JPS608982B2 - Equipment for rapidly cooling and strengthening plate glass - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the quenching and strengthening of glass sheets, and more particularly to the use of furnaces in which the glass sheets being fed are supported on a gas bed so that the major surfaces of the glass sheets do not come into contact with solid parts. It is concerned with cooling high-temperature glass sheets when the glass sheets are rapidly cooled while being sent to a cooling operation point immediately downstream.

This cooling requires a device for supplying gas in heat exchange and/or supporting relationship to the glass plate or ribbon. The support device is particularly adapted to handle the glass in sheet or ribbon form without causing damage or otherwise uncontrollable deformation to the major surfaces of the glass sheet, even when the glass is brought to deformation temperatures. . The production of glass by bending, quenching, tempering, or coating processes and combinations of such processes requires that the major surfaces or contours of the sheet glass be It involves heating the glass sheet to a temperature higher than that which is altered by the deformation stresses produced in contact with the solid member.

If it is desired to strengthen the glass, it is further necessary to rapidly cool the sheet glass from this deformation temperature to a temperature below the tempering range of the glass. The effectiveness of such reinforcement is improved by increasing the rate at which heat is removed from the surface of the glass sheet relative to the center of the glass sheet thickness. Efficient glass sheet production, including the processes described above, requires that the glass sheets to be processed be delivered while hot.

If it is necessary to transport plate glass at high temperatures,
The major surface of the glass sheet being processed may be undesirably deformed or damaged due to physical contact of the major surface of the glass with the support and feed device while the glass is at elevated temperatures. Glass sheets are supported on a gas bed to overcome the disadvantage of deformation and damage due to physical contact between the solid member and the main surface of the glass at high temperatures. The panes are supported at a small angle to the horizontal and are fed through these gas beds by engagement of the lower edge of the panes with the outer periphery of a rotary drive disk. Attempts to rapidly cool the surface of the glass include measuring the dimensions of the glass sheet in the transverse direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the glass sheet through the gaps between opposing rows of modules placed above and below the upper and lower surfaces of the glass sheet being fed. This includes the development of such a module for delivering cold gas with an uneven pressure distribution throughout.

Cooling at non-uniform rates will create non-uniform stress distribution conditions that give rise to optical non-uniformities sometimes referred to as Q-rays. One way to minimize the appearance of Q-lines is to blow air through a narrow elongated slot, preferably narrower than 1 millimeter, that extends continuously across the width of the glass sheet being fed. .

It has been noticed that it is difficult to maintain uniform width along the entire length of the narrow slot, and conventional methods are difficult to separate the walls of the narrow slot while maintaining uniform width of the slot. A thin net was used. The presence of the screen prevented the free flow of air through the slots and therefore limited the thermal conductivity due to the gas flow flowing through the narrow slots en route to the glass surface impinging on the glass surface. Hollowing a conventional module and increasing the heat exchange rate by radiation required flowing a heat exchange liquid through hollow passageways within the hollowed module. This solution created problems dealing with the liquid supply equipment. When the glass has to be quenched, it is necessary to use a method such as blown and impinging air to avoid creating an uneven pressure distribution across the width of the glass sheet in the transverse direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the glass sheet. A large escape area must be provided to facilitate the release of cooled soot from the central portion of the gas bed.

This pressure distribution state increases toward the center of the glass and causes the glass to undergo two quasi-stable states: one state in which the center of the glass sheet arches upward in the same state, and the other state in which the center of the glass sheet arches upward in the same state. In this case, the center of the glass sheet arches downward. When the glass is supported on a gas support, the thickness of the gas bed is such that the incoming gas flow impinges as effectively as possible on the surface of the glass, rather than mixing with the already existing gas bed. is kept as thin as possible to make it possible.

Therefore, when the glass bows due to the metastable state described above, it is necessary to cool the glass rapidly enough to create a stress distribution throughout its thickness that sufficiently strengthens the glass. There is not enough room between the upper and lower rows of modules for feeding the gaseous cooling medium for the glass to be fed, so that the glass is at least partially quenched and strengthened. In devices having interleaved elongated slots for removing gas and thin elongated slots for supplying pressurized gas, the portion of the support surface occupied by the elongated slots is substantially greater than 10%. It was considered advantageous to avoid this.

Although elongated slots extending across the width have a tendency to overcome conditions that create metastability in the glass, limiting the total slot area to not substantially larger than 10% reduces cooling. The rate at which the gas supplied for use can exchange heat with the moving glass sheet is limited by the flow rate between the slot and the surface of the glass, which is necessitated by the limited area provided for cooling soot removal. It will be limited because it has to be limited. The glass is heated beyond the tempering range of the glass, and then, while the inside of the glass is still hot, the surface of the glass is rapidly cooled to a temperature lower than the strain temperature of the glass, and the entire glass sheet is heated to a temperature below the strain temperature of the glass. If the sheet glass is rapidly strengthened by continuing to cool it to a lower temperature, a compressive-stressed skin will be formed surrounding the tensile-stressed interior.

This distribution of stress makes the sheet glass much stronger than sheet glass that is not quench-strengthened, and therefore quench-strengthened glass is less likely to shatter when an object is hit on it than glass that is not quench-strengthened. Furthermore, when an external force is large enough to cause the quench-strengthened glass to break, although this has not happened yet, the quench-strengthened glass breaks into many relatively small pieces with a relatively smooth fracture surface. These shards are much less dangerous than relatively large shards, which are relatively jagged and green as a result of breaking glass that is not quenched and tempered. Next, to explain the conventional method, U.S. Patent No. 3,607,19 by Meunier et al.
No. 8 includes a method for moving glass plates and similar bongs supported by air pressure without contact with rigid surfaces by alternating the construction of static and movable gas pressure castles along the movement path of the plate. A method and apparatus are described.

Each said pressure zone spans substantially the entire width of the glass sheet. Room temperature air is passed through a plurality of first slots that are parallel to one another and extend substantially continuously across the width of the IJ bong, and a plurality of exhaust slots for discharging the air supplied through the plurality of first slots. is supplied under pressure.
A pair of pressure slots are disposed between each successive discharge slot.

