Ppg Industries Ohio, Inc.

Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC

Steven M Horcicak

W Jason Skeen

Robert G Frank

Rudolph A Karlo

DeWitt W Lampman

Mark M Savka

Irvin A Wilson

Lawrence S Letzkus

Dennis H Alcorn

Michael Zibert

Dennis Alcorn

A furnace includes a section defined as a heating section capable of attaining a predetermined temperature, the heating section having an entrance end and an exit end; a section defined as a cooling section capable of having a temperature gradient from entrance end of the cooling section to exit end of the cooling section, the entrance end of the cooling section mounted in a fixed relationship to the exit end of the heating section; a section defined as an edge cooling section between the exit end of the heating section and the entrance end of the cooling section; and an edge cooling device positioned in the edge cooling section relative to a predetermined area, and capable of cooling at least selected peripheral portions of the predetermined area at a faster rate than center portions of the predetermined area.

Method of and apparatus for strengthening edges of one or more glass sheets

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for thermal treatment of glass and method and thermally treated glass therefrom. The apparatus is capable of supporting the glass during thermal treatment such as tempering, annealing, bending, and/or shaping which can include any cooling or quenching to remove heat or any combination of these. The apparatus is a support member like a ring or outline mold with a horizontal surface suitable for contacting the glass. The support member has at least a surface with or without a coating for contact with the glass of one or more metals having a thermal conductivity such that the glass heated for shaping cools at a rate not much slower than the cooling rate of unsupported sections of the glass. Suitable metals include those with a thermal conductivity of greater than around 16 BTU/(hour&times;feet&times;&deg; F.). When a coating covers at least a portion of the support, the coating can give the support member more heat resistance and/or anti-corrosiveness and/or abrasion resistance to improve durability. Also the support member can be the shaping rail of a windshield or backlite shaping iron.

Apparatus for thermal treatment of glass and method and thermally treated glass therefrom

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New Kensington, PA, United States of America

Steven M Horcicak