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A manufacturing line for tempering glass sheets includes a furnace, an oven, a bending station, and a chilling section positioned in order along a generally horizontally extending conveyor for the glass sheets. The oven extends between the furnace and the bending station to maintain the glass sheets

A manufacturing line for tempering glass sheets includes a furnace, an oven, a bending station, and a chilling section positioned in order along a generally horizontally extending conveyor for the glass sheets. The oven extends between the furnace and the bending station to maintain the glass sheets at a predetermined temperature. The oven has sidewalls formed of a plurality of brushes and is selectively extensible along the path of travel of the glass sheets. The oven includes controlled heating devices. The chilling section includes a plurality of tubes positioned above and below the path of travel of the glass sheets and connected to a source of air under pressure. The tubes are arranged in rows generally perpendicular to the path of travel and columns generally parallel to the path of travel in order to cause the glass sheets to meet predetermined fragmentation specifications.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of tempering a relatively thin glass sheet so that it exhibits improved fragmentation and reduced iridescence characteristics, comprising the steps of conveying the sheet through a heating area and heating the sheet to a temperature adequate for tempering, continuously advancing the heated

A method of tempering a relatively thin glass sheet so that it exhibits improved fragmentation and reduced iridescence characteristics, comprising the steps of conveying the sheet through a heating area and heating the sheet to a temperature adequate for tempering, continuously advancing the heated sheet along a path through a chilling area and directing opposed streams of cooling fluid against the opposite major surfaces of the advancing sheet sequentially in first, second and third patterns as it advances through said chilling area, each said pattern extending entirely across said chilling area, said streams of said first pattern being uniformly distributed and arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal first columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse first rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said first longitudinal columns being staggered relative to one another, said streams in said second pattern being arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal second columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse second rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said second longitudinal columns being aligned transversely relative to one another, with said second columns being longitudinally aligned with alternate ones of said first columns, and said streams in said third pattern being uniformly distributed and arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal third columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse third rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said third columns being staggered relative to one another. Apparatus for tempering heated, relatively thin glass sheets by directing individual streams of cooling fluid against the opposite major surfaces of said heated sheets comprising, heating means for heating the sheets to a temperature adequate for tempering, chilling means for rapidly cooling the heated sheets, and conveyor means for supporting and continuously conveying said sheets one after another through said heating and chilling means, said chilling means including a blast head positioned to direct cooling fluid against each of the opposite surfaces of said sheets as they advance through said chilling means, each said blasthead including first, second and third modules arranged serially and having tubes through which said cooling fluid is directed against said surfaces entirely across said sheets as said sheets are continuously conveyed therepast, the tubes of said first module being uniformly distributed and arranged in a pattern of spaced, longitudinal first columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse first rows, the tubes in adjacent ones of said first longitudinal columns being staggered relative to one another, the tubes of said second module being arranged in a pattern of spaced, second longitudinal columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse second rows, said tubes in adjacent ones of said second longitudinal columns being aligned transversely relative to one another, with said second columns being longitudinally aligned with alternate ones of said first columns, and the tubes of said third module being uniformly distributed and arranged in a pattern of spaced, longitudinal third columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse third rows, said tubes in adjacent ones of said third columns being staggered relative to one another, whereby said sheets following passage through said chilling means exhibit improved fragmentation and reduced iridescence characteristics.