JP7104883B2 - Glass article manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for glass articles, and more particularly to a technique for increasing the degree of freedom in the layout of a manufacturing line by improving the conveying route of molten glass leading to a molded article.

As is well known, a production line for glass rolls and sheet glass consists of a melting line through which molten glass flows and a processing line through which a glass ribbon flows. In this case, the melting line includes, for example, in order from the upstream side, a dissolving tank, a clarification tank, a homogenization tank such as a stirring tank, a conditioning tank, and a compact, and each of these tanks and the compact. are connected by a supply pipe for molten glass (see Patent Document 1, for example). Further, in a glass roll production line, the conveying direction of the glass ribbon is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction (see Patent Document 2, for example). Therefore, the processing line extends in a direction orthogonal to the melting line from the terminal end (formed body) of the melting line when the manufacturing line is viewed from above.

JP 2016-88754 A JP 2011-16705 A

In this way, in the glass roll manufacturing line, the melting line and the processing line are arranged in directions perpendicular to each other. In this case, if the glass roll production lines are arranged in parallel, the distance between the melting lines must be increased by the amount of the processing lines, resulting in a waste of installation space. In addition, if the melting line and the processing line can only be perpendicular to each other, the layout of the manufacturing line will be restricted, and it will be difficult to flexibly change the layout.

Layouts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, are conceivable as countermeasures for solving the above problem. In this layout, the conditioning vessel 101 is located downstream of the homogenization vessel (not shown), and the compact 102 is located downstream of the conditioning vessel 101 (see FIG. 9). The homogenization tank and the conditioning tank 101 are connected by a connecting pipe 103 (see FIG. 10) having a predetermined shape, and the conditioning tank 101 and the compact 102 are bent in a predetermined direction. They are connected by a connecting pipe 104 (see FIG. 9). In this case, the outflow port 101a of the conditioning tank 101 faces downward (see FIG. 9), and the connection pipe 104 connected to the outflow port 101a is arranged in a condition conditioning tank in a plan view of the connection pipe 104. It is bent in a direction orthogonal to the inflow direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the tank 101 (see FIG. 10). By bending the connection pipe 104 in this way, the feeding direction D0 of the glass ribbon Gr and the flow direction of the molten glass Gm (inflow direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the conditioning tank 101) are parallel. Therefore, it is possible to arrange the melting line and the processing line in parallel. In FIGS. 9 and 10, reference numeral 101b denotes the inlet of the condition adjusting tank 101, reference numeral 102a denotes the inlet of the molded body 102, and reference numerals Gr1 and Gr2 indicate both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr to be molded. .

By the way, when a production line equipped with the melting line described above is operated, each tank (for example, the homogenization tank 105 and the conditioning tank 101 shown in FIG. 11) up to the molded body 102 has a stagnant region R1 of the molten glass Gm. , R2 may occur. Molten glass Gm1', Gm2' in these stagnant regions R1, R2 undergoes a temperature history different from that of molten glass Gm that reaches molded body 102 without passing through stagnant regions R1, R2, and thus tends to be heterogeneous. In the melting line of conventional configuration, as shown in FIG. It passes through the upper part or the lower part of the inlet 102a, and becomes width direction both ends Gr1 and Gr2 of the glass ribbon Gr which is a molded product. Since the width direction end portions Gr1 and Gr2 of the glass ribbon Gr are usually removed by cutting or the like in the subsequent processing line, there is no particular problem because the different molten glasses Gm1′ and Gm2′ do not remain in the final product. . On the other hand, in the case of the melting line proposed above (see FIGS. 9 and 10), the connection pipe 104 is directed from below in a direction orthogonal to the inflow direction d0 of the molten glass Gm into the conditioning tank 101. 11 and 13, the molten glasses Gm1′ and Gm2′ in the stagnation regions R1 and R2 are different from the portion (FIG. 12) of the connecting pipe 104 that flows in the conventional melting line. It flows through different parts, passes through the middle portion in the vertical direction of the inlet 102 a of the molded body 102 , and flows into the molded body 8 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the molten glass Gm1′, Gm2′ in these stagnant regions R1, R2 is mixed into the product portion located between the width direction end portions Gr1, Gr2 of the glass ribbon Gr, and Different molten glasses Gm1' and Gm2' remain on the glass ribbon Gr (that is, the glass roll and glass plate as products), causing product defects.

In view of the above circumstances, the present specification aims to prevent foreign molten glass that may occur in the melting line from remaining in the product portion of the glass ribbon while increasing the degree of freedom regarding the layout of the production line for glass articles. technical issues to be addressed.

