Glass article manufacturing device

Abstract

The utility model provides a glass article manufacturing device which is provided with a forming body and a forming furnace, wherein the forming body enables molten glass to flow down to form a glass tape, and the forming furnace accommodates the forming body. The glass article manufacturing device can obtain high-quality glass articles even if large glass articles are used. The forming furnace (20) is provided with: a pair of side walls (21a) which sandwich the formed body (10) therebetween and which are disposed so as to face each other in the thickness direction of the formed glass ribbon (R); a ceiling section (22) disposed on the upper side of the molded body (10); a housing (23) that surrounds the pair of side walls (21a) and the ceiling section (22); and a support member (24) that is fixed to the housing (23) and that supports the ceiling section (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a manufacturing device for glass articles. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a manufacturing device for glass articles that manufactures plate-shaped glass articles using the down-draw method has been known.

[0003] Regarding the above-mentioned down-draw method, various methods such as the overflow down-draw method and the slot down-draw method are known. For example, as an example, in Patent Document 1, a forming device (manufacturing device for glass articles) that forms sheet glass (glass ribbon) using the overflow down-draw method and manufactures a glass substrate (glass article) having a specified shape from the glass ribbon is disclosed.

[0004] The manufacturing device for glass articles in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 includes a forming body having a wedge-shaped cross-sectional shape extending in a substantially horizontal direction and in one direction, and a forming furnace that houses the forming body. The molten glass is caused to flow down along the surface of the forming body to form a long strip-shaped glass ribbon, and the formed glass ribbon is cut into a specified outer dimension to manufacture a plate-shaped glass article.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2014 / 051069 Summary of the Utility Model

[0008] Problems to be Solved by the Utility Model

[0009] In the conventional manufacturing device for glass articles described above, the forming furnace includes a pair of side walls disposed opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the glass ribbon and a ceiling portion disposed above the forming body.

[0010] In addition, the pair of side walls are supported by a metal shell disposed around them in an upright posture.

[0011] Moreover, the above-mentioned ceiling portion is disposed in a state of being placed on the upper end surfaces of the pair of side walls (refer to Figure 2 ).

[0012] In addition, in recent years, the required outer dimensions of glass articles have tended to become larger. Along with this, in order to form a glass ribbon having a larger width dimension (dimension in the direction orthogonal to the length direction), the dimension of the forming body in the extending direction has also tended to become larger.

[0013] As a result, along with the enlargement of the forming body, the dimension in the width direction of the pair of side walls and the ceiling portion also tends to become larger.

[0014] On the other hand, from the perspective of maintaining the quality of the formed glass ribbon, it is desirable that a pair of side walls be constructed respectively from plate-shaped refractory materials of an integral structure with as few joint portions as possible.

[0015] Here, as described above, a pair of side walls are respectively arranged in an upright posture and are supported by the housing respectively so as not to have an adverse effect on the formed glass ribbon.

[0016] However, as the glass article manufacturing apparatus is scaled up, in these side walls, the compressive load generated by their own weight, the weight of the ceiling portion placed on the upper end portion, etc. becomes excessive. As a result, creep deformation progresses during the operation of the glass article manufacturing apparatus, resulting in local fractures (specifically, cracks), etc., and there is a risk of having an adverse effect on the quality of the glass ribbon.

[0017] The present utility model has been completed in view of the current problems shown above, and the problem lies in providing a glass article manufacturing apparatus including a forming body for flowing down molten glass to form a glass ribbon and a forming furnace for housing the forming body, and even for large-sized glass articles, this glass article manufacturing apparatus can obtain high-quality glass articles.

[0018] Solutions for Solving the Problem

[0019] The problem to be solved by the present utility model is as described above. Next, the means for solving this problem will be described.