The distance between the pair of pressure slots is greater than the distance between each pressure slot and its adjacent discharge slot. The area occupied by these slots is not substantially greater than 10% of the total surface of the supporting floor facing the glazing. The pressure slot is preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm in width and need not be larger than 1 mm, and the evacuation slot is between 1.5 mm and 2 mm wide. The Muunier et al. patent is designed to temper sheet glass. Therefore, even if some support gas flows back into the furnace,
It is not so extensive as to interfere with the tempering process or to cause the glass to break, as would be the case if the glass was quench strengthened. Although the patent states that the patent's device can be used to both quench-strengthen and re-strengthen glass, it does not include hollow passages to supplement air cooling with radiative cooling. flows through the slotted module housing and through the hollow passage.
liquid is required.

The small proportion of holes in the Muunier et al. device makes it impractical for enhanced quenching using only gas blasts. The need for a water supply to supplement the gas supply makes the device of Munier et al. inconvenient to use. In Muunier et al.'s device, the exhausted gas is recirculated. If the gas is recirculated in this way, the efficiency of the gas supplied for cooling the glass sheet will be reduced unless the gas is cooled during recirculation. Furthermore, when processing glass sheets with widths of the order of 30 centimeters or even wider, it is difficult to create uniform widths without reinforcing modules with slotted walls facing opposite glass surfaces. The objective is to maintain an uninterrupted continuous slot across the width of the glass sheet.

The reinforcement, if in the form of a wire mesh as in the device of Munier et al., breaks the continuity and uniformity of gas flow through the slot. If the reinforcement is a rigid member interconnecting the walls of the module below the slotted wall, those members can be moved closer to the slots in the slotted wall to It must be ensured that the B material has an even width to interrupt the continuity and uniformity of the gas flow. Any substantial non-uniformity in gas flow provides sufficient non-uniform cooling to cause Q-rays in the glass, particularly from modules located close to the furnace outlet. If slots in a modular structure do not have reinforcement or spacing lines, elongated slots
Even if the uniform flow of cooling soot material is not interrupted by reinforcement, it will result in unequal widths, causing an uneven supply of cooling soot material.

Therefore, sheet glass heat treatment technology required a processing method that is different from, and represents an improvement over, that provided by the Munier et al. patent. Belgian Patent No. 787 of PPG Industries Inc.
No. 88 P' describes a method and apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass having modules in spaced rows, the glass-facing walls of said modules having cooling soot in curved passages. A series of parallel arcuate vanes are provided which cause the flow of gas to move, so that a gas stream having a relatively large fractional motion in the direction of movement of the glass sheet exiting the furnace and downstream of the movement path of the glass sheet is provided. so that the gas flow impinges on the glass sheet in the movement path.

The primary purpose of directing the flow of cooling fluid downstream is to avoid upstream cooling gas flow into the outlet section of the furnace.
Any flow of cooling gas flowing upstream into the exit section of the furnace cools the exit section of the furnace and prevents the glass sheet from generating enough heat for quench strengthening and leaves the glass sheet at a non-uniform temperature as it exits the furnace. There is also a risk of tightening. As a result, insufficiently heated glass sheets will have a tendency to crack when exposed to a flow of cooling gas downstream of the furnace exit. A device is provided for adjusting the effective discharge area of the gap between two adjacent rows of mosules.

Different effective discharge areas are most advantageous for different glass sheet thicknesses. The quenching and strengthening device of the Belgian patent described above is provided with arcuate vanes that gradually change the direction of the flow of cooling gas toward the main surfaces of the sheet glass from a direction perpendicular to each surface to a direction diagonal to each surface. It consists of square modules.

If the path of motion for the cooling soot is arched, some turbulence may occur in the flow of the cooling medium. Laminar flow is more effective than turbulent flow in rapidly cooling the glass surface. 6. The module depends on the thickness of the glass plate to be processed.
They are arranged in rows 25.4 mm (1 inch) wide with spacing ranging from 35 mm (1/4 inch) to 19.05 mm (3/4 inch). This patent does not address the width of the slot formed between adjacent blades. However, the drawings appear to show that each slot has a substantial width. A gas flow delivered at a given volume fraction through a slot of such width has a lower velocity than a gas flow delivered through a thinner slot. Therefore,
Cooling must be improved to some extent by passing cold fluid through wide arcuate slots between adjacent arcuate vanes.
French Patent No. 2,024,397 discloses a slot extending along a line perpendicular to the path of movement of the glass, oblique to the plane defining the path of movement of the glass through the cooling operation point. The slots are then provided with diagonal passages for passing the quenched soot material in either direction through the diagonally arranged slots or through the rows of modules which direct the quenched soot material towards the opposing glass surface. A sheet glass quenching apparatus is described having a sheet of nozzles.

As the glass sheet passes through the cooling operation point, the quenched soot impinges on opposing surfaces of the glass sheet, and then removes the quenched soot in a lateral direction parallel to the plane of the glass sheet and perpendicular to the path of travel of the glass sheet. There is a passageway for.
The passageway for removing the soot material has a limited opening to inhibit free removal of the soot material from the vicinity of each glass surface. The existence of these limited passages and the necessity of diverting the quenched soot air in a direction perpendicular to the air flow parallel to the path of movement of the glass sheet make the device of the French patent less susceptible to quenching soot. This makes the surface of the glass sheet less effective than desired in removing soot from the surface after the surface has cooled. The glass sheets are fed by roller discs that engage the edges of each glass sheet or rollers that engage the supported major surface of the glass sheet and also provide a boundary for the discharge passage for removing the quenching medium. Mr. Wilde (wMe) US Patent No. 3,
No. 395,943 discloses the use of a gas flow to maintain a gas support below the surface of a glass sheet and the use of an auxiliary gas that can be directed to the exposed periphery and exert a force laterally on the glass sheet. The flow is described.

Some of these auxiliary gas flows are directed toward the backside to advance the glass sheet, and other gas flows are directed laterally to maintain the lateral position of the glass sheet. British Patent No. 773,469 Mochiko describes an apparatus for quenching glass sheets which are being gripped by pliers during transport through a quenching station.