The solution of the above problems is achieved by a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present invention. That is, this manufacturing method includes a production step of producing molten glass in a molten glass production apparatus, a conditioning step of adjusting the state of the produced molten glass in a conditioning tank, and molding the molten glass in which the condition has been adjusted. In a method for manufacturing a glass article comprising a forming step of supplying a glass ribbon to a body to form a glass ribbon, the melted glass inlet provided in the conditioning tank enters the molten glass from the molten glass generator side to the inside of the conditioning tank. An inflow pipe for inflowing molten glass is connected, and the flow direction of the molten glass when passing through one end of the inflow pipe that is upstream in the flow direction of the molten glass is set as a reference flow direction, and the state is adjusted from the other end of the inflow pipe. When the flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the tank is defined as the flow direction at the time of inflow, the flow direction at the time of inflow faces either the left or the right side with respect to the reference flow direction when the inflow pipe is viewed from above. As such, the inflow tube is characterized by a bend.

As described above, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, attention is paid to the shape of the inflow pipe connected to the inflow port of the conditioning tank. The flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the tank) is directed to either the left or right side with respect to the reference flow direction (the flow direction of the molten glass when passing through one end of the inflow pipe). I made the tube bend. In this way, by bending the conventional straight inflow pipe, even if a stagnant region of molten glass occurs in a layer (such as a homogenization tank) on the upstream side of the conditioning tank, the stagnant area will be eliminated. Molten glass maintains the position (for example, the lower part of the inflow pipe) as much as possible when it flows into one end of the inflow pipe, and reaches the other end of the inflow pipe, that is, the inlet of the conditioning tank. Therefore, by connecting the conditioning tank and the compact in a conventional manner, the molten glass can pass above or below the inlet of the compact without changing the relative position of the molten glass in the connecting pipe. It will be. As a result, even if the molten glass flows into the stagnant region, the molten glass can be made to flow into the regions that will be the width direction end portions of the glass ribbon formed by the formed body. In addition, by bending the inflow pipe, which has conventionally formed a straight shape, as described above, the direction of the inflow port of the conditioning tank connected to the downstream end of the inflow pipe can be adjusted to the direction in which the molten glass was generated in the molten glass generator. After that, the direction of flow is different from the direction of flow until reaching the conditioning tank. Therefore, by adjusting the flow direction when flowing into the conditioning tank (the flow direction at the time of flow), the direction of the inlet of the molding can be appropriately set. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the production line while preventing, as much as possible, the situation in which foreign molten glass remains in the glass ribbon after processing and causes deterioration in product quality. It becomes possible.

Further, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the outlet of the conditioning tank and the inlet of the compact are connected by a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is arranged in the same direction as the outlet of the conditioning tank. When viewed, it may be bent in the same direction as the flow direction at the time of inflow.

By connecting the outflow port of the conditioning tank and the inflow port of the molded body with the connecting pipe bent in the same direction as the flow direction at the time of inflow, the relative position of the molten glass in the connecting pipe is maintained, Molten glass can be fed above or below the inlet of the compact. Therefore, even if the molten glass in the stagnant region flows into the conditioning tank through the inflow pipe, the molten glass in the stagnant region will move to the position when it flows into one end of the inflow pipe (for example, the lower part of the internal space of the inflow pipe). It reaches the inlet of the conditioning tank while maintaining its relative position in the connecting pipe and reaches the inlet of the compact (in this case, the lower part of the inlet). As a result, even if the molten glass in the stagnant region flows into the glass ribbon, it is possible to reliably prevent the unfavorable molten glass from being mixed into the product portion of the glass ribbon.

Further, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the inflow pipe is a straight line that extends linearly from one end side of the inflow pipe while being inclined to the other left and right sides with respect to the reference flow direction in a plan view of the inflow pipe. and a bent portion that bends from the downstream end of the straight portion in the flow direction at the time of inflow and is connected to the inflow port of the conditioning tank.

As described above, the inflow pipe is provided with a straight portion that extends linearly from one end side of the inflow pipe while being inclined to the other left and right sides with respect to the reference flow direction. By providing a bent portion that is bent and connected to the inlet of the molded body, the straight portion is inclined in the left-right direction opposite to the bending direction of the bent portion (one of the left and right sides) with respect to the reference flow direction (described later). (See FIG. 3, etc.). Therefore, the pipe length from one end side of the inflow pipe to the upstream end of the bent portion can be shortened.

Further, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the molded body is formed into a glass ribbon by allowing the molten glass overflowing from the overflow groove to flow down along both side surfaces, and the molded body has inlets on both side surfaces. and the angle formed by the reference flow direction and the flow direction at the time of inflow may be set to 90°. Moreover, in the production method according to the present invention, the glass article may be a glass roll obtained by winding a glass ribbon into a roll.

