Glass tube element with improved quality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11614181-B2
Application number	US-202117221560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2021
Priority date	Apr 3, 2020
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

A glass tube element having hollow cylindrical section that has a shell enclosing a lumen and extends along a main extension and an optical delay of a light ray. The shell has a surface facing away from the lumen. The optical delay has values that all fall within a range having a size of between 3 and 30 nm. The optical delay being an optical measurement of the glass tube element by the light ray extending along a measurement path in a direction of perpendicular to the main extension and tangent to a surface of the shell. The measurement path touches the surface for different measurements at different positions each having a different azimuth angle within a cylindrical coordinate system fixedly attached to the glass tube element and having an origin on a center axis of the glass tube element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A glass tube element, comprising:
hollow cylindrical section that has a shell enclosing a lumen and extends along a main extension, the shell having a surface facing away from the lumen; and
an optical delay of a light ray, the optical delay having values that all fall within a range having a size of between 3 and 30 nm, the optical delay being an optical measurement of the glass tube element by the light ray extending along a measurement path in a direction perpendicular to the main extension and tangent to a surface of the shell, the measurement path touches the surface for different measurements at different positions each having a different azimuth angle within a cylindrical coordinate system fixedly attached to the glass tube element and having an origin on a center axis of the glass tube element.

2. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the light ray has a wavelength of between 250 and 900 nm.

3. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the light ray has a wavelength of between 394 nm or 633 nm.

4. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the glass tube element is completely immersed in a fluid such that the surface and a second surface of the shell facing towards the lumen, both, are in contact with the fluid.

5. The glass tube element of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid in contact with the surface.

6. The glass tube element of claim 5 , wherein the fluid has an optical density that is at most 1% different compared to an optical density of glass material of the glass tube element.

7. The glass tube element of claim 5 , wherein the fluid has an optical density of between 1.2 and 2.5.

8. The glass tube element of claim 5 , wherein the fluid has an optical density of between 1.3 and 1.7.

9. The glass tube element of claim 5 , wherein the fluid has an optical density of between 1.43 and 1.61.

10. The glass tube element of claim 5 , wherein the fluid is selected from a group consisting of: ethyl alcohol, olive oil, carbon tetrachloride, sunflower oil, terpentine, glycerine, furfuryl alcohol, dibutylphtalat 84-74-2, toluol, benzene, dimethyphtalate, monochlorobenzene, silicon oil, and any combinations thereof.

11. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical delay has values which all fall within a range of between 10 and 150 nm.

12. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical delay has values which all fall within a range of between 20 and 100 nm.

13. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical delay has values which all fall within a range having a size of between 4 and 25 nm.

14. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical delay has values which all fall within a range having a size of between 5 and 20 nm.

15. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical measurement comprises 360 measurements with the different azimuth angle ranging between, and inclusive of, zero and 359 degrees.

16. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the optical measurement comprises measurements carried out for positions having a same height and/or a same radius within the cylindrical coordinate system.

17. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the glass tube element has a length of between 0.5 and 5 m.

18. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the glass tube element has a maximal outer diameter between 1 and 100 mm.

19. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the shell has an average thickness of between 0.1 and 5 mm.

20. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the glass tube element comprises glass selected from a group consisting of silicate glass, soda lime glass, alumosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, and any combinations thereof.

21. The glass tube element of claim 1 , wherein the glass tube element comprises glass having a transition temperature that is higher than 300 degrees C. and/or lower than 900 degrees C.

Assignees

• Schott Ag

Inventors

• Trinks Volker
• Witzmann André

Classifications

• C03C3/112

  containing fluorine · CPC title

• C03C3/091

  containing aluminium · CPC title

• C03C3/087

  containing calcium oxide, e.g. common sheet or container glass · CPC title

• C03C3/085

  containing an oxide of a divalent metal · CPC title

• C03B35/26

  Transporting of glass tubes or rods · CPC title