GLASS REINFORCEMENT STRUCTURE
Field of the invention.
The invention relates to a glass reinforcement structure and to a method of manufacturing such a structure
Background of the invention.
Glass reinforced with metal wires or metal mesh is generally known This is for example used for safety reasons in windows of for example buildings
The metal wires or metal mesh absorb impact shocks and prevent the spal ng of glass fragments when broken or cracked Furthermore, the reinforcement helps to improve the heat and fire- resisting properties of the glass
During the manufacturing of the reinforced glass, a number of problems, resulting in quality problems of the end product, may occur One known problem is the formation of bubbles which may for example be created by the remainders of lubricants on the wire surface or by conversion of carbon, present in the steel, into C02
Another well-known problem is the formation of cracks at the metal - glass interface These cracks mainly arise during cooling, since the heat expansion coefficients of glass and steel are different A third problem is the limited corrosion resistance of the conventional used reinforcement wires
In the past, several attempts have been made in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, for example by applying chromium to the surface of the wire or by applying a metal coating such as a Sn or a Ni layer to the surface of the wire
Some of these attempts have been successful in improving one or another aspect However, there still remains deficiencies
Applying chromium to the wire gives good results, but because of an increasing awareness of the influences of chromium, and more
particularly of Cr(VI), on the environment, the use of chromium should preferably be avoided
Coating wire for glass reinforcement with a metallic coating such as Ni is known from JP A-02 030793
Summary of the invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a glass reinforcement structure having a coating layer which offers good anti-corrosion characteristics and which avoids the formation of bubbles and the formation of cracks at the metal - glass interface
It is a further object to provide a method of manufacturing such a glass reinforcement structure
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a reinforcement structure for glass is provided The glass reinforcement comprises at least one metal wire A coating layer comprising nickel and tin is applied on the metal wires
The coating layer has a Sn content of at least 1 wt% Preferably, the Sn content is higher than 30 wt% and more preferably higher than 50 wt%
The Ni content of the coating layer is higher than 1 wt% Preferably, the content of Ni is higher than 30 wt%
For the purpose of this application, wt% Sn is defined as the weight of the amount of Sn to the weight of the amount of Sn and the amount of Ni Similarly, wt% Ni is defined as the weight of the amount of Ni to the weight of the amount of Sn and the amount of Ni
A preferred coating composition comprises between 30 and 50 wt% Ni and between 50 and 70 wt% Sn
The coating layer may further comprise iron The presence of iron in the coating layer can be due to diffusion of iron, for example of the steel, into
the coating layer or may be due to the presence of iron salts during the application of the coating layer
The coating layer may comprise an alloy such as a NiSn alloy or a NiSn alloy further comprising Fe
Possibly, a gradient of the Sn content over the thickness of the coating can be observed
On the other hand, the coating layer may comprise successive layers, for example a Ni layer closest to the surface of the wire and a Sn layer deposited on the applied Ni layer or vice versa, a Sn layer closest to the surface of the wire and a Ni coating deposited on this Sn layer
By heating the wire comprising the successively deposited metal layers, an alloy can be formed
In a preferred embodiment the concentration of Sn increases towards the outer surface of the coating layer
The coating layer according to the invention gives the reinforcement the necessary corrosion resistance
Additionally, this coating layer results in a weak adherence between the glass and the wire surface Consequently, the stresses created at the metal - glass interface are limited and the formation of cracks is avoided
The reinforcement structure may comprise several wires, for example parallel wires
Alternatively, the reinforcement structure may comprise a wire mesh A mesh may comprise a number of wires welded together, for example electrically welded, at their cross-over points Another suitable mesh is a woven structure comprising metal wires
A mesh may have rectangular, square, hexagonal or diamond-shaped openings The mesh may have a planar shape or may be bent or deformed
The wires may have circular, oval-shaped, rectangular or any other cross-section
In a preferred embodiment the wires have circular cross-sections and a diameter between 0 3 and 1 mm, for example between 0 4 and 0 7 mm
The reinforcement structure is typically made of steel such as low carbon steel, although other metal wires may also be employed
The coating layer has a thickness of at least 0 5 g/m2 It is particularly advantageous that the coating layer has a thickness between 0 5 and 20 g/m2, and more particularly between 1 5 and 5 g/m2
According to a second aspect a method of manufacturing a glass reinforcement structure according to the present invention is provided
The method comprises the steps of - providing at least one metal wire, applying a coating layer comprising Sn and Ni to said metal wire or metal wires
Possibly, the method further comprises the step of subjecting the metal wire or wires to a heat treatment The wires can be subjected to a heat treatment before the application of the coating layer, after the application of a coating layer, or before and after the application of the coating layer
The method may further comprise the step of - forming a welded or woven mesh of said coated metal wires
Alternatively, the method comprises the following steps
providing a number of metal wires, forming a welded or woven mesh of said metal wires, applying a coating layer comprising Sn and Ni to said mesh
Possibly, this method further comprises the step of subjecting the metal wires to a heat treatment before forming a welded or woven mesh of these metal wires
In addition, the mesh can be subjected to a heat treatment before and/or after the application of the coating layer on the mesh
A number of techniques can be employed to coat the glass reinforcement wire or the glass reinforcement structure with the coating layer comprising Sn and Ni Any coating technique that results in applying a coating layer according to this invention can thereby be considered. Such techniques are for example vapour deposition, chemical plating, melt plating, melt spraying and electroplating
The method for the application of the coating layer may comprise the application of a mixture of Ni and Sn A SnNi alloy can for example be applied by plating the wire or the mesh using a plating bath comprising Ni salts and Sn salts
Another method for the application of a coating layer according to this invention comprises the application of a Sn layer, followed by the application of a Ni layer or vice versa the application of a Ni layer followed by the application of a Sn layer
The above mentioned heat treatment comprises the heating of the wires or mesh to a temperature of at least 400 ° C
According to a third aspect, reinforced glass comprising a reinforcement structure according to the present invention is provided
Description of the preferred embodiments of the invention. As a matter of example, some methods for the deposition of a coating layer according to the invention are described
A first method comprises the electrolytic application of a SnNi alloy The plating bath comprises Ni salts and Sn salts A possible composition of the bath is as follows
NιCI2 6H20 250 g/L SnCI2 6H20 50 g/L NH4 HF 35g/L
NaF 28 g/L The temperature is preferably between 60 and 70 °C, whereas the pH ranges between 2 and 4 The current density is between 2 and 16 A/dm2 Possibly, the bath may further comprise other metal salts, such as soluble Fe salts
An alternative method comprises the application of a Ni layer and consequently the application of a Sn layer
For the application of the Ni layer the following parameters may be used bath composition NιS04 6H20 225 - 410 g/L
NιCI2 6H20 30 - 100 g/L
H3BO3 25 - 40 g/L
- pH 1 5 - 5 2
- Temperature 45 - 70°C - Current density 1 - 20 A/dm2
Other suitable baths comprise for example Ni-sulfamate
For the application of Sn, the following parameters may be used bath composition Sn sulfate 10 - 50 g/L
Sulfuπc acid 40 - 140 g/L - Temperature 20 - 50 °C
- Current density 1 - 20 A/dm2
Alternatively, a Sn layer may be applied from a tin sulfonate bath
Possibly the coated wire may be subjected to a heat treatment, for example at a temperature higher than 400 °C