An apparatus for making a laminate glass ribbon, the glass ribbon having: a center laminate region, a first edge, a second edge, and first, second, third, and fourth, beads portions as defined herein, the apparatus includes: a bead thermal conditioning region including: a fluid source for selectively applying a fluid to one or more of the first, second, third, and fourth bead portions. Also disclosed is a method for bead thermal conditioning in the disclosed laminate fusion apparatus.

A laminated glass article has a first layer having a first ion exchange diffusivity, D.sub.0, and a second layer adjacent to the first layer and having a second ion exchange diffusivity, D.sub.1. D.sub.0/D.sub.1 is from about 1.2 to about 10, or D.sub.0/D.sub.1 is from about 0.05 to about 0.95. A method for manufacturing the laminated glass article includes forming a first layer having a first ion exchange diffusivity, D.sub.0, and forming a second layer adjacent to the first layer and having a second ion exchange diffusivity, D.sub.1. The laminated glass article can be strengthened by an ion exchange process to form a strengthened laminated glass article having a compressive stress layer with a depth of layer from about 8 μm to about 100 μm.

A system and method are described herein for controlling an environment around an inlet tube in the glass manufacturing system. More specifically, the system and method control a level of hydrogen within a humid gas mixture that flows over an exterior of the inlet tube to effectively suppress the formation of undesirable gaseous inclusions in molten glass that flows through the inlet tube.

A method for strengthening an edge of a glass laminate including a glass core layer positioned between a first glass clad layer and a second glass clad layer may include forming a channel in the edge of the glass laminate. Sidewalls of the channel may be formed from the first glass clad layer and the second glass clad layer. Glass filler material having a filler coefficient of thermal expansion greater than a core coefficient of thermal expansion may be positioned in the channel. The glass filler material and the sidewalls of the channel may be fused to the second glass clad layer thereby forming an edge cap over the channel. The edge of the glass laminate is under compressive stress after the glass filler material is enclosed in the channel.

A glass forming apparatus includes a glass delivery vessel, a forming body with a forming body inlet and a downcomer (48) between the glass delivery vessel and the forming body. The downcomer includes a downcomer tube (100) with an inlet end (110) for receiving molten glass from the glass delivery vessel and an outlet end (109) for discharging molten glass to the forming body inlet. An upper heating zone (110) and a lower heating zone (150) positioned downstream from the upper heating zone (110) encircle the downcomer tube and a lower controlled atmosphere enclosure (155) is positioned around and sealed to the downcomer tube (100) in the lower heating zone (150). The lower controlled atmosphere enclosure (155) includes at least one heating element (156) for heating molten glass flowing through the downcomer tube within the forming body inlet.

According to one embodiment, a glass-ceramic composition may include from about 60 mol. % to about 75 mol. % SiO.sub.2; from about 5 mol. % to about 10 mol. % AI.sub.2O.sub.3; from about 2 mol. % to about 20 mol. % alkali oxide R.sub.2O, the alkali oxide R.sub.2O including Li.sub.20 and Na.sub.2O; and from 0 mol. % to about 5 mol. % alkaline earth oxide RO, the alkaline earth oxide RO including MgO. A ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (mol. %)) to the sum of (R.sub.2O (mol. %)+RO (mol. %)) may be less than 1 in the glass-ceramic composition. A major crystalline phase of the glass-ceramic composition may be Li.sub.2Si.sub.2O.sub.5. A liquidus viscosity of the glass-ceramic composition may be greater than 35 kP. The glass-ceramic composition may be used to form the glass clad layer(s) of a laminated glass article.

A glass treatment apparatus comprises an upstream applicator comprising a first surface. The first surface is movable between a first upstream position where the first surface is within a travel path of the glass treatment apparatus while extending across a travel direction of the travel path and facing a downstream direction opposite the travel direction, and a second upstream position where the first surface is outside the travel path. Additionally, methods of treating a glass ribbon with the glass treatment apparatus are disclosed.

A glass processing apparatus can comprise a first suction device positioned to receive one or more of a first protective layer or a second protective layer. The glass processing apparatus can further comprise a diverting apparatus positioned to receive the first and second protective layer. The diverting apparatus may be movable to direct the first protective layer along a first travel path and the second protective layer along a second travel path. The glass processing apparatus can further comprise a first processing apparatus positioned to receive the first protective layer and produce a first processed product from the first protective layer. The glass processing apparatus can also comprise a second processing apparatus positioned to receive the second protective layer and produce a second processed product different than the first processed product, from the second protective layer. In some embodiments, methods for processing glass with a glass processing apparatus.

Intermediate to high CTE glass compositions and laminates formed from the same are described. The glasses described herein have properties, such as liquidus viscosity or liquidus temperature, which make them particularly well suited for use in fusion forming processes, such as the fusion down draw process and/or the fusion lamination process. Further, the glass composition may be used in a laminated glass article, such as a laminated glass article formed by a fusion laminate process, to provide strengthened laminates via clad compression as a result of CTE mismatch between the core glass and clad glass.

A method for controlling the thickness of a glass ribbon and an article produced thereby are provided. The method includes: providing a glass ribbon by drawing from a melt or redrawing from a preform; predefining a nominal thickness of the glass ribbon; determining the thickness of the glass ribbon over its entire net width; determining at least one deviation of the thickness of the glass ribbon from the predefined nominal thickness; identifying the area of the thickness deviation in the glass ribbon; and heating the area of the at least one thickness deviation in the glass ribbon using a laser, so that the glass ribbon attains the predefined thickness.