Method and apparatus for shaping a glass sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12559406-B2
Application number	US-202418438613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2024
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A method of shaping a glass sheet includes heating the glass sheet to a temperature for shaping, positioning the glass sheet on a shaping support, and shaping the glass sheet on the shaping support, wherein during the shaping of the glass sheet at least one portion of the glass sheet is deliberately cooled. The shaping of the glass sheet involves press bending a heat softened glass sheet between a lower shaping support and an upper shaping member, wherein during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support only a portion of the major surface of the glass sheet facing the lower shaping support is cooled by directing one or more jets of air onto said portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method of shaping a glass sheet, the glass sheet having a first major surface and a second opposing major surface, the method comprising:
heating the glass sheet to a temperature for shaping; positioning the glass sheet on a shaping support such that the first major surface of the glass sheet is in contact with the shaping support, the shaping support being configured as a ring mold to contact the glass sheet at a peripheral region of the glass sheet; shaping the glass sheet on the shaping support by pressing the glass sheet between the shaping support and a shaping member; and deliberately cooling at least a first portion of the glass sheet during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support; wherein the first portion of the glass sheet is deliberately cooled by directing at least a first jet of fluid towards the first major surface of the sheet of glass to directly strike the first portion of the glass sheet without directly striking the peripheral region of the first major surface when the glass sheet is being shaped on the shaping support by pressing the glass sheet between the shaping support and the shaping member; wherein the shaping support has at least one shaping rail configured to contact the peripheral region of the first major surface of the glass sheet; and wherein the first portion of the glass sheet is inward of the peripheral region of the glass sheet.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising deliberately cooling a second portion of the glass sheet during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deliberate cooling of the first portion of the glass sheet begins at the same time as the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support begins or the deliberate cooling of the first portion of the glass sheet begins after the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support begins but before the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support has ended.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the duration of the deliberate cooling of the first portion of the glass sheet is the same as the duration of the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support and/or wherein the deliberate cooling of the first portion of the glass sheet is continued after the glass has been shaped.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein there is no relative movement between the glass sheet and the shaping support during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein following the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support there is a surface compressive stress in the first portion of less than or equal to CS MPa, where CS is 40.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein following the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support the shaped glass sheet is laminated to at least another glass sheet using an interlayer structure comprising at least one sheet of adhesive interlayer material.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the shaped glass sheet is an outer ply in a laminated glazing.

9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the shaped glass sheet has a soda-lime-silica composition and the at least another glass sheet has been chemically strengthened prior to being laminated to the shaped glass sheet.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shaping member is a die member having a shaping surface for contacting the second major surface of the glass sheet during shaping.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shaping member comprises at least two movable shaping members.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shaping support has a concave shaping surface and the shaping member has a convex shaping surface that is complementary to the concave shaping surface of the shaping support.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shaping member has a shaping surface having one or more openings therein, wherein at least one of the one or more openings in the shaping surface of the shaping member is in fluid communication with a low pressure source.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shaping member is provided with a protective cover such that the protective cover of the shaping member contacts the glass sheet during shaping.

15 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising heating the ring mold.

16 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein following the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support there is a surface compressive stress in the first portion, and the surface compressive stress in the first portion is increased by between 5 MPa and 25 MPa compared to the surface compressive stress in the first portion when there is no deliberate cooling during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support.

17 . A method of shaping a glass sheet, the glass sheet having a first major surface and a second opposing major surface, the method comprising:
heating the glass sheet to a temperature suitable for shaping; positioning the glass sheet on a shaping support such that the first major surface of the glass sheet is in contact with the shaping support, the shaping support being configured as a ring mold to contact the glass sheet at a peripheral region of the glass sheet; shaping the glass sheet on the shaping support by making shaping contact between a shaping member and the second major surface of the glass sheet, thereby shaping the glass sheet between the shaping support and the shaping member, wherein during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support when the glass sheet is being shaped by shaping contact between the shaping member and the second major surface of the glass sheet, a first portion of the first major surface of the glass sheet is deliberately cooled by directing at least one jet of fluid onto the first portion of the first major surface without being directed onto a peripheral region of the first major surface; and during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support when the glass sheet is being shaped by shaping contact between the shaping member and the second major surface of the glass sheet, there is no jet of fluid directed onto the second major surface of the glass sheet when the glass sheet is on the shaping support; wherein the shaping support has at least one shaping rail configured to contact the peripheral region of the first major surface of the glass sheet; and wherein the first portion of the glass sheet is inward of the peripheral region of the glass sheet.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising heating the ring mold.

19 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein following the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support there is a surface compressive stress in the first portion, and the surface compressive stress in the first portion is increased by between 5 MPa and 25 MPa compared to the surface compressive stress in the first portion when there is no deliberate cooling during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support.

Assignees

• Pilkington Group Ltd

Inventors

• Hurst Michael
• Lee John George
• Pilz Joachim

Classifications

• C03B27/0442

  for bent glass sheets · CPC title

• C03B27/0413

  Stresses, e.g. patterns, values or formulae for flat or bent glass sheets · CPC title

• C03B27/0404

  Nozzles, blow heads, blowing units or their arrangements, specially adapted for flat or bent glass sheets · CPC title

• C03B23/0357

  by suction without blowing, e.g. with vacuum or by venturi effect · CPC title

• C03B23/0258 Primary

  Gravity bending involving applying local or additional heating, cooling or insulating means · CPC title