Forehearth structure

Abstract

A forehearth for the conveyance and temperature maintenance of molten glass includes a longitudinal cooling zone over a laterally-extending cooling tile panel which is spaced above and spans an elongated trough supporting the molten glass. Roof structure of the forehearth has a pair of spaced-apart projections jutting downwardly and defining a central cooling area over the molten glass, and the central cooling area is flanked by longitudinally-extending firing chambers. Linear parallel grooves, recessed within at least one broad surface of the cooling tile panel, increase the rate of heat transfer to a longitudinally-extending air flow cavity above the cooling tile panel. The cavity has spaced air inlets along its sides that communicate with the parallel grooves of the panel and direct pressurized cooling air in laterally converging paths through the grooves and thence outwardly through a centrally located exhaust opening. A pair of oppositely-disposed air flow manifolds, located above and outboard the roof structure, are insulated from the heat of the forehearth structure and are adapted to direct the pressurized cooling air to the air inlets. Burner blocks adjacent the oppositely-disposed sidewalls of the trough support specially-configured orifices that downwardly incline from the horizontal and direct high-intensity gas flames to the firing chambers, the molten glass along the trough sidewalls, and also directly against the sidewalls for more efficient heating of the molten glass.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.