Glaverbel

Jean-Francois Thomas

Robert Terneu

Robert Van Laethem

Albert Van Cauter

Andre Hecq

Jean Roucour

Apparatus for pyrolytically forming an oxide coating on an upper face of a moving, hot glass substrate, including a substrate path and a downwardly opening hood positioned along the substrate path and defining together with the substrate path a coating chamber; support device for conveying a hot glass substrate along the substrate path past the coating chamber; a device for introducing coating precursor material in the vapor phase into a carrier gas stream comprised of a carrier gas including a device for inducing turbulence in the carrier gas stream to ensure intimate mixing of the carrier gas and the coating precursor material; a device including at least one venturi for introducing oxygen into the precursor-containing carrier gas stream before it enters the coating chamber and provide a gas mixture stream; a device for supplying to the coating chamber the gas mixture stream; and a device for aspirating atmosphere including coating reaction products and unused coating precursor material from the coating chamber.

Apparatus for pyrolytically forming an oxide coating on a hot glass

A method of pyrolytically forming a silicon oxide coating on a hot glass substrate as it travels past a coating chamber includes contacting the substrate with silane-containing coating precursor material in the presence of oxygen. The silane-containing coating precursor material is in the vapor phase and it and gaseous oxygen are intimately mixed before they enter the coating chamber to contact the substrate. Silane as coating precursor material may be conveyed towards the coating chamber in vapor phase in a substantially inert carrier gas stream and oxygen introduced into the silane-containing carrier gas stream before it enters the coating chamber. The coating operation may take place within a coating chamber within a float chamber in which the glass is formed into ribbon.

Method for pyrolxtically forming a silicon oxide coating on a hot glass

A light transmitting glazing pane includes a first coating on an exposed face of a glass sheet which reduces the emissivity of that face in respect of infra-red radiation having wavelengths in excess of 3 .mu.m, and on the or another face of the pane a solar radiation screening coating which is adapted to screen short wavelength infra-red radiation, the thickness of each coating being selected so that the pane has a visible light transmissivity of at least 70% and a total solar radiant energy transmissivity of at most 75%. Such panes are useful for limiting solar energy gain while allowing good through visibility, and they may therefore be used to form vehicle windows.

Light transmitting glazing pane

Apparatus for pyrolytically forming a metal compound coating on an upper face of a hot glass substrate 1 comprises conveyor means 2 for conveying the substrate 1 in a downstream direction 3. A coating chamber 6 opening downwardly onto the path 1 and means 7 for spraying coating precursor downwardly towards the substrate. The spraying means 7 is located to spray the coating precursor solution from a height above the substrate path 1 of at least 75 cm. Heating means are provided for supplying heat to the spraying zone 9. Means such as aspirator boxes 39 is provided for generating aspirating forces on atmospheric material within the passageway 13 to encourage such material to flow along the substrate path to the downstream end (27) of the passageway and to enter exhaust ducting leading such material away from the substrate path. In operation, the spraying zone 9 of the coating chamber 6 is heated to cause evaporation of part of the coating precursor material before it reaches the substrate 1 to charge the atmosphere in that zone with vaporized coating precursor material. The solution is sprayed with sufficient energy to ensure positive impact of residual sprayed coating precursor material against the substrate to initiate coating of the substrate face, and atmosphere laden with coating precursor material in the vapor phase is caused to flow in the downstream direction from the spraying zone 9 along and in contact with the coated substrate face for a contact time of at least 10 seconds, whereafter residual material of the precursor laden current is directed away from the substrate.

Apparatus for and process of coating glass

Flat glass is disclosed, bearing a tin oxide coating layer which is at least 200 nm in thickness. In order to promote a uniform visual appearance across the coated area, the expected grain area of a representative sample of the tin oxide coating crystals measured in units of 10.sup.-4 .mu.m.sup.2 is numerically equal to a value of at least 0.4 times the layer thickness measured in nanometers.

Coated flat glass

Light transmitting glass having at least one surface area which is matted by surface pits, including an etched surface area having a population of merging or contiguous surface pits of polyhedral form, each pit having a small area so that at least 30% of visible light normally incident on the at least one surface is diffusely transmitted through the surface and the at least one surface having a total luminous transmittance of normally incident visible light of not less than TT-10 where TT is the total luminous transmittance through the same surface prior to etching expressed as a percentage of the total incident visible light.

Matted glass

Apparatus for use in pyrolytically forming a metal oxide coating on an upper face of a hot glass substrate 1 in sheet or ribbon form comprises conveyor means 2 for conveying the substrate 1 in a downstream direction 3 along a path also indicated at 1 and a roof structure 5 defining a coating chamber 6 opening downwardly onto the path and comprising a passageway 11 along which coating precursor vapor and oxidizing gas can be conducted downstream in contact with the upper substrate face during the conveyance of the substrate. The roof structure 5 defines, in or adjacent the upstream end of the passageway 11, a mixing zone 7 which opens downwardly onto the substrate path 1. Means such as spray nozzle 35 is provided for injecting coating precursor material into the mixing zone 7 from a height of at least 50 cm above the level of the substate path 1. Means such as ducting 58 is provided for injecting oxidizing gas into the mixing zone in which coating precursor material and oxidizing gas can be brought together, mixed and heated to form an atmosphere comprising an intimate mixture of precursor vapor and oxidizing gas. The mixing zone 7 is in communication with the passageway 11 to permit a stream of such atmosphere to flow along the passageway from the mixing zone.

Process and apparatus for coating glass

Apparatus for pyrolytically forming a metal compound coating on an upper face of a hot glass substrate 1 in sheet or ribbon form comprises conveyor means 2 for conveying a the substrate along a path also indicated at 1 in a downstream direction 3, a roof structure 5 defining a coating chamber 6 opening downwardly onto the path 1 and means 7 for discharging coating precursor material into the chamber 6. Upstream of the coating chamber 6 there is an antechamber 25 which communicates with the coating chamber 6 via an entry slot 24 which is defined in part by the path of the substrate 1, and via which gas can be caused to flow into the coating chamber 6 so as to form (when the apparatus is in use) a blanket layer which covers the upper face of the substrate 1 along a first part of the length of the chamber 6. Means 26 is provided for controllably preheating the gas forming the blanket layer. In operation, the gaseous environment in the immediate vicinity of the upper face of the substrate at least in the zone at which coating formation commences, is controlled by feeding preheated gas in a downstream direction into the chamber 6 to enter the chamber in contact with the substrate and form a blanket layer which covers the substrate at least as far as that zone.

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Ottignies, Belgium

Jean-Francois Thomas