A method of strengthening a silica soot compact is provided. The method includes forming a mixture of silica soot particles and nanoparticles, and forming a silica soot compact from the mixture.

The present invention is a method for vaporizing concentrate that will substantially eliminate general or localized burning of concentrate during the vaporization process and a vaporizer device adapted for carrying out the vaporization method. The vaporization method is based on heating concentrate that has been absorbed into a frit, preferably fritted glass. Fritted glass is characterized by open-pore interstices that allow free passage of fluid through the frit. It is commonly used as a filtering element, particularly in high-temperature applications. It is discovered that concentrate placed in contact with fritted glass is absorbed through capillary action. The concentrate at room temperature may not readily seep fully into fritted glass, as concentrate is heated its viscosity is reduced such that it is readily absorbed by the fritted glass and upon further heating the fritted glass and absorbed concentrate, the vapor of the concentrate is generated for inhalation.

In known methods for producing a glass component, a void-containing intermediate product containing doped or non-doped SiO.sub.2 is inserted into a sheath tube composed of glass, which has a longitudinal axis and an inner bore, and is thermally treated therein. In order to subject the intermediate product to a thermal and/or reactive treatment that is reproducible and uniform in its effect from this starting point, it is proposed in one embodiment that into the sheath tube's inner bore a first gas-permeable gas diffuser is inserted which is displaceable along the sheath tube's longitudinal axis and is pressed against the intermediate product during the thermal treatment.

A known method for homogenizing glass includes the following steps: providing a cylindrical blank composed of the glass, having a cylindrical outer surface which extends between a first end face and a second end face, forming a shear zone in the blank by softening a longitudinal section of the blank and subjecting it to a thermal-mechanical intermixing treatment, and moving the shear zone along the longitudinal axis of the blank. To reduce the risk of cracks and fractures during homogenizing, it is proposed that a thermal radiation dissipator is used that at least partially surrounds the shear zone, the lateral dimension of which in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the blank is greater than the shear zone and smaller than the length of the blank, the thermal radiation dissipator being moved synchronously with the shear zone along the longitudinal axis of the blank.

A method for homogenizing glass includes the method: providing a cylindrical blank composed of the glass having a cylindrical outer surface that extends along a longitudinal axis of the blank between a first end face and a second end face, forming a shear zone in the blank by softening a longitudinal section of the blank and subjecting it to a thermal-mechanical intermixing treatment, and displacing the shear zone along the longitudinal axis of the blank. To enable a radial mixing within the shear zone in addition to the tangential mixing with the lowest possible time and energy input, starting from this method, cylindrical sections of the blank are adjacent to the shear zone on both sides, the first cylindrical section having a first central axis and the second cylindrical section having a second central axis, the first central axis and the second central axis being temporarily non-coaxial with each other.

Processes for fusing opaque fused quartz to clear fused quartz to form ultraviolet light transmission windows comprise surrounding a clear fused quartz ingot with an opaque fused quartz sleeve or opaque fused quartz particles, then heating the clear and opaque fused quartz together in a furnace, past the transition temperature of the opaque fused quartz, in order to join the two types of quartz together around the perimeter of the clear fused quartz ingot, but without substantial mixing beyond the interface.

The present invention relates to a composition and a process for the production of a molding made of high-purity transparent quartz glass, by means of additive manufacturing.

According to one embodiment, a method includes forming a structure by printing an ink, the ink including a glass-forming material, and heat treating the formed structure for converting the glass-forming material to glass. According to another embodiment, an ink composition includes a glass-forming material and a solvent.

A processing technique for production of fused silica for radomes and like elements is described. The processing technique includes forming a mixture of milled silica having an average particle size of about 1 to 5 microns, and a colloidal silica. This mixture is processed to form fused silica having substantially high strength.

A method of forming an optical element is provided. The method includes producing silica-based soot particles using chemical vapor deposition, the silica-based soot particles having an average particle size of between about 0.05 m and about 0.25 m. The method also includes forming a soot compact from the silica-based soot particles and doping the soot compact with a halogen in a closed system by contacting the silica-based soot compact with a halogen-containing gas in the closed system at a temperature of less than about 1200 C.