By connecting the inflow pipe (or bent portion) bent as described above to the molded body configured as described above, the reference flow direction and the orientation of the main surface of the glass ribbon formed by the molded body (normal direction) can be matched. In the manufacturing process of the glass roll, the formed glass ribbon is pulled out downward and then horizontally changed and transported through the catenary. can be arranged in parallel. As a result, the glass roll production line is narrowed in its width direction (in the melting line, it refers to the same direction as the width direction, and in the processing line, it refers to the width direction of the glass ribbon. The same applies hereinafter in this specification). Therefore, it is suitable for arranging a plurality of glass roll production lines in parallel.

Moreover, the solution of the above problems is also achieved by a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. That is, this manufacturing apparatus includes a molten glass production device for producing molten glass, a conditioning tank for adjusting the state of the produced molten glass, and a forming body for forming the adjusted molten glass into a glass ribbon. In the apparatus for manufacturing a glass article comprising The flow direction of the molten glass when passing through one end of the inflow pipe, which is the upstream side of the glass flow direction, is defined as the reference flow direction, and the flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the conditioning tank from the other end of the inflow pipe is defined as the reference flow direction. It is characterized by the point that the inflow pipe is bent so that the flow direction at the time of inflow faces either the left or the right side with respect to the reference flow direction when the inflow pipe is viewed from above. .

As described above, in the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, even if a molten glass stagnation area occurs in the layer upstream of the conditioning tank by bending the conventional straight inflow pipe, this The molten glass in the stagnation region reaches the inlet of the conditioning tank while maintaining as much as possible the position it had when it entered one end of the inlet pipe. Therefore, by connecting the conditioning tank and the molded body in a conventional manner, the molten glass can be supplied to the molded body without changing the relative position of the molten glass in the connecting pipe. As a result, even if the molten glass flows into the stagnant region, it can pass through the lower or upper portion of the inlet of the molded body and flow into the regions that will be the width direction end portions of the glass ribbon. Become. In addition, by bending the inflow pipe, which has conventionally formed a straight shape, as described above, the direction of the inflow port of the conditioning tank connected to the downstream end of the inflow pipe can be adjusted to the direction in which the molten glass was generated in the molten glass generator. After that, the direction of flow is different from the direction of flow until reaching the conditioning tank. Therefore, by adjusting the flow direction when flowing into the condition adjusting tank, the direction of the inlet of the molding can be appropriately set. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the production line while preventing, as much as possible, the situation in which foreign molten glass remains in the product and causes deterioration in the quality of the product.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom regarding the layout of the production line for glass articles while preventing foreign molten glass that may occur in the melting line from remaining in the product portion of the glass ribbon. It becomes possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention from the front. It is the figure which planarly viewed the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure which planarly viewed the 3rd connecting pipe shown in FIG. 1, and its peripheral part. It is the side view which looked at the 3rd connecting pipe shown in FIG. 1, and its peripheral part from the Y direction. It is the figure which looked at the 3rd connecting pipe shown in FIG. 3, and its peripheral part from the front. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the flow of molten glass in a stagnant region to the inside of a molded body in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ; FIG. 7 is a side view of the flow of molten glass around the third connection pipe shown in FIG. 6 as seen from the Y direction; It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on other embodiment of this invention from the front. FIG. 10 is a side view of the main part of the glass article manufacturing apparatus used for comparison with the present invention, and is a side view of a connection pipe connecting the conditioning tank and the molded body as seen from the Y direction. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the connection pipe shown in FIG. 9 and its peripheral portion; FIG. 11 is a front view schematically showing the flow of molten glass in a stagnant region to the interior of a molded body in the apparatus for manufacturing a glass article having the connecting pipe shown in FIG. 10 ; FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the flow of molten glass in a stagnant region to the inside of a molded body in a conventional apparatus for manufacturing a glass article. FIG. 12 is a side view of the flow of molten glass in the stagnant region shown in FIG. 11 as seen from the Y direction;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same glass article manufacturing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in these figures, this manufacturing apparatus 1 is roughly divided into a melting line 2 through which molten glass Gm flows and a processing line 3 for processing a glass ribbon Gr formed in the melting line 2 . Among these, the melting line 2 is composed of a melting tank 4 as a molten glass generator arranged in the most upstream region, a clarification tank 5 arranged downstream of the melting tank 4, and a clarification tank 5 arranged downstream of the clarification tank 5. A homogenization tank 6, a conditioning tank 7 disposed downstream of the homogenization tank 6, a compact 8 disposed downstream of the conditioning tank 7, each tank 4 to 7, and Connection pipes 9 to 12 connecting between the molded bodies 8 are provided.

