US3098736A

US3098736A - Glass bending mold

Info

Publication number: US3098736A
Application number: US816580A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harvey J Little
Original assignee: Chrysler Corp
Current assignee: Old Carco LLC
Priority date: 1959-05-28
Filing date: 1959-05-28
Publication date: 1963-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1980-07-23

Description

July 23, 1963 H. J. LITTLE GLASS BENDING MOLD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1959 I rrair/vz/s',

July 23, 1963 H. J- LITTLE 3,0 8

GLASS BENDING MOLD Filed May 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NvP.

INVENTOR. cjJ/ifZ/e $398,736 Patented July 23, 1963 3,098,736 GLASS BENDING MOLD Harvey J. Little, Trenton, Mich, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mieln, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 28, 1959, Ser. No. 816,580 Claims. (Cl. 65-291) This invention relates to a glass bending mold and particularly to a sectionalized bending mold having end or wing sections pivotally connected to a relatively fixed center section and interconnected with each other.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a glass bending mold with pivotally mounted end or wing sections wherein there is a novel means for applying weights to and interconnecting the spaced apart end or wing sections.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel means for applying weights to the pivotally mounted end or wing sections of a sectionalized mold such that the 1 weight means will be most effective to cause closing of the mold end sections as the glass supported thereon softens.

It is another object of this invention to arrange the 1 weight means so that it will be continuously positioned where it will not interfere with access to the mold or with movement of the mold through a bending leer or conveyor equipment.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a novel weight supporting means for the pivotally mounted end or wing sections of a sectionalized bending mold such that equal weight means will 'be applied to each of the end sections and the weight supporting means will tend to synchronize the movement of the pivotally mounted end sections.

It is a further object of this invention toprovide a weight supporting means for the pivotally mounted wing sections of a sectionalized bending mold that includes means for readily adjusting the location of the several weight means and their points of application to the pivotally mounted wing sections to effect pivoting movement thereof.

It is also another object of this invention to provide a simplified form of actuating means for the pivoted wing sections of a sectionalized mold that will facilitate more accurate control of the movement of the wing sections and also require less care in the loading of the mold and in movement of the mold through a bending leer.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent from a reading of the following description and a reconsideration of the related drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a bending mold embodying this invention in open position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the mold shown in FIG. 1 in closed position;

7 FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the mold shown in FIG. 2

with the glass sheet removed therefrom;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one of the pivot connections between the wing sections and the center section, the view showing those portions of the mold within the circle 4 of FIG. 2.; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the pivot connection shown in FIG. 4.

The drawings show a glass bending mold M that is attached to a carriage C to facilitate its passage through a bending leer not shown. Mold M is of the sectionalized type and includes a stationary central or intermediate supporting section 10 that has end or wing sections 11, 12 pivotally connected to its opposite ends. The fixed or stationary center section 10 of this bending mold includes the vertical, transversely spaced, narrow rail-s 1011 that are interconnected by the diagonally extending tie rods 1%. The top edges of the spaced rails 1th: provide portions of the shaping surfaces that support and con- .trol the shape of the glass bent on the mold. The opposite ends of the rails 10a each are mounted on a leg or support 13. Legs 13 can be fixedly or detachably connected to the framework C that provides the carriage or base for the mold M. Struts 14 extend between legs 13 and base C to rigidify the mounting of the legs 13 on the carriage C.

Wing or end sections 11, 12 are identical and each consists of a U-shaped, vertically extending rail or 12a that has tie rods 11b or 12b respectively extending between the opposed leg portions of the U-shaped end frames. As the wing sections 11, 12 are identical only the wing section 11 will be described in detail. Wing section 11 has L-

shaped lever arms

15, 15 fixed to each of its free end portions. The lever arms 15 have bores theret-hrough to receive the pivot shaft 16 that extends across and is mounted on the ends of the spaced center section rails 111a. FIGS. 3 and 5 give a clear plan view of the arrangement of the levers 15 with respect to the pivot shafts 16.

The free ends of the levers 15 are formed with a plurality of holes 17 to provide for adjustable mounting of the weight supporting links 18. Links 18 are connected to the lever arms 15 by the pivot pins 19 that can be peened over to prevent unintended disengagement from the lever arm 15 and the links 18. The lower ends of the links 18 are connected by pivot pins 20 to the flattened ends of the wing connector bars 21.

