the transport vessel 40 via a third connecting conduit 46. In some instances, the molten glass 28 may be supplied by gravity from the mixing vessel 36 to the transport vessel 40 via the third connecting conduit 46. For example, gravity may drive the molten glass 28 through the internal path of the third connecting conduit 46 from the mixing vessel 36 to the transport vessel 40.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include a molding apparatus 48 including the molding body 42 and the inlet conduit 50. The outlet conduit 44 may be positioned to transport the molten glass from the shipping container 40 to the inlet conduit 50 of the molding device 48. For example, in the examples, the outlet conduit 44 may be nested within the interior surface of the inlet conduit 50 and be spaced from the interior surface of the inlet conduit 50 such that the exterior surface of the outlet conduit 44, To provide a free surface of molten glass positioned between the inner surfaces of conduit 50. The shaped body 42 in the fusion down-draft glass manufacturing apparatus includes a trough 52 positioned in the upper surface of the formed body and converging forming surfaces 54 converging in the draw direction along the lower edge 56 of the formed body can do. The molten glass conveyed to the compact through the conveying vessel 40, the outlet conduit 44 and the inlet conduit 50 flows over the sidewalls of the trough and forms the converging forming surfaces 54 ). Separated flows of the molten glass may be applied to the surface of the glass ribbon, for example, gravity, edge rollers 72 to control the dimensions of the glass ribbon as the glass cools and the viscosity of the glass increases below and along the lower edge 56, And pulling the glass ribbon by pulling rolls 82 to produce a single glass ribbon 58 that is drawn in the draw direction 60 from the bottom edge 56. Thus, the glass ribbon 58 undergoes a viscoelastic transition and the glass ribbon 58 obtains mechanical properties that give the glass ribbon 58 a stable dimensional characteristic. The glass ribbon 58 may, in some embodiments, be separated into individual glass sheets 62 by a glass separation apparatus 100 within the elastic region of the glass ribbon. The robot 64 can then move the individual glass sheets 62 to the conveyor system using a gripping tool 65, wherein the individual glass sheets can be further processed.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1, wherein the glass manufacturing apparatus includes a sheet transport component 150 that can be used to process at least one of a glass ribbon and a sheet exiting a forming device 48. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the components including the outlet conduit 44 upstream of the outlet conduit 44 include a melting and conveying component 140. As shown in Figure 2, the glass manufacturing apparatus may include at least a portion of the melting and conveying component 140 extending along at least a portion of the melting and conveying component 140, for example along the entirety of the melting and conveying component 140, So as to flow the molten glass along a conveyance path that can be made. For example, the delivery path extending along D1 may also be located at a longer distance along the melting and transporting component 140, such as from the purifying container 34 to the transport container 40, from the melt container 14, (40), and from the reservoir (18) to the transport container (40).

The forming device 48 of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is oriented in the longitudinal direction L. In this embodiment the sheet carrying component 150 is oriented in a second direction D2.

The embodiments disclosed herein include those in which the molding apparatus 48 extends in the longitudinal direction L at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction D1. Fig. 3 shows an exploded plan view showing an angle [theta] between the longitudinal direction L of the molding apparatus 48 and the first direction D1. The angle [theta] may be any non-zero value, such as from about 1 degree to about 360 degrees, such as from about 1 degree to about 180 degrees, such as from about 1 degree to about 90 degrees, and about 90 degrees.

The shaping device 48 may be configured to provide a desired flow of fluid to the outlet conduit 44 of the carrier vessel 40 as shown in Figure 3 showing the changeable orientation of the inlet conduit 50 relative to the outlet conduit 44 of the carrier vessel 40, Can be extended in the longitudinal direction L forming a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction D1 by changing the orientation of the inlet conduit 50 of the molding apparatus 48 with respect to the direction D1. Specifically, the carrier container 40 is in fluid communication with the outlet conduit 44, the shaped body 42 of the molding device 48 is in fluid communication with the inlet conduit 50, and the inlet conduit 50 is connected to the outlet conduit 44). 3, the outlet conduit 44 and the inlet conduit 50 each have a generally U-shaped cross section (in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the inlet conduit 50 surrounds the outlet conduit 44, The inlet conduit 50 may be rotatable relative to the outlet conduit 44, as indicated by the arrows 170. [ In particular, the inlet conduit 50 includes an outlet conduit 44 and an optional conduit 44 that includes an outlet conduit 44 and an optional angle of about 0 to about 180 degrees, such as about 0 to about 360 degrees, Can be oriented at an angle.

The length L of the molding device 48 (Figs. 2, 4, and 6) can be adjusted, as the inlet conduit 50 of the molding device 48 may be rotatable at a predetermined angle relative to the first direction D1. 5) is configured to be magnetizable at a predetermined angle [theta] with respect to the first direction D1. This causes the molten glass to flow into the carrier vessel 40 along the first direction D1 and into the shaped body 42 along the longitudinal direction L of the molding apparatus 48, And enables various flow orientations according to the longitudinal direction (L). For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the longitudinal direction L of the molding apparatus 48 may be substantially the same as the first direction D1. Alternatively, for example, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the longitudinal direction L of the molding apparatus 48 may be substantially perpendicular to the first direction D1. The longitudinal direction L of the molding device 48 may also extend at different angles with respect to the first direction D1 (not shown).