Further, the processing line 3 for the glass ribbon Gr is, for example, though not shown, positioned below the molded body 8, and includes a slow cooling processing section that performs slow cooling processing on the glass ribbon Gr molded from the molded body 8. , a cooling unit that cools the slow-cooled glass ribbon Gr to a predetermined temperature, for example, near room temperature, a direction changing unit that changes the feeding direction of the glass ribbon Gr after cooling from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction, A first cutting portion that cuts off the width direction both ends (also referred to as ears) of the glass ribbon Gr conveyed in the lateral direction from the glass ribbon Gr main body, and the glass ribbon Gr from which the width direction both ends are removed along the width direction A second cutting section for cutting and a winding section for winding the glass ribbon Gr that has passed through the second cutting section into a roll are provided. Of course, the configuration described above is merely an example, and some of the components described above may be changed or omitted, or components other than those described above may be added as necessary. In the following, the melting line 2 will be described with a focus on the manner in which the homogenization tank 6 and conditioning tank 7 are connected.

The melting tank 4 is a container for performing a production step of melting the supplied frit to produce molten glass Gm. The dissolution tank 4 is connected to the clarification tank 5 by a first connecting pipe 9 .

The fining tank 5 is a container for performing a fining process in which the molten glass Gm supplied from the melting tank 4 through the first connecting pipe 9 is clarified by the action of a fining agent or the like. The clarification vessel 5 is connected to the homogenization vessel 6 by a second connecting pipe 10 .

The homogenization tank 6 is a vessel for performing a homogenization step of stirring and homogenizing the clarified molten glass Gm. The homogenization tank 6 is connected to the conditioning tank 7 by a third connecting pipe 11 . One homogenization tank 6 may be provided as shown in the drawing, or two or more may be arranged side by side.

The conditioning tank 7 is a container for performing a conditioning process for adjusting the molten glass Gm to a state suitable for molding, and for example, adjusts the flow rate of the molten glass Gm to be supplied to the molded body 8 . In the present embodiment, the conditioning tank 7 is connected to a third connecting pipe 11, an upper part 7a into which the molten glass Gm flows from the third connecting pipe 11, and an outflow of the molten glass Gm whose condition has been adjusted. and an intermediate portion 7c connecting the upper portion 7a and the lower portion 7b. A side surface of the upper portion 7a is provided with an inlet 7d for introducing the molten glass Gm. An outlet 7e for the molten glass Gm is provided at the lower end of the lower portion 7b. Conditioning tank 7 configured as described above is connected to compact 8 by a fourth connecting pipe 12 .

The molding 8 molds the molten glass Gm into a desired shape. In this embodiment, the formed body 8 is formed by forming the molten glass Gm into a belt shape by an overflow down-draw method. Specifically, the molded body 8 has a substantially wedge-shaped cross-section, has an overflow groove 8a in its upper portion, and has both side surfaces 8b, 8b for flowing down the molten glass Gm overflowing from the overflow groove 8a. The formed body 8 having the above configuration can be formed into a belt-like glass ribbon Gr by fusing the molten glass Gm flowing down along the side surfaces 8b, 8b at the lower top portions of the side surfaces 8b, 8b. The molded glass ribbon Gr has a thickness of, for example, 0.01 to 2 mm (preferably 0.3 mm or less), and is used as a substrate for flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays, organic EL lighting, solar cells, and the like. and protective covers. Note that the molded body 8 may be formed by another down-draw method such as a slot down-draw method.

The first connecting pipe 9 to the fourth connecting pipe 12 are composed of, for example, cylindrical pipes made of platinum or platinum alloy, and are connected to the tanks 5 to 7 adjacent to the downstream side from the dissolving tank 4 and to the compact 8. Molten glass Gm is conveyed sequentially.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the third connection pipe 11 connecting the homogenization tank 6 and the conditioning tank 7 and its surroundings. As shown in FIG. 3, the third connection pipe 11 has a shape bent in a predetermined direction. This third connection pipe 11 corresponds to the inflow pipe according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the third connecting pipe 11 has a straight portion 13 that extends linearly and a straight portion 13 that bends in a predetermined direction from the downstream end of the straight portion 13 when the third connecting pipe 11 is viewed from above. It has a first bent portion 14 connected to the inflow port 7 a of the conditioning tank 7 and a second bent portion 15 connecting the outflow port 6 a of the homogenization tank 6 and the upstream end of the straight portion 13 .

