Post-manufacture glass container thermal strengthening method

摘要

A method of manufacturing of strengthened glass containers, and more particularly a method of thermally strengthening glass containers in a glass container manufacturing line at a location intermediate the hot end and the cold end. Glass containers formed at an I. S. machine are conveyed through a special tempering Lehr that heats them uniformly to a high temperature that is short of temperatures at which they may become deformed. Subsequently, the glass containers are subjected to a unique rapid thermal strengthening cooling process in which the outer and inner surfaces including all areas of the glass containers are simultaneously cooled to a temperature below the Strain Point of the glass used in the glass containers.

主权项

1. A method of thermally strengthening glass containers having a longitudinal axis subsequent to the completed forming of the glass containers in the hot end of a glass container manufacturing line, the method comprising:
following the completion of the glass container molding process, reheating the glass containers to increase their temperature to a temperature that is sufficiently high to obtain adequate compressive stresses in the glass containers but not so high that the glass containers may become deformed; locating each glass container in an interior cavity of a generally cylindrical cooling shroud, the cooling shroud having a first open end and a second end, an inner surface and an outer surface, each glass container passing through the first open end and into the interior cavity, the cooling shroud including a first set of apertures and a second set of apertures; and simultaneously cooling the outer and inner surfaces of the glass containers, including the inner and outer surfaces of the bottoms of the glass containers, rapidly so that all of the stresses in the glass containers are locked in, including directing cooling fluid from the first set of apertures substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each glass container and directing cooling fluid from the second set of apertures toward each glass container at a non-orthogonal angle to the longitudinal axis; wherein the cooling shroud includes a bottom cooling mechanism and wherein the cooling step includes directing cooling fluid from the bottom cooling mechanism from a location inside of the cylindrical cooling shroud between the first open end and the second end of the cylindrical cooling shroud.