Figures 4 and 5 both show embodiments in which the longitudinal direction L of the molding device 48 is substantially perpendicular to the first direction D1, each of which is in a substantially opposite second direction D2 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 150 < / RTI > 4 illustrates a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 wherein the sheet carrying component 150 extends in a second direction D2 substantially the same as the first direction D1. Conversely, FIG. 5 shows a top view of an embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1 wherein the sheet carrying component 150 extends in a second direction D2 substantially opposite the first direction D1.

FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 illustrate embodiments in which the second direction D2 is substantially perpendicular, identical, and opposite, respectively, to the first direction D1, The second direction D2 is configured to extend at an arbitrary angle relative to the first direction D1, for example, from about 0 degrees to about 360 degrees, such as from about 0 degrees to about 180 degrees, relative to the first direction D1 And the like.

Regardless of the orientation of the molding apparatus 48 relative to the first direction D1, the height of the molding apparatus 48, as well as the molding body 42, is such that the flow of the glass onto the molding body 42 has the desired characteristics The branches can be adjusted to cause the production of glass ribbon. 6, the height of the forming device 48 may be independently adjustable for any of the orientations disclosed herein as at least one of the longitudinal direction L and the lateral direction T, have. These adjustments may be made, for example, by the use of adjustable suspension jack mechanisms located on the corner positions of the molding device 48 as shown by the dots (A-D) in Fig.

The sheet carrying component 150 can carry individual sheets separated from the glass ribbon or glass ribbon in a second direction D2. For example, the sheet-transporting component 150 may include, in some exemplary embodiments, a catenary that is capable of bending a glass ribbon, such as a flexible glass ribbon, thinner from about perpendicular to the second direction through a particular sweep angle ) Zone. ≪ / RTI > The sheet carrying com- monant 150 may be used in the case of other ribbon or sheet finishing, inspection, and / or packaging components, such as cleaning components, coating components, edge finishing components, etch planers, and thin flexible glass ribbon, Rolling components (not shown).

The embodiments disclosed herein, including the longitudinally extending forming device at a predetermined angle to the first direction, are particularly advantageous over prior art glass article manufacturing apparatus and methods, If configured to be the same or opposite, it may enable several advantages, including more efficient use of the facility space. The embodiments disclosed herein may also be used to provide gradients that may be present and that depend on the direction of the exit conduit of the transport vessel, such as viscosity or < RTI ID = 0.0 > Thereby reducing the potentially undesirable effects of the compositional gradients. This can lead to the formation of glass articles or sheets with improved properties, such as improved thickness or compositional uniformity.

While the above embodiments have been described with reference to a Fusion Down Draw process, these embodiments are also applicable to other forming processes, such as float processes, slot draw processes, up-draw processes, and press- It will be understood.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this disclosure is intended to cover such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (18)

Molding device; And
And a melting and transporting component configured to flow molten glass along a transport path extending along at least a portion of the molten and transport component along a first direction,
Wherein the molding device extends in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a sheet carrying component extending in a second direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the melting and transporting component comprises a transport container in fluid communication with the outlet conduit, the molding device comprising a shaped body in fluid communication with the inlet conduit,
Wherein the glass article manufacturing apparatus is configured to flow the molten glass into the transporting container along the first direction and to flow the molten glass into the forming body along the longitudinal direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the angle between the first direction and the longitudinal direction is in a range of about 1 degree to about 90 degrees. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the second direction is substantially the same as the first direction. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the second direction is substantially opposite to the first direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first direction extends along the entirety of the melting and transporting component. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the height of the molding device is independently adjustable in at least one of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sheet carrying component comprises a catenary zone. Processing the glass melt along the fusing and transporting component configured to flow the molten glass along a transport path extending along at least a portion of the fusing and transporting component along a first direction; And
Processing the glass melt in a molding apparatus,
Wherein the molding apparatus extends in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising processing at least one of a glass ribbon and a sheet along a sheet carrying component extending in a second direction. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the melting and transporting component comprises a transport container in fluid communication with the outlet conduit, the molding device comprising a shaped body in fluid communication with the inlet conduit,
Wherein the glass article manufacturing apparatus is configured to flow the molten glass into the transporting container along the first direction and to flow the molten glass into the forming body along the longitudinal direction. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the angle between the first direction and the longitudinal direction ranges from about 1 degree to about 90 degrees. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the second direction is substantially the same as the first direction. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the second direction is substantially opposite to the first direction. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the first direction extends along the entirety of the melting and transporting component. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the height of the molding device is adjustable independently in at least one of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction. The method of claim 11,
RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > wherein the sheet transport component comprises a catenary zone.

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