Glass packaging ensuring container integrity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9850162-B2
Application number	US-201313778975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2013
Priority date	Feb 29, 2012
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A strengthened glass container or vessel such as, but not limited to, vials for holding pharmaceutical products or vaccines in a hermetic and/or sterile state. The strengthened glass container undergoes a strengthening process that produces compression at the surface and tension within the container wall. The strengthening process is designed such that the tension within the wall is great enough to ensure catastrophic failure of the container, thus rendering the product unusable, should sterility be compromised by a through-wall crack. The tension is greater than a threshold central tension, above which catastrophic failure of the container is guaranteed, thus eliminating any potential for violation of pharmaceutical integrity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container comprising a glass, the container having a thickness and a first surface and a second surface, wherein the glass is an ion exchanged aluminosilicate glass comprising at least one alkali metal oxide, the glass having a first region under a compressive stress, the first region extending from at least one of the first surface or the second surface to a depth of layer in the glass, and a second region under a central tension, the second region extending from the depth of layer, wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 15 MPa, the glass has a Young's modulus E and a Poisson's ratio ν, and (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧3.0 MPa·μm, where CT is the central tension, t is the thickness, and DOL is the depth of layer, and the first region comprises a coating having a Young's modulus different than the glass.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the central tension is sufficient to allow self-propagation of a crack front through the thickness from the first surface to the second surface.

3. The container of claim 2 , wherein the self-propagation of the crack front from the first surface to the second surface further comprises bifurcation of the crack front across at least the first surface.

4. The container of claim 2 , wherein the self-propagation of the crack front from the first surface to the second surface further comprises self-propagation of the crack front laterally across at least the first surface, and wherein the self-propagation of the crack front renders the container unsuitable for its intended use.

5. The container of claim 1 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧9.5 MPa·μm.

6. The container of claim 1 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧15.0 MPa·μm.

7. The container of claim 1 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 30 MPa.

8. The container of claim 7 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 45 MPa.

9. The container of claim 1 , wherein the compressive stress is at least about 200 MPa.

10. The container of claim 1 , wherein the depth of layer is at least about 30 μm.

11. The container of claim 1 , wherein the depth of layer is in a range from about 15% to about 25% of the thickness.

12. The container of claim 1 , wherein the thickness is up to about 6 mm.

13. The container of claim 12 , wherein the thickness is in a range from about 0.3 mm to about 2.0 mm.

14. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container is adapted to hold a pharmaceutical product, a vaccine, a biologic, a foodstuff, or a solution.

15. The container of claim 1 , wherein the glass is free from boron and compounds of boron.

16. The container of claim 1 , wherein the central tension is less than the frangibility limit of the glass.

17. A glass article having a first surface and a second surface separated by glass having a thickness, wherein the glass is an ion exchanged aluminosilicate glass comprising at least one alkali metal oxide and the glass article has a first region under a compressive stress, the first region extending from at least one of the first surface or the second surface to a depth of layer in the glass, and a second region under a central tension of at least about 15 MPa, the second region extending from the depth of layer, wherein the first region comprises a coating having a Young's modulus different than the glass, the central tension is sufficient to allow self-propagation of a crack front from the first surface to the second surface and laterally across the first surface, and the glass article is a container adapted to hold a pharmaceutical product, a vaccine, a biologic, a foodstuff, or a solution.

18. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the self-propagation of the crack front from the first surface to the second surface further comprises bifurcation of the crack front across at least the first surface.

19. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the self-propagation of the crack front from the first surface to the second surface and laterally across the first surface renders the glass article unsuitable for its intended use.

20. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the glass article has a Young's modulus E and a Poisson's ratio ν, and wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧3.0 MPa·μm, where CT is the central tension, t is the thickness, and DOL is the depth of layer.

21. The glass article of claim 20 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t·2DOL)·(1−ν)≧9.5 MPa·μm.

22. The glass article of claim 20 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧15.0 MPa·μm.

23. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 30 MPa.

24. The glass article of claim 23 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 45 MPa.

25. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the compressive stress is at least about 200 MPa.

26. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the depth of layer is at least about 30 μm.

27. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the depth of layer is in a range from about 15% to about 25% of the thickness.

28. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the thickness is up to about 6 mm.

29. The glass article of claim 28 , wherein the thickness is in a range from about 0.3 mm to about 1.3 mm.

30. The glass article of claim 17 , wherein the glass is free from boron and compounds of boron.

31. The article of claim 17 , wherein the central tension is less than the frangibility limit of the glass.

32. A container comprising a glass, the container having a thickness and a first surface and a second surface, wherein the glass is an ion exchanged aluminosilicate glass comprising at least one alkali metal oxide and has a first region under a compressive stress, the first region extending from at least one of the first surface or the second surface to a depth of layer in the glass, and a second region under a central tension, the second region extending from the depth of layer, and the glass has a Young's modulus E and a Poisson's ratio ν, wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧3.0 MPa·μm, where CT is the central tension, t is the thickness, and DOL is the depth of layer, and the first region comprises a coating having a Young's modulus different than the glass.

33. The container of claim 32 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧9.5 MPa·μm.

34. The container of claim 33 , wherein (CT 2 /E)·(t−2DOL)·(1−ν)≧15.0 MPa·μm.

35. The container of claim 32 , wherein the central tension is sufficient to allow self-propagation of a crack front through the thickness from the first surface to the second surface.

36. The container of claim 35 , wherein the self-propagation of the crack front from the first surface to the second surface further comprises self-propagation of the crack front across at least the first surface, and wherein the self-propagation of the crack front renders the container unsuitable for its intended use.

37. The container of claim 32 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 15 MPa.

38. The container of claim 37 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 30 MPa.

39. The container of claim 38 , wherein the central tension is greater than or equal to about 45 MPa.

40. The container o

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Demartino Steven Edward
• Schaut Robert Anthony

Classifications

• Y10T29/49

  Method of mechanical manufacture · CPC title

• Y10T428/315

  Surface modified glass [e.g., tempered, strengthened, etc.] · CPC title

• C03B27/065

  Stresses, e.g. patterns, values or formulae · CPC title

• C03B7/08

  Feeder spouts, e.g. gob feeders · CPC title

• C03C17/005 Primary

  Coating the outside · CPC title