PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS IN SHEET FORM

摘要

1,202,737. Sheet glass manufacture. GLAVERBEL. 5 Oct., 1967 [14 Feb., 1967], No. 45523/67. Heading ClM. A process for the manufacture of sheet glass by the updrawing of a continuous ribbon from a bath of molten glass comprises imparting transverse to the ribbon a to-and-fro motion to the gases forming the atmosphere on at least one side of the ribbon in at least one portion of the drawing chamber whilst the ribbon is in vertical motion. This motion which is substantially horizontal, is imparted to the gases by means located in the desired part of the drawing chamber on both sides of the ribbon or on that side of the ribbon downstream of the direction of feed of molten glass. In one embodiment, Fig. 1, an asbestos plate 12 or 121 mounted on wires 13, 131 is located on each side of a glass ribbon 2. The ends of the wires are attached to reversibly rotatable drums 17, 14 or 171, 141. In a preferred embodiment a double-headed gas ejector 51 (Fig. 5) is situated centrally of a ribbon 41 on the " downstream " side only. Each head of the gas ejector is separately connected to a gas source, which includes its own heat-exchanger 53 located in the catch pan 47, and through valves and a timing mechanism is operated alternately so that the desired gas movement is produced. Preferably, reversals are made every 4 or 5 seconds. By so regulating the pressure of the gas supplied, the air movement can be affected on the side not containing the ejector. In place of the plates 12, 121 there could be used a fan situated on each side of the ribbon. In further embodiments up to two single-headed ejectors are used on each side of the ribbon, the ejectors being positioned adjacent the marginal edges of the ribbon.