Abstract: The present disclosure provides the installation of an apparatus for cooling a manufactured glass rod. The apparatus has at least two cooling chambers arranged along the glass strand for sectional cooling of the glass strand. A gaseous cooling medium is either blown into the cooling chamber or sucked out of the cooling chambers. The glass strand is passed through each cooling chamber, with an orifice provided at each of the pass-through points, whose opening is larger than the cross-section or diameter of the glass strand. As a result, an annular gap forms between the opening and the surface of the glass strand, so that a turbulent flow of the gaseous cooling medium is generated, which enables a high cooling rate.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing a glass ribbon includes a convection cooling device including at least one vacuum source configured to promote convection cooling of the glass ribbon by forcing a cooling fluid to flow along the glass ribbon. In further examples, methods of producing glass ribbon include the step of creating a vacuum to promote convection cooling of the glass ribbon by forcing a cooling fluid to flow along the glass ribbon.

Abstract: In an apparatus for conveying a glass tube strand or glass rod strand having a cross-section that is different from a circular cross-section, in particular having an oval cross-section, a plurality of support and guide members are arranged, if viewed in the direction of movement of the glass tube strand or glass rod strand, one after the other such that the moving glass tube strand or glass rod strand is directly supported thereon and guided by them. The support and guide members are disposed tilted in said direction of movement so that the moving glass tube strand or glass rod strand is directly supported on edges of the support and guide members. Thus, one-sided heat losses due to heat dissipation via the support and guide members can be significantly reduced to thereby reduce the curvature of the glass tube strand or glass rod strand.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing polycrystalline silicon ingots. A crucible is arranged in a process chamber and filled with solid silicon material. At least one diagonal heater is located laterally offset to and generally above the silicon ingot to be produced. The silicon material is heated to form molten silicon in the crucible, and thereafter cooled down below the solidification temperature of the molten silicon. A temperature profile in the silicon material during the cooling phase is controlled at least partially via the at least one diagonal heater. The apparatus includes a process chamber, a crucible holder, and at least one diagonal heater. The diagonal heater is located laterally with respect to the crucible holder and generally above a polycrystalline silicon ingot to be formed in the crucible. The diagonal heater is stationary with respect to the crucible holder when the process chamber is closed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for producing a glass sheet comprising lower thermal shields positioned below cooling doors for minimizing radiative heat loss from a forming body used to form a ribbon of molten glass from which a glass sheet is cut, and upper thermal shields positioned between the cooling doors and a root of the forming body for minimizing radiative heat loss from the forming body. The thermal shields are typically arranged as pairs and positioned on horizontally opposite sides of a flow of molten glass descending as a continuous ribbon from the forming body. Each thermal shield of the lower and upper thermal shield pairs may comprise a plurality of segments, including end segments and a central segment, wherein the end segments may be separately movable relative to the central segment, allowing an edge of the thermal shield adjacent the ribbon to be varied.

Abstract: A glass container system comprises a glass container comprising a base defining a bottom of the container and a sidewall formed integrally with the base to define an interior space. A protuberance is formed integrally with the base where the protuberance extending beyond a side wall of the base. A lid is dimensioned such that the protuberance engages the lid such that the lid may be releasably secured to the base. A glass container prepared by a process comprising the steps of providing a mold defining a container having a base at a bottom of the mold cavity where the mold cavity comprises an undercut portion that defines a recess in the mold cavity; introducing molten glass to the mold; cooling the glass to cause the glass to shrink a sufficient amount that the protuberance recedes from the recess; and removing the container from the mold in a linear direction.

Abstract: In the formation of sheet material from molten glass, a cooling tube is positioned in the forming area for directing a flow of cooling gas on discrete portions of the molten glass proximate a draw line or root to control local thickness variations in the sheet and thereby provide a uniform glass sheet thickness across the width of the sheet. The cooling tube is disposed in a pivot member configured to rotate about at least one axis, thereby causing an end of the cooling tube to direct the cooling gas over a wide range of angular positions across a portion of the width of the molten glass flowing over and from a forming body.

Abstract: In the formation of sheet material from molten glass, a cooling tube is positioned in the forming area for directing a flow of cooling gas on discrete portions of the molten glass proximate a draw line or root to control local thickness variations in the sheet and thereby provide a uniform glass sheet thickness across the width of the sheet. The cooling tube is disposed in a pivot member configured to rotate about at least one axis, thereby causing an end of the cooling tube to direct the cooling gas over a wide range of angular positions across a portion of the width of the molten glass flowing over and from a forming body.

