Karl P Platt

US Patent:

20070207912, Sep 6, 2007

Filed:

Mar 2, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/365808

Inventors:

Richard Hulme - Rochester Hills MI, US
Scott Thomsen - South Lyon MI, US
Karl Platt - Corsicana TX, US
Leonid Landa - Brownstown MI, US
Ksenia Landa - Brownstown MI, US

Assignee:

Guardian Industries Corp. - Auburn Hills MI

International Classification:

C03C 3/089
C03B 5/16
C03C 3/091

US Classification:

501065000, 065134300, 501066000

Abstract:

This invention relates to a method of making soda-lime-silica based glass. In certain example embodiments, boron oxide (e.g., BO) is used in the glass for reducing the refining time (or increasing the refining rate) thereof. The boron oxide may be introduced into the glass batch or melt in the form of boric acid, sodium tetraborate pentahydrate, sodium tetraborate decahydrate, sodium pentahydrate, or in any other suitable form. In certain example embodiments, the resulting soda-lime-silica based glass ends up including from about 0.1 to 3%, more preferably from about 0.1 to 2.5%, and most preferably from about 0.5 to 2.0% (e.g., about 1%), boron oxide. It has been found that the use of boron oxide, and/or the form in which the same is introduced into the glass, is advantageous in that it permits the refining time of the glass to be substantially reduced.