Mixture feeder for continuous electric glass-melting furnace

• US 3,929,445 A
• Filed: 07/05/1974
• Issued: 12/30/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred Zippe
• Original Assignee: Alfred Zippe
• Inventors: Zippe, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Kellogg, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US05/486,272
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 65/335 214/18GD,22
• US Class Current: 65/335
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 3/00 Charging the melting furnaces

Abstract

An apparatus for distributing and feeding the mixture to the surface of a glass-melting furnace, which apparatus permits to obtain a complete covering of the surface of the molten glass mass while maintaining a uniform thickness of the layer, with a mixture spreading arm rotating above said mixture and uniformly distributing or spreading same by means of a horizontally extending portion.

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING A FUSIBLE MIXTURE TO A BLANKET OF SAID MIXTURE FLOATING ON A MOLTEN GLASS MASS IN A VERTICAL GLASS-MELTING FURNACE COMPRISING:

I. DELIVERY MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH THE FURNACE SIDEWALL AND INTO THE FURNACE INTERIOR, SAID DELIVERY MEANS BEING POSITIONED ABOVE SAID BLANKET;

II. MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING AND FUSIBLE MIXTURE TO SAID DELIVERY MEANS;

AND III. HORIZONTAL ARM MEANS MOUNTED IN THE FURNACE FOR SPREADING AND LEVELING MIXTURE DELIVERED TO SAID BLANKET, SAID ARM MEANS BEING VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE AND ADAPTED TO ROTATE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS IN A CIRCULAR PATH BELOW THE DELIVERY MEANS.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein means are provided for vibrating the delivery means.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein the end of the delivery means in the furnace interior extends at an angle relative to a tangent of a circle described about the center point of the furnace.

4. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said arm means includes a vertically extending portion coaxial to the furnace axis, an inclined portion joining said vertical portion, and a horizontally extendIng portion joining said inclined portion.

5. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said arm means includes an inner tube and an outer tube and means to circulate a cooling liquid through said inner tube and in the opposite direction through the space defined between the inner tube and said outer tube.

6. Apparatus of claim 4 wherein the horizontal portion of said arm means has attached thereto downwardly depending spreading means.

7. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said delivery means, at least internally of said furnace, is of a double-wall construction to receive a cooling liquid.

8. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said arm means includes means for varying its speed of rotation between 2 and 10 rpm and/or for changing its direction of rotation.

9. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein the degree of extension of said delivery means into the furnace interior is adjustable.

10. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for rotating said arm means are electrically insulated from said arm means.