Improvements in Machinery for Making a Combination of Wire with Glass.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Making a Combination of Wire
with Glass.
1, FRANK SHUMAN of 3518 Washington Avenue, in Tacony, Philadelphia, in
the County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of
America, Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to embed wire netting or other metallic sections in
glass. This object I attain in the following manner reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of sufficient of a machine to illustrate
my invention;
Figure 2, is a plan of one half of the machine,
Figure 3, is a section on the line 3-3, Figure 1 ;
Figure 4, is a perspective view of the hopper detached from the machine; and
Figures 5 and 6, are views of modifications of my invention.
A is the bed of the machine which bed may be of any of the ordinary or con-
venient forms and B is a roller which may be mounted on a carriage or may be
geared to the table by a gear wheel on the roll and a rack on the table as in
ordinary glass rolling machines and the roll may be driven either by hand or
power.
The roll is mounted on rails of a height corresponding to the thickness of glass
required or flanges may be formed on the roll for the same purpose.
Adapted to travel in front of the roll on the table is a hopper D into which the
glass is poured. In this hopper is an inclined chute E for the glass and on the
face of this chute is a series of ribs e, these ribs extending preferably from
the point el to the upper end of the chute, but may terminate a short distance above
the poiut, sufficient, however, to allow the glass to pass through the wire which
rests upon the chute to form protuberances on the underside, which in the present
instance are in the form of ribs.
² are rollers arranged at intervals throughout the length of the chute and these
rollers tend to hold the wire in position on the chute. It will be understood that
a plate or plates may be substituted for the roller.
1 preferably arrange in front of the lower roller a deflecting plate e³ to prevent
the glass being accidentally poured between the guide rolls and the wire.
The hopper D is formed by the roll and the two side frames D' and the chute,
the rod d and other cross rods rendering the construction firm. On the rod d are
antifriction rolls d' which rest against the main pressing roll B. The tongue d² of
each side plate D¹ passes under the pressing roll and forms a guide for the glass as
it is rolled.
Between the side plates is situated the ribbed chute E, back of which is a water
jacket E, preferably formed integral with the chute and extending to a point near
the table. This water jacket extends to a point sufficiently above the line of
molten glass to keep the metal of the chute sufficiently cool to prevent the glass
from adhering to the metal. The outer end of the hopper D is supported preferably
by rollers d, but it may be supported directly by the side plates D'.
Extending above the water jacketted portion of the chute is an apron E' preferably
having ribs corresponding with the ribs of the water jacketted portion and the
upper portion of the apron is rounded as shewn.

page_text: The operation of the machine as described is as follows:-
Glass is poured into the hopper D between the roll B and the chute, the wire
having first been placed in the chute as shewn in Figure 1, the end of the wire
resting on or near the table, the glass will by its own weight pass through the
meshes of the wire, which is held away from the base of the chute by the ribs, and
as the roll is traversed over the bed A it will roll over the glass, pressing it to the
desired thickness and pushing before it the hopper, and as the hopper moves forward
the glass will adhere to the wire, the chute practically passing from under the wire
and as the chute and roller move forward the glass will enter the meshes of the
wire and the protuberances thus formed will hold the wire off the bed until rolled out
by the roller, forming a sheet of glass smooth on both sides with wire embedden
therein, thus the wire is supported during an interval between the chute and the
point where it is pressed by the roll by protuberances of glass in the form of ribs
which are set sufficiently by coming in contact with the metal of the chute and the
metal of the bed.
It will be understood that in some instances the roll and hopper may be stationary,
and the bed may travel under both; the roll however turning ou its axis and
different forms of chutes and different forms of hoppers may be employed without
departing from my invention.
Although I have shown the hopper formed by the roll and chute, the hopper
may be made independent of both, and be mounted between the two.
Instead of the ribs being longitudinally arranged they may be transversely
arranged or otherwise formed so as to allow the glass to pass through the meshes
of the wire the protuberances, however when transverse ribs are used will
necessarily pass over the ribs as the roller is fed forward. The chute may be
perfectly plain as shewn in Figure 5, only arranged sufficiently above the table as
to form an offset or single transverse rib e, which will allow the molten glass to
pass through the meshes of the wire at this point. This offset or rib et may be
made some distance above the table as shewn in Figure 6, and the chute
provided with an extension e' which will limit the passage of the glass through
the wire.
In the case of a single rib or offset, the machine would have to be run
slowly and care would have to be taken to make a perfect sheet of glass, but
by the device shown in Figure the glass can be accurately and quickly
manufactured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st. The combination in a machine for embedding wire in glass, of a table, a
roll, a hopper, having an inclined side forming a chute for the wire, the roll and
hopper forming one element, and the table another element, one element being
longitudinally movable in respect to the other, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2nd. The combination of a bed, a roll for rolling the glass upon the bed, a
hopper in front of the said roll, a chute having a rib or ribs or other projections
for the wire, with means for traversing the roll and hopper over the bed, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
3rd. The combination in a machine for rolling a combination of wire and glass, a
bed, a roll for rolling out the glass, a hopper formed of two sides and an inclined
chute, ribs on the said chute and a water jacket at the back of the chute,
substantially as herein before described.
4th. The combination of a bed, a roll for rolling the glass upon the bed, an
inclined chute in front of the roll, forming with the roll a hopper, ribs on the said
chute, the said chute terminating in advance of the pressing point of the roll, so
that the glass will enter the meshes of the wire by its own weight while the wire
is on the chute substantially as herein before described.

page_text: 5th. The combination of a bed a roll for rolling the glass upon the bed, an
inclined ribbed chute for the wire, side plates forming with the chute and roller a
hopper for the glass, with guides for the wire as it passes over the ribbed chute,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
6th. The combination of a bed, a roll, an inclined ribbed chute, and a water
jacket at the back of the chute, the said chute being independent of the roll and
being pushed forward by it, substantially as hereinbefore described.
7th. The combination of a bed, a roll for rolling out the glass, a chute having ribs
at its lower end to support the wire a water jacket at the back of the ribbed
portion of the chute, rollers for supporting the outer end of the chute and anti-
friction rollers, against which the pressure roll bears to move the chute forward,
substantially as herein before described.
8th. The combination of a bed, a roll, a chute for the wire, and a hopper for the
glass, situated between the chute and the roll, substantially as herein before
described.
Dated this 10th day of September 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.