Post-thermal Hardening Glass Edge Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermally reinforced glass sheets become brittle and prone to sudden breakage after thermal reinforcement, making post-reinforcement shaping impossible, and existing methods require pre-shaping before heat hardening, leading to logistical and production inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Shaping of thermally reinforced glass sheets is performed after thermal hardening, with grinding passes limited to a depth within the compression zone to maintain bending stress above 120 MPa, avoiding the tension zone to prevent breakage, and using standard glass grinding equipment to create grooves or align edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If shaping is performed before thermal reinforcement, then the glass can be shaped without breakage, but production logistics become complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence by performing shaping operations after thermal reinforcement rather than before. This reversal enables the glass to gain strength from thermal treatment first, then undergo shaping without the risk of breakage that plagues conventional pre-shaping methods, thereby simplifying logistics and reducing production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the glass by controlling the depth of shaping to remain within the compression zone (less than the depth from the edge to the black line indicated by Sharples device). This parameter control allows the glass to maintain its strengthened properties while still permitting post-reinforcement shaping operations.
2Productivity
If shaping is performed after thermal reinforcement, then production logistics are simplified, but the glass sheet breaks due to internal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the shaping depth parameter to remain within the compression zone of the thermally reinforced glass. By limiting the depth to less than the distance from the edge to the black line (first black fringe) indicated by the Sharples device, the glass maintains its structural integrity and strength while allowing post-reinforcement shaping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical shaping approach with a controlled material removal process that respects the stress distribution in thermally reinforced glass. By using grinding or polishing methods that remove material only from the compression zone, the process substitutes aggressive mechanical shaping with a gentler, stress-aware material removal technique.
3Manufacturing precision
If edge alignment is attempted by grinding thermally reinforced glass, then aesthetic requirements are met, but the laminated pane breaks due to stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the grinding depth parameter to remain within the compression zone, specifically limiting removal to less than the depth from the edge to the black line (first black fringe) indicated by the Sharples device. This parameter control enables precise edge alignment for aesthetic requirements while maintaining the structural integrity of the laminated pane.
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
Enables safe post-thermal hardening shaping of glass sheets, maintaining structural integrity and allowing for precise edge alignment, reducing production and logistics challenges by allowing shaping on dimensioned glasses without risking breakage.
Implementation Method 1
it is accepted by those skilled in the art that thermal reinforcement produces stresses in the glass
Implementation Method 2
after application of the thermal reinforcement
Implementation Method 3
shaping of the edge of the sheet of glass
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2a~2c
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a plate comprising a thermally reinforced mineral glass sheet, including the step of shaping the edge of the glass sheet, following the application of the thermal reinforcement, up to a depth, from the rim, that is lower than that of the compression area.