Segmented Gas Injection Holding Member for Stable Glass Levitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass manufacturing methods using levitation furnaces face challenges in maintaining stable levitation of glass raw materials, leading to difficulties in precise laser-beam irradiation heating and the production of large-sized glass gobs with uniform composition, especially when using compositions with a small amount of network former oxides.
Innovation Solution
A holding member with a gas injection surface featuring distinct regions of injection ports, where the second region has a higher density of injection ports and a larger area per unit area compared to the first region, allowing for controlled gas flow and stable levitation of glass raw materials, enabling precise laser heating and the production of larger glass gobs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional gas injection methods are used in levitation furnaces, then the structure is simple, but the levitation stability is poor and large-sized glass gobs cannot be produced
Solution Approach 1:
The gas injection surface is divided into multiple regions (first region, second region, third region) with different injection port densities. The first region has a lower area of injection ports per unit area, while the second and third regions have higher areas of injection ports per unit area. This segmentation allows different zones to provide different gas flow characteristics, improving overall levitation stability while enabling larger glass gob production.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the gas injection surface are assigned different local qualities in terms of injection port density and gas flow characteristics. The first region provides a base gas flow with lower density, while the second and third regions provide enhanced gas flow with higher density. This local quality differentiation optimizes gas distribution for stable levitation of large glass gobs without requiring a completely complex redesign of the entire injection system.
2Stability of the object's composition
If uniform injection ports are distributed across the entire gas injection surface, then the structure is simple, but the composition uniformity of large glass gobs cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The gas injection surface is segmented into regions with different injection port densities. The first region has a lower area of injection ports per unit area, while the second and third regions have higher areas of injection ports per unit area. This segmentation creates differentiated gas flow patterns that promote uniform composition distribution throughout the glass gob, especially in larger gobs where uniform heating and material distribution are challenging to achieve.
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 solution enables high levitation stability and precise irradiation heating, allowing for the production of larger glass gobs with uniform composition and high refractive index, overcoming the limitations of conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a glass manufacturing apparatus that cools down a glass raw material that has been levitated by gas and has been heated and melted
Implementation Method 2
heated and melted
Data Source
AI summary
A holding member is used in a glass manufacturing apparatus that cools down a glass raw material that has been levitated by gas and has been heated and melted, and manufactures glass. The holding member includes a gas injection surface that includes a plurality of injection ports from which the gas is injected. The gas injection surface includes a first region and a second region, the first region including first injection ports that are some injection ports of the plurality of injection ports, the second region including second injection ports that are different from the first injection ports from among the plurality of injection ports. The first region is located inside the second region, when the gas injection surface is viewed from the top. An area of the injection ports per unit area of the first region is smaller than the area of the injection ports per the unit area of the second region. The area of the injection ports per the unit area of the first region is a ratio of the total of cross-sectional areas of the first injection ports to the area of the first region when the gas injection surface is viewed from the top. The area of the injection ports per the unit area of the second region is the ratio of the total of cross-sectional areas of the second injection ports to the area of the second region when the gas injection surface is viewed from the top.