Improvements in Glass Pipes, Tubes, and Gutters, and in the Means for and Method of Manufacturing the same.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1893-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1893
GOMETRIN OF MALPICATION.
Improvements in Glass Pipes, Tubes, and Gutters, and in the Means
for and Method of Manufacturing the same.
I PAUL SIEVERT of Döhlen near Dresden in the Kingdom of Saxony, German
Empire, Glass Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention refers to the manufacture of glass pipes or tubes by means of
rolling down molten glass in grooves or flutes, and using a core for completing the
formation of the glass tube or pipe.
In one method of carrying out my invention, I employ a pair of rollers placed
horizontally, each roller provided with a groove or grooves, the contours of two
grooves, ficing each other, forming together the cross section of the outer contour
of the pipe or tube to be produced.
Into the bite of the two rollers the molten glass is poured, while a core of proper
diameter and length is placed in the grooves mentioned. If, now, the core is
moved in a downward direction, the molten glass will follow such movement, and
will form a tube of a cross sectiou in conformity with the ring-shaped space between
the contours of the grooves and the core. The core may travel in downward
direction in conformity, or nearly in conformity, with the circumferential velocity
of the rollers employed.
The device for carrying out the above specified method is illustrated in Fig. 1
in side view, partly in section, and in Fig. 2 in plan.
e e are two rollers provided with circunferential grooves, and which may rotate
towards each other with equal circumferential velocity. Above the bite of these
two rollers, a reservoir d is arranged, for receiving the molten mass of glass; his
the core, which is guided above and below the rollers concentrically within the
space formed by two grooves facing each other, and which core may pass down-
wards through the reservoir into the circular space formed by two facing grooves.
The bottom of said reservoir is formed by said grooved rollers e e, on the axles
of which discs with rings g, and corresponding grooves b, are arranged. The
rings g entering. and running in said grooves b, form a lateral enclosure at that
point, where the edges of the grooves of rollers & meet.
If the above named reservoir is filled with molten glass, the latter will run down
through the ring-shaped space, which is formed by the grooves in the roller and the
core within said grooves, said core moving down simultaneously, and the molten
mass of glass thus forming a tube around said core of the same length as the core.
It will be well to allow the glass tube or pipe thus forined, when leaving the
rollers, to enter into a guide, which will ensure the tube or pipe retaining its first
shape. When the downward travel of the core his completed, and the reservoir d
is emptied, or nearly emptied, the core is withdrawn, and the tube or pipe, after
insertion of another core, may be subjected to a rolling. process, or it may now,
without such rolling, be subjected to the annealing process, or any other treatment
(outting straight off its ends, for instance, or so forth).
In some cases, the original core may be left in the tube during rolling.
In Fig. 3, there is shown a diagrammatical view of a series of rollers e, facing a
similar sories of rollers, each series on one axle; a set of cores being arranged
to enter the bite of the rollers simultaneously, so that a number of glass pipes or
tubes may be produced in one operation.
Or instead of the pairs of rollers for manufacturing glass pipes or tubes, I may
employ a table or mould with a groove or grooves on which I cause a roller to run,

page_text: and in such case I prefer to carry out the process in two stages for completing the
production of glass tubes or pipes in the following manner:-
I first produce one half of the glass pipe or tube within a horizontal groove, by
allowing a roller with convex surface to run down molten glass into shape of a half
tube or pipo within the horizontally placed groove, and, afterwards inserting a core
corresponding in diameter to, or nearly to, the interior diameter of the "pipe or
tube into the produced half, I cause a roller with concave surface or groove to run
down molten glass into another half tube or pipe upon the said core and the first
produced half; the effect of this rolling out the second half, will be, that the two
halves are welded together, and form one tube or pipe, of the diameter and length
required.
In the process just described, viz., forming a tube or pipe in two halves, 1 employ
reservoirs or hoppers for the reception of the molten glass, the one side of the
reservoir, which is employed when rolling down the first half within the groove,
being formed by the roller with convex surface, and the other side of the reservoir,
which is employed for rolling down the second half upon the core, being formed
by the roller with concave surface.
