Glass and in the Machinery Employed therefor.
Year: 1886

page_text: Glass and in the Machinery Employed therefor.
We JOSEPH FRENCH, Glass Cutter, of 22 Saint Marks Road North, and JAMES
CRAIG, Glass Flattener, of 18 Wellington Road, both of Bishopwearmouth in the
county of Durham do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to certain improvements in the process of manufacturing
rolled plate glass and in the machinery employed therefor, and has for its object to
effect greater economy in manufacture together with increased product and better
quality than heretofore.
"
According to the process of making rolled plate glass at present in use the metal
or fused glass is taken from the furnace in a ladle and deposited upon a table or
slab and rolled by hand until it becomes of a proper thickness and has derived as
much polish and "finish' as can be obtained according to that method, it is then
drawn or dragged from the table on to a revolving bogey or truck upon which it is
conveyed to the mouth of the annealing kiln into which it is pushed and then
piled on edge, when the kiln is full the fires are allowed to die out and the process
of annealing is accomplished. This process entails a large amount of labour.
We will now describe our improved process and machinery aided by the
accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure is an elevation showing general arrangement of the whole apparatus
and kiln; Figure 2 is a plan of same; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the rolling
machinery. Figure 4 is an end elevation of same with frame removed; Figure 5
is a section through and Figure 6 is a half front elevation of receiver and guide.
According to our improved process the metal or fused glass is ladled from the
furnace into a hopper shaped receiver A situated above the rolling machinery, on
the frames of which standards are provided on which the side rods a a of the
receiver A rest or are fixed and these side rods are provided with adjusting screws
and nuts al a¹. One side a² of A is movable and provided with a suitable device
such as a³ for regulating its movement so that the longitudinal orifice at the base
through which the metal passes or falls can be adjusted to determine roughly any
required thickness of sheet. A separate part a' is placed below the receiver A to

page_text: guide the metal evenly downwards and this guide is also provided with rods and
nuts as to adjust its length to correspond with that of the receiver.
Immediately below the receiver A a pair of rollers B B¹ of equal diameters and
of a length adapted to the greatest breadth of sheet required, are placed, having
their bearings placed in the frame C. The roller B is adjustable as regards its
distance from B' by means of the screw and hand wheel 62 and by these rollers the
thickness required is further determined and all the greater irregularities rolled
out. The rollers B B¹ are provided with cogged rings or cog wheels b b₁ gearing
with each other so as to move at the same speed. An intermediate pinion E is
placed below and gearing, with one of the cogs band also with a similar cog d of
equal pitch of teeth carried by one of a second pair of rollers D D¹ situated below
the pair B B and this second pair are thus caused to rotate in the same direction
as the first pair. The pair of rollers D D¹ may be of the same but preferably of
slightly larger diameter than the upper one, and of the same length. The roller D
is also adjustable as regards its distance from D¹ by the screw and handwheel d'
and when in use this distance is adjusted so as to be rather less than that of the
upper pair so as to bring greater pressure to bear on the sheet of glass. Its
thickness is thus accurately determined and all irregularities which may have
passed the first pair are rolled out and an equal smooth surface and a high polish
and "finish" is obtained. If desired any pattern may be embossed upon one of
these rollers as D which is thus impressed upon one side of the sheet. The
rollers D D¹ are provided also with cogged wheels d d¹ and one of them as d¹ in
figure 4, drives pinions e e of the same diameter as the upper rollers B B¹. The
end of any one of these four rollers is produced beyond the frame C and fitted
with ordinary fast and loose driving pullies so that the machine may be driven by
a band from any convenient motor. The pinions e e gear with racks E E which
are fixed to the two sides of the travelling bogey G which is provided with a
smooth, plaster of Paris or other suitable surface. The bogey G is thus driven at
the same speed as the glass is delivered by the two pairs of rollers. When the
machine is at work the two pairs of rollers rotate towards each other. (in the
direction of the arrows) and the bogey. Gamovės: and the sheet of glass is rolled,
delivered thereonto and removed at the same speed; thus preventing any drag and
friction between it and the plaster of Paris. surface g and consequent scratching of
the surface of the sheets. The width of the sheet is determined by the adjustment
of the receiver and guide and by the length of the rollers and its length by the
capacity of the receiver A; and the length of the plaster of Paris surface g on the
bogey G is determined accordingly. The bogey G is constructed of an angle iron
frame, carrying the rack F and braced or provided with tie rods, where necessary,
and sheet iron platform to receive the plaster of Paris surface aforesaid, and is
provided with rollers or wheels, and the ways H H on which they travel are made
preferably of angle iron and lead direct into the annealing kiln. When the desired
length of sheet is rolled and deposited on the bogey as described where the
machine is in close proximity to the mouth of the annealing kiln the racks F may
be produced to the required length as shown in figures 1 and 2 and cross braced if
necessary so that the bogey will be propelled right into the kiln to the exact
position required. Or where the machine is situated at some distance from the
kiln the racks F may terminate with the end of the bogey which can be manually
propelled into the kiln, the ways being supported on standards or in any suitable
manner. The ways H are movable and are mounted on cranks h connected
together by levers h¹ provided with spring lever h² working on segmental rack h³
so that by lowering the ways the bogey rack F is at once thrown out of gear with
driving pinions e e and its movement at once stopped. The sheet when in the
kiln is removed from the bogey and lifted onto a stone and is then piled on edge
or it can be conveyed away on the bars in the same manner as, employed in the
bar kilns at present in use. On removal of the sheet the bogey is returned and
put in gear with the rollers ready for the next sheet..

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The process above described of manufacturing rolled plate glass in which the
fused glass is passed from a receiver between rollers on to a bogey moving
synchronously with the delivery of the glass and conveyed thereby to the
annealing kiln substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
2. The arrangement of parts and mechanism designed for rolling the sheet and
imparting synchronous movement to the bogey substantially as set forth.
3. The construction and working of the bogey G and movable ways H provided
with cranked arms and levers as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
Dated this nightmouth J... CM 1000