Abstract: Managing pressure within a thickness-control-zone (muffle door) housing (20) relative to pressures in a glass-making machine enclosure (60) and an upper chamber (40)—that is disposed outside the enclosure—so as to minimize or control undesired airflows that would adversely affect thickness (9) of glass ribbon (8). According to one pressure-management technique, the pressure at a location (25) in the housing (20) is managed so as to be less than the pressure at a location (65) that is within the enclosure (60) as well as both outside and adjacent to the housing. In the event of a leak, as by a crack or unintended opening in the housing, for example, this pressure difference reduces or prevents airflow toward the ribbon and, thereby, undesired thickness variation in the ribbon. According to a second pressure-management technique, the pressure at location (25) is managed so as to be greater than the pressure in the upper chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing single microlenses or an arrays of microlenses composed of a glass-type material, in which method a first substrate is provided with a surface containing impressions over which a second substrate composed of a glass-type material is placed at least partially overlapping it and is joined therewith under vacuum conditions. The substrate composite is tempered in such a manner that the second substrate softens and flows into the impressions of the first substrate, thereby structuring the side of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate in order to form at least one microlens surface.

Abstract: Disclosed are a process for producing a glass shaped material having high quality and high mass accuracy and a process for producing an optical element, which includes the preparation of a glass shaped material having high quality and high mass accuracy, the heating of said glass shaped material and the precision-press-molding thereof.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing display tube includes a first stage of press-forming molten glass put in a mold using a plunger, and a second stage of cooling the formed glass after it has been taken out from the mold. After removal of the plunger the heat radiation of the inner face portion of the central panel portion is reduced.

Abstract: A method of floating glass gobs by means of a gas flow. A method of manufacturing glass gobs by floating a molten glass gob and simultaneously cooling it. A method of manufacturing glass spheres by floating a softened glass gob and simultaneously rendering it spherical. These methods employ a device having a depression for floating and holding a glass gob or the like, with a gas flow being supplied along all or part of the inner surface of the depression from the opening side of the depression toward the bottom. A manufacturing method comprising the steps of adjusting a glass gob to a temperature suited to press molding while floating said glass gob by means of a gas flow injected along part or all of the depression-shaped forming surface of a lower mold from the opening side of the lower mold toward the bottom of the lower mold; and a step of press forming the glass gob.

Abstract: An apparatus for shaping and transferring of a glass article is provided for a glassware forming machine in order to shape a glass parison in a blowing mold and to transfer the shaped glass article from the blowing mold to a deadplate in front of the machine. A blow nozzle, a blow head, and a take-out mechanism are coupled in a housing to form, cool, and grip the article. The blow nozzle is provided to blow air for the forming of the article and to cool the article once that article has been shaped. The blow head is provided to form a pressure chamber when the blow head is positioned on the blowing mold during the shaping of the glass article, the blow nozzle passing within and through the blow head. The take-out mechanism for gripping the glass article is pivotally mounted in an external part of the housing for movement between a gripping position to grip the glass article after the article has been shaped in the blowing mold and a retracted position to release the article.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing glass optical elements at high operational efficiency, a mass of molten glass which is dropped down is cut at a first step by a wind blast into a sequence of glass gobs each of which is received by a gas stream spouted from a lower portion. Each glass gob is kept afloat with a gas stream spouted to be adjusted to a temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity between 10.sup.5.5 and 10.sup.9 poises. Thereafter, the glass gob is pressed in a third step by the use of a pair of forming dies kept at a temperature which corresponds to a glass viscosity between 10.sup.8 and 10.sup.12 poises and which is lower than the temperature of the glass gob. During the third step, the forming dies are cooled to a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of 10.sup.13.4 poises with the glass gob kept within the forming dies and are thereafter opened to release a shaped article from the forming dies.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for extruding glass tubing (12) which comprises a furnace (14). A component (16) within the furnace (14) is for holding molten glass (18). A duplex mandrel (20) on one end of the furnace (14) is connected into the holding component (16). A facility (22) is for forcing the molten glass (18) in the holding component (16) out through the duplex mandrel (20), so as to form the glass tubing (12) having an upper support segment (24) and a lower structural segment (26). An assembly (28) is for quick cooling the upper support segment (24) of the glass tubing (12) upon exiting the duplex mandrel (20), so that the lower structural segment (26) will maintain its desired shape while slow cooling.