Cold quenched soot is supplied through diagonal slots which direct the air blast diagonally downstream of the furnace outlet in the direction of movement of the glass sheets. The slot imparts a downward motion to the air blast that reduces the overall tendency of the glass sheet to flutter and impinge on an opposing blow head which supplies air through a nozzle to the surface of the glass sheet to impinge on the surface of the opposing glass sheet. It is oriented like this. Despite all of the patents listed above, there remains a need to produce thin glass sheets with high temper values combined with superior optical properties than can be obtained by conventional methods. Met.

The present invention provides a new combination of selected conventional method features to achieve these desired results. Next, an overview of the present invention will be explained.

The present invention provides a glass quenching and strengthening apparatus having a novel combination of at least two or three of the following features.

The apparatus has an elongated bed immediately downstream of the furnace outlet with a number of longitudinally spaced modules, said modules having sufficient cooling power to provide a significant cooling power and to cover the major surface of the glass sheet. In addition to the vertical partial movement, there is also a partial movement away from the furnace and, at the same time, a movement path of the glass sheet to press the edges of the glass sheet against a number of rotary drive disks which propel the glass sheet by frictional drive and through it to the cooling operation point. A thin slot is provided which is angled to deliver a thin, short laminar flow of quenched soot material with a lateral movement perpendicular to the lateral direction. At least 20% of the area of the gas supply bed shall be provided with sufficient exhaust passageways between the modules to remove as efficiently as possible the gaseous quenched soot after it has impinged on the moving glass pane. The entire width of the floor is open to the public. The individual slot-shaped passageways through which the flow of the supplied quenching fluid passes are at least about 0.2 millimeters (0.010 inches) and 0.8 millimeters (1'32 inches).
and the total area of the parenthesis flow supply passages does not exceed about 6% of the floor area. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the module immediately downstream of the furnace outlet has a thin slot extending through the thickness of the wall that is tilted at a relatively large angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to the major surface of the glass sheet. With each perforated wall provided,
and modules located further downstream are arranged to have their respective perforated walls provided with thin slots extending through the thickness of the wall and tilted at an even smaller angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the surface of the glass sheet. ing.

Therefore, the quenched soot material is directed in a laminar flow such that a relatively small proportion of the laminar force is applied to the furnace, where the relatively hot glass is most susceptible to strain, but is heated and softened near the exit of the furnace. At the same time, a relatively large proportion of the laminar force is applied to a force component in the direction of movement of the glass sheet away from the furnace outlet in a downstream direction. Nevertheless, the component force applied perpendicular to the major surface of the glass sheet is sufficient to significantly cool the major surface of the glass sheet moving across the flow of gaseous quenched soot. The soot material, which is fed through a module with slightly inclined slots and placed further downstream of the furnace outlet, exerts a smaller force in the direction of movement of the glass sheet, while at the same time reducing the surface of the glass at the point of cooling operation. exerts a greater force on the surface of the glass in the band, which is hardened by cooling sufficiently to withstand the stronger blast of air impinging on the same surface. A moderately angled blast provides less resistance to the downstream flow of an oblique blast applied near the furnace exit than a blast applied perpendicular to the glass. This arrangement helps remove drafts from the furnace outlet while increasing the cooling rate of the glass. In the downstream zone, where the surface of the glass sheet is further hardened at the point of cooling operation, the glass fiber module may be provided with a slot extending in the longitudinal direction of the module and oriented perpendicular to the surface of the glass. .

If the quench medium impinges perpendicularly to the glass surface, it will provide a greater heat exchange rate for a given flow rate of gaseous quench soot than if it impinges obliquely. However, this problem resulted in the quenched soot flowing upstream into the furnace and at the expense of a high rate of collisions perpendicular to the surface of the glass and a small amount of the component force directed perpendicular to the surface of the sheet glass. A compromise is made between oblique flow that avoids Another feature of the invention is that the perforated walls facing the glass are provided with thin slots extending diagonally through the length of the module to provide reinforcement for interconnecting the walls supporting the perforated walls of the module. the need for,
or to avoid the need for silk within the slot to help maintain an even width of the slot.
Such reinforcement interrupts the flow pattern of the quenched soot partway to the major surface of the glass sheet, and destroys the uniformity of the cooling pattern that would have been obtained if the flow pattern had not been locally interrupted. . Besides, the angled slots have a limited length so that the module walls are rigid enough to maintain an even width of the slots without the need for internal reinforcement or silks that interrupt the free flow of quenched soot. It has a certain quality. The use of thin slots allows for a series of high velocity air injections that promote high heat transfer coefficients using a given flow rate of quenched soot at the major surface of the glass sheet.

The angled slots are arranged against the perforated walls of the modules such that adjacent slots of each module partially overlap each other along the length of the elongated floor. Thus, each lateral glazing increment perpendicular to the path of travel of the glazing intercepts a multiplicity of slanted air blows provided through the slanted slots as the increment spans the portion of the path that is aligned with each of the modules. This arrangement allows for substantially uniform lateral increment to lateral increment without the need for devices that impede the free flow of quenched soot since the cost of ensuring slot width uniformity is greater than with longer slots. Give cooling. If the slots partially overlap along the glass movement path,
The glass surface will be cooled uniformly enough to minimize the development of Q-rays. In a particular embodiment of the invention, each module is provided with a device that facilitates its attachment to or removal from its associated pressure chamber.

Different module arrangements may be required to process glass sheets of different thickness and/or width. It is an important feature of the present invention that the modular configuration be conveniently varied with minimal loss of production time. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the pressure chambers are arranged in groups, each group having a common pressure chamber.

A device for supplying gaseous quenched soot under pressure to each common pressure chamber is provided in conjunction with a device for controlling the pressure disposed within the supply device for each common pressure chamber, The pressure of the applied gaseous quench soot material can be controlled independently of the pressure for each of the other common pressure chambers. Two or three individual pressure chambers in the form of elongated chambers project from each common pressure chamber across the cooling operating point of the glass plate quenching device. All of the common pressure chambers are located on one side of the device to allow operator access to the opposite side of the device when necessary. At the cooling operation point, the downstream common pressure chamber located in a zone beyond the point where the surface of the plate glass becomes hard is provided with an elongated pressure chamber having a nozzle-shaped closure rather than a module facing the passing glass. I don't mind.

