Apparatus for homogenizing molten glass in a forehearth

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZING MOLTEN GLASS IN A GLASS FEEDER FOREHEARTH OR THE LIKE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FLOW CHANNEL HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANAR BOTTOM AND UPRIGHT SIDEWALLS FOR CONVEYING A MOLTEN GLASS STREAM, A STATIONARY DIVERTER MEMBER DISPOSED TRANVERSELY WITHIN SAID CHANNEL EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHANNEL VERTICALLY AT LEAST TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE NORMAL LEVEL OF THE MOLTEN GLASS STREAM AND THROUGH THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE WIDTH OF SAID CHANNEL FORMING A NARROW SIDE OPENINGS, AT LEAST ONE SERIES OF VERTICALLY-DISPOSED SIMILAR ROTARY STIRRING ELEMENTS HAVING SCREW THREADS ON THEIR LOWER END PORTIONS MOUNTED IN A PARALLEL PLANE ADJACENT AND IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM OF SAID DIVERTER MEMBER, SAID STIRRING ELEMENTS DEPENDING FROM ABOVE INTO SAID FLOW CHANNEL AND EXTENDING THROUGH A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID CHANNEL WIDTH WITH THEIR LOWER ENDS ADJACENT TO AND SPACED ABOVE SAID BOTTOM AND THEIR SCREW THREAD PORTIONS SUBMERGED BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF SAID GLASS STREAM, AND MEANS ADJACENT TO ROTATE SAID STIRRING ELEMENTS IN THE SAME DIRECTION ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE VERTICAL AXES.