Apparatus and method for producing laminated glass sheet

• US 9,796,616 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Coppola, Frank, Golyatin, Vladislav Yuryevich
• Primary Examiner(s): Szewczyk, Cynthia
• Application Number:
  US14/905,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20160159677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/087 containing calcium oxide, e.g. common sheet or container glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/093 containing zinc or zirconium

Abstract

An apparatus for forming laminated sheet glass, including: a lower pipe and a first upper pipe separated by a first gap on one side and second gap on the other side, the apparatus being configured so that the position of the lower pipe relative to the first upper pipe are each independently adjustable to control the dimensions of the first gap, the second gap, or both, as defined herein. 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 that provides a first glass stream of the core of the laminate; and

a first upper pipe having a first weir and a second weir, that provides a second glass stream onto the first glass stream, the second glass stream forms a first outer clad layer on the inner core of the laminate;

a two piece muffle comprising;

a first upper portion having a top and at least two long sides; and

a second lower portion having an open bottom and at least two long sides, the first and second muffle portions define a chamber occupied by the first upper pipe and the lower pipe respectively, the first upper portion and second lower portion define a first gap that physically separates and is situated between the first and second portions;

a two piece refractory liner situated between the muffle and the chamber occupied by the first upper pipe and lower pipe, the refractory liner having an upper portion and a lower portion that define a second gap that physically separates and is situated between the refractory liner first and second portions;

at least one gap seal situated near the first gap between the bottom of the first upper portion and the top of the second lower portion of the muffle;

at least one heat source within at least one of the first upper portion and the second lower portion of the muffle; and

an adjustment system operably adapted to change the relative position of at least one of;

the upper portion of the muffle with respect to the lower portion of the muffle;

the first weir with respect to the second weir of the first upper pipe; and

a first gap and a second gap between the first upper pipe and the lower pipe.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustment system independently supports each of the upper and lower muffle portions from above, below, a side, an edge, a corner, or a combination thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the adjustment system comprises at least one of independently adjustable:

suspenders;

a lift, a jack, an hydraulic ram;

a robot, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one gap seal comprises:

a first seal situated between the first upper portion and the second lower portion of the muffle, and in proximity to the first gap and the second gap of the pipes;

a second seal situated in proximity the first upper portion and the second lower portion of the muffle, and in proximity to the first seal and distal to the first gap and the second gap of the pipes;

a third seal situated in proximity to the first upper portion and the second lower portion of the muffle, and in proximity to the second seal member and distal to the first gap and the second gap of the pipes;

or a combination thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lower pipe has from 1 to 6 degrees of freedom and the first upper pipe has from 1 to 6 degrees of freedom.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dimensions of the first gap and the second gap are the same or different.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein if the relative elevation of the first weir and the second weir are the same, the resulting laminated sheet glass has a clad layer on each side of the core having substantially the same thickness, and if the relative elevation of the first weir and the second weir are different, the resulting laminated sheet glass has a clad layer on each side of the core having a different thickness.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separation dimension of the gaps between the bottom of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe is substantially equidistant across the entire span of the gap, or the separation dimension of the gaps between the bottom of the upper pipe and the top of the lower pipe is non-equidistant across the entire span of the gap, or a combination thereof.

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

adjusting at least one of the first and the second weir elevations of the upper pipe to pre-determine the thickness ratios of the clad and core of the resulting laminate;

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

simultaneously flowing a second glass stream over the first and second weirs of the upper pipe and then onto to the first glass stream to form the clad of the laminate on the core of the laminate.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising adjusting the upper portion of the muffle to change the first weir elevation, the second weir elevation, or both elevations of the upper pipe, to change location of the second glass stream onto to the first glass stream.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first weir elevation, the second weir elevation, or both elevations of the upper pipe are adjusted prior to use, in use, or after use, to provide glass thickness ratios of the core layer to clad layer laminate from 10:

1 to 1;

10.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the thickness of the core layer is from 1 micrometers to 1,000 micrometers and the thickness of the clad layer is from 1,000 micrometers to 1 microns.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising having a plurality of upper pipes 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.