The nozzle-shaped opening 〇 may be an elongated slot-shaped opening □ with a closure much wider than the slot in the module, or a round opening □ with a diameter much larger than the width of the slot in the module, or a wide opening □ of either shape. Combinations may be included. The quenched soot material is fed under pressure from one side of the elongated pressure chamber in a transverse direction perpendicular to the length of the cooling operation point, so that the gaseous soot material is fed through the individual modules to the opposing surfaces of the glass sheet. A few features are included to provide the desired pressure pattern.

These features include providing each of the elongated pressure chambers with an inclined wall opposite the perforated wall of the module to which it is attached, such that the cross-section of the elongated pressure chamber decreases in a direction away from the respective common pressure chamber; and/or providing each of the elongated pressure chambers with at least one deflection plate that alters the ratio of gaseous quenched soot material delivered to different lengths of the chamber; and/or at least A porous member is provided in the path of movement of the gaseous quenching medium towards the perforated wall of the module so that the same porous member is provided with the desired quenching soot material along the length of the perforated wall of the associated module. and being configured and arranged to provide a flow pattern. The invention will be better understood with reference to the description of illustrative embodiments of the invention.

Although the illustrative embodiment relates to a quench strengthening apparatus that uses a gaseous quench medium, such as air, to cool hot sheet glass rapidly enough to cause quench strengthening, it is understood that for purposes of the present invention, "gaseous" The term encompasses vapors, mixtures of gases, mixtures of gases and vapors, sublimable materials, and mixtures of gases and sublimable materials. In fact, quenching media suitable for use with the present invention may be mixed with materials that emit heat of vaporization or sublimation that can provide at least a portion of the cooling effect needed for the quenching medium. Only materials that, when directed against a glass surface, chemically react with and weaken the surface are excluded from materials suitable for use as soot materials. When explaining the present invention, “
The term strong IP is based on the ISA published in October 1965.
R.W. Ahsevi, published in Transaction Volume 5, No. 4.
n)'s paper “Nondestructive measurement of surface stress in glass (Th
e Nondestructive Measurement
tofSumaceStress inGlass)”
at least about 340 kilograms per square meter (10,000 kilograms per square meter) as measured by a DSR refractometer as described in
is intended to mean creating a stress state in the glass sheet having a surface compressive stress of (pounds per square inch).
Illustrative embodiments will now be described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, an illustrative embodiment of an apparatus incorporating the present invention is illustrated by George W.
geW. US Patent No. 3, granted to Mr.
It has a type of gas reactor furnace 10 described in the 300,29 bubbles'.

In such gas hearth furnaces, the glass sheets are introduced into the support castle at a temperature below that which would damage the major surfaces of the glass sheets if they came into contact with a rigid object. The glass sheet is then heated to a temperature above the deformation temperature, supported primarily by gas supplied through holes in the support gas bed 12, and after leaving the furnace, before being removed from the gas support. It is cooled to a temperature lower than the deformation temperature. When glass sheets are processed in this manner, heat is suitably provided by hot gas passing through the support gas bed, and is supplemented by radiant heat provided by a heater in the furnace 10. Although the heater is usually a radiant electric heater, a gas heater may also be used. Plate glass is usually heated to a temperature sufficient for rapid cooling and then cooled sufficiently quickly to be strengthened. In accordance with typical gas hearth operation, the supporting gas bed 12 is perpendicular to the length of the bed, with the top surface of the bed inclined at an oblique angle (less than 15 degrees) to the horizontal, suitably about 5 degrees. The support gas bed 12 is supported on vertically adjustable jacks (not shown) that support the floor 12 so as to extend laterally, and the glass panes are placed in this horizontally resting relationship.
Each of the lower greens is supported on a gas support and is driven by friction in contact with a plurality of rotating equal diameter drive disks 14 each mounted on a different drive shaft 15.

The drive shaft 15 is aligned along a line parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the gas bed 12 such that the drive discs 14 have a common tangent extending parallel to the direction of movement of the glass panes.
At the end of the gas hearth furnace 10 is a cooling operation point 16, on one side of which is an auxiliary drive disk 14 which rotates in alignment with the drive disk that propels the glass sheet through the gas hearth furnace 10. It is located. At this cooling operation point there is a series of lower elongated pressure chambers 20 and a corresponding plurality of upper elongated pressure chambers 18 directly opposite and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, the former being shown in FIG. It is arranged in alignment with bed 12 so as to be oriented and form a continuation of bed 12. The pressure chambers 18 and the two chambers are in the form of narrow, elongated fingers of unequal height and extending parallel to one another in a transverse direction perpendicular to the length of the cooling operating point 16. The higher end is arranged on the side opposite the side occupied by the rotary drive disk 14 of the cooling operating point and merges into the respective upper and lower common pressure chambers 22 and 24, respectively. Each of the upper common pressure chambers 22 is connected via a series of upper supply conduits 26 to a blower system (not shown). The lower common pressure chamber 24 is connected to a blower system (not shown) via a steerable lower supply conduit 28. Appropriate pressure control is provided by adjustable valves (not shown) in the supply conduits 26 and 28. The illustrated device has five upper common pressure chambers 22 and five lower common pressure chambers 24 facing each other.

Each common pressure chamber is supplied with pressurized air through two flexible supply conduits. Each common pressure chamber has two zones, except that both the first upper and lower common pressure chambers are subdivided into two zones each individually controlled and in communication with approximately 25 elongated pressure chambers. There are approximately 5 elongated upper and lower pressure chambers. However, the exact number can vary depending on the design of the device. Each of the elongate upper pressure chamber 18 and the elongate lower pressure chamber 20 is connected to module 3.
2 and 34, respectively (Fig. 3).