Abstract: A device for shaping rods, in particular, of a glassy material, by casting said material in a molten state in a mold, characterized by the fact that said mold comprises a) a cylindrical internal wall of a porous material and b) a means to inject a gas in this wall and cause it to come out of the wall on the side facing the glassy material accumulated in the mold, so as to constitute an interstitial flow of a film of gas that separates the glassy material from the inside wall of the mold.

Abstract: A flat glass sheet is manufactured using the float process. Before annealing of glass carried on rollers, the glass is conveyed by a fluid bed formed by a mixture of gases, in order to cool the glass to approximately 600.degree. C. before it reaches an annealing lehr.

Abstract: A method of forming glass containers, including the steps of drying a stream of air, passing the dried air into a vacuum-insulated mixing chamber, evaporating liquid cryogen in the mixing chamber, allowing the resulting cryogen vapor to mix with the air to form a mixture at a temperature below -20.degree. C., passing the gas mixture into a vacuum-insulated manifold, and causing the gas mixture to flow from the manifold and into the insides of glass containers being formed in molds to cool the containers.

Abstract: An apparatus of producing an optical glass element of the present invention comprises the steps of displacing a gob of optical glass on a first heat working jig to a second heat working jig by making the gob of optical glass to adhere to the second heat working jig on the basis of the difference in wettability with high temperature glass between the first heat working jig and the second heat working jig, thermally deforming the gob of optical glass on the second heat working jig to form an optical glass preform, and forming the optical glass preform under heating and pressure by using pressing moulds to form an optical glass element.

Abstract: A method for foming glass articles of substantial thickness from unstable glass compositions which normally devitrify when formed by conventional casting or molding processes, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of quench-cooling the glass to form a crystal-free glass feedstock material, and then pressure-consolidating the feedstock at a temperature between the transition temperature and the crystallization temperature of the glass.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing glass objects such as bottles, in which a cold fluid containing a cryogen is sprayed around and/or under the bottles in the region of the transfer tongs and/or of the standby table in order to accelerate the cooling of the bottles and improve the quality of the latter and the productivity of the manufacturing machines. This cooling may be accompanied by a localized, or complete quenching of the bottle.

Abstract: A new method for fabricating devices which include multicomponent metal halide glasses, e.g., multicomponent metal halide glass optical fibers, is disclosed. In accordance with the inventive method, a multicomponent metal halide glass body, essentially free of crystallites, is produced by cooling essentially every portion of a melt incorporated into the glass body at a quench rate which is necessarily greater than or equal to about 10 Kelvins per second (K/sec). This necessary quench rate is achieved by successively quenching relatively small portions of the melt, e.g., thin layers or droplets of melt material, having relatively small cross-sectional dimensions.

Abstract: A system for forming hollow pressed glass articles utilizes a flow of cryogen that is mixed with air to provide a cooling gas that enables newly pressed articles to be removed from their molds after a thin skin of solidified glass has been formed on internal surfaces of the articles to strengthen the newly formed articles and to give them shape stability. Two flows of cryogen are used, one being a gentle, substantially continuous flow of cryogen gas from a low pressure source, the other being a controlled intermittent flow of cryogen vapor in liquid and/or gaseous form from a high pressure source. To assure a proper introduction of cryogen vapor, and to prevent debilitating accumulations of ice within and about the tube that is used to inject high pressure cryogen, the high pressure injector tube is surrounded by a low pressure cryogen flow tube, through which a flow of low pressure cryogen gas is maintained on a substantially continuous basis.

Abstract: In an apparatus for manufacturing containers out of glass, a parison is formed from a gob of molten glass and is transferred to a mould having a cavity in the shape of the required container. Instead of the conventional blowing operation, the parison within the mould is heated so that the parison flows to conform to the shape of the cavity. The heating may be by a gas burner and air may be blown on to a neck portion of the parison to cool it during heating of the parison.

Abstract: According to the invention, a cryogenic liquid as liquid oxygen is vaporized in a heat exchanger by air, which air is thus cooled and further used to blow bottles or the like manufactured at the end of the line where glass is melted and refined by burners using the gaseous oxygen.

Abstract: An apparatus for blow molding glass articles uses a mixture of cryogenic fluid and ambient air as a blowing fluid. The apparatus includes gas inlet means positioned to direct a flow of blowing fluid into the center of a blow mold, insulated manifold means to mix ambient air and a cryogenic fluid as the blowing fluid, means to feed the mixture into the gas inlet means, means to pressurize the ambient air, conduit means for directing ambient air into the insulated manifold, and injector means for introducing cryogenic vapor into the conduit means.