In the production of glass tubes or pipes as just described, I prefer to employ
reservoirs for the reception of the molten glass, provided with devices, by which
their capacity is decreased with the progressive rolling down of the bulves of the
glass tubos or pipes, in order to maintain in front of the rolling-down roller a certain
level of molten glass, necessary for the described production.
The above described production of glass tubes or pipes may be carried out by
employing one single groove or mould with one convex roller, and after the insertion
of a core into the half, by employing a second concave roller; but I may also
employ a series of grooves placed parallel to each other, into which grooves dip
and run the appropriate number of convex rollers placed laterally on one axle, a
number of cores and a number of concave rollers on one axle, equal in number to
the grooves being employed to roll down the second halves on the first halves of
glass pipes or tubes, as before described.
The rolling movement of the rollers may be caused by hand or any suitable
mechanism.
When producing glass tubes or pipes in horizontal grooves or moulds, it may be
well also to divide such grooves or moulds lengthwise, especially if tubes or pipes
of large diameter are to be produced, and to allow the two parts, constituting the
groove or mould, to be easily separated, in order to more easily remove the ready-
rolled glass pipe or tube from the groove or mould.
Such an arrangement of apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings, with
reference to Figs. + to 12;-
Fig. 4 being a longitudinal view ;
Fig. 5 a plan; and
Fig. 6 an end view of the device for producing the first or lower half of the glass
pipe or tube.
Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line I, 11 of Figs. 4 and 5.
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view partly in section; and
Fig. 9 a cross section, on the line III and IV of Fig. 8, of the device for pro-
ducing the upper half of the glass pipe or tube, and for welding together the two
halves.
In Figures 8 and 9, several mechanical arrangements are not shown, although
belonging to these figures, which arrangements are shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 only.
a is the horizontal mould, which, in Fig. 7, is indicated as being divided length-
wise, the groove of said mould corresponding in width to the outer diameter of the
pipe or tube to be produced.
On the upper surface of the mould u, two grooves bb are arranged, in which
grooves the hopper or reservoir for the reception of the molten glass slides, said
honner or reservoir being composed of the front wall e and of the side walls d d :

page_text: Baid reservoir is closed up by a part of the circumference of the convex roller e;
the axles ff of said roller e are provided with rings g g, which also take into the
grooves bb.
The diameter of the roller e is such, that the space between the roller and the
mould will form one half of the pipe or tube.
From this arrangement of parts, it will be evident that if the said reservoir or
hopper is filled with molten glass, and then the roller e with the reservoir is caused
to run or slido over the groove of the mould, one half of a pipe or tube will be
formed by the liquid glass, the diameter of the pipe or tube corresponding to the
width of the groove, the inner width of the pipe or tube corresponding to the width
of roller e running in the groove.
As soon as the rollor e with the reservoir or hopper has arrived at the end of the
mould groove, a core h is inserted in the thus formed half pipe, and from the same
end at which the formation of the first half was commenced, a second reservoir and
roller are started, constructed in the same manner as the first named as far as front
wall and side walls are concerned, only in this case the rear part of the reservoir is
closed up by a concave roller i (Fig. 9). This roller i and the sides of the reservoir
are guided in the same grooves bb as the first named reservoir and the first named
roller e.
If this second reservoir is filled with molten glass, and is caused to slide over the
core, the second half of the pipe or tube will be formed over or around the upper
half of the core, there being an appropriate distance between the surface of said
core and the concave part of said roller i.
Simultaneously with the formation of the upper half, the welding together of the
two halves by the pressure of the roller i takes place, so that if the reservoir with
the roller i is moved far enough, a complete pipe or tube of glass is produced, the
cross and longitudinal section of which is seen in Figs. 8 and 9.
In order that the rolling down action of the rollers e and i, for the formation of
the lower and upper half shall romain almost the same, it will be well to furnish
the reservoir with devices which will cause the level of the molten glass within the
reservoir to remain almost the same during the rolling operation.
For this purpose, the head or front wall e of the two reservoirs may be arranged
to slide or move towards the roller during the rolling process, so as to decrease the
cubic contents of the reservoir, thereby causing the molten glass to maintain its
level in spite of its continuous outflow for forming the tube or pipe.
This sliding movement of the front or head wall e may be dorived from the
rotary motion of the rollers é and i.