Each module has an open side facing the module to which it is attached and is closed at both ends. Each upper module 32 has a perforated lower wall 36 and each upper module 34 has a perforated upper wall 38 so that gas supplied under pressure penetrates the thickness of the perforated walls 36 and 38. It is designed to be passed through a narrow slot. These slots in the upstream module allow normal temperature air to flow into the elongated pressure chamber 1.
8 and 20 are angled so as to impart to the cold gas a downstream component of its movement against the glass plate away from the outlet of the furnace 10 when fed under pressure to the cold gas. In addition, these slots force the glass panes downward perpendicular to the path of motion, forcing each lower edge into frictional engagement with the inner common tangent of drive disk 14 a little more forcefully than would be provided by the mass of each glass pane alone. The perforated walls 36 and 38 are penetrated at an angle such that a component force is applied to the perforated walls 36 and 38. In providing this feature, the slots in the perforated walls of each module face opposite sides of the glass sheet moving between the upper pressure chamber 18 and the lower pressure chamber 20 in the first part of the cooling operation point 16. The slotted walls of each module extend through it, so that the perforated upper wall 38 of the lower module 34 is disposed diagonally across the top surface of each as shown in FIG. 5A. A narrow and elongated slot can be provided. This transverse angle can be between 20 and 70 degrees relative to the axis of movement of the glazing. However, FIG. 5A shows the slot angled at 45 degrees with respect to the travel path. The perforated lower walls 36 of the upper module 32 have respective lower surfaces provided with slots that are angled to be mirror images of the diagonal slots extending through the perforated walls 38 of the lower module 34. These beveled surface slots in the walls 36 and 38 impart a transverse component movement perpendicular to the travel path of the glass sheet, which component movement ensures uniform movement of the glass sheet through the cooling operation point 16. In particular, a sufficient frictional force is ensured between the glass plate and the rotating drive disk 14. Figures 4A, 4B, 4C and 6 and 7 show how the slots are inserted into the perforated walls of the module in the direction of the glass travel path at various locations along the first band. This shows how it can be directed diagonally through the center.

The slot near the outlet of the furnace allows room-temperature quenched soot to flow upstream into the furnace 10.
Extends at the maximum angle forward to minimize the chance of inflow into the air. In an intermediate position, the slot extends at a smaller angle, and in a position downstream of the first zone and throughout the second zone, the slot extends perpendicularly to the major surface of the glass. It penetrates through the thickness.
This combination of slants reduces the opportunity for quenched soot to flow upstream to cool the furnace, combined with highly efficient glass surface cooling that is consistent with surface strain. I can do it. Perforated wall 38 of lower module 34
The top surface is aligned with the top surface of the gas bed 12 in the furnace 10. The glass sheets are thus supported movably through the furnace 10 and the cooling operation station 16 in approximately the same inclined plane so that their respective lower major surfaces are above the gas bed of hot gas in the high temperature furnace and at room temperature within the cooling operation station 16. It is supported on a support bed of gaseous quenching medium, typically pressurized air. The lower pressure chamber 20 and the lower common pressure chamber 24 are vertically adjustable relative to the support structure 40'.

Upper common pressure chamber 22 and each elongated upper pressure chamber 1
8 is connected to the support structure 40' via a piston device 42.
This pivot is stopped. A piston assembly 42 is pivoted at its upper end to a rigid upper structure 44 of the support structure 40 and at its lower end to a cantilevered housing 46;
An associated upper common pressure chamber 22 is attached to said housing. Each cantilevered housing 46 supports the support structure 40
It is pivoted on a pivot rod 48 carried by. The piston arrangement 42 serves to isolate the upper pressure chamber 18 from the lower pressure chamber 20 whenever it is necessary to inspect the cooling operation site 16 or to perform certain maintenance repairs thereon. , is useful for swinging the cantilever housing 46 about a respective pivot rod 48 extending in the longitudinal direction of the cooling operation point 16. The pivot rod 48 is arranged on the longitudinally extending side of the cooling operating point 16, ie on the side which is also occupied by the quenching soot delivery device with the flexible upper supply conduit 26 and the flexible lower supply conduit 28. This provides access to the space between the upper pressure chamber 18 and the lower pressure chamber 20 when the piston arrangement is actuated to respectively separate the associated upper common pressure chamber from the opposing lower common pressure chamber. Sufficient space is left for the operator. Different constructions of modules and different configurations of module combinations may be required depending on the thickness of the glass sheets being processed, the speed at which they are fed through their respective furnaces, and other factors related to the desired quenching of the glass.

For example, the length, width, facing distance, and orientation of the slots in the perforated walls of the module may have to be changed as the configuration of the production parts being produced changes. It is therefore desirable to be able to easily change the modules attached to each elongated pressure chamber when necessary. At each end of each module is a corresponding lug carried by a corresponding elongated pressure chamber.
g) End lugs 50 adapted to mate with 52 are provided with raised holes.

Both lugs are easily bolted together. When properly installed, each module is configured such that the gaseous quenched soot material supplied under pressure to the corresponding elongated pressure chamber of the module is directed through narrow slots in the perforated walls of the corresponding module. Pass it through the corresponding pressure chamber so that it fits accurately. The perforated walls of both modules have a height of 15 mm between the opposing surfaces of the perforated walls of the opposing paper modules when the apparatus processes 90 mil thick sheets of glass.
0 mils) apart.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the modules are rotated such that the first module is 1 inch wide with 1/2 inch spacing between adjacent modules. Drive shaft 1 of drive disk 14
5 and oriented at a 45 degree angle to the axis of movement of the glass sheet through the cooling operation point 16. The first three pairs of modules are oriented forward through their respective perforated wall thicknesses at a 45 degree angle as shown in FIGS. 4A and 6.

The next five pairs of opposing modules have their respective slots oriented to extend at a 45 degree angle to the axis of the glass passing through the cooling operation point 16 as shown in FIG. 5B. have. However, the slope of the slot through the thickness of the perforated walls of both opposing modules is at a small angle with respect to the normal to the opposing surface of the glass sheet. Fourth
In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures B and 7, this angle is 7.5 degrees. Further downstream of the first band, and throughout the second zone, where the glass plates have their respective surfaces sufficiently hardened by cooling, the slots in the perforated walls of both opposing modules are installed. .

The cut is illustrated as extending perpendicular to the axis of movement of the glass sheet and through the thickness of the wall in a direction perpendicular to the opposing major surface of the glass sheet. At this location of the cooling operation point 16, the module may be provided with internal reinforcements that interconnect the walls extending from the perforated wall of the module to ensure uniform width of the slots. The fifth problem is that the uniform flow of gas around these internal reinforcements is disrupted.
By the time the glass reaches these modules shown in Figure C, the surface of the glass is sufficiently hard that it does not have a significant negative effect on the optical properties of the glass. With the arrangement described above, the glass sheet leaving the outlet of the furnace 10 is exposed to a relatively cold gaseous quenching medium directed with a relatively large force in the direction of movement of the glass sheet immediately downstream of the furnace exit. The orientation angle of the bracket is 4 degrees in the direction of movement of the sheet glass, and the gaseous quenched soot is finally released through the module located in the downstream part of the first band. completely eliminated. An auxiliary common pressure chamber downstream of the second band supplies air under individually controlled pressure to an array of nozzles of conventional construction, such as tube stem or slot-shaped nozzles having relatively large openings.