Abstract: Methods for forming glass articles such as bottles and the like utilize pressurized flows of a cold blowing gas that is delivered from an insulated manifold into mold cavitites which are being used to mold glass articles. The cold blowing gas is a mixture of compressed cryogen vapor and ambient air that has been dehumidified, with the injection of the cryogen vapor into the ambient air being performed in stages, and utilizing a technique of cyclically operating and defrosting a plurality of cryogen injectors to assure a proper introduction of cryogen vapor and to prevent debilitating accumulations of ice about the cryogen inlets. The use of cryogen vapor in the blowing gas hastens cooling and solidification of newly formed glass articles so that the time during which the articles must be retained in their molds is significantly reduced. Reductions in mold retention times enable the apparatus to be operated at increased speeds, whereby its productivity is significantly increased.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for making a glass block containing dioactive fission products in a metal vessel. The method includes the steps of placing the radioactive glass melt in the metal vessel and cooling the same therein. To minimize the formation of fissures in the glass block which is formed, the inner wall surfaces of the metal vessel are coated with a carbon material. The metal vessel is then placed in a thermally-insulating receptacle. The metal vessel is then filled with a radioactive glass melt emanating from a glass melting furnace and, after the filling step, is cooled slowly in the heat insulating receptacle. A container assembly for use in performing the method of the invention is also disclosed.

Abstract: Hollow articles of glass or other materials are blown and cooled within a mold by means of an axially directed gyratory flow of pressurized air introduced tangentially into the blowing head of the mold, and which, after progressing throughout the extent of the mold is exhausted in an opposite axial direction co-axially within said gyratory flow.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming glass articles such as bottles and the like utilize flows of pressurized cold cryogen vapor that are introduced into mold cavities which are being used to mold glass articles. The cold cryogen vapor hastens cooling and solidification of the articles so that the time during which the articles must be retained in their molds is significantly reduced. Reductions in mold retention times enable the apparatus to be operated at increased speeds, whereby its productivity is significantly increased. Productivity increases of 15 percent and often more can be achieved at relatively low expense. The use of cold cryogen vapor introduction into mold cavities is applicable to a variety of glass molding techniques including molding and blow molding.

Abstract: A newly-moulded article of glassware is positioned on a dead plate with a central opening of the dead plate beneath a central region of the bottom of the article and a plurality of grooves or openings extending from beyond the article to beneath the bottom thereof. Air is sucked through the central opening so that it flows through the grooves or openings past the bottom of the article. Air is also blown on the sidewalls of the article through a plurality of nozzles uniformly spaced around the article.

Abstract: The invention provides method and apparatus for supporting hot glass tubing drawn from a source of molten glass, on a cushion of air. A horizontally elongated chamber is disposed beneath the drawpath of the tubing and an elevated air pressure is maintained in the chamber. The top wall of the chamber defines a V notch in vertical cross section within which the tubing is disposed and one or more openings or slots traversing the vertex portion of the top wall provide an upward flow of air from the chamber to support the tubing being drawn. The dimensions of the openings are selected as a function of the range of diameter and weight of the glass tubing to be supported and the air pressure is selected as a function of the same variables. Air flow cooling of the top portions of the tubing may be provided to reduce bow.

Abstract: A glass balloon that floats in air. An assembly of glass balloons that form a slab of foam that floats in air. A process for making glass balloons employing: two nested furnaces, pre-heated helium, a moving furnace, and a refrigerated seal-off chamber.

Abstract: A method of shaping glass to a desired form comprises delivering molten glass on to a porous support member while feeding a gas under pressure through the porous support member from the reverse side thereof, so as to support the molten glass out of contact with the support member on a cushion of gas, allowing the glass to assume a shape approximating to that of the support member under the forces of surface tension, gravity and gas cushion pressure, cooling the glass while thus supported on the gas cushion to a temperature at which it is so conditioned that it can be shaped by contact with a solid surface without any substantial surface damage, and shaping the conditioned glass by a shaping process which involves contact with a solid surface.The shaping process may be a moulding process, which can be carried out either in the porous support member or in a separate mould to which the glass is transferred. The gas, e.g.

Abstract: In a conjunction with a glassware press-molding machine, an arrangement of Bernoulli nozzles is employed to remove the articles from the mold, complete the forming of the articles, cool them, heat treat them and transfer them to a conveyor. The cooling and heat treating is effected by air from the nozzle combined with an airflow directed onto the underside of the articles while supported by the Bernoulli nozzles.