Also, the flow direction of the molten glass Gm passing through the upstream end 11a of the third connecting pipe 11 (reference flow direction d0) and the flow direction of the molten glass Gm passing through the downstream end 11b (inflow direction d1) In terms of the relationship, the third connecting pipe 11 is such that when viewed from the top as shown in FIG. The third connecting pipe 11 is bent to face the side. In this embodiment, the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions, the Z direction is the vertical direction, and the reference flow direction d0 is the Y direction when viewed vertically from above, as shown in FIG. In addition, the inflow flow direction d1 faces the X direction when viewed from vertically above. As described above, the reference flow direction d0 and the inflow flow direction d1 are orthogonal to each other on the horizontal XY plane.

In this embodiment, the straight portion 13 extends linearly from the upstream end 11a side of the third connection pipe 11 while being inclined to the other left and right sides with respect to the reference flow direction d0. On the other hand, the first bent portion 14 connected to the downstream end of the straight portion 13 is bent such that the inflow flow direction d1 faces one of the left and right sides with respect to the reference flow direction d0. In this embodiment, the straight portion 13 extends linearly while being inclined rightward (downward in FIG. 3) with respect to the reference flow direction d0, whereas the first bent portion 14 , from the extending direction of the straight portion 13 to the right direction (downward direction in FIG. 3) with respect to the reference flow direction d0. As a result, the conditioning tank 7 is shifted to the -X direction side (to the left in FIG. 4) from the outlet 6a of the homogenizing tank 6, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the straight portion 13 is inclined upward at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction so as to shift in the +Z direction from the upstream end side (left side) toward the downstream end side (right side). is doing. Therefore, the first bent portion 14 is positioned higher than the second bent portion 15 .

The fourth connecting pipe 12 connects the conditioning tank 7 and the molded body 8 so that the molten glass Gm flowing out of the conditioning tank 7 can be supplied to the molded body 8. As shown in FIG. , from the same direction as the outflow port 7e of the conditioning tank 7 to the same direction as the inflow flow direction d1. When the lower portion 7b (outflow port 7e) of the conditioning tank 7 faces vertically downward as in the present embodiment, the fourth connecting pipe 12 extends from the Z direction (vertical direction) as shown in FIG. It is bent 90° in the X direction (horizontal direction). In this case, the inflow direction d2 of the molten glass Gm into the molding 8 and the inflow direction into the conditioning tank 7 (inflow direction d1) are parallel to each other.

Next, an example of a method of manufacturing a glass article using the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described, particularly focusing on the flow of the molten glass Gm from the homogenization tank 6 to the molded body 8 .

When manufacturing a glass article using the manufacturing apparatus 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. By melting the raw materials, the molten glass Gm is produced. Then, the molten glass Gm is supplied to the refining tank 5 through the first connecting pipe 9 , and the molten glass Gm clarified in the refining tank 5 is supplied to the homogenizing tank 6 through the second connecting pipe 10 . The molten glass Gm supplied to the homogenization tank 6 is homogenized by stirring or the like, and then supplied to the conditioning tank 7 through the third connecting pipe 11 . For example, the molten glass Gm whose flow rate is adjusted in the condition adjusting tank 7 is supplied to the formed body 8 through the fourth connecting pipe 12 . In the formed body 8, the molten glass Gm is formed into a strip-shaped glass ribbon Gr by, for example, an overflow downdraw method. The formed glass ribbon Gr is conveyed on a processing line 3 extending parallel to the melting line 2, and subjected to appropriate processing or treatment such as cutting to obtain, for example, a glass roll. In this way, the production of glass articles is carried out continuously.

By the way, when glass articles are continuously manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, a stagnation region R1 of the molten glass Gm may occur at the bottom of the homogenization tank 6, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In this case, the molten glass Gm1' in the stagnant region R1 flows from the outlet 6a of the homogenization tank 6 into the lower portion of the upstream end 11a of the third connecting pipe 11. Alternatively, as also shown in FIG. 6, a stagnation region R2 of the molten glass Gm may occur at the top of the conditioning tank 7 (the region above the inlet 7d in the upper portion 7a). In this case, the molten glass Gm2' in the stagnant region R2 flows into the upstream end of the fourth connecting pipe 12 through the side of the outflow port 7e close to the compact 8 (the side in the +X direction in the XYZ coordinate system).

