Abstract: A method for continuously melting a glass by means of a high-frequency electromagnetic field in a melting tube is provided. In this technique, the electromagnetic field is coupled in the melt by means of a coil present within a cooling jacket surrounding the melting tube. A grounded screen and a tube of insulating material are present between the wall of the melting tube and the coil. The melt traverses a heating zone and a refining zone, and a solid elongated body is withdrawn from the bottom of the melting tube.

Abstract: An oriented continuous strand mat of glass fiber filaments is formed by interleaved layers of generally circular or random loops and elongated elliptical loops having their longitudinal axes positioned in the direction of travel of an endless conveyor upon which the glass fibers are deployed to form a mat useable in a stampable glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet having increased tensile strength in the length of the sheet. An elongated deflector plate having a planar deflecting surface whose length is aligned with the direction of conveyor travel, and whose face plane is generally perpendicular thereto receives pulled strands which have passed through an air flow nozzle and forms the strands into the elongated elliptical loops used to make the mat.

Abstract: This invention proposes a method of controlling the melting rate of a glass furnace to obtain substantially constant molten glass throughput. The furnace contains a pool of molten glass and a relatively thin layer of unmelted glass batch on the surface of the pool. The furnace contents are weighed, and the batch feed is controlled by the measured weight. In essence, the melting rate is determined by the thickness of the lighter, thermally insulated batch layer, since a thinner batch layer results in more heat loss through the batch and less batch melted by the cooler molten glass. Thus, a decrease in weight indicates more molten glass withdrawal and a lower melting rate, and batch is added to increase the molten glass temperature and to melt more glass batch. In the preferred embodiment, the furnace is electrically heated at a constant rate, and only the rate of batch feed is controlled to maintain substantially constant glass throughput.

Abstract: A high temperature stable woven fiber fabric has uniform minimum gas permeability of less than 2.0 L/M/cm.sup.2 and is capable of withstanding at least 10,000 cycles in a Bally.TM. Flexometer test without failure. An untreated fabric is subjected to a sequential process which provides uniform permeability and greater flexibility and acid resistance to the treated fabric. The treated fabric is particularly useful in high temperature applications such as filter elements and furnace curtains.

Abstract: A shielded faceplate for use in an image intensifier having a photocathode which comprises an inner core of glass transparent to light to which the photocathode is sensitive and an outer shielding region of glass which absorbs light to which the photocathode is sensitive. The outer shielding region surrounds and is adjacent to the inner core. The inner core has a transverse dimension which decreases along its length, the transverse dimension being smallest at the photocathode surface. The shielded faceplate is manufactured by arranging in a mold to which glass does not bond a first type of glass transparent to light to which the photocathode is sensitive and a second type of glass which absorbs light to which the photocathode is sensitive, heating the glass members so that they fuse to produce a block having an inner core of the first type of glass and an outer region of the second type of glass and removing the block from the mold.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for assembling and fusing glass to metal in a glass-metal electrical component is disclosed. The component includes a metallic shell formed with upper and lower cylindrical recesses connected together by longitudinal passages, a pair of metal rings and plural metal pins assembled to define electrical feed-throughs. The component parts are assembled on a fixture having a sleeve-like projection and a central mounting projection establishing concentric nesting surfaces to which the metal rings are slip-fitted in concentric alignment with each other spaced from sidewalls of the lower recess. The pins are in electrical contact with the metal rings. A glass pre-form is seated within the upper recess. The assembled structure is heated to a temperature sufficient to melt the glass pre-form which flows under gravity through the passages into the lower recess to provide an insulative seal between the metal parts.

Abstract: A feeder for the production of glass filaments is provided with dripless and non-dripless fields of stream defining orifices to, in part, have the advantages of dripless as well as non-dripless type feeders.

Abstract: Machine for making pressed glass parts, and particularly cups and stems. A rotatable machine table (4) has several work stations (1) which have one bottom plate (31) each with a means (37) for centering an exchangeably mountable glass mold (3). Each work station (1) has a lift drive for a rod (25) coacting with the glass mold (3). The lift drive contains a first vertical guidance element (8) mounted in the machine table (4). The rod (25) has a second vertical guidance element (20) mounted in the bottom plate (31). Finally, a means for setting the vertical distance between rod (25) and lift drive is provided. To achieve the object of reducing the overall height and weight of the machine, the first vertical guidance element (8) is over its entire length mounted underneath an upper boundary surface (5) of the machine table (4) inside the latter, and the bottom plate (31) is mounted directly on the machine table (4).

Abstract: In the manufacture of preforms for metal halide optical fibers by the vapor deposition of metal halide layers on the inside surface of a silicate glass substrate tube, silicon release from the tube side wall by fluorine-containing reactants used in the vapor deposition process is reduced by the preliminary application of a slurry coating of a sinterable, fluorine-resistant metal halide or other glass composition which is dried and sintered to a passivation layer.