[0020] That is, the glass article manufacturing apparatus of Solution 1 of the present utility model includes a forming body for flowing down molten glass to form a glass ribbon and a forming furnace for housing the forming body, and is characterized in that the forming furnace has: a pair of side walls that sandwich the forming body and are arranged opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the formed glass ribbon; a ceiling portion that is arranged above the forming body; a housing that surrounds the pair of side walls and the periphery of the ceiling portion; and a support member that is fixed to the housing and supports the ceiling portion.

[0021] In this way, in the glass article manufacturing apparatus of the present utility model, it does not have the structure of placing the ceiling portion on the upper end portions of a pair of side walls as in the past. This ceiling portion uses the support member fixed to the housing located around the pair of side walls to bear the load of the ceiling portion, and can exclude the load brought by the weight of the ceiling portion from a pair of side walls as much as possible.

[0022] Therefore, according to the glass article manufacturing apparatus of the present utility model, even as the glass article is scaled up and the side walls and the ceiling portion are scaled up, it is possible to reduce the situation where the compressive load brought by the weight of the ceiling portion is generated in the side walls, suppress the occurrence of local fractures, etc. in the side walls, and high-quality glass articles can be obtained.

[0023] In addition, the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to the second aspect of the present utility model is based on the first aspect described above, and is characterized in that the ceiling portion has: a first ceiling wall that closes the upper end side of the gap between the pair of side walls; and a second ceiling wall that is disposed above the first ceiling wall, and the support member supports the second ceiling wall from below.

[0024] With such a structure, by using the support member to bear the load of the second ceiling wall, it is possible to more reliably eliminate the load imposed on the pair of side walls by the weight of the ceiling portion.

[0025] In addition, the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to the third aspect of the present utility model is based on the first aspect or the second aspect described above, and is characterized in that the support member has a support table for supporting the ceiling portion in a placed state.

[0026] With such a structure, it is possible to stably support the entire ceiling portion by the support member in a state of being placed on the support table, and it is possible to more reliably eliminate the load imposed on the pair of side walls by the weight of the ceiling portion.

[0027] In addition, the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to the fourth aspect of the present utility model is based on any one of the first to third aspects described above, and is characterized in that the upper end surfaces of the pair of side walls are in contact with the lower surface of the first ceiling wall.

[0028] With such a structure, it is possible to reduce the outflow of the atmosphere between the pair of side walls to the outside, suppress the cooling of the atmosphere, and more stably obtain high-quality glass articles.

[0029] In addition, the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to the fifth aspect of the present utility model is based on any one of the first to fourth aspects described above, and is characterized in that the forming body is a member for forming a glass ribbon by the overflow down-draw method, and has: a trough portion that is located at the top and is continuously supplied with molten glass; a pair of vertical surfaces that are arranged parallel to each other and on which the molten glass overflowing from the trough portion flows down; and a pair of inclined surfaces that are formed in a wedge shape continuously provided at the lower end portions of the pair of vertical surfaces and that cause the molten glass flowing down from the pair of vertical surfaces to merge to form a glass ribbon.

[0030] Even for a manufacturing apparatus of this type that forms a glass ribbon by the overflow down-draw method, according to the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles of the present utility model, it is possible to obtain high-quality glass articles while coping with the enlargement of glass articles.

[0031] Effects of the Utility Model

[0032] As an effect of the present utility model, the following effects are achieved.

[0033] That is, with the manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to the present utility model, even for large-sized glass articles, high-quality glass articles can be obtained. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing the overall structure of a manufacturing apparatus for glass articles according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0035] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing the overall structure of a conventional manufacturing apparatus for glass articles.

