Abstract: Chemically strengthened glass and a method for making utilizing differential areal density are provided. The method includes providing a substrate having a glass chemical structure. Host alkali ions are situated in the chemical structure. The substrate has a treatment-rich volume and a treatment-poor volume located as opposed to each other in the substrate. The method also includes providing an exchange medium characterized by having an areal density, associated with an ion exchange rate, of invading alkali ions having an average ionic radius that is larger than an average ionic radius of the host alkali ions. The method also includes providing a modified exchange medium characterized by having a modified areal density, associated with a modified ion exchange rate, of the invading alkali ions. The method also includes applying the exchange mediums and conducting ion exchange to produce the strengthened substrate.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of making a vessel having a sculptural interior, comprising attaching a textile core to the air inlet port of an I.S. machine, inserting a gob of molten glass into a mold to surround the textile core, applying compressed air to press the molten glass around the textile core, applying compressed air to inflate the textile core creating the bottle, allowing the bottle to cool sufficiently to withdraw the core from the bottle, and withdrawing the textile core from the bottle.

Abstract: A strengthened glass sheet product as well as process and an apparatus for making the product. The process comprises cooling the glass sheet by non-contact thermal conduction for sufficiently long to fix a surface compression and central tension of the sheet. The process results in thermally strengthened glass sheets having improved breakage properties.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical fiber is provided. The method includes the steps of drawing an optical fiber from a heated glass source in a furnace and introducing index perturbations to the optical fiber via a plurality of perturbation sources arranged at a plurality of different azimuthal locations. The index perturbations are introduced synchronously at different locations along the axial length of the fiber by the plurality of perturbation sources in a generally helical pattern on the outside surface of the fiber in one embodiment. According to another embodiment, the index perturbations are introduced by the plurality of perturbation sources at different frequencies.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a vitreous silica crucible having a transparent layer by use of waste vitreous silica, and silica powder suitable for the manufacturing. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing granulated silica powder comprising a process for pulverizing waste vitreous silica generated in the manufacturing process of a crucible to form silica fine powder having an average particle diameter of 100 ?m or less, and a process for granulating the silica fine powder to obtain granulated silica powder having an average particle diameter of 50 ?m or more under helium atmosphere.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for: feeding glass batch material into a plasma containment vessel; directing one or more sources of plasma gas into an inner volume of the plasma containment vessel in such a way that the plasma gas swirls in a cyclonic fashion within the plasma containment vessel; and applying first and second electromagnetic fields to the plasma gas to facilitate production of a plasma plume within the inner volume of the plasma containment vessel, where the plasma plume is of a generally cylindrical configuration, and is of sufficient thermal energy to cause the glass batch material to thermally react.

Abstract: An optical resonator made from an elongated fiber having a proximal and distal end. A sphere is created on the distal end by locating the distal end in cylindrically symmetrical heating zone along a centerline. For some embodiments, the distal end is rapidly cooled by allowing it to retract away from the heating zone along the centerline during the formation and solidification of the molten microsphere. The resulting optical resonator has an intrinsic quality factor greater than 106 over the 2.0 to 3.2 ?m MIR wavelength range.

Abstract: A method of drawing an optical fiber in which a glass optical fiber is drawn while fusing by heating and pulling by a pulling mechanism one end of an optical fiber preform made of glass, includes drawing the glass optical fiber from the one end of the optical fiber preform while controlling a drawing speed to make an external diameter of the glass optical fiber larger than an external diameter of a product-to-be glass-optical fiber to be used to manufacture a product. The method includes adjusting an external diameter of the glass optical fiber to an external diameter passable through a die for forming a coating. The method also includes arranging the die around the glass optical fiber having the external diameter passable through the die.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a vacuum glass sealing method and a sealing device using the method. The sealing device comprises a bottom plate, an annular side wall, a cover plate, a partition plate and a heating device, wherein the lower end of the annular side wall is situated on the bottom plate and air-tightly connected with the bottom plate; the cover plate is air-tightly covered at the upper end of the annular side wall; the partition plate is arranged on the middle part of the height direction of the annular side wall; after the periphery of the partition plate is air-tightly connected with the inner surface of the annular side wall, the partition plate divides the space encircled by the bottom plate, the annular side wall and the cover plate into a first closed space and a second closed space; and the two closed spaces are provided with an air extraction port for vacuumizing respectively.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical fiber preform, capable of depositing glass particles with high deposition rate without reducing deposition efficiency and fabricating an optical fiber preform having little bubbles using a burner having a simple structure, is provided. In the invention, a mixed gas of a glass raw material gas with a combustion assisting gas is ejected from an annular nozzle of a burner having a coaxially multiple tube structure, and a burnable gas is ejected from an inner nozzle located inside the annular nozzle. Alternatively, a mixed gas of a glass raw material gas with a burnable gas may be ejected from an annular nozzle, and a combustion assisting gas is ejected from an inner nozzle located inside the annular nozzle. In each case of the above, the burnable gas and the combustion assisting gas, respectively, are ejected from outer nozzles located outside the annular nozzle.

