Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of glass sheet

摘要

In the manufacture of glass sheet, molten glass 11 is passed between a pair of rollers 13, 14 on to a continuous plane supporting surface 3, the rolled glass sheet 16 being at such a high temperature that the surfaces of the rollers 13, 14 on leaving the glass are at a temperature greater than 650 DEG C. whereby the surface layers of the glass sheet 16 become sufficiently fluid, due to the transmission of heat thereto from the hotter median portion of the sheet, to enable the surfaces to level themselves out rapidly on the continuous plane surface 3, without having to raise the temperature of the sheet 16 on the surface 3, the rollers 13, 14 being constructed of or coated with carbon or graphite to prevent them sticking to the glass at the high temperatures used. The rollers 13, 14, with a nip of less than 4 mm., and the surface 3 are enclosed in a housing 1 in an inert or reducing atmosphere. As disclosed, the surface 3 is formed by a bath of molten metal such as tin. A slab 15 of graphite leads the sheet 16 on to the surface 3. The tin bath is heated so as to progressively cool the sheet 16 before removal on rollers 8. Application 19829/02 Specifications 769,692 and 888,882 are referred to.