These auxiliary common pressure chambers are adapted to cool the glass to a handling temperature such that quenching is achieved as the glass passes through the first and second bands of the first pair of opposing common pressure chambers. It is provided. Since the quenched soot material is supplied to the elongated pressure mass from one side of the cooling operation point, the elongated pressure chamber structure is provided with gas in the perforated walls 36 and 38 of the module.

Additional features are incorporated to equalize the quenching medium flowing into the ports. These structural features include one or more arcuate baffles 54 secured in place within each of the elongated upper pressure chambers 18 and within each of the elongated lower pressure chambers 20.
is included. The surface of the arcuate baffle plate 54 facing each module is curved to a medium-low angle. In addition, the cross-sectional area of the opposing elongated pressure chamber 18 and the elongated lower pressure chamber 20 is reduced by providing a remote inclined wall 55 for each elongated pressure chamber 18 and 20, respectively, so that the respective upper and lower common pressure chambers are 22 and 24, respectively, and decrease from the opposite end adjacent the respective rotary drive disk 14. Remote inclined wall 5
5 is the distance from each module for the elongated pressure chamber such that the distance is greatest at the end adjacent to the associated common pressure chamber and then decreases towards the opposite end of the elongated pressure chamber close to the drive disk 14. The structure is arranged so that it has Other features used to control the flow conditions of the quench medium across the width of the cooling operation site 16 include the use of porous members 60.

A porous member 6 or a perforated plate (as in FIG. 8) with relatively large holes 62 at one end close to the common pressure chamber and relatively large holes 64 at the opposite end or ( 9th
(as in the figure) a porous structure with uniformly sized holes 66 arranged more at the end of the porous member near the common pressure chamber and fewer at the opposite end of the porous member. It may be in the shape of a village or any other shape desired. The porous member 60 is located within the mesh receptacles provided in the modules 32 and 34, with a spaced flange 68 as shown clearly in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C. It preferably has a groove shape and is made of a material such as a raincoat. Accordingly, the air or other quenched soot material supplied to both the upper and lower elongated pressure chambers 18 and 20 will result in uneven filtration of the incoming gaseous material due to the unequal porosity along the length of the porous chamber 60. In conjunction with the arcuate baffle plate 54 and the remote sloped wall 55,
quenched sooty stream in any desired flow state,
Apply to each surface of the glass sheet passing through the cooling operation point. The porous chamber may be used to serve the additional purpose of independently controlling the flow rate of gaseous quenched soot material supplied from a common pressure chamber to each individual module.

This allows the operator to adjust the flow rate of the gaseous quenching medium at the cooling operation point 16 along the length of the gas bed. Where necessary, the lower module 34 has a recessed exterior 69.

These recessed exteriors 6-9 rotate drive disks 1
The structural arrangement is such that a gap is provided between the two opposing modules to allow the drive disk to approach the edges of the glass plate when the glass plate passes between the opposing modules. In particular embodiments of the invention, the slots have a uniform width of approximately 20 mils;
Slot widths in the range of about 0.25 millimeters (10 mils) to about 0.8 millimeters (1/32 inch) are acceptable. The module is approximately 3.
It has a wall thickness of 2 millimeters (1/8 inch) and approximately 4.8 millimeters (3/16 inch) for the perforated walls.

On the glass-facing surface of the perforated wall, the slots are parallel to each other and approximately 6.35 millimeters (6.35 mm) from each other along the length (laterally perpendicular to the axis of movement of the glass) of the module. /4 inch). The modules near the outlet of the furnace extend obliquely to said axis. Further downstream in the cooling operation, the perforated walls of the module each have a width of approximately 0.38 millimeters (15 mils) along a length perpendicular to the axis of the right perforated wall of the module. The dimensions and arrangement described above may be modified to some extent within limits depending on the various parameters previously discussed.

It is also understood that the number and arrangement of slots in modules further downstream within the cooling operation site may differ from the number and arrangement as shown. However, it is preferred to have 3 to 5 slots per downstream module. In a typical arrangement, the slots are spaced equidistantly from each other across the width of the perforated wall of the module and approximately 0.53 mm apart.
mm (21 mil), approximately 5.3 mm (2
1 mil), approximately 0.38 mm (15 mil), approximately 0
．． There are five slots having sequential widths of 53 millimeters (21 mils) and approximately 0.53 millimeters (21 mils) respectively. The width and spacing of the obliquely extending slots in the upstream part of the cooling operation point 16 can also be varied to some extent depending on the thickness of the glass sheet being processed. In short, a higher cooling rate is required for a thin sheet of glass than for a thick sheet of glass, and therefore, rapid cooling of a thin sheet of glass requires a number of thinner and more closely spaced slots than for a thick sheet of glass. generally necessary. A jack 70 is provided for engaging the lower common pressure chamber 24 to adjust its position and orientation into alignment with the floor 12 in the furnace 10 and the elongated lower floor of the cooling operation station 16. The upper common pressure chamber 22 includes an adjustment device for raising or lowering the upper common pressure chamber 22 to control the vertical distance by which the upper module wall 36 is spaced above and parallel to the lower module wall 38. is provided.
This distance varies with the thickness of the glass sheet being processed. Typical operating parameters and results obtained from those parameters for an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention will now be described. The device includes a row of three opposing pairs of modules tilted at 45 degrees and penetrating the thickness of the module wall, followed by a row of five pairs of modules tilted at 7.5 degrees and facing each other. a row of modules, each having four slots approximately 0.51 millimeters (20 mils) wide, and one side facing module in a first band of a first pair of common pressure chambers; Twenty-five pairs of opposing modules were provided in the second zone with conventional supply lines extending from the elongated pressure chambers and communicating with four opposing pairs of auxiliary common pressure chambers. The Shadow Graph Test was conducted by the assignee of this application, PPG Industries, Inc. (PP).
G Industries, Inc. ) was developed as a means to determine the optical quality of sheet glass.

