Apparatus and method for tempering glass sheets

In an apparatus for tempering a glass sheet including a furnace for heating the glass sheet, a chilling means spaced from the furnace for rapid cooling of the glass sheet, and conveyor means for transporting the glass sheet along a longitudinal path between the furnace and the chilling means:

• a chamber means positioned along the conveyor means between the furnace and the chilling means for maintaining a heated glass sheet located therein within a predetermined temperature range after the heated glass sheet is removed from the furnace into said chamber means;
• said chamber means defining an inlet for receiving the heated glass sheet and an outlet for discharging the heated glass sheet;
• said chamber means including means for adjusting the longitudinal spacing between said inlet and said outlet for setting the length of said chamber means;
• said chamber means including spaced apart upper and lower walls, a front wall containing said inlet a rear wall containing said outlet and a pair of spaced apart side walls;
• said side walls being formed of a plurality of brushes extending vertically from at least one of said upper and lower walls.

In an apparatus for tempering a glass sheet including a furnace for heating the glass sheet, a chilling means spaced from the furnace for rapid cooling of the glass sheet, and conveyor means for transporting the glass sheet between the furnace and the chilling means:

• a chamber means positioned along the conveyor means between the furnace and the chilling means for maintaining a heated glass sheet located therein within a predetermined temperature range after the heated glass sheet is moved from the furnace into said chamber means;
• said chamber means including spaced apart upper and lower walls, a front wall having an inlet for receiving the heated glass sheet, a rear wall having an outlet for discharging the heated glass sheet, and a pair of spaced apart side walls;
• and
• said side walls being formed of a plurality of brushes extending vertically from at least one of said upper and lower walls.

A method of tempering a relatively thin glass sheet so that it exhibits improved fragmentation and reduced iridescence characteristics, comprising the steps of conveying the sheet through a heating area and heating the sheet to a temperature adequate for tempering, continuously advancing the heated sheet along a path through a chilling area and directing opposed streams of cooling fluid against the opposite major surfaces of the advancing sheet sequentially in first, second and third patterns as it advances through said chilling area, each said pattern extending entirely across said chilling area, said streams of said first pattern being uniformly distributed and arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal first columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse first rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said first longitudinal columns being staggered relative to one another, said streams in said second pattern being arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal second columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse second rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said second longitudinal columns being aligned transversely relative to one another, with said second columns being longitudinally aligned with alternate ones of said first columns, and said streams in said third pattern being uniformly distributed and arranged in a plurality of spaced, longitudinal third columns aligned along the direction of travel of said sheet and spaced, transverse third rows, said streams in adjacent ones of said third columns being staggered relative to one another.

Apparatus for tempering heated, relatively thin glass sheets by directing individual streams of cooling fluid against the opposite major surfaces of said heated sheets comprising, heating means for heating the sheets to a temperature adequate for tempering, chilling means for rapidly cooling the heated sheets, and conveyor means for supporting and continuously conveying said sheets one after another through said heating and chilling means, said chilling means including a blast head positioned to direct cooling fluid against each of the opposite surfaces of said sheets as they advance through said chilling means, each said blasthead including first, second and third modules arranged serially and having tubes through which said cooling fluid is directed against said surfaces entirely across said sheets as said sheets are continuously conveyed therepast, the tubes of said first module being uniformly distributed and arranged in a pattern of spaced, longitudinal first columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse first rows, the tubes in adjacent ones of said first longitudinal columns being staggered relative to one another, the tubes of said second module being arranged in a pattern of spaced, second longitudinal columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse second rows, said tubes in adjacent ones of said second longitudinal columns being aligned transversely relative to one another, with said second columns being longitudinally aligned with alternate ones of said first columns, and the tubes of said third module being uniformly distributed and arranged in a pattern of spaced, longitudinal third columns aligned with said conveyor means and spaced, transverse third rows, said tubes in adjacent ones of said third columns being staggered relative to one another, whereby said sheets following passage through said chilling means exhibit improved fragmentation and reduced iridescence characteristics.