Libbey-Owens-Ford Co.

Sugato Deb

Jeffrey R Flaugher

John C Hovis

Timothy A Nissen

Michael L Pollock

Vincent N Procaccini

A method of and apparatus for establishing a predetermined thermal profile in a glass sheet immediately prior to press bending outside the heating furnace. The press bending members are provided with arrays of heating elements that are individually or zone regulated to assist in establishing an optimum temperature profile in the glass sheet conducive to proper bending. The temperature profile established in the heated sheet by the arrays of heating elements is coordinated with that established in the furnace and subsequently, modified by heat dissipation as the glass sheet advances to the bending station to achieve the proper bending temperature. The heating elements can also be utilized to create a temperature profile in the glass sheet generally higher than that originally established in the furnace. The sheet can be held in contact with one or both of the heated press members for a brief period of time after bending to slow the cooling rate of the sheet and increase the edge strength of the marginal edge area thereof.

Apparatus for bending glass sheets

Method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of glass sheets in

A method and apparatus for measuring the heat transfer in cooling devices. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the heat transfer pattern caused by blastheads used in the tempering of automotive glass. A thin foil sheet disposed in front of the blasthead is heated according to a predetermined pattern. One side of the foil sheet is then exposed to a cooling blast of air from the nozzles of the blasthead, while the temperature of the opposite side of the foil sheet is monitored using an infrared camera. Then, using information generated by the infrared camera, heat transfer information can be determined.

Method and apparatus for measuring the efficiency of cooling devices

The invention comprises a tunnel-type heating furnace of modular construction for heating glass sheets carried therethrough in succession on a series of aligned rollers. The furnace enclosure includes a lower section of generally rectangular cross-section beneath the rollers and an upper section, which is of generally elliptical configuration in cross-section, above the rollers. The upper enclosure section is vertically retractable by means of a jack mechanism to facilitate maintenance and changing of the rollers. The rollers include shafts at their opposite ends having bearings adapted to be received and supported in upwardly opening recesses in roll support plates extending along either side of the furnace. A toothed gear or sprocket is affixed to the end shaft at one end of each roller. The rollers are driven in groups by timing belts whose upper flights extend over and engage the toothed gears. Hold down assemblies removably carried by the roll support plates include cam rollers positioned intermediate each pair of toothed gears for urging the timing belts downwardly into driving engagement with the toothed gears. A differential heating assembly may be provided for modifying the heating pattern beneath the elliptical upper enclosure section.

Glass sheet heating furnace

Glass sheet heating furnace and method of using

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Perrysburg, OH, United States of America

Sugato Deb