Improvements in Wired Glass, and Methods of Making the same.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wired Glass, and Methods of Making the same.
I, EDWARD WALSH, Junior, of No. 304 North Eighth Street in the City of
St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Figure 1 is a top plan-view of a glass rolling table, illustrating my invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom plan-view of the plate of wired glass, as it first comes from
the table;
Figure 3 is a sectional view through the same, illustrating the second step in my
process; and
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the finished article.
My invention relates to new and useful improvements in wired plate glass, and
the methods for producing the same, the essential characteristics of which may be
said to reside in imbedding the wire-mesh into one side of the plate of glass during
the process of rolling, so as to leave the samo free to play thereon, which is due to
the difference in the coefficiency of expansion between the wire mesh and glass, and
in covering said wire-mesh by filling the groove in which the same is imbedded with
a material which will readily fuse with the glass, and whose coefficiency of expansion
is about equal to that of the wire-mesh.
The resultant product is a plate of glass composed of materials having different
qualities, which will enable the wire mesh to be entirely protected so as to exclude
corrosive gases, and which will, also, permit a plate of glass to expand and contract
under varying temperatures without danger of cracking.
In the drawings A indicates an ordinary rolling table, and B the roller therefor,
which parts are of ordinary construction and need no specific description.
In practising my invention, I preferably lay upon the table-bed the wire-mesh C
of that class known as hexagonal twist, which form of mesh I find the most
convenient by reason of its non-liability to become disarranged. An ordinary gun
or frame D straddles the wire-mesh, in which the molten glass E is placed in front
of the roller B. The roller B is then moved so as to roll the glass over the wire-
mesh, when the first step of my process is completed. The resultant product of
this first step is a plate of glass F in one face of which is imbeddod a wire-mesh, as
shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wires composing the mesh being exposed, to the
exterior, as shown in Figure 3.
The second step of my process resides in painting or otherwise introducing over
the wired face of the plate or into the grooves in which the wires are imbedded, a
material whose coefficiency of expansion is about the same as that of the wire-mesh.
This material is, preferably, introduced in a liquid state, the vehicle being preferably
some volatile finid, said material being what is known as fusible glass, or a glass
which is fusible at a low temperature or an equivalent thereof. This fusible glass
is preferably introduced in a quantity sufficient to fill the grooves and cover the
wire-mesh, as illustrated at the right in Figure 3.
The fusible glass referred to, consists preferably of 100 parts sand, 27 parts
limestone, and 20 parts borax, which are melted into glass form. The product of
this is ground finely, or pulverized, and mixed with a suitable volatile vehicle.
This fluid mixture is then applied in the manner above described. I have described
this as a preferred form of fusible glass, but I do not wish to be understood as

page_text: confining myself to these ingredients nor the proportions set forth, as there are
many other ingredients which could be used, without in the least departing from
the nature and principle of my invention.
The third step of my process consists in subjecting the plate of glass, wired and
prepared as above described, to an annealing leer, whose temperature is sufficient
to fuse the fusible glass, so that it will readily amalgamate with the plate of.
glass.
A plate of glass thus wired has the advantage of having present and incorporated
therewith an agent or material whose coefficiency of expansion is about equal to
that of the wire-mesh. Therefore, any disparity between the expansion and
contraction of the plate of glass and its imbedded wire will be taken up or absorbed
by this equalizing agent. Again, this equalizing agent permits, to a certain
degree, a play of the wire-mesh in its bed, thereby obviating the pressure which
would otherwise be thrust upon the plate of glass and prevents the difference
in coefficiency of expansion between the glass and wire-mesh from affecting the
plate of glass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The process berein described for wiring plate glass, which consists in
imbedding a wire-mesh into one side thereof, during the process of forming the
plate, in introducing into the grooves formed by the wires a fusible compound,
and in subjecting the plate so treated to the action of heat, substantially a
described.
2. The process herein described for wiring plate glass, which consists in
imbedding a wire-mesh into one side thereof during the process of forming the
plate, introducing into the grooves formed by the wire a fusible compound, which
covers the same, and is flush with the face of the plate of glass, and finally
subjecting the plate of glass so treated to the nction of heat whereby the compound
introduced into the grooves is fused and amalgamated with the original plate of
glass, substantially as described.
3. A plate of glass in which is imbedded a wire mesh, said wire-mesh being
covered or protected from the exterior by a material whose coefficiency of expansion
is about equal to that of the wire-mesh, substantially as described.
4. As a new article of manufacture, a plate of glass in which is imbedded a
wire-mesh, said plate of glass having amalgamated therewith to one side of said
mesh a material Hush with the surface of said plate, the coefficiency of expansion
of which material is about equal to that of the wire-mesh, substantially as
described.
5. A plate of glass which has imbedded into its surface, a wire-mesh, the grooves
formed by said wire-mesh, being filled with a material having a coefficiency of
expansion about equal to that of the wire-mesh, said material covering the wire-
mesh on its outer side only, substantially as described.
Dated the 5th day of March 1895.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.