Here, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention, when the third connecting pipe 11 is viewed from above, the flowing direction d1 of the molten glass Gm is directed to either the left or the right side with respect to the reference flow direction d0. , the third connection pipe 11 as an inflow pipe is bent (see FIG. 3). By bending the third connecting pipe 11 in this way, even if a stagnation region R1 of the molten glass Gm occurs in the homogenization tank 6 as shown in FIG. Maintaining the position as much as possible when flowing into the upstream end 11a of the three connecting pipes 11 (here, the lower part of the upstream end 11a, the lower part 15a of the second bent portion 15, the lower part 13a of the straight portion 13, the first through the lower portion 14a of the bent portion 14 and the lower portion of the downstream end 11b) to reach the inlet 7d of the conditioning tank 7. Further, by connecting the conditioning tank 7 and the molded body 8 with a fourth connecting pipe 12 having a curved shape as shown in FIG. From the outflow port 7e of the conditioning tank 7, from the side far from the molded body 8 (the side in the -X direction in the XYZ coordinate system), the molded body 8 passes through the outside 12a of the bent portion of the fourth connecting pipe 12. It passes under the inlet 8c. Alternatively, even if the stagnation region R2 of the molten glass Gm occurs at the top of the conditioning tank 7, the molten glass Gm2′ in this stagnation region R2 is on the side closer to the compact 8 in the outflow port 7e of the conditioning tank 7. It passes through the inside 12b of the bent portion of the fourth connection pipe 12 from (the +X direction side in the XYZ coordinate system) and the upper part of the inlet 8c of the formed body 8. As shown in FIG. The molten glass Gm1′, Gm2′ in the stagnant regions R1, R2 that have passed through the inlet 8c of the molded body 8 as described above flows into the regions that become the width direction end portions Gr1, Gr2 of the glass ribbon Gr (FIG. 7 ).

As described above, according to the present invention, the position of the molten glass Gm1′ in the stagnant region R1 when flowing into the third connecting pipe 11 is set to the lower part of the third connecting pipe 11 and the position of the fourth connecting pipe 12 It can be maintained as far as possible on the outside 12a of the bend and pass under the inlet 8c of the molding 8. In addition, the position of the molten glass Gm2' in the stagnant region R2 when it flows into the fourth connecting pipe 12 is maintained as much as possible inside 12b of the bent portion of the fourth connecting pipe 12, and the molded body 8 is formed. It can pass through the upper part of the inlet 8c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the quality of the product (the glass ribbon Gr after processing) from deteriorating due to the heterogeneous molten glasses Gm1' and Gm2' remaining in the glass ribbon Gr after processing. . Further, the bending direction of the third connecting pipe 11 may be either left or right with respect to the reference flow direction d0 in a plan view of the third connecting pipe 11. By appropriately setting the direction of the inlet 7d of the condition adjusting tank 7 (flow direction d1 at the time of inflow), the direction of the inlet 8c of the molded body 8, and thus the feeding direction D0 of the glass ribbon Gr formed by the molded body 8, can be changed. (that is, the orientation of the processing line 3) can be set relatively freely.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inlet 8c of the molded body 8 is provided in a direction orthogonal to both side surfaces 8b, 8b through which the molten glass Gm overflowing from the upper overflow groove 8a flows down, and the reference flow direction d0 is provided. and the flow direction d1 at the time of inflow is set to 90°, and the bending direction of the fourth connection pipe 12 (inflow direction d2 into the molded body 8) is the same as the outflow port 7e of the conditioning tank 7 From the orientation, the fourth connection pipe 12 was bent in the same direction as the inflow flow direction d1 in a plan view (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Thus, by determining the bending direction of the third connecting pipe 11 and the bending direction of the fourth connecting pipe 12 in relation to the inlet 8c of the molded body 8, the molded body 8 can be molded with the reference flow direction d0. It is possible to match the direction of the main surface of the glass ribbon Gr to be coated (that is, the feeding direction D0 of the glass ribbon Gr). After the formed glass ribbon Gr is pulled out downward, the direction is changed in the horizontal direction through the catenary and conveyed. can do.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various forms may be adopted within the scope of the present invention. is possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the reference flow direction d0, which is the reference when defining the bending direction of the third connection pipe 11 (the direction of the downstream end 11b that is the direction after bending), is the horizontal direction is illustrated. (See FIG. 5), however, the reference flow direction d0 is not limited to the horizontal direction. The flow direction d1 at the time of inflow is not limited to the horizontal direction, either. As long as the inflow flow direction d1 can be arbitrarily set. Also, the inflow direction d2 of the molten glass Gm into the molded body 8 is not limited to the illustrated direction (+X direction). For example, it is possible to set the inflow direction d2 to a direction other than the +X direction. In addition, from the above, the bending angle of the third connecting pipe 11 (the angle formed by the reference flow direction d0 and the inflow flow direction d1 in a plan view of the third connecting pipe 11) is limited to 90°. do not have. Similarly, the bending angle of the fourth connecting pipe 12 (the angle formed by the direction of the outflow port 7e of the conditioning tank 7 and the inflow direction d2) is not limited to 90°, and may be any angle within the range that satisfies the above conditions. can be taken.