Abstract: Apparatus for the production of bottle and flask type glass containers having a medium or narrow aperture using the blow-blow or press-blow process. The apparatus is characterized in that it includes a two-part bushing having a top part and a bottom part, a compression spring acting on the bushing, an auxiliary jack connected to the piston of a main jack, a movable end which with the main piston defines one of the main jack chambers. The invention is applicable primarily to the liquid packaging industry.

Abstract: The invention provides an efficient and accurate method for reducing the diameter of a rod or tube of glass, e.g. fused quartz glass rod as a base material of optical fibers, by drawing when the rod or tube is heated and in a softened and plastically deformable state. Different from conventional methods in which the glass rod or tube is held in a horizontal disposition and drawn in the horizontal axial direction or the rod or tube is held vertically and drawing is effected by the downward movement of the lower grip, the rod or tube in the inventive method is held vertically and drawing thereof is effected by the upward movement of the upper grip along with the gradual downward shift of the heating zone relative to the lower grip so that the problems in the prior art methods such as warp and an uneven diameter profile of the drawn rod or tube can be minimized.

Abstract: Two gripping means (50 and 58) are used alternately to transfer articles (16) from a blow station (14) to conveyor belts (20). The gripping means are mounted on a carriage (30) which is movable transversely of the blow station to move the gripping means in turn into alignment with the blow station or above one of the conveyor belts. Horizontal moving means (66 and 70) is associated with each gripping means to move it to and from the blow station to collect articles. Vertical moving means (42) is associated with each gripping means to move it downwardly on the carriage to release articles on to one of the conveyor belts.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for preparing a glass fiber circumferentially coated with an amorphous metallic alloy, wherein the glass fiber is drawn to substantially its final diameter and then coated with amorphous metallic alloy. The coating is accomplished by passing the drawn glass fiber vertically through an opening formed between two circumferentially abutting, counter-rotating, circumferentially grooved rolls having a pool of a glass-forming alloy continuously supplied from a crucible and supported in the nip of the rolls adjacent the opening. The drawn glass fiber first passes through the pool of molten alloy and then immediately into the opening defined between the two rolls, whereby the metallic alloy coated onto the drawn glass fiber is rapidly cooled to form an amorphous coating.

Abstract: A mold used for manufacturing optical glass parts by the direct press molding of lumps of raw optical glass. The pressing surface of the mold is made of a material comprising .alpha. type SiC or amorphous SiC or a mixture of both. The pressing surface may be a coated film on a base body of hard alloy or high density carbon.

Abstract: In pulling a single crystal of a compound semiconductor having a high melting point and exhibiting a high dissociation pressure at such melting point, like a compound semiconductor of elements of Groups III-V such as GaAs or GaP, from a feed melt contained in a crucible and subject to an inert gas atmosphere of a high pressure, apparatus for positioning a baffle plate floating in the feed melt in a predetermined position in a stable state in order to prevent heat convection of the feed melt in the crucible from affecting the solid-melt interface and consequently a single crystal having a small dislocation density can be obtained.

Abstract: Apparatus for spraying lubricant into closed moulds of a glass forming machine has the spray outlets on a carrier structure which is pivoted on the funnel arm shaft of the machine. For lubrication a pneumatic cylinder couples it to its support, fast with the funnel arm shaft so that the carrier and spray outlets are moved over the moulds. During a moulding cycle the carrier is held back inoperative by a spring so the funnels can be used normally. A method of moulding glass parisons includes selectively moving the carrier structure and spray outlets to spray lubricant at selected intervals to effect periodic lubrication cycles.

Abstract: In a glass batch liquefying process, batch-entrained nitrogen is purged by contacting the batch with a substantially nitrogen-free gas in a pretreating stage.

Abstract: A preform from which lightguide fiber is drawn is made by depositing optically suitable layers of doped silicon dioxide on an inner wall of a rotating glass tube (31) which is exposed to a moving zone of heat (56) which is provided by a torch assembly (50) during a deposition mode and during a collapse mode. After the deposition mode and generally prior to the collapse mode, one end portion of the tube is at least partially closed in order to allow pressurizing of the tube during collapse. This is accomplished with a pivotally mounted tool (70) which straddles the torch assembly to cause an internally water cooled contact device (92) to be disposed within the confines of the torch. Further, the contact device is configured to provide a curved lead-in from the tube to the at least partially closed portion. The use of separate apparatus for initially closing the tube provides control of the sealed-off portion and prevents an irregular cross-section from being propagated along the length of the tube.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing mineral fibers comprises a spinner mounted for rotation to centrifuge mineral fibers from molten mineral material, an annular blower positioned concentrically outwardly from the spinner for turning the mineral fibers downwardly and inducing a downward flow of air around the spinner, and an airfoil mounted above the blower to provide a downwardly converging annular passageway above the blower for the induced air, the blower and the airfoil forming a substantially continuous curved surface, being curved radially inwardly at the blower.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a mat of highly dispersed continuous glass filaments at increased throughput while maintaining desirable tensile strength characteristics by means of an oscillatable, fluidic distribution system.