US Patent:
20100269545, Oct 28, 2010
Inventors:
Olus N. Boratav - Ithaca NY, US
Keith R. Gaylo - Painted Post NY, US
Kiat C. Kang - Painted Post NY, US
Bulent Kocatulum - Horseheads NY, US
Steven M. Milillo - State College PA, US
Douglas G. Neilson - Wilmington NC, US
International Classification:
C03B 17/00
C03B 5/16
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for controlling glass flow in, for example, a downdraw glass manufacturing process (e.g., the fusion downdraw process) are provided. In certain aspects, the mass, thickness, and/or the temperature distribution of molten glass () on the surface of forming apparatus () is managed by: (A) constructing a stream-tube mapping between (i) regions (; FIG. A) of a cross-section of a conduit () that supplies molten glass () to the forming apparatus () and (ii) regions (; FIG. B) on the exterior surface of the forming apparatus (); (B) using the stream-tube mapping to select a temperature distribution for the cross-section that results in a desired mass, thickness, and/or temperature distribution of molten glass () on the surface of the forming apparatus (); and (C) heating and/or insulating the conduit () so as to produce a temperature distribution for the cross-section which equals or at least approximates the distribution selected in step (B).