Cellular Bending Mould for Glass Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass bending tools experience heat exchange issues that lead to local optical distortions, breakage, temperature instability, and increased energy costs due to their significant contact with glass, resulting in inhomogeneous batches and the need for additional heat compensation.
Innovation Solution
A low heat capacity bending tool with a cellular structure, comprising a solid material and cavities, reduces thermal conductivity and real contact surface area, allowing for reduced heat exchange and maintaining thermal neutrality during the bending process. The tool can be made from materials like organic polymers, stainless steel, or aluminum, depending on the bending process, and features a non-compact assembly of metal sheets with corrugated and flat sections to create a fine mesh of cells on the forming surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional solid bending tool is used, then the tool provides sufficient mechanical strength and structural stability, but the tool experiences significant heat exchange with the glass leading to local optical distortions, breakage, and temperature instability
Solution Approach 1:
The bending tool incorporates a cellular structure with cells representing more than 40% of the volume of the material. This porous configuration reduces the real contact surface between the tool and glass, thereby minimizing heat exchange while preserving the overall structural integrity needed for bending operations
Solution Approach 2:
The tool uses a composite structure combining solid material with cellular voids. This composite approach allows the tool to maintain mechanical strength from the solid portions while the cellular regions reduce thermal mass and heat transfer, resolving the contradiction between strength and heat exchange
2Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional solid bending tool is used, then the tool maintains structural integrity, but the temperature of the bending tool changes over time under repeated contact with glass sheets, making adjustments difficult and leading to inhomogeneous batches
Solution Approach 1:
The cellular structure reduces thermal mass while maintaining structural integrity. The voids act as thermal insulators, reducing the rate of temperature change during repeated glass contact, thereby improving temperature stability without sacrificing structural strength
3Shape
If a conventional solid bending tool is used, then the tool achieves the required bending shape, but heat exchange must be compensated by additional heat input, generating costs
Solution Approach 1:
The cellular structure reduces heat exchange between the tool and glass, minimizing heat loss during the bending process. This reduction in thermal interaction decreases the additional heat input required, thereby lowering energy costs while maintaining the ability to achieve the required bending shape
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tool effectively minimizes heat transfer between the glass and the bending tool, preventing distortions and breakage, maintaining temperature stability, and reducing energy costs by minimizing the need for additional heat input, while ensuring precise curvature and reduced marking on the glass.
Implementation Method 1
The tool according to the invention can be used for bending sheets of glass individually... a very low density tool to reduce its heat capacity and its thermal conductivity... The cells emerge at the form-forming surface, reducing the real contact surface accordingly. Heat exchanges between the shape and the glass are greatly reduced.
Implementation Method 2
The cells emerge at the form-forming surface, reducing the real contact surface accordingly. Heat exchanges between the shape and the glass are greatly reduced.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a mould for bending glass, comprising a solid cellular material, the cells of which form cavities at the moulding surface, said cells representing more than 40% of the volume of the material. The mould is a low-heat-capacity tool for bending glass sheets, for use in the production of tempered or laminated glass. The invention also relates to a method for producing the bending mould, comprising: the assembly of variously shaped metal sheets arranged parallel to one another, in order to form a cellular block; and the subsequent machining of the moulding surface of the block, said surface extending substantially perpendicular to the metal sheets.