[0036] DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0037] 1 Manufacturing apparatus for glass articles

[0038] 10 Forming body

[0039] 12 Vertical surface

[0040] 13 Inclined surface

[0041] 14 Groove portion

[0042] 20 Forming furnace

[0043] 21a Side wall

[0044] 22 Ceiling portion

[0045] 22a First ceiling wall

[0046] 22b Second ceiling wall

[0047] 23 Housing

[0048] 24 Support member

[0049] 24a Support table

[0050] G Molten glass

[0051] R Glass ribbon. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0052] Next, an embodiment of the present utility model will be described using Figure 1 and Figure 2 For convenience of description, in the following description, the front-back direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the manufacturing apparatus 1 for glass articles (or the conventional manufacturing apparatus 101 for glass articles) are defined by the directions of the arrows shown in

[0053] It should be noted that Figure 1 and Figure 2 and described.

[0054] The manufacturing apparatus 1 of the glass article of the present embodiment (hereinafter, only referred to as "manufacturing apparatus 1") is an apparatus that forms a long strip-shaped glass ribbon R from molten glass G by the overflow down-draw method and manufactures a plate-shaped glass article (not shown) having a specified shape from the glass ribbon R.

[0055] As Figure 1 shown, the manufacturing apparatus 1 mainly includes a forming body 10 that causes the molten glass G to flow down to form the glass ribbon R and a forming furnace 20 that houses the forming body 10.

[0056] The forming body 10 is a member that forms the glass ribbon R by the overflow down-draw method and is formed of refractory bricks such as dense zircon, aluminous zircon, and sillimanite, for example.

[0057] The forming body 10 has: an upper surface 11 that extends in one direction (in the present embodiment, the left-right direction); a pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12 that are continuously provided on both end portions along the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the extension direction of the upper surface 11 in plan view) and are provided parallel to each other; and a pair of inclined surfaces 13, 13 that are formed to be continuously provided along the lower end portions of the pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12 and are wedge-shaped that gradually approach downward.

[0058] In addition, the forming body 10 has a groove portion 14 that extends in the above-described extension direction (left-right direction) at the central portion in the above-described plan view orthogonal direction (front-rear direction) of the upper surface 11. In other words, the groove portion 14 is located at the top of the forming body 10.

[0059] And, the molten glass G melted by a melting furnace (not shown) is continuously supplied to the groove portion 14, and the molten glass G overflowing from the groove portion 14 flows down along the pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12 and then flows down along the pair of inclined surfaces 13, 13 while merging at the lower end portions of the pair of inclined surfaces 13, 13 to form a long strip-shaped glass ribbon R.

[0060] The formed glass ribbon R continues to move downward, is annealed while passing through a heat treatment furnace (not shown), and is cooled to near room temperature and cut into a specified outer dimension.

[0061] Thereby, a plate-shaped glass article (not shown) having a specified shape is manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0062] Thus, in the present embodiment, the forming body 10 is a member for forming the glass ribbon R by the overflow down-draw method, and has the following structure: a trough portion 14 located at the top and continuously supplied with molten glass G; a pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12 arranged parallel to each other and allowing the molten glass G overflowing from the trough portion 14 to flow down along them; and a pair of inclined surfaces 13, 13 formed in a wedge shape continuously provided at the lower ends of the pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12, and causing the molten glass G flowing down along the pair of vertical surfaces 12, 12 to merge to form the glass ribbon R.

[0063] Even for a manufacturing apparatus of the type that forms the glass ribbon R by the overflow down-draw method like this, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a high-quality glass article while coping with the enlargement of the glass article (not shown) as described later.

[0064] The forming furnace 20 has: a pair of side walls 21a, 21a; a ceiling portion 22 disposed above the forming body 10; a housing 23 surrounding the periphery of the pair of side walls 21a, 21a and the ceiling portion 22; and a support member 24 fixed to the housing 23 and supporting the ceiling portion 22.

[0065] The pair of side walls 21a, 21a are made of a refractory material with a relatively high thermal conductivity such as silicon carbide (SiC) bricks, etc., sandwich the forming body 10 therebetween, and are arranged opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the formed glass ribbon R (the front-rear direction in the present embodiment).

