Abstract: Provided is a porous glass matrix producing burner 10, wherein a third gas jetting opening 17, which is the most outward one of a plurality of gas jetting openings, is clogged by a clogging member 19, and one line or plural lines of gas jetting holes 20 are provided in the clogging member 19 concentrically with respect to the center line of a glass material gas jetting port 11. Hence, there are provided a porous glass matrix producing burner that can have the cross-sectional area of its most outward gas jetting opening changed and can have the flow rate and linear velocity of a combustion improving gas adjusted to thereby suppress diffusion of the combustion improving gas and a combustible gas and improve deposition efficiency, and a porous glass matrix producing method using the porous glass matrix producing burner.

Abstract: This invention provides a porous glass with a varied porous structure that shows an excellent optical performance. A method of manufacturing a porous glass comprising: a first step of forming a surface layer containing a boron compound and an alkali metal compound as main ingredients on a matrix glass containing a silicon oxide, a boron oxide and an alkali metal oxide; a second step of heat treatment the matrix glass and the surface layer for phase separation to form a phase-separated glass; and a third step of acid treatment the phase-separated glass to form the porous glass having pores.

Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass is comprised of an uprising pipe, a vacuum degassing vessel, a downfalling pipe, an upstream side pit that supplies molten glass to the uprising pipe, and a downstream side pit that receives molten glass from the downfalling pipe. The vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass is further comprised of a separating mechanism that separates a part of molten glass moving from the downfalling pipe to the downstream side pit, and a returning pipe that returns separated molten glass to the upstream side pit.

Abstract: A known method for producing synthetic quartz glass comprises the method steps of: forming a stream of a SiO2 feedstock material which contains octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) as the main component which has a reference molecular mass assigned to it, feeding the stream to a reaction zone in which the feedstock material is converted under formation of amorphous SiO2 particles by pyrolysis or hydrolysis into SiO2, depositing the amorphous SiO2 particles on a deposition surface while forming a porous SiO2 soot body, and vitrifying the SiO2 soot body while forming the synthetic quartz glass.

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling bubble size and bubble decay rate of glass foams formed during submerged combustion melting. Flowing a molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein into an apparatus downstream of a submerged combustion melter. The downstream apparatus has a floor, a roof, and a sidewall structure connecting the floor and roof. The foamed glass has glass foam of glass foam bubbles on its top surface, and the downstream apparatus defines a space for a gaseous atmosphere above and in contact with the glass foam. The downstream apparatus includes heating components to heat or maintain temperature of the foamed glass. Adjusting composition of the atmosphere above the glass foam, and/or contacting the foam with a liquid or solid composition controls bubble size of the glass foam bubbles, and/or foam decay rate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing synthetic quartz glass, comprising the steps of: providing a liquid SiO2 feedstock material (105), which comprises more than 70% by wt. of the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane D4, vaporizing the SiO2 feedstock material (105) into a gaseous SiO2 feedstock vapor (107), converting the SiO2 feedstock vapor (107) into SiO2 particles, depositing the SiO2 particles on a deposition surface (160) while forming a SiO2 soot body (200), vitrifying the SiO2 soot body (200) while forming the synthetic quartz glass. According to the invention it is provided that vaporizing the heated SiO2 feedstock material (105) comprises an injection phase in an expansion chamber (125) in which the heated SiO2 feedstock material (105) is atomized into droplets, the droplets having a mean diameter of less than 5 pm, preferably less than 2 ?m.

Abstract: A method for bending a sheet is described. The method includes the following steps: a) at least one sheet is inserted into a pre-bending ring with a movable bending ring holder, the movable bending ring holder is moved into a furnace and the at least one sheet is heated to softening temperature and is pre-bent to 5% to 50% of a final edge bending, b) the at least one sheet is lifted by means of a suction device and is bent further, beyond the bending obtained in the pre-bending ring, c) the at least one sheet is laid down by means of the suction device in a final-bending ring on the movable bending ring holder and is bent to the final edge bending, and an area pre-bending of the at least one sheet is performed by means of thermal irradiation, d) the at least one sheet is lifted out of the final-bending ring by means of a second suction device, pressed against an opposing mould and bent, and the at least one sheet is laid down on the final-bending ring and the at least one sheet is cooled down.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for strengthening glass articles having strength-limiting surface flaws, together with strengthened glass articles produced by such methods, and electronic devices incorporating the strengthened glass articles. The methods generally involve contacting the glass articles with a substantially fluoride-free aqueous acidic treating medium for a time at least sufficient to increase the rupture failure points of the glass articles.

Abstract: A sheet bending device includes a sheet shaping rail having a stationary shaping rail portion mounted on a support member and an articulating shaping rail portion pivotally mounted on the support member for movement from a non-shaping position to a shaping position. A retention member limits movement of a sheet to be shaped relative to the stationary shaping rail portion when the articulating shaping rail portion moves to the shaping position. A “cut-to-size” method is also disclosed to shape a sheet for use in making an aircraft transparency.

Abstract: A muffle tube inspection method inspects a muffle tube used for dehydrating and sintering a silica glass-based optical fiber preform, the muffle tube includes a sintering furnace provided with a furnace body covering a heater disposed around a periphery of the muffle tube. The method detects a crack generated at the muffle tube by measuring a pressure inside the furnace body while varying a pressure inside the muffle tube.

