Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite which includes a mirror panel comprising the steps of water-tightly bonding a first backing sheet made of waterproof material to the rear side of a mirror including a vitreous sheet bearing a radiation-reflecting coating on its rear side, thereby forming a mirror/backing sheet laminate; locating the laminate and a second backing sheet between a pair of dies with the laminate and the second backing positioned in spaced relationship; injecting the space between the laminate and the second backing sheet with a foamable plastic material; allowing or causing the foamable plastic material to foam and thereby press the laminate and the second backing sheet into close conformity with the respective die faces and, allowing or causing the foam to set and adhere to each backing sheet while the laminate and second backing sheet are pressed against the die faces to form a substantially rigid composite sandwich structure.

Abstract: A fire-screening glazing panel including a plurality of sheets of vitreous material and at least two spaced layers of intumescent material each sandwiched between sheets of the vitreous material. At least two of the plurality of vitreous sheets are internal vitreous sheets sandwiched between the at least two intumescent layers, and the at least two internal vitreous sheets are laminated together without intervening intumescent material.

Abstract: A composite mirror panel comprises a front flexible vitreous sheet 1 whose rear face is provided with a reflective coating 2 to form a mirror 3. A flexible waterproof backing sheet 5 is watertightly bonded at 4 to the rear of the mirror 3 to form a laminate 6. A corrugated backing sheet 8 is bonded to the first backing sheet 5 along crests 9 of the corrugations to form a composite mirror panel which is flexible about axes parallel with the corrugations.The first backing sheet 5 may be of vitreouus material thicker than the mirror sheet 1 or it may be a metal sheet.

Abstract: A continuous process of making glass, in which a vitrifiable batch is fed to a furnace equipped with heating devices for melting the batch so as to produce molten glass. The furnace has a melting end into which the batch is fed and a delivery end remote from the melting end and from which delivery end molten glass is withdrawn. The furnace presents a melting zone adjacent the melting end, in which the batch is melted. The melting zone is composed in the vertical direction of an upper half constituting a batch zone and of a lower half, and the melting zone is further composed in the horizontal direction of an upstream half proximate to the melting end and of a downstream half remote from the melting end. In order to promote melting of the vitrifiable batch, to thereby improve the quality of the glass produced, a direct electric current is established, during the process, between at least one cathode located in the upstream half of the batch zone and at least one anode located outside the batch zone.

Abstract: A method of bonding a first, vitreous sheet to a second sheet to form a laminate which includes the steps of bonding together the sheets using an adhesive material which is at most 250 .mu.m thick and has a viscosity in the range 15 to 300 poises, the adhesive being such that it is settable by evaporation of solvent or by hot or cold curing. The assembly is degassed by subjecting it to sub-atmospheric pressure at a temperature such as to maintain the adhesive viscosity within that range whereafter it is exposed to atmospheric pressure and the adhesive is caused or allowed to set.

Abstract: A method of modifying the light-reflecting properties of a surface of a glass article by etching the surface with acid. The method includes the steps of smoothly applying to the surface of the article a uniform film of acid that is sufficiently thin so that quantities of the acid are prevented from flowing across the surface of the article and subsequently rinsing the article.

Abstract: A metal oxide coating is formed on a vitreous or non-vitreous substrate by applying a solution containing at least one metal compound to the substrate and then heating the coated substrate to convert the compound in situ to leave a coating of metal acetyl acetonate or a mixture of metal acetyl acetonates in a solvent including an aprotonic solvent, a substituted or unsubstituted monocarboxylic acid solvent, an amine or diamine solvent, or a mixture of two or more solvents selected from these groups.

Abstract: In the diffusion of ions from a contacting medium constituting a source of such ions into surface layers of a body of glass or vitrocrystalline material for the purpose of modifying at least one property of the body, the uniformity of the diffusion across the surface of the body is improved by placing the medium contacting the body in the form of a mist composed of suspended droplets of the treating medium.

Abstract: A fire screening glazing panel and a method of producing same. A panel is formed of at least two structural plies and at least one of which is a vitreous sheet, layers of heat convertible thermally insulating barrier forming material are placed on a face of each ply, and a plastic membrane is sandwiched between the layered plies, the layers being adjacent the plastic membrane. When formed in this way, the plastic membrane makes the transfer of heat from one barrier-forming material layer to the other more uniform and prolongs the time taken for the vitreous sheet to reach a given temperature, while the panel as a whole is in itself sufficient to prevent or delay propagation of fire across an opening closed by the panel. Protective strata may be applied to each vitreous ply on its face that will be in contact with the barrier forming material layer to inhibit interaction between the ply and the layer and preserve the transparency (if the ply is transparent) of the ply over an extended period of time.

