APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROL OF GLASS STREAMS IN LAMINATE FUSION

• US 20130312459A1
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Coppola, Frank Thomas, Mashewske, Monica Jo, Harshberger, Michael Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 8,646,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 65/53
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 17/02 Forming molten glass coated with coloured layers; Forming molten glass of different compositions or layers; Forming molten glass comprising reinforcements or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 17/064 by the overflow downdraw fusion process; Isopipes therefor

Abstract

An apparatus for forming laminated sheet glass, including:

• • a lower pipe providing a first liquid stream that forms the core of the laminate;
  • an first upper pipe having a pair of adjustable baffles situated between the bottom of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe, the first upper pipe provides a second liquid glass stream onto the first liquid glass stream that forms the clad of the laminate on the core of the laminate, the adjustable baffles being separated from the lower pipe by a gap, and the adjustable baffles control the landing angle (Φ) and drop point of the second liquid glass stream onto the first liquid glass stream.

Also disclosed is a method for forming laminated sheet glass or articles thereof using the aforementioned glass laminating apparatus, as defined herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming laminated sheet glass, comprising:

a lower pipe providing a first liquid stream that forms the core of the laminate;

a first upper pipe having a pair of adjustable baffles situated between the bottom of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe,

the first upper pipe provides a second liquid glass stream onto the first liquid glass stream that forms the clad of the laminate on the core of the laminate,

the adjustable baffles being separated from the lower pipe by a gap, and the adjustable baffles control the landing angle (Φ

) and drop point of the second liquid glass stream onto the first liquid glass stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustable baffles adjust vertically to control the separation dimension of the gap between the adjustable baffles of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe, the adjustable baffles adjust angularly to control the landing angle (Φ

) of the second overflow glass melt onto the first overflow glass melt, and the adjustable baffles adjust angularly and vertically.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustable baffles adjust vertically to control the separation dimension of the gap between the adjustable baffles of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustable baffles adjust angularly to control the landing angle (Φ

) of the second liquid glass stream onto the first liquid glass stream.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustable baffles are situated within the bottom of the first upper pipe and generally extend downward toward the top of the lower pipe.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the spatial orientation of the lower pipe relative to the upper pipe is fixed.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the adjustable baffles is connected to the upper pipe at one end, and each of the adjustable baffles has at least one adjustment rod near the gap end to adjust the gap dimension.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the molten glass feed that supplies the lower pipe and the upper pipe is provided from the same end or the opposite ends of the pipes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one baffle of the pair of adjustable baffles is positioned differently from the other baffle of the pair to provide a flow difference over one weir of the upper pipe compared to the other weir of the upper pipe, which differential flow provides a laminate sheet glass having a thicker clad on one side of the core glass and a thinner clad on the other side of the core glass.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of upper pipes, each additional upper pipe having a pair of adjustable baffles situated between the bottom of each additional upper pipe and the top of a preceding lower pipe, and each additional upper pipe provides an additional liquid glass stream onto the preceding liquid glass stream that forms an additional clad layer on one or both sides of the laminate.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separation dimension of the gap (θ

) between the adjustable baffles and the lower pipe is substantially equidistant across the entire span of the gap, the separation dimension of the gap between the adjustable baffles and the lower pipe is non-equidistant across the entire span of the gap, or a combination thereof.

12. A method for forming laminated sheet glass in the apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

flowing a first liquid stream over the lower pipe to form the core of the laminate;

flowing a second liquid stream over the upper pipe, then the pair of adjustable baffles, and then onto to the first liquid stream to form the clad of the laminate on the core of the laminate.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising adjusting the adjustable baffles to change the gap, the landing angle (Φ

), or combinations thereof, of the second liquid stream onto to the first liquid stream.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising having a plurality of upper pipes having a pair of adjustable baffles stacked above the upper pipe to provide a laminate sheet glass where the number of layers corresponds to one half the number of total upper pipes.