Patent GB-202610-A (GB)
Title: Process and apparatus for feeding glass
IPC: C03B7/04
Filed: 1923-03-12
Abstract: 202,610. Miller, W. J. Aug. 15, 1922, [Convention date]. Delivering molten metal.-A feeder comprises a receptacle arranged to receive glass from a. tank and adapted to deliver charges or gobs through an outlet, and means for imparting movement to the glass in the receptacle to stir or mix it in order that the charges delivered to the forming- machine may be uniform in temperature and consistency, and thus avoid the formation of ware that is cordy and of uneven thickness. The feeder is also adapted for use with a forming machine in which the moulds move continuously and are not stopped when receiving a charge. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, metal passes from a tank A into a boot B, whence it is discharged through an outlet 5 into the feeding- receptacle C. The flow through the outlet is controlled by a plunger D, which may be adjusted to a fixed position if the metal is to issue in a continuous stream, or it may be reciprocated by an air cylinder E if the metal is to issue in a succession of charges or gobs. In order to secure uniformity of the metal delivered to the receptacle C, the plunger D is oscillated about its longitudinal axis by an air cylinder F, the piston rod of which, 19, is secured to a rack 18 that engages a pinion 17 on the plunger rod. The oscillation of the plunger stirs the metal in the boot and causes intermingling of the layers that have been unequally cooled. The receptacle C consists of a shallow bowl of refractory material rotatably mounted in an annular support or frame 24, and provided with a central orifice 23 through which the metal is discharged into the moulds J of the forming-machine. The discharge of the metal is controlled by a plunger P, which may be reciprocated by an air cylinder Q, and by shears 50a, also pneumatically operated. The plunger P may be oscillated by an air-cylinder R, similarly to the plunger D, to assist in stirring the metal in the receptacle. More complete stirring, however, is secured by rotating the receptacle, and for this purpose it is provided with a peripheral toothed ring 30 that gears with a shaft 32 driven by a motor N. An additional stirrer, also oscillated about its longitudinal axis, may depend into the receptacle to assist the stirring. The frame 24, and the supports for the motor N and the cylinders Q, R, are carried by an elongated sleeve M that is rotatably mounted on the standard I of the forming-machine G. Thus the feeder is free to swing about the standard I and may be used to deliver charges when the moulds J are in continuous rotation about the standard. For this purpose, a vertical shaft 37, journaled in bearings fixed to the tank, is provided with an arm 42, having a forked extension that embraces the outlet 23, and another arm 40, the end of which lies in the path of lips 41 formed on the cylinders J<1> below the parison moulds. Thus the lips 41 will engage the arms and cause the feeder to move in unison with the moulds while delivering a charge. A spring causes the shaft 37, and therefore the feeder, to swing back when the arm 40 is released by a lip, a dashpot being provided to cushion the return of the receptacle. In modified constructions, the outlet 5 may be replaced by an outlet in the front of the boot B, the plunger D being replaced by a vertically sliding gate. The receptacle and its associated parts may also be arranged to swing about the shaft 37 instead of the standard I. The receptacle C may be also inclined slightly to the horizontal to facilitate the stirring action.