Method for manufacturing a panel of anisotropic ceramic glass

A method for manufacturing a panel of anisotropic ceramic glass comprising acicular crystals enclosed in a vitreous matrix, the acicular crystals being orientated perpendicularly to the panel faces and traversing the panel from one face to the other, comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a homogeneous plate of a homogeneous mineral composition capable of forming a ceramic glass comprising a crystalline phase and a vitreous phase from a mixture of mineral oxides and mineral compounds capable of generating such oxides or a mixture of mineral compounds capable of generating such oxides, said plate being in vitreous state and having the shape and dimensions of the panel to be obtained,
• (b) placing said plate of vitreous composition on the surface of and in contact with a molten metal bath consisting of a metal or alloy of a melting point lower than the melting point of said mineral composition, said molten metal bath being provided with heating means for heating said bath to a desired temperature whereby said placing brings the lower face of said plate in contact with said bath to the same temperature,
• (c) providing cooling means for cooling said plate from above said plate and employing said cooling means to bring an upper face of said plate which is free from contact with said molten metal to a temperature below said desired temperature for said bath,
• (d) and monitoring and controlling said respective heating and cooling means, so as firstly to bring the whole plate to a temperature at least equal to its working temperature and above the crystallization temperature range of the crystalline phase, while bringing the upper face of said plate to a temperature lower than that of a lower face in contact with the bath surface to establish a temperature gradient perpendicular to said faces, the whole of said temperature gradient remaining above said crystallization temperature range, and then to simultaneously decrease the temperature of the two faces of said plate to effectively maintain said temperature gradient essentially constant throughout the entire growth of the crystalline phase, said temperature decrease being continued until the whole of the temperature gradient is brought below said crystallization temperature range, to effect nucleation of the crystalline phase first in the upper face and acicular crystals to then grow downwards according to a planar growth front in the direction of the lower face until said lower face is reached, and the direction of maximum growth of the crystals thus formed being perpendicular to the faces of the panel throughout its whole thickness, whereby said panel of ceramic glass is formed.