Pilkington Brothers P.l.c.

William Christie Hynd

An elongated tank body of a glass melting apparatus defines a melting region adjacent its inlet end, a refining region downstream, a conditioning zone adjacent its outlet end and an intermediate zone leading from the refining region to the conditioning zone. The intermediate zone and conditioning zone are substantially narrow relative to the refining region. Flow control means physically slows up the forward flow of the upper levels of glass out of the refining region and into the narrower zones. The refining region and intermediate zone are sufficiently deep for forward and return flow of molten glass to take place. A step is located at the upstream end of the conditioning zone which has a raised base providing a shallow conditioning along which molten glass flows toward the outlet with substantially no return flow.

Method and apparatus for refining glass in a melting tank

A predetermined rate of flow of molten glass from a reservoir, for example a glass melting furnace, is maintained by flowing glass from the reservoir to an intermediate vessel in which the glass temperature is fixed in relation to the temperature of glass discharging from the reservoir, continuously developing a control signal representing any change in the quantity of glass in the intermediate vessel, and using that signal to adjust the flow from the reservoir.

Method and apparatus for regulating molten glass flow into a

In the production of glass fibers by the use of a multi-tipped bushing arranged beneath an opening in the floor of a fore-hearth along which the molten glass flows, an apertured cover plate is disposed across the opening at or near its bottom and carries an upwardly extending duct connecting the aperture in the cover plate with a position in the fore-hearth above the floor and below the normal surface level of the glass, so that molten glass is supplied to the bushing from this position, where the glass is uninfluenced by cooling effects, and on its way thence to the bushing the glass can only contact the surface of the duct which is kept hot by the molten glass in the floor opening outside the duct. The risk of divitrified glass reaching the bushing and causing breakages is thereby much reduced.

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Lymm, United Kingdom

William Christie Hynd