Abstract: A heat insulating screen forming a part of an oven or furnace comprising two or more sheets of glass of vitrocrystalline material mounted in facing relationship, one sheet providing one exterior face of the screen having been subjected to a chemical tempering treatment, the other sheet providing the other exterior face of the screen having improved thermal properties which are obtained either by utilizing a borosilicate glass which has a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 5 x 10.sup.-6 /.degree. C or a sheet bearing at least one coating capable of screening off a significant amount of incident infrared radiation.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for the production or treatment of flat glass in an elongate tank containing a bath of molten material. Glass is delivered to the bath, and it is advanced along a path in contact with the bath towards an outlet for the glass from the tank. At least one current is induced in the molten material in at least one portion of the tank where the viscosity of the glass lies in the range between 10.sup.4.5 and 10.sup.10 poise to flow across substantially the full width of the glass.

Abstract: A laminated glazing pane comprised of at least two sheets of vitreous material joined together by an intervening layer of plastic material given improved sound attenuation properties by constructing the pane in such a manner that its base frequency (f) is between 0.70 and 0.97 times its theoretical base frequency (f.sub.0).

Abstract: The invention relates to a fire screening glazing panel and a method for forming the panel. The panel is composed of at least two structural plies, at least one of which is a vitreous sheet, and a layer therebetween composed at least in part of a heat convertible barrier forming material, which material forms a solid porous or cellular thermally insulating body when subjected to sufficient heat, as during a fire. The barrier forming material is an hydrated metal salt selected from the group consisting of aluminates, plumbates, stannates, alums, borates, and phosphates. The barrier forming material does not significantly reduce the transparency of the structural sheets, if they are transparent, even over extended use during normal conditions.

Abstract: A metallic oxide coating is formed on a substrate which may be vitreous, partially vitreous or nonvitreous by applying to the substrate a solution of one or more metallic salts selected from the group of the acetates, halides and nitrates in an aprotic solvent having a dielectric constant greater than 15 and a dipolar moment greater then 3D. The substrate and applied solution are then subjected to heat to convert in situ the metallic salt to form a coating comprising at least one metallic oxide.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fire screening glazing panel and a method for forming the panel. The panel is composed of at least two structural plys, at least one of which is a vitreous sheet, and a layer therebetween composed at least in part of a heat convertible carrier forming material which material forms a solid porous or cellular thermally insulating body when subjected to sufficient heat, as during a fire. A protective stratum is applied to at least one of the vitreous sheet plys for inhibiting interaction between the barrier forming material and the ply, thereby maintaining the transparency of the ply if it is formed of transparent material, and maintaining its color.

Abstract: In the coloring of bodies of glass by diffusion of coloring ions from a treatment medium into surface layers thereof, the repeatability of the resulting coloration is improved by controlling not only the treatment temperature and composition of the medium and the treatment time, but also by controlling the electrical potential within the medium between a pair of electrodes in contact therewith. Preferably, for electrodes of specified composition and structure, this potential is maintained at a value between -600 mV and +300 mV.

Abstract: Glass bodies formed from a vitrifiable composition are given a desired coloration by introducing a reducing agent into surface layers of the body, during or after its formation from a molten composition, and the then the body surface into contact with a diffusion medium composed of a mixture of a salt furnishing reducible metal ions which are capable of being reduced by the reducing agent, and a diluting agent constituted by a salt of another metal, the body being subjected to temperature conditions such as to cause the reducible metal ions to diffuse into the body surface layers and to there be chemically reduced by the reducing agent.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a glazing unit by jointing a metallized margin of a sheet of glass to an intervening spacer strip following a course along the peripheral margin of the unit, the joint between the sheet and the strip along at least a section of such course being formed by applying molten solder into the corner angle between the sheet and the strip to form a solder bead along the section, the joint being progressively traversed by at least one flame so that at each moment during its progress along the joint such flame acts on such solder metal before it has completely solidified whereby the final bead is formed by solidification of solder metal from the molten condition in which it is left by such flame and apparatus for carrying out such process.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for pre-heating a vitrifiable batch before it is introduced into a glass melting furnace. The hot gases from the furnace are used for this purpose. The batch is fed onto a support which provides apertures or openings. The support and the batch on it are heated by hot gases from the furnace until the batch is in at least a partly molten condition in which it flows through the support apertures.

Abstract: In the manufacture of sheet glass by drawing a ribbon of glass upwardly from a molten glass bath via a meniscus located at the glass surface in the drawing zone, a pool of molten material is contained in the bath beneath the drawing zone by a refractory member and the molten material pool is thermally conditioned to maintain a predetermined temperature profile in at least part of the drawing zone.