US653850A - Device for casting wire-glass. - Google Patents

Description

No. 653,850. P atented July l7, I900. J. w. SHEPPARD.

DEVICE FOR CASTING wms GLASS.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1899.)

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No. 653,850. Patented .lulyvl7, I900. J. W. SHEPPARD.

DEVICE FOR CASTING WIRE GLASS.

(Application filed Oct. 1.8, 1899.)

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vwemto 3% W s m x s u 1 0 I WK x s x x s x x =NrrnD STATES JOSEPH \V. SHEPPARD, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR CASTING WIRE'GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 653,850, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed October 13 1899.' Serial No. 733,468. (No inodel.)

To all whom it rim/y concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. SHEPPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Oastin g VVire-Glass, of which the f ollowing is a specification.

My invention relates especially to the manufacture of sheet wire-glass, and has for its object the provision of means for casting the same, dispensing with the usual rolling apparatus.

To attain the desired end, my invention consists, essentially, in a device for casting sheet Wire'- glass in which are comprised a mold formed of two vertical parallel plates of metal and centrally-divided end and bottom pieces with which said plates removably engage, in combination with means for centrally stretching and holding a sheet of wire fabric between the vertical plates from the exterior of the mold, and means for heating the mold, all of which will be hereinafter first fully de* scribed and then pointed out in the claim.

In carrying my invention into effect I cast the wire glass between sheets or walls of metal or other suitable material having sheets of metal fabric stretched tightly across the molds so formed midway between the two walls. These walls may have polished surfaces if transparent glass is desired, or ribbed orembossed surfaces if figured or translucent glass is desired, these sheets of metal or molds being so adjustable in relation to each other upon a properly-constructed platform provided with running-gear that there is space between the sheets forming the molds for the application of heat not onlybefore the molten glass is brought in contact with the molds, but also during the time consumed in the casting and for some time afterward, according to the requirements of the annealing process which takes place in the molds.

The sheets of metal forming the group of molds located side by side are so arranged that the spaces for the reception of the molten glass are open at the top and closed at the sides and bottom, while the heating-chambers located on each side of the molds are closed all around, provision being made for the proper ventilatiomaccording to the requirements of the process of heating.

The sheets forming the molds may be of any size desired and so adjusted as to admit of the'casting of a sheet of glass of any desired thickness, even varying in thickness or design in the same group or series, and twenty, more or less, may constitute a group, according to the size of the truck that carries them or the platform upon which they are assembled. They are firmly clamped together in any efficient manner, and the whole group then constitutes virtually a solid mass of sheets, and as the heat is very evenly distributed and is kept around the group of molds by a hood or cover made of suitable material sheets is simply an impossibility. The hood or cover is made of the proper dimensions to fit over a certain size group of molds and entirely envelop them during the process of heating some time before the casting of the glass, and when the group of molds has been heated to the desired degree the truck upon which the group rests is pushed along the track to a suitable place near the furnace, where the molten glass is poured or dumped in through an opening in the cover or hood, and the molten glass so falling on the top of the molds surrounded by an intensely-hot atmosphere gradually fills all the open spaces, sinking into the hot molds by gravitation until they are filled. The molten glass completely filling the molds makes a compact mass around the metalfabric, which is tightly stretched across the middleof each mold, the whole being heated to a high temperature, thereby making the necessary homogeneous mass requisite to the production of a perfect and clear sheet of wire-glass.

After filling the molds the truck, with the process of heating still going on, can be pushed back to the place from which it was taken and the process of annealing consummated by the gradual reduction of the heat until at last no artificial heat is applied, and when the molds are cool and the hood or cover lifted the sheets ofwireglass are removed.

According to the capacity of the furnace a number of trucks upon which groups of molds are placed can be used, each truck standing upon its own switch connected with the'track that leads to the furnace from which themol ten glass is obtained, whereby there is great it is plainly seen that the warping of theeconomy of both time and labor gained in the casting of the glass.

By my present invention the air in the molds so constructed and heated becomes rarefied before the molten glass is poured in. Thus there is virtually none left of sufficient density to affect the glass. Hence it of necessity follows that there will be no air-bubbles in sheets of wire-glass cast by this method. Likewise as the molten glass is not subjected to the cooler stratas of atmosphere or metal surfaces it followsthat there will neither be any lappy glass produced by my invention, or water or wave lines to distort the vision, or uneven thicknesses of glass, or sheets of glass having uneven cutting qualities; also, owing to the fact that the wire fabric is rigidlyheld in place in the molds it will be at an even distance between the surfaces of the sheet. Likewise the liability to crack excessively is reduced to a minimum, as the glass enters the molds in a molten state without coming in contact with cooler stratas of air or cool metal surfaces to induce the forma tion of the skins or films upon the surface; also, as the sheets of glass are cast in substantially a solid pack of molds and annealed in the same molds it is clearly seen that warping is made actually animpossibility. In addition to the aforementioned imperfections being prevented wire-glass made in accordance with my invention will be of a superior quality, as it can be made transparent or translucent at will, according to the polishing or embossing of the walls of the molds; also, as I do away with the annealing-oven and the force of men required to operate it, it follows that I can produce wire-glass not only of superior quality, but at a greatly-reduced cost.