During this test, 7.62 meters (7.62 meters) from the screen
A balopticon projector positioned at a height of 25 feet is placed in the dark room to illuminate the screen. The glass sheet to be tested is supported and oriented between the projector and the screen, and the position of the glass is adjusted until the illumination pattern has the worst non-uniform pattern that can be obtained. The relative position of the glass sheet to the screen is adjusted depending on the direction of movement of the glass sheet relative to the screen, maintaining said orientation until the position at which the pattern begins to appear or disappear is determined. Generally, the optical properties are considered to be better when the position is at a greater distance from the screen. Although standards have not yet been established in the United States, Canadian Pittsburg Industries, Inc., a Canadian subsidiary of PPG Industries, Inc.
) for sheet glass having a nominal thickness of 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) with a distance between 76.2 mm (3 inches) between glass screens and a distance between glass screens of 203.2 mm (8 inches). The distance is 4.
Glass sheets having a nominal thickness of 8 millimeters (3/16 inch) are each considered acceptable based on the results of the shadow graph test. Shadowgraph test results are reported in units corresponding to the distance in inches from the screen to the glass plate at which the pattern begins to disappear.

Therefore, as a result of the shadow graph test, the value of 3 is the thickness of 3.
2 mm (1/8 inch) is an acceptable standard for glass, and 8 is 4.8 mm (1/8 inch) thick.
3/16 inch) is an acceptable standard for glass. A value higher than indicated as acceptable indicates an acceptable test unit, whereas a value lower than indicated indicates that a test unit that gives such a result is not normally acceptable. . using standard operating conditions within the reactor and cooling operating station constructed in accordance with the exemplary embodiments previously described and having a first pair of opposing common pressure chambers modified by using the module arrangement previously described; During a recent run on a production unit with a nominal thickness of 0.9 x 2 meters (3.4
x 76 inches) on a random plate of clear float glass.

*Reported surface compressive stress is the average of readings obtained using a differential stress refractometer in nine different bands evenly distributed on each plate.

Misson U.S. Patent No. 3,223,5
For comparison, the same production line with an elongated pressure chamber installed at the cooling operating point and equipped with so-called rosette modules of the type described was made with a nominal thickness of 4.5 mm.
During the production of 8 millimeter (3/16 inch) glass sheets, an average value of 5.67 shadow graph test readings were shown for glass sheets of the same pattern size and corresponding quench range. The obtained results show a combination of acceptable optical properties and high stress values for the modified quench strengthening device,
Thus, the utility of a device modified to have modules arranged according to the spirit of the invention has been demonstrated.

The forms of the invention shown and described above represent exemplary preferred embodiments and certain modifications thereof.

It is understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Like reference numerals represent like elements in the accompanying drawings which form a part of the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, and in the accompanying drawings, FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the part of the device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged partial cross-sectional views along line 3-3 of the figures showing how a pair of opposing elongated pressure chambers and their respective associated modules are arranged in the apparatus; FIGS. 4A and 4C are partial cross-sectional views taken along lines 4A-4A, 4B-4B, and 4C-4C, respectively, of FIG. , 5A, 5B and 5C are partial plan views of the perforated wall of the module shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, respectively, and FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the perforated wall of the module shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the module shown in FIG. 5B along line 6--6; FIG. , and FIGS. 6 and 9 are plan views of two types of porous members for use with modules and elongated pressure chambers according to the present invention. 10..."Furnace C18, 20, 22, 24..."device for supplying room temperature gaseous quenching medium", 32, 34..."
Module 36, 38... "Perforated wall". E1G. 1 FIG. 2 EI. 3, FIS A F 40 E1q. 4C P'3. S^FIQd vine IQ. C.F.G. S FIG. FiG. 8 FIG. 9