Connector bars 21 extend between the lever links 18 at each end of the mold M along each side thereof. The connector bars 21 are each provided with a plurality of spaced apart bores 22 to provide for the adjustable mounting of one or more weights 25 on the bars 21. Bolts 35 or any other form of attachment means can be mounted in the bores 22 to attach the weights 25 to the connector bars 21. It is also proposed to form the bars 21 such that they will provide integral weight means. Also, the bars 21 can be formed of interconnected sections so that they may be adjustable in length to fit different molds or different glass patterns.

FIG. 4 shows a means provided on the mold M for limiting the amount of bending of the wing sections 11, 12. This means comprises a L-shaped bracket 28 that is welded to the end of the rail 10a adjacent the leg 13. Brackets 28 each mount a vertically extending set-screw 29 that is aligned beneath the associated lever 15 so that it will engage the lever 15 and limit the amount of closing of the wing section associated therewith. Lock nuts 30 are provided to fix the setting of the screw 29.

From the foregoing description and a consideration of the drawings it will be noted that when the mold is in open position (see FIG. 1) the flat sheet of glass G is supported at four points along its length by the opened mold. The major portion of the weight of the glass G is supported by the ends of the rails a of the fixed or center section 10 of the mold M as indicated at 32. A portion of the weight of the glass G may also be supported by the tips of the depressed or opened wing sections as shown at 33. It will be noted that when the mold M is opened to receive the glass G that there are no weight means projecting above the surface of the glass G to interfere with the loading of the glass onto the mold M. In contrast the levers l5 and the connected links 18 provide short, upwardly projecting portions that serve as locators or positioners tofacilitate accurate loading of the mold with sheet glass but do not obstruct movement of the glass onto the mold.

'As the mold M of FIG. 1 is moved through a bending leer and the glass G begins to soften the Weights 25 acting through the links 18 apply equal loadings to the free ends of the levers and exert forces on the Wings 11,

12 that assist in bending the glass G to the concave shape shown in FIG. 2. Not only does the lever and

link system

15, 18 lend itself to application of equal bending forces to the wing sections 11, 12 but in addition the connector bars 21 tend to synchronize the bending action of 'the wing sections to facilitate the production of symmetment set screws 29 also assist in controlling the type of bending of the wings when this mold is used.

Not only are the adjustable links 18 of an advantage for bending but in "addition the connector bars 21 cooperate withthe pivot links 18 to further improve the action as well as the flexibility of this mold. Connector bars 21 not only tend to synchronize the hinging action of the mold wings but in addition they provide a means for placing of the bending weights in a preferred nonobstructing position where the Weights will not interfere with either mold loading or movement of the mold through a leer on a conventional conveyor system.

Another feature of this invention resides in the use of heat robber bars or heat absorbers such as the metal bars 40 and 41 shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. These bars are connected to or mounted on the tie rods 10]), 11b and 12b so that they underlie the glass G. The purpose of these bars is to absorb a portion of the heat in the area of the bars and thereby keep the glass overlying the bars cooler than the glass at other sections of the mold to thereby retard the bending of the glass at the portions thereof overlying the heat absorber bars. Obviously other devices such as heat shields, heat reflectors and the like can also be used with the mold G in place of the heat robbers 40, 41 but these devices 40, 41 are a simple effecof the mold and to thus be out of the way yet not extend downwardly so far as to interfere with the carriage C or the conveyor mechanism (not shown) on which the carriage C would be transported. The free pivot pins 19, on opposite ends of the lever links 18 permit automatic centering of the weighted connector bars 21 between the wing lever arms 15 regardless of whether the wing sections are in open or closed positions.

I claim:

1. A ring-type glass bending mold comprising an intermediate fixed section and a pair of upwardly curved, vertivally swinging, wing sections pivotally mounted on the opposite ends of said fixed section for movement between depressed open mold and elevated closed mold positions,

said wing sections being arranged to form with said fixed section a longitudinally concave, ring-type, shaping surface when said wing sections are in their uppermost closed mold positions, said wing sections when moved to their depressed, open mold positions providing means wherein the opposite ends of the mold fixed section support the glass sheet to be bent on the mold and the wing sections are disposed beneath the end portions of the glass sheet mounted on the fixed section, lever means rigidly fixed on each of said mold wing sections and extending longitudinally of and inwardly towards and beyond the pivot axis of the associated wing section on said fixed mold section, link means pivotally connected to and depending from the inwardly disposed free end portions of the lever means on each wing section, and a weighted connector bar pivotally connected to, floatingly supported by and extending between the lower ends of the longitudinally spaced link means at a level beneath the mold open position glass supporting level.