Further, in the above embodiment, the third connecting pipe 11 has a straight portion 13 extending linearly, a first bent portion 14 connecting the straight portion 13 and the conditioning tank 7, and a homogenization tank 6 and the straight portion. 13, but the third connecting pipe 11 can of course have a configuration other than the above. For example, although not shown, in a plan view, a first straight portion extending in the -X direction is connected to the downstream end of the second bent portion 15, and a third bent portion is connected to the downstream end of the first straight portion. , the downstream end of the third bent portion is connected to the second straight portion extending in the +Y direction, the first bent portion 14 is connected to the downstream end of the second straight portion, and the downstream end of the first bent portion 14 is connected to the conditioning tank. It is also possible to take a form in which it is connected to the inflow port 7d of 7.

In the above embodiment, the third connection pipe 11 having a constant outer diameter is directly connected to the conditioning tank 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), but other connection forms are possible. It is also possible to take FIG. 8 is a view of the connecting portion between the third connecting pipe 11 and the conditioning tank 7 according to one example (another embodiment of the present invention) viewed from the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the third connecting pipe 11 is positioned between the first bent portion 14 located downstream thereof, the first bent portion 14 and the conditioning tank 7 side, and the first bent portion 14 It has a cross-sectional area changing portion 16 whose cross-sectional area (an area in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, hereinafter also simply referred to as "cross-sectional area") gradually changes from the side toward the conditioning tank 7 side. As a result, the first bent portion 14 of the third connecting pipe 11 and the conditioning tank 7 are connected via the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 . In this case, the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 becomes the downstream end 11 b of the third connecting pipe 11 .

In this embodiment, when the cross-sectional area of the first bent portion 14 of the third connecting pipe 11 is S1 and the cross-sectional area of the upper portion 7a of the conditioning tank 7 is S2, the cross-sectional area S1 of the first bent portion 14 is the upper portion 7a. More specifically, the cross-sectional area S1 of the first bent portion 14 is smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a. In this case, the shape of the inner surface 16a of the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 is set so that the cross-sectional area of the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 gradually increases from the first bent portion 14 side toward the conditioning tank 7 side. Specifically, the shape of the longitudinal section (the section along the longitudinal direction) of the inner surface 16a of the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 is arcuate. For this reason, the inner surface 16a of the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 is cylindrical, and the diameter is expanded from the first bent portion 14 side toward the conditioning tank 7 side.

The cross-sectional area S1 of the first bent portion 14 is preferably set to 0.75 times or more and 1.25 times or less the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a. When the cross-sectional area S1 of the first bent portion 14 is made smaller than the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a as in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area S1 of the first bent portion 14 is set to 0.0 of the cross-sectional area S2 of the upper portion 7a. It is preferable to set it to 75 times or more and 0.96 times or less. For example, the inner diameter of the first bent portion 14 can be set to 150 mm or more and 300 mm or less, and the curvature radius of the inner surface 16a of the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 can be set to 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, which is preferable. is preferably set to 20 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

The lower portion 7b of the conditioning tank 7 and the upstream end 12c of the fourth connecting pipe 12 are separated from each other (a state in which the lower portion 7b of the conditioning tank 7 and the upstream end 12c of the fourth connecting pipe 12 do not contact each other). d), the molten glass Gm can be supplied from the conditioning tank 7 side to the fourth connecting pipe 12 side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, with the lower portion 7b inserted into the inner periphery of the upstream end 12c of the fourth connecting pipe 12, the molten glass Gm adjusted in the condition adjusting tank 7 is It can be supplied to the compact 8 through the fourth connection pipe 12 .

Here, when the cross-sectional area of the lower portion 7b of the conditioning tank 7 is S3 and the cross-sectional area of the upstream end 12c of the fourth connecting pipe 12 is S4, the cross-sectional area of the lower portion 7b is S3, and the cross-sectional area of the upstream end 12c is S4. should be set to 0.75 times or more and 0.96 times or less.