For this purpose, on the axle of the roller (e or i) a bevel wheel is keyed,
taking into the bevel wheel on the axle m; on this axle a spur wheel n is keyed,
taking into the spur wheel ', the hub of which is formed as a nut with internal
screw throad for the sorew o, which protrudes from the head or front wall of the
reservoir. By this arrangement of gearing, the rotary motion of the roller e or i
will shift said wall c, and thereby decrease the capacity of the reservoir, so that
the molten glass in the reservoir is kopt at, or nearly at, a constant level during
the rolling down operation of molten glass in the groove or on the core.
The core his preferably made .hollow, so that it may be diminished in circum-
ference for its removal out of the ready-made glass pipe or tube. The decreased
weight of a hollow core will also facilitate the removal of the ready-made pipe or
tube out of its groove or mould. For this purpose, the core is preferably composed
of several parts, which parts are arranged so as to be contracted, for the removal
of the core out of the pipe or tube. As an example, I have shewn, in Fig. 12, a
cross section of a core composed of several parts, the one view showing the core
within the pipe, with its circumference close to the inner wall of the pipe, the other
view showing the core within the pipe contracted, ready for easy removal.
In the foregoing Specification, I have principally referred to the formation of
one pipe or tube only, but it is obvious that a series of pipes or tubes may be
produced simultaneously on the same system.

page_text: This is indicated in Figs. 10 and 11, which shew a series of parallel placed
grooves a in one mould, and a series of rollers e and i arranged on one axle
respectively. The rollers are represented as forming oue coherent body with
concave grooves and sharp edges between the grooves, the said edges effectuating
a severing of the tubes or pipes from each other formed in a simultaneous
operation.
In all the foregoing operatious, it will be well to employ semi-circular edges to
serve as closure or stops in rear of the openings formed between the rollers e and i
and the grooves, so that the molten glass, if poured into the reservoir, may not
escape through these openings prior to the commencement of the rolling operation.
It is a matter of course that the pipes or tubes may have any desired cross
section, round, oval, polygonal, etc., and that, in the rolling process, apertures in
the wall of the pipes or tubes may be produced, by properly arranged elevations
on the face of the rollers. Again, these pipes or tubes, may be provided with
strengthening ribs, by arranging flutes in the surface of the grooves or of the
rollers.
If it is desired to form glass gutters by the process described, the process may
be carried out so far only that the one half of the tube or pipe is manufactured by
the rolling-down process in the groove of the mould; the glass gutters thus
produced will be found very convenient conducts for liquids, or in urinals.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performned, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The process above described for the manufacturing of glass pipes or tubes,
consisting in rolling down inolten glass between coinciding grooves which are formed
in the surfaces of rollers rotating in opposite directions, while a core of proper
dimensions, in diameter and length, is caused to travel within the two coinciding
grooves in the molten glass.
2. The arrangement of parts specified above with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3,
for carrying out the process as specified in Claim 1.
3. The process above described for the manufacturing of glass pipes or tubes,
consisting in rolling down molten glass within a mould or groove by means of a
roller (e), with convex-shaped surface, so as to form half a tube or pipe; inserting
a core of proper dimensions, in diameter and length, into the half pipe or tube
thus formed, and rolling down molten glass upon the aforesaid core by means of a
roller (i) with concave-shaped surface, so as to form the other half of the glass
tube or pipe, the welding together the two halves being effected by the rolling
down of the second half of the glass tube or pipe.
4. The arrangement of parts specified above, with reference to Figs. 4 to 12,
for carrying out the process as specified in Claim 3.
5. In the process claimed sub 3, and in the arrangement claimed sub 4, the use
of reservoirs, hoppers, or feeders, capable of sliding on the mould or groove, and
sliding over the core used in said process, and being partly closed in horizontal
direction by a roller (e or i), either with convex or concave surface.
6. In the process claimed sub 3, and in the arrangement claimed sub 4, the use
of a reservoir hopper or feeder, with one sliding side for maintaining the level, or
nearly the level, of molten glass in said reservoir, in spite of continuous outflow of
molten glass from said reservoir during the rolling down operation.
7. Glass pipes, tubes, or gutters, manufactured according to the above process or
processes.
1
1400
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.