Method and device for crushing glass bodies by means of microwave heating
AssigneeSchott Glas
InventorsUwe Kohlberg, Hildegard Römer, Michael Kohl, Thorsten Gerdes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and a device for crushing glass bodies, in which the glass body 18 is arranged in a microwave field 4, so that the said glass body 18 is crushed on account of the resulting thermal stresses. In addition, a local plasma 20, which results in further thermal stresses, is produced on the surface of the glass body 18. Since the glass body 18 to be crushed does not come into contact with crushing means, for example rollers or the like, the pieces of broken glass 22 cannot be contaminated by abrasion particles of the crushing means. The plasma 20 permits a rapid and economic crushing of the glass bodies.
Claims33
A method of crushing a glass body (18) having a surface thereon comprising:
- placing the glass body in a microwave field;
- and subjecting the glass body to a plasma field produced locally on the surface of the glass body while the glass body is in the microwave field to thereby create thermal stresses in the glass body whereby the glass body, is crushed.
A device for performing a method of crushing a glass body by placing the glass body in a microwave field while the glass body is subject to a plasma field produced locally on a surface of the glass body, comprising:
- means (2) for producing a microwave field (4),
- conveying means (12, 24) for conveying the glass body (18) into the microwave field, and
- means (6, 8′, 8″) for producing a local plasma (20) on the surface of the glass body (18).
A device for performing a method of crushing a glass body, comprising:
- means (2) for producing a microwave field (4);
- conveying means (12, 24) for conveying the glass body (18) into the microwave field, and
- means (6, 8′, 8″) for producing a local plasma (20) on the surface of the glass body (18) while the glass is subject to the microwave field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.