[0066] From the viewpoint of maintaining the quality of the formed glass ribbon R, it is desirable that the pair of side walls 21a, 21a are respectively formed of a plate-shaped refractory material with an integral structure as much as possible without having joint portions, and in the present embodiment, they are respectively formed of a single plate-shaped refractory material.

[0067] Moreover, the pair of side walls 21a, 21a are supported by the surrounding housing 23 in an upright posture so as not to have an adverse effect on the formed glass ribbon R.

[0068] The ceiling portion 22 has: a first ceiling wall 22a closing the upper end side of the gap between the pair of side walls 21a, 21a; a second ceiling wall 22b provided separated above the first ceiling wall 22a and arranged parallel to the first ceiling wall 22a; and a support refractory 22c supporting the second ceiling wall 22b.

[0069] In addition, the ceiling portion 22 has: a first heat-insulating member 22d covering the upper surface of the second ceiling wall 22b; and a second heat-insulating member 22e covering the end surface of the second ceiling wall 22b and the outer surface of the support refractory 22c.

[0070] It should be noted that the first ceiling wall 22a is also made of a refractory material with a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as silicon carbide (SiC) bricks, in the same manner as the above-mentioned pair of side walls 21a, 21a.

[0071] The inner surface of the support refractory 22c contacts the end face of the first ceiling wall 22a.

[0072] In addition, the support refractory 22c is arranged in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the second ceiling wall 22b is fitted into the concave portion 22c1 formed at the upper end portion. That is, the support refractory 22c has a structure that supports the second ceiling wall 22b from below and bears the load of the second ceiling wall 22b.

[0073] It should be noted that a heating device 2 composed of a plurality of rod-shaped heaters is arranged in the space between the first ceiling wall 22a and the second ceiling wall 22b, and the support refractory 22c can also function as a holder for the heating device 2.

[0074] Moreover, the ceiling portion 22 is supported by the support member 24 in a state where the lower surface 22a1 of the first ceiling wall 22a contacts the upper end surfaces of the pair of side walls 21a, 21a.

[0075] That is, the upper end surfaces of the pair of side walls 21a, 21a are structured to contact the lower surface of the first ceiling wall 22a.

[0076] With this structure, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the leakage of the atmosphere between the pair of side walls 21a, 21a from the gap between the pair of side walls 21a, 21a and the first ceiling wall 22a to the outside.

[0077] Thereby, the generation of air flow in the forming furnace 20 can be suppressed, and high-quality glass articles can be obtained more stably.

[0078] The housing 23 is made of a metal member such as stainless steel or heat-resistant steel, and is formed by combining plates, bars, etc.

[0079] In addition, the housing 23 is arranged so as to surround the pair of side walls 21a, 21a and the ceiling portion 22 as described above.

[0080] The support member 24 has a substantially horizontal support table 24a and a base portion 24b that supports the support table 24a.

[0081] At least two support members 24, 24 are provided with respect to one ceiling portion 22, and are arranged inside the housing 23 and below the ceiling portion 22 in a state where the pair of side walls 21a, 21a are sandwiched therebetween and opposed to each other in the thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the glass ribbon R.

[0082] In addition, the pair of support members 24, 24 are detachably fixed to the inner wall surface of the housing 23 via the bases 24b, 24b using fastening members such as bolts.

[0083] On the other hand, in the ceiling portion 22, the lower end surface 22c2 of the support refractory 22c is in a state of protruding slightly downward compared to the lower surface 22a1 of the first ceiling wall 22a.

[0084] Moreover, the pair of support members 24, 24 are structured to support the ceiling portion 22 in a state where the lower end surface 22c2 of the support refractory 22c is placed on the support tables 24a, 24a.

[0085] In other words, the pair of support members 24, 24 are structured to support the second ceiling wall 22b from below via the support refractory 22c.

[0086] With this structure, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the pair of support members 24, 24 bear the load of the second ceiling wall 22b, and the load caused by the weight of the ceiling portion 22 can be more reliably reduced on the pair of side walls 21a, 21a.

