Process and arrangement for the continuous manufacture of sheet glass on a molten metal bath

Claim 2

THE PROCESS OF CONTINUOUSLY MANUFACTURING SHEET GLASS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF DISCHARGING THE HOT MOLTEN GLASS COMING FROM A MELTING FURNACE TO PROVIDE AN INITIAL RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS HAVING A WIDTH EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE FINAL GLASS RIBBON AND OF THE SURFACE OF A METAL BATH HAVING A RIBBON FORMING ZONE ADJACENT TO THE MELTING FURNACE, AND FEEDING SUCH INITIAL RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS ONTO SUCH BATH SURFACE AT THE ENTRY END OF SAID FORMING ZONE SO THAT THE GLASS COVERS THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF SUCH ZONE, FORMING THE FINAL GLASS RIBBON OF UNIFORM WIDTH IN SUCH ZONE WHILE THE GLASS IS AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH FOR THE GLASS NOT OT ADHERE TO THE SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID ZONE, ADVANCING THE THUS FORMED GLASS RIBBON WITHOUT CHANGE IN SUCH UNIFORM WIDTH THEREOF THROUGH AN ADJOINING SOLIDIFICATION ZONE OF THE METAL BATH IN WHICH THE WIDTH OF THE SURFACE OF SUCH BATH IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE GLAS RIBBON SO THAT THE LATTER COMPLETELY COVERS SUCH SURFACE AND THE SIDE EDGES OF SUCH GLASS RIBBON CONTACT LINGITUDINAL SIDE ALL PORTIONS OF SUCH SOLIDIFICATION ZONE THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF, COOLING BOTH SIDE EDGES OF THE GLASS RIBBON AS THE RIBBON ENTERS SUCH SOLIDIFICATION ZONE AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY FOR THE MAJOR PART OF THE LENGTH OF SUCH SOLIDIFICATION ZONE, TO REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF THE GLASS MATERIAL IN SUCH SIDE EGDES TO ADHERE TO OTHER MATERIALS TO SUCH EXTENT THAT THE GLASS RIBBON ADVANCES THROUGH SUCH SOLIDIFICATION ZONE WITHOUT APPRECIABLE RESISTANCE CAUSED BY FRICTION ALONG THE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, AND AS THE GLASS RIBBON ADVANCES THROUGH SUCH SOLIDIFICATION ZONE, PROGRESSIVLEY COOLING THE BODY OF SUCH GLASS RIBBON.

Claim 3

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MANUFACTURING SHEET GLASS COMPRISING, IN CONBINATION, A MELTING FURNACE, AN ELONGATED TANK CONTAINING A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL AND INCLUDING A FIRST RIBBON FORMING ZONE AT THE ENTRY END THEREOF AND A SECOND SOLIDIFICATION ZONE ADJOINING SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE, MEANS FOR FORMING IN SAID FIRST RIBBON FORMING ZONE A RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS HAVING A WIDTH EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALL SURFACES OF THE BATH AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE, SAID FORMING MEANS COMPRISING A CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID FURNACE TO THE ENTRY END OF SAID FIRST ZONE AND HAVING A WIDTH AT ITS DISCHARGE END SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID RIBBON WIDTH SO THAT THE GLASS DISCHARGED BY SAID CONDUIT IS IN THE FORM OF A RIBBON OF THE SIAD WIDTH AND COVERS THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN METLA IN SAID FIRST ZONE, MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS FROM SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE THROUGH SAID SECOND SOLIDIFICATION ZONE, SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALL PORTONS DEFINING THE SIDE EDGES OF THE SURFACE LEVEL OF THE PORTION OF THE BATH THEREIN AND DISPOSED AT THE LEVEL OF THE GLASS RIBBON PASSING THROUGH SUCH ZONE, SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SIMILAR TO THAT BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL SURFACES OF SAID FIRST ZONE AND EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE RIBBON FORMED IN SAID FIRST ZONE, WHEREBY THE GLASS RIBBON WILL COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN BATH IN SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE AND THE SIDE EGES THEREOF WILL CONTACT SAID LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALL PORTIONS THROUGHOUT THEIR LENGTHS, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID SIDE ALL PORTIONS IN SAID SECOND ZONE TO COOL THE CONTACTING EDGES OF THE GLASS RIBBON AND REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF THE GLASS MATERIAL IN SUCH SIDE EDGES TO ADHERE TO SUCH SIDE WALL PORTIONS TO SUCH EXTENT THAT THE GLASS RIBBON ADVANCES THROUGH SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE WITHOUT APPRECIABLE RESISTANCE CAUSED BY FRICTION ALONG THE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, AND MEANS IN SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE FOR PROGRESSIVELY COOLING THE BODY OF THE GLASS RIBBON AS IT ADVANCES THROUGH SUCH ZONE.

Claim 4

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MANUFACTURING SHEET GLASS COMPRISING, IN CONBINATION, A MELTING FURNACE, AN ELONGATED TANK CONTAINING A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL AND INCLUDING A FIRST RIBBON FORMING ZONE AT THE ENTRY END THEREOF AND A SECOND SOLIDIFICATION ZONE ADJOINING SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE, MEANS FOR FORMING IN SAID FIRST RIBBON FORMING ZONE A RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS HAVING A WIDTH EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALL SURFACES OF THE BATH AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE, SAID FORMING MEANS COMPRISING A CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID FURNACE TO THE ENTRY END OF SAID FIRST ZONE AND HAVING A WIDTH AT ITS DISCHARGE END SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID RIBBON WIDTH SO THAT THE GLASS DISCHARGED BY SAID CONDUIT IS IN THE FORM OF A RIBBON OF THE SIAD WIDTH AND COVERS THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN METLA IN SAID FIRST ZONE, MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE RIBBON OF MOLTEN GLASS FROM SAID RIBBON FORMING ZONE THROUGH SAID SECOND SOLIDIFICATION ZONE, SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALL PORTONS DEFINING THE SIDE EDGES OF THE SURFACE LEVEL OF THE PORTION OF THE BATH THEREIN AND DISPOSED AT THE LEVEL OF THE GLASS RIBBON PASSING THROUGH SUCH ZONE, SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SIMILAR TO THAT BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL SURFACES OF SAID FIRST ZONE AND EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE RIBBON FORMED IN SAID FIRST ZONE, WHEREBY THE GLASS RIBBON WILL COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN BATH IN SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE AND THE SIDE EGES THEREOF WILL CONTACT SAID LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIDE WALL PORTIONS THROUGHOUT THEIR LENGTHS, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID SIDE ALL PORTIONS IN SAID SECOND ZONE TO COOL THE CONTACTING EDGES OF THE GLASS RIBBON AND REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF THE GLASS MATERIAL IN SUCH SIDE EDGES TO ADHERE TO SUCH SIDE WALL PORTIONS TO SUCH EXTENT THAT THE GLASS RIBBON ADVANCES THROUGH SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE WITHOUT APPRECIABLE RESISTANCE CAUSED BY FRICTION ALONG THE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, AND MEANS IN SAID SOLIDIFICATION ZONE FOR PROGRESSIVELY COOLING THE BODY OF THE GLASS RIBBON AS IT ADVANCES THROUGH SUCH ZONE.