2. A ring-type glass bending mold comprising an intermediate fixed section and a pair of upwardly curved, vertically swinging, wing sections pivotally mounted on the opposite ends of said fixed section for movement between depressed open mold and elevated closed mold positions, said wing sections being arranged to form with said fixed section a longitudinally concave, ring-type, shaping surface when said wing sections are in their uppermost closed mold positions, said wing sections being movable to depressed, open mold positions wherein the opposite ends thereof are substantially aligned with the level of the mold fixed section and the wing sections are dis posed beneath the end portions of the glass sheet mounted on the mold, lever means rigidly fixed on each of said mold wing sections and pivotally supported on the opposite ends of said fixed section, said lever means 'extending longitudinally of and inwardly towards and beyond the pivot axis of theassociated wing'section on said fixed mold section, link means pivotally connected to and depending from the inwardly disposed free ends of the lever means on each wing section, and a weighted connector bar pivotally connected to, floatingly supported .by and extending between the lower ends of the spaced link means at a level beneath the mold fixed section.

3. A ring-type glass bendingmold comprising a center fixed section formed from a pair of transversely spaced, vertically extending, interconnected, narrow rails, and a pair of U-shaped, upwardly curved, vertically swinging, wing sections having their free ends pivotally mounted on 'the ends of said fixed section for movement between depressed open mold and elevated closed mold positions, said wing sections being arranged to form with said'fixed section rails a longitudinally concave, ring-type, shaping surface when said wing sections are in their uppermost closed mold positions, said wing sections being movable to depressed, open mold positions wherein the opposite ends of the mold fixed section support the glass sheet to be bent on the mold and the wing sections are disposed beneath the end portions of the supported glass sheet with the tips of the wing sections engagea-ble with the underside of the glass sheet at the ends thereof, lever means rigidly fixed to each of said mold wing sections and pivotally supported on said fixed sections, said lever means extending longitudinally of and inwardly beyond the pivot axis of the associated wing section on said fixed mold section, link means pivotally connected to and depending from the inwardly disposed free ends of the lever means on each wing section, and a weighted connector pivotally connected to, fioatingly supported by and extending between the lower ends of the link means on the wing sections at opposite ends of the mold with the Weighted connector positioned at a level beneath the mold open position glass supporting level.

4. In a glass bending mold as set forth in claim 3 wherein the free ends of the lever means are arranged for adjustable connection of the link means therealong.

5. Ina glass bending mold as set forth in claim 3 Wherein said connector bar comprises a bar with means thereon for adjustably positioning weight means therealong.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS P-fau Jan. 11, 1916 Ferngren Mar. 18, 1930 Dunipace Mar. 14, 1950 Clough Oct. 27, 1953

Claims

1. A RING-TYPE GLASS BENDING MOLD COMPRISING AN INTERMEDIATE FIXED SECTION AND A PAIR OF UPWARDLY CURVED, VERTICALLY SWINGING, WING SECTIONS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FIXED SECTION FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN DEPRESSED OPEN MOLD AND ELEVATED CLOSED MOLD POSITIONS, SAID WING SECTIONS BEING ARRANGED TO FORM WITH SAID FIXED SECTION A LONGITUDINALLY CONCAVE, RING-TYPE, SHAPING SURFACE WHEN SAID WING SECTIONS ARE IN THEIR UPPERMOST CLOSED MOLD POSITIONS, SAID WING SECTIONS WHEN MOVED TO THEIR DEPRESSED, OPEN MOLD POSITIONS PROVIDING MEANS WHEREIN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE MOLD FIXED SECTION SUPPORT THE GLASS SHEET TO BE BENT ON THE MOLD AND THE WING SECTIONS ARE DISPOSED BENEATH THE END PORTIONS OF THE GLASS SHEET MOUNTED ON THE FIXED SECTION, LEVER MEANS RIGIDLY FIXED ON EACH OF SAID MOLD WING SECTIONS AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF AND INWARDLY TOWARDS AND BEYOND THE PIVOT AXIS OF THE ASSOCIATED WING SECTION ON SAID FIXED MOLD SECTION, LINK MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO AND DEPENDING FROM THE INWARDLY DISPOSED FREE END PORTIONS OF THE LEVER MEANS ON EACH WING SECTION, AND A WEIGHTED CONNECTOR BAR PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO, FLOATINGLY SUPPORTED BY AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE LOWER ENDS OF THE LONGITUDINALLY SPACED LINK MEANS AT A LEVEL BENEATH THE MOLD OPEN POSITION GLASS SUPPORTING LEVEL.