Further, when the third connecting pipe 11 has the above structure, the viscosity of the molten glass Gm passing through the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 between the first bending portion 14 and the conditioning tank 7 is preferably 800 Pa s or more. , and more preferably set to 1000 Pa·s or more. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of suppressing devitrification, the viscosity of the molten glass Gm passing through the cross-sectional area changing portion 16 is preferably set to 50000 Pa·s or less.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the third connecting pipe 11 is provided between the first bent portion 14 and the conditioning tank 7 so that the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the first bent portion 14 side toward the conditioning tank 7 side. It has a cross-sectional area changing portion 16 that changes. According to this configuration, the molten glass Gm flowing into the conditioning tank 7 from the third connecting pipe 11 is prevented from being separated as much as possible, and the molten glass stagnating at the bottom of the homogenizing tank 6 is prevented. The glass Gm1′ (see FIG. 6) is passed through the outer side 12a of the fourth connecting pipe 12 and surely placed in the region of the molded body 8 that will be the width direction one end Gr2 (see FIG. 7) of the glass ribbon Gr. can flow in. Further, the molten glass Gm2' stagnating in the upper portion 7a of the conditioning tank 7 is passed through the inner side 12b of the fourth connecting pipe 12, and the other widthwise end portion Gr1 (see FIG. 7) of the glass ribbon Gr of the formed body 8 is See) can be made to flow more reliably. As described above, according to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to the present embodiment, the heterogeneous molten glass Gm1′ (Gm2′) that causes defective molding remains in the glass ribbon Gr after processing, and the product is It is possible to prevent as much as possible the situation in which the quality of the glass article is deteriorated.

1 Glass article manufacturing apparatus 2 Melting line 3 Processing line 4 Dissolving tank 5 Clarifying tank 6 Homogenizing tank 7 Conditioning tank 7a Inlet 7b Outlet 8 Molded body 8a Overflow grooves 8b, 8b Both sides 8c Inlet 9 First Connecting pipe 10 Second connecting pipe 11 Third connecting pipe 12 Fourth connecting pipe 13 Straight part 14 First bent part 15 Second bent part 16 Cross-sectional area changing part 104 Connecting pipe (configuration used for comparison)
106 connecting pipe (conventional configuration)
D0 Feed direction of glass ribbon Gm Molten glass Gm1′, Gm2′ Molten glass Gr in stagnation region Glass ribbons Gr1, Gr2 Width direction both ends R1, R2 Stagnation region d0 Reference flow direction d1 flow direction)
d2 inflow direction (inflow direction into the compact)

Claims (6)

A production step of producing molten glass in a molten glass production apparatus, a conditioning step of adjusting the state of the produced molten glass in a conditioning tank, and supplying the molten glass whose condition has been adjusted to a molded body. A method for manufacturing a glass article, comprising a forming step of forming a glass ribbon,
an inflow pipe for allowing the molten glass to flow into the conditioning tank from the side of the molten glass generator is connected to the molten glass inlet provided in the conditioning tank;
The flow direction of the molten glass when passing through one end of the inflow pipe, which is upstream in the flow direction of the molten glass, is defined as a reference flow direction, and the flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the conditioning tank from the other end of the inflow pipe. When the flow direction of the molten glass is defined as the flow direction at the time of inflow,
Manufacture of a glass article characterized in that the inflow pipe is bent so that the flow direction at the time of inflow is directed to either the left or the right side with respect to the reference flow direction when the inflow pipe is viewed from above. Method. the outflow port of the conditioning tank and the inflow port of the compact are connected by a connecting pipe,
2. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the connection pipe is bent in the same direction as the flow direction at the time of inflow when the connection pipe is viewed from the same direction as the outflow port of the conditioning tank. The inflow pipe extends from one end side of the inflow pipe to the other left and right side opposite to the one of the left and right sides with respect to the reference flow direction in a plan view of the inflow pipe. 3. A straight portion extending linearly in an inclined state, and a bent portion bent from a downstream end of the straight portion in the flow direction at the time of inflow and connected to an inlet of the conditioning tank. The method for producing the glass article according to 1. The molded body molds the glass ribbon by causing the molten glass overflowing from the overflow groove to flow down along both side surfaces.
Claims 1 to 3, wherein the inlet of said molded body is provided in a direction orthogonal to the direction of said both side surfaces, and the angle formed by said reference flow direction and said flow direction at the time of inflow is set to 90°. The method for producing the glass article according to any one of 1. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glass article is a glass roll obtained by winding the glass ribbon into a roll. A molten glass production apparatus for producing molten glass, a conditioning tank for adjusting the state of the produced molten glass, and a molded body for forming a glass ribbon by flowing down the molten glass whose condition has been adjusted. In the glass article manufacturing equipment,
an inflow pipe for allowing the molten glass to flow into the conditioning tank from the side of the molten glass generator is connected to the molten glass inlet provided in the conditioning tank;
The flow direction of the molten glass when passing through one end of the inflow pipe, which is upstream in the flow direction of the molten glass, is defined as a reference flow direction, and the flow direction of the molten glass when flowing into the conditioning tank from the other end of the inflow pipe. When the flow direction of the molten glass is defined as the flow direction at the time of inflow,
Manufacture of a glass article characterized in that the inflow pipe is bent so that the flow direction at the time of inflow is directed to either the left or the right side with respect to the reference flow direction when the inflow pipe is viewed from above. Device.

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