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An apparatus adjacent to a furnace for quenching and strengthening a glass plate by flowing a cooling flow of a gaseous quenching medium toward both sides of the glass plate, including an elongated upper quench bed and substantially parallel to the upper quench bed. each said quench bed having a series of modules adjacent said furnace, each said module having a plurality of slots extending therethrough; a flat glazing facing surface is provided, each said slot being adapted to supply a thin stream of gaseous quenching medium to the surface of the glazing which is passed sequentially along the length of said bed and past said module; the floor having a substantially uniform width of between 0.25 mm (1/(100) inch) and about 0.8 mm (1/(32) inch) across the width of the glass sheet being fed; The modules are spaced apart from each other such that discharge passages extending continuously in the lateral direction are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction between the modules, and the elongated quenching bed is heated to a temperature suitable for quenching the sheet glass. extending from an upstream end adjacent to an outlet of the furnace to a downstream end spaced from said outlet, said gas in an amount sufficient to cool said glass sheet quickly enough to quench said glass sheet; a means for supplying a sufficient amount of cold gaseous quenching medium to flow the quenching medium through the slot and through the discharge passage, the module being located immediately downstream of the outlet of the furnace; a first pair of opposed modules arranged downstream of the first pair of opposed modules, the first pair of opposed modules being routed along the length of the bed; an elongated elongate disposed obliquely at a relatively large angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the major surface of the glass sheet and extending obliquely through the thickness of said flattened perforated wall of said first pair of opposing modules in a downstream direction; having a slot;
The second pair of opposing modules are also arranged to be inclined relative to the plane at an angle less than the relatively large angle so as to extend downstream from the flattened perforated walls of the second pair of opposing modules. an elongated slot extending diagonally through the thickness of the second module;
a third pair of opposed modules disposed downstream of the pair of opposed modules; Apparatus for rapidly cooling and strengthening sheet glass, characterized in that it has elongated slots extending vertically and parallel to each other. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device for supplying a room-temperature gaseous quenching medium has a plurality of opposed pairs of common pressure chambers, each common pressure chamber having a plurality of spaced apart elongated common pressure chambers. each of said elongated pressure chambers extending laterally perpendicular to said elongated quench bed and in communication with one of said modules; An apparatus for rapidly cooling and strengthening sheet glass, comprising a device for adjusting the flow rate of the normal temperature gaseous quenching medium flowing into the pressure chamber without being influenced by the other common pressure chambers. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus for supplying a cold gaseous quench medium has a plurality of opposing pairs of common pressure chambers disposed along one side of the elongated quench bed; each said common pressure chamber is in communication with a plurality of interspaced elongated pressure chambers, each said elongated pressure chamber extending laterally perpendicular to said elongated quench bed and said common pressure chamber communicating with a plurality of said elongated pressure chambers; said module extends in the longitudinal direction of said elongated pressure chamber, and said module is configured to change the flow conditions of a gaseous quenching medium flowing from said common pressure chamber to said module to produce a gaseous quenching medium. Apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass, comprising means associated with each of said elongated pressure chambers for developing a desired state of quenching medium along the length of said module. 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the device for changing the flow of the quenching medium is an arcuate vane carried by the elongated pressure chamber. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the device for altering the flow of the quenching medium comprises an elongated porous structure having a porosity that varies along the length of the module and is aligned with the length of the module. A device that rapidly cools and strengthens plate glass components. 6. In the device of claim 5, the porous member is made porous, and the porous member is largest in a portion of the member adjacent to the common pressure chamber and at a distance from the portion. A device for rapidly cooling and strengthening plate glass, which has a pore density that becomes coarser as the pore density increases. 7. In the device according to claim 3, the device for changing the flow of the quenching medium is a device for reducing the cross-sectional area of each of the elongated pressure chambers as the distance from the common pressure chamber increases. device to do. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said device for reducing the cross-sectional area of each said elongated pressure chamber extends along the length of said elongated pressure chamber and is attached to said elongated pressure chamber. An apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass having an inclined wall that asymptotically approaches the perforated wall of the module in a direction away from the common pressure chamber. 9 In an apparatus for quenching a glass plate by flowing a normal temperature gaseous quenching medium toward opposite surfaces of a high-temperature glass plate, an elongated upper quenching bed and an elongated slender facing the upper quenching bed in a distanced relationship from the upper quenching bed are provided. a lower quench bed, each said quench bed having a series of modules, each said module having a thin layer of gaseous quenching medium applied to the surface of the glass sheet passed sequentially in the longitudinal direction of said bed and passing through said module. provided with a flattened perforated wall for supplying the flow, said module having a discharge passage extending in a longitudinal direction continuous with the transverse direction of said bed across the width of said glass sheet to be fed; spaced apart from each other between said modules, said elongated quench beds being located upstream adjacent said furnace outlet for heating said sheet glass to an elevated temperature suitable for quenching said glass sheet. extending from one end to a downstream end, causing a cold gaseous quenching medium to flow through the slot and through the discharge passageway in an amount sufficient to cool the glass sheet quickly enough to quench and strengthen the glass sheet; a first pair of opposing modules disposed immediately downstream of the outlet of the furnace; a second pair of opposed modules disposed downstream of opposed modules of said first pair of opposed modules, said first pair of opposed modules being relatively disposed relative to a plane perpendicular to a major surface of said glass sheet fed along the length of said bed; having an elongated slot disposed obliquely at a large angle and extending obliquely through the thickness of said flattened perforated wall of said first pair of opposed modules in a downstream direction; an elongated elongate disposed inclined relative to the plane at an angle less than the relatively large angle and extending obliquely through the thickness of the flattened perforated wall of the second pair of opposing modules in a downstream direction; a slot, the module further having a third pair of opposed modules disposed downstream of the second pair of opposed modules, the third pair of opposed modules being connected to the third pair of opposed modules; Apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass, characterized in that it has elongated slots passing through the flattened perforated wall perpendicularly to the thickness and parallel to each other. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus for supplying a cold gaseous quenching medium has a plurality of opposed pairs of common pressure chambers, each said common pressure chamber comprising a plurality of spaced apart elongated pressure chambers. each of said elongated pressure chambers extending laterally perpendicular to said elongated quench bed and communicating with one of said modules, and said elongated pressure chambers each extending transversely to said elongated quench bed and communicating with one of said modules, and said elongated pressure chambers being in communication with said one of said modules, and said elongated pressure chambers being in communication with said one of said modules; An apparatus for quenching and strengthening plate glass, comprising a device for adjusting the flow rate of a normal temperature gaseous quenching medium independently of the other common pressure chambers. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus for supplying a cold gaseous quench medium has a plurality of opposed pairs of common pressure chambers disposed along one side of the elongated quench bed. and each said common pressure chamber communicates with a plurality of spaced apart elongated pressure chambers, each of said elongated pressure chambers extending laterally perpendicular to said elongated quench bed and said common pressure chamber communicating with one of said modules. said module extends in the longitudinal direction of said elongated pressure chamber, and changes the flow conditions of a gaseous quenching medium flowing from said common pressure chamber to said module. Apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass, comprising means associated with each of said elongated pressure chambers for developing desired flow conditions along the length of said module. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said device for altering the flow of the quenching medium is an arcuate vane carried by said elongated pressure chamber. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the device for varying the flow of the quenching medium has a porosity that varies along the length of the module and includes elongated pores aligned with the length of the module. A device that rapidly cools and strengthens plate glass, which is a quality component. 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the porous member is made porous, and the porous member is largest in a portion of the member adjacent to the common pressure chamber and increases in distance from the portion thereof. A device for rapidly cooling and strengthening plate glass that has a pore density that becomes coarser depending on the temperature. 15. In the apparatus of claim 11, the device for changing the flow of the quenching medium is a device for reducing the cross-sectional area of each of the elongated pressure chambers as the distance from the common pressure chamber increases. device to do. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said device for reducing the cross-sectional area of each said elongated pressure chamber extends along the length of said elongated pressure chamber and is attached to said elongated pressure chamber. Apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass having an inclined wall that asymptotically approaches the perforated wall of the module in a direction away from the common pressure chamber. 17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said elongated slots are disposed adjacent said outlet of said furnace and are mutually parallel in a diagonal direction of the glass facing surface of said perforated wall of said module. an apparatus for quenching and strengthening sheet glass, wherein adjacent slots of the elongated slots of each module overlap along the length of the elongated bed.