As the surfaces of the molds constructed in accordance with my invention will be of even and great temperature, regulated at will, the

molten glass will retain its plastic state until it has evenly filled the molds, and so is kept from coming in contact with cool metal surfaces or cooler stratas of air to prematurely chill the glass in part or in whole. Thereby it is plainly seen how my invention makes new conditions in the art of manufacturing wire-glass.

As hot metal and molten glass adhere to each other when brought in close contact, it

might at first sight appear that this fact would be an impediment to the practical working of my invention; but experience shows that although the two adhere while they are in a heated state they will separate by natural contraction of the metal as the heat decreases, and as the molds are kept to a great heat for some time after the molten glass has been supplied thereto the glass will not, therefore, prematurely harden, but being kept for some time in a plastic state will be free to seek its level by the law of gravitation, so the molds will be filled to their utmost capacity and the product will of necessity be of superior quality.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan view of a plant for carrying my invention into effect. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a truck and mold platform. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view at line a: a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the metal fabric holding and stretching mechanism. Fig. 5 is a horizontal view thereof at line (I, a of Fig. 4.

Similar numerals of reference wherever they occur indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

1 is a track straight and provided with switches or turnouts, or circular, as desired.

2 are the supporting-wheels of a truck, having a body or platform 3, whereon is located a sectional fireproof fioor 4, made of fire-brick or the equivalent.

5 is a flexible gas pipe or hose from any source of gas-supply, leading to a distributing-pipe 6, fixed to the truck-body.

7 are branch pipes which conduct the gas from the supply 6 to burning devices 8 in the flooring 4, the flow to the branch pipes being regulated by means of valves 9, and air to support combustion is admitted through perforations (indicated by the dotted lines) through the sections of flooring 4.

10 are plates, preferably made ofsteel and in the case of use for making transparent glass having their faces highly polished.

11 are removable caps, the shape of an inverted V, which fit over and rest upon each pair of plates 10. At the bottom each plate 10 fits into a groove in one of the floor-seetion 4 and at each side into grooves in sectional supports 12, which in turn are held in place by a plate 13, which may be the entire length of the series of molds or made in parts, as desired.

14 is a sustaining-bracket, one of these being mounted upon the truck at each side of the series or group of molds.

15 is a hood or cover. This hood is arranged to completely envelop the molds and is provided at top with a door 16 for the supply of molten glass, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and with lifting-rings 17'.

18 are strips of metal arranged to be clamped to the ends of a sheet of metal fabric 19. It will be observed that the inner edges of the strips 18 are curved or formed into the segment of a circle. By this means when the wire fabric 19 is placed between the plates 10, forming the walls of the molds, it is drawn rigid and perfectly stifi by turning the holding-pieces 18 at right angles to the sections 12, between which the fabric passes, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The top of the metal fabric is kept at the proper distance from the walls of the mold by means of clips 20.

In assembling the molds for use the floorsections 4 are first placed .in position upon their support. A plate 10 is then set up against one of the brackets 14, and a sheet of metal fabric 19, with the end strips 18, is placed in front of the said plate 10, and. a

second plate is set up, when holding-sections 12, between which the wire fabric projects, are placed at each end of the plates 10, and so the entire group of molds is assembled, being held in place by the side pieces 13, and the group is wedged in place between the brackets 14. Caps 11 are placed over the tops of each pair of plates 10, between the spaces for the reception of the molten glass, thus forming a'closed heating-chamber. The hood or cover 15 is now placed in position over the completed series or group of molds, and the gas is ignited within the hollow spaces between the molds forming the walls thereof, and the molds and wire are heated to the desired degree.

I have shown my invention as arranged for heating by the combustion of gas; but it is obvious that electricity might be employed as a heating medium, if desired, as I do not limit myself to any specific means of heating the molds.

When the molds are brought to the proper degree of heat, the truck is run to the source of supply of molten glass, which is caused to flow into the space at the top of the molds and over the upper extremities of the heated walls, finding its way down into the spaces between the sections until the molds are completely filled. During this time the heat of the molds is maintained, and after the supply of molten glass is obtained the truck carrying the series of molds is run to any convenient point and the heat gradually remolds upon them can be thus employed to the full capacity of the furnace.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A device for casting sheet wire-glass in which are comprised a mold formed of two vertical, parallel plates of metal, and centrally-divided end and bottom pieces with which said plates removably engage, in combination with means for centrally stretching and holding a sheet of wire fabric between the vertical plates from the exterior of the mold, and means for applying heat to the mold, the whole arranged substantially as shown and described.

Signed by me at New York, N. Y., this 11th day of October, 1899.

JOSEPH W. SHEPPARD.

Witnesses:

A. M. PIERCE, LESTER L. SIssoN.

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