[0087] In addition, as described above, each support member 24 has a structure including a support table 24a that supports the ceiling portion 22 (more specifically, the lower end surface 22c2 of the support refractory 22c) in a placed state.

[0088] With this structure, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the entire ceiling portion 22 can be stably supported by the support member 24 in a state of being placed on the support table 24a, and the load caused by the weight of the ceiling portion 22 can be more reliably reduced on the pair of side walls 21a, 21a.

[0089] As described above, the manufacturing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment is a manufacturing apparatus for glass articles including a forming body 10 that allows molten glass G to flow down to form a glass ribbon R and a forming furnace 20 that houses the forming body 10.

[0090] Moreover, the forming furnace 20 has the following structure: a pair of side walls 21a, 21a that sandwich the forming body 10 and are disposed opposite to each other in the thickness direction (front - rear direction) of the formed glass ribbon R; a ceiling portion 22 disposed above the forming body 10; a housing 23 that surrounds the pair of side walls 21a, 21a and the ceiling portion 22; and support members 24 that are fixed to the housing 23 and support the ceiling portion 22.

[0091] Thus, the manufacturing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment does not become like, for example Figure 2Unlike the structure of the conventional manufacturing apparatus 101 shown in the figure, where the ceiling part 122 is directly placed on the upper ends of the pair of side walls 121a, 121a, in this case, a structure is adopted in which the load of the ceiling part 22 is borne by the support member 24 fixed to the housing 23, and the load imposed on the pair of side walls 21a, 21a by the weight of the ceiling part 22 can be reduced.

[0092] Therefore, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment, even if the glass article (not shown) is enlarged and the pair of side walls 21a, 21a and the ceiling part 22 are enlarged accordingly, it is possible to prevent the compression load caused by the weight of the ceiling part 22 from being generated on the side walls 21a, and avoid local fracture or the like on the side walls 21a, thus enabling the production of high-quality glass articles.

[0093] It should be noted that the width dimension of the formed glass ribbon R is preferably 2400 mm or more, more preferably 2700 mm or more, and even more preferably 3000 mm or more.

[0094] As described above, one embodiment of the present utility model has been described. However, the present utility model is not limited to any such embodiment, but is merely illustrative. Of course, within the scope of not departing from the gist of the present utility model, it can be implemented in various ways. The scope of the present utility model is represented by the description of the patent technical solution, and also includes the equivalent meaning described in the patent technical solution and all changes within the scope.

Claims

1. A glass article manufacturing device comprising a forming body for forming a glass ribbon by flowing molten glass and a forming furnace for accommodating the forming body, It is characterized in that The forming furnace has: a pair of side walls sandwiching the forming body and arranged opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the formed glass ribbon; A ceiling portion disposed on an upper side of the molded body; a housing surrounding the pair of side walls and the ceiling portion; as well as A supporting member is fixed to the housing and supports the ceiling portion.

2. The manufacturing device for glass articles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ceiling portion has: a first ceiling wall that closes an upper end side of a gap between the pair of side walls; and a second ceiling wall, which is arranged above the first ceiling wall, The supporting member supports the second ceiling wall from below.

3. The manufacturing device for glass articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The supporting member includes a supporting platform that supports the ceiling portion in a placed state.

4. The manufacturing device for glass articles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper end surfaces of the pair of side walls are in contact with the lower surface of the first ceiling wall.

5. The manufacturing device for glass articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The forming body is a member for forming a glass ribbon by an overflow down-draw method, and has: a trough portion, which is located at the top and is continuously supplied with molten glass; a pair of vertical surfaces which are arranged parallel to each other and allow the molten glass overflowing from the trough to flow down; and The pair of inclined surfaces are formed in a wedge shape and are provided continuously with the lower end portions of the pair of vertical surfaces, and merge the molten glass flowing down from the pair of vertical surfaces to form a glass ribbon.

Images