Abstract: A process for producing a glass substrate provided with an inorganic fine particle-containing silicon oxide film, which comprises applying a coating liquid containing an organopolysiloxane having an exothermic peak temperature of at most 500° C. and inorganic fine particles to a glass substrate within a temperature range of from 400 to 650° C., or a process for producing a glass substrate, comprising forming molten glass into a glass ribbon, annealing the glass ribbon and cutting it to produce a glass substrate, wherein a coating liquid containing an organopolysiloxane having an exothermic peak temperature of at most 500° C. and inorganic fine particles is applied to the glass ribbon at a position where the glass ribbon is within a temperature range of from 400 to 650° C.

Abstract: There are provided, a method for efficiently manufacturing a glass substrate for magnetic disk in which the degree of surface irregularity of the principal surface is suppressed, and the glass substrate for magnetic disk. When manufacturing a glass substrate for magnetic disk including a pair of principal surfaces, a glass blank is formed by pressing molten glass or softened glass with planar press forming surfaces of dies in such a way that the molten glass or the softened glass is sandwiched from the both sides. Temperature condition is equalized around the pair of principal surfaces of the glass blank during the pressing.

Abstract: Apparatus including a flow channel defined by a floor, roof, and sidewall structure connecting the floor and roof. One or more combustion burners is positioned in either the roof, the sidewall structure, or both, and transfer heat to a molten mass of glass containing bubbles having a bubble atmosphere flowing through the flow channel. The burners contribute to formation of a channel atmosphere above the molten glass. Apparatus includes a device, at least a portion of which is positionable under a level of the molten glass in the flow channel, configured to emit a composition into the molten glass under the level to intimately contact the composition with the molten glass and bubbles therein. The composition diffuses into the bubbles to form modified atmosphere bubbles sufficiently different from the channel atmosphere to increase diffusion of a species in the channel atmosphere into the modified atmosphere bubbles.

Abstract: A process for producing a glass substrate provided with an aluminum oxide-containing silicon oxide film, which comprises applying a coating liquid containing an organopolysiloxane and an organic aluminum complex to a glass substrate within a temperature range of from 400 to 650° C. to form an aluminum oxide-containing silicon oxide film on the glass substrate, and a process for producing a glass substrate comprising forming molten glass into a glass ribbon, annealing the glass ribbon and cutting it to produce a glass substrate, wherein a coating liquid containing an organopolysiloxane and an organic aluminum complex is applied to the glass ribbon at a position where the glass ribbon is within a temperature range of from 400 to 650° C. to form an aluminum oxide-containing silicon oxide film on the glass ribbon.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass having antimicrobial properties and to a method of making such glass. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a chemically strengthened glass with antimicrobial properties and with a low surface energy coating on the glass that does not interfere with the antimicrobial properties of the glass. The antimicrobial has an Ag ion concentration on the surface in the range of greater than zero to 0.047 ?g/cm2. The glass has particular applications as antimicrobial shelving, table tops and other applications in hospitals, laboratories and other institutions handling biological substances, where color in the glass is not a consideration.

Abstract: A method for producing synthetic quartz glass comprises providing a liquid SiO2 feedstock material containing mainly octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane D4, vaporizing the SiO2 feedstock material into a feedstock vapor, converting the feedstock vapor into SiO2 particles, depositing the SiO2 particles on a deposition surface while forming a porous SiO2 soot body, and vitrifying the SiO2 soot body while forming the synthetic quartz glass. To produce large-volume cylindrical soot bodies with outer diameters of more than 300 mm of improved material homogeneity, the liquid feedstock material contains additional components comprising hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane D3 and its linear homolog with a weight fraction mD3, dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane D6 and its linear homolog with a weight fraction mD6, and tetradecamethylcycloheptasiloxane D7 and/or hexadecamethylcyclooctasiloxane D8 and its linear homologs with a weight fraction mD7+. The weight ratio mD3/mD6 is in a range between 0.

Abstract: An optical fiber production system and method are provided for producing optical fiber. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform in a furnace and passes through a treatment device under a controlled reduced pressure or partial vacuum in the range of 0.01 to 0.8 atm. The treatment device cools the bare optical fiber as it cools to a temperature range of at least 1,600° C. to 1,300° C. A non-contact fiber centering device is located near an exit of the treatment device to provide linear centering of the optical fiber as it exits the treatment device.

Abstract: A method of forming nano-structure composite materials that have a binder material and a nanostructure fiber material is described. A precursor material may be formed using a mixture of at least one metal powder and anchored nanostructure materials. The metal powder mixture may be (a) Ni powder and (b) NiAl powder. The anchored nanostructure materials may comprise (i) NiAl powder as a support material and (ii) carbon nanotubes attached to nanoparticles adjacent to a surface of the support material. The process of forming nano-structure composite materials typically involves sintering the mixture under vacuum in a die. When Ni and NiAl are used in the metal powder mixture Ni3Al may form as the binder material after sintering. The mixture is sintered until it consolidates to form the nano-structure composite material.

Abstract: A heating apparatus of an induction furnace used for stretching large-diameter preformed rods of optical fibers, said heating apparatus of the induction furnace comprising a furnace casing, a graphite exothermic sleeve, an insulating layer and an induction coil. At the upper end of the graphite exothermic sleeve is provided a floating seal gland, the inner bore thereof being adapted to the upper end of the graphite exothermic sleeve, and the outer periphery of the floating seal gland being adapted to the top cover plate furnace hole of the furnace casing. The use of the floating seal gland increases furnace stability and prolongs furnace life.

Abstract: Refractory glass-forming tools, including glass-forming molds incorporating protective metal nitride surface coatings, with optional alumina barrier layers disposed between the mold bodies and coating for high-temperature nitride coating stability, offering particular advantages for the manufacture by direct molding of optically finished glass products such as information display cover glasses from refractory alkali aluminosilicate glasses at molding temperatures up to and above 800° C.