Abstract: Methods for making active laser fibers include the production of an optical fiber with disturbed (or deviated) cylindrical symmetry on the glass surface of the fiber. The methods include a preform containing a central core made of glass. In one embodiment, the preform is circular and surrounded by additional glass rods and an outer glass jacket tube. In a first alternative embodiment, this preform is merged during fiber drawing. In a second alternative embodiment, the preform merged in a process forming a compact glass body with disturbed cylindrical symmetry. This compact preform is drawn into a fiber under conditions maintaining the disturbed cylindrical symmetry.

Abstract: Methods for making a preform for a graded-index multimode fiber by using an inside deposition process are disclosed. The methods are characterized by an iterative refractive index profile correction with the following steps: determining a target refractive index profile for the preform to be produced, carrying out an inside deposition process with fixed volume flows for the reacting gases inside a tube and a given burner speed for all deposited layers, collapsing the tube and measuring the actual refractive index profile, comparing the target profile with the actual profile and calculating a correction value of index differences, converting this correction value in corrected burner speeds as varying process parameter, carrying out a inside deposition process with fixed gas flows and corrected burner speeds for all layers to be deposited.

Abstract: In a known process for drawing a quartz glass strand, SiO2 particles are fed to a melting crucible and softened therein to form a quartz glass mass, and the softened quartz glass mass is pulled vertically downward as a quartz glass strand via a drawing nozzle which is provided in the bottom region of the melting crucible and has a gap-like drawing nozzle opening.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical fiber preform that can give stable and high deposition efficiency from the start to the end of the deposition when synthesizing a large size preform. When fabricating a preform by hydrolyzing a glass raw material gas in flame to generate glass particles and depositing the glass particles on a rotating starting material in the radial direction using a burner with a concentric multiple-tube structure having at least a plurality of small diameter combustion assisting gas-ejecting ports having the same focal length. L1 is made greater than L2 (L1>L2) during an early stage of deposition and L2 is increased in the course of the deposition so that L2 is greater than L1 (L1<L2), where the focal length is denoted by L1 and the distance from the tip of the burner to a deposition plane on the starting material is denoted by L2.

Abstract: Provided is a process for producing an optical fiber including a processing process where an optical fiber work made of a glass is held by a processing apparatus for an optical fiber work to be heated and processed, wherein in the processing process, vibration caused by an abnormality of the optical fiber work in the heated state or vibration caused by an abnormality of a glass body which is a portion of the processing apparatus for an optical fiber work and is in the state where the glass body portion is heated due to the heating of the optical fiber work is detected by using an acoustic emission sensor.

Abstract: A strengthened film for a substrate such as a glass panel is provided. The strengthened film may be formed by implanting sodium in the film, and then performing an exchange through which the sodium is replaced by potassium. The film may be an anti-reflective coating. Related assemblies and methods are also provided.

Abstract: Processes for producing shaped glass articles with a defined geometry are provided. In some embodiment, the process includes arranging a glass pane on a mould, heating the glass pane by infrared radiation, deforming the heated glass pane over the mould by gravity, negative pressure, and/or positive pressure, and cooling the shaped glass pane to obtain the shaped glass article with a defined geometry.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform or an optical fiber is provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a glass tube and a glass core rod; (b) inserting the glass core rod into the glass tube to form an assembled body; (c) heating the assembled body to cause the glass tube to collapse on and adhere to the glass core rod; and (d) treating an interface gap between the glass core rod and the glass tube during heating of at least a portion of the assembled body. Treating of the interface gap involves: (i) establishing a vacuum pressure in the interface gap, (ii) increasing a pressure of the interface gap by a treatment gas through the interface gap for a predetermined time, and (iii) re-establishing a vacuum pressure in the interface gap after the predetermined time has elapsed.

Abstract: A support structure for supporting a heated glass sheet in connection with a bending operation includes a frame, a support ring adjustably supported on the frame for supporting a peripheral portion of the glass sheet, and multiple rib assemblies associated with the frame. Each rib assembly includes a laterally extending rib supported on the frame and multiple spaced apart support members connected to the rib and configured such that at least a portion of each support member is adjustable with respect to the rib. Furthermore, each support member is configured to contact a respective inner portion of the glass sheet to support the respective inner portion of the glass sheet until the glass sheet has been sufficiently cooled.

Abstract: Burner holder for a burner of a melting vat, comprising a holding section for fastening the burner and a mounting section for fastening the holder to a melting vat or a vat element which is assigned to the melting vat, wherein the holding section (13) is connected via at least one parallel crank mechanism (8) to the mounting section (14) and can be moved via said at least one parallel crank mechanism (8) relative to the mounting section (14).