Fire-Rated Glass Unit

Abstract

An article of fire rated glass and method of producing the same prepared by selecting a sheet of clear float annealed glass of at least 19 millimeters in thickness and providing the edge of the sheet substantially free of imperfections. The glass sheet is then specially tempered at a temperature of at least 575 degrees Celsius for a period of at least 750 seconds, followed by fluid quenching.

Claims

1. A method of producing a unit of fire-rated glass, comprising the steps of: selecting a sheet of clear float annealed glass having a thickness of at least 19 millimeters and a parametric edge; providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections; subjecting said sheet of clear float annealed glass to a special tempering process in an oven where said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat at a temperature of at least 600 degrees Celsius for a period of at least 750 seconds; and quenching said sheet of clear float annealed glass with a fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said step of providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections comprises beveling said edges of said sheet of clear float annealed glass.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said step of providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections comprises rounding said edges of said sheet of clear float annealed glass.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat ranging between 600 degrees Celsius and 670 degrees Celsius.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said period of heat exposure ranges between 750 and 960 seconds.

6. The method of claim 5 in which said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat ranging between 600 degrees Celsius and 670 degrees Celsius.

7. The method of claim 1 which comprises the additional steps of applying a coating of a polymeric substance to said sheet of clear float annealed glass following said step of quenching said sheet of clear float annealed glass with a fluid.

8. A self-contained unit of fire-rated glass prepared by the method of claim 1.

9. A method of producing a unit of fire-rated glass capable of passing the National Fire Protection Association-357 fire exposure test, and the CPSC 16 CFR 1201 CAT II and ANSI 297.1 CAT A impact tests, comprising the steps of: selecting a sheet of clear float annealed glass having a thickness of at least 19 millimeters and a parametric edge; providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections; subjecting said sheet of clear float annealed glass to a special tempering process in an oven where said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat at a temperature of at least 600 degrees Celsius for a period of at least 750 seconds; and quenching said sheet of clear float annealed glass with a fluid.

10. The method of claim 9 in which said step of providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections comprises beveling said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass.

11. The method of claim 9 in which said step of providing said edge of said sheet of clear float annealed glass substantially free of any imperfections comprises rounding said edges of said sheet of clear float annealed glass.

12. The method of claim 9 in which said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat ranging between 630 degrees Celsius and 670 degrees Celsius.

13. The method of claim 9 in which said period of heat exposure ranges between 750 and 960 seconds.

14. The method of claim 9 in which said sheet of clear float annealed glass is exposed to heat ranging between 630 degrees Celsius and 670 degrees Celsius.

15. The method of claim 9 which comprises the additional steps of applying a coating of a polymeric substance to said sheet of clear float annealed glass following said step of quenching said sheet of clear float annealed glass with a fluid.

16. A self-contained unit of fire-rated glass prepared by the method of claim 9.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a sheet of true glass.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the sheet of true glass shown in FIG. 1.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing a polished edge portion of a glass sheet that is rounded or pencil polished.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a polished edge portion of a glass sheet having a beveled edge portion.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic view indicating the movement of glass sheet of FIGS. 1 and 2 through a tempering furnace and subsequently to a fire exposure test.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the surface of the sheet of glass of FIGS. 1 and 2 following the application of the fire exposure test identified as the NFPA-257 test.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

[0027] For a better understanding of the application, reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof which should be referenced to the prior described drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the application are set forth in considerable detail and should be taken in conjunction with the prior delineated drawings.

[0029] An embodiment of the invention as a whole is denoted by reference character 10. Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, it may be observed that a selected sheet of glass 12 is shown as the starting material for fire-rated glass 10 of the present application, FIGS. 5-7. Sheet of glass 12 includes an edge or perimeter 14 and is formed into a generally rectangular shape, as depicted in FIG. 2. Glass sheet 12 is true glass being translucent in nature. The term true glass is intentionally meant to exclude ceramic glass or clear ceramic material, which lacks the overall amorphous construction of true glass in that ceramic glass includes one or more crystalline phases. In essence, the term ceramic glass is a misnomer and should be properly referred to as a transparent or clear ceramic. Also, true glass is commonly referred to as regular glass, float glass, plate glass, sheet glass, and the like. Normally, soda-lime-silica glass is used, with certain chemical variations, for windows and doors. In addition, glass sheet 12 has been annealed through conventional techniques and is commonly described as clear float annealed glass. Moreover, it is important that original glass sheet 12 be thoroughly inspected to make sure that edge imperfections such as clam shell chips, hairline cracks, grinding wheel scratches, and the like, are non-existent, as these will detrimentally affect the special tempering step of glass sheet 12, described hereinafter. It should be noted that glass sheet 12 is a relatively thick glass sheet having a thickness of at least 19 mm. Outer surface 16 of glass sheet 12 is then thoroughly cleaned in a conventional manner. Edge or perimeter 14 of glass sheet 12 is then carefully inspected for any imperfections. When necessary, edge 14 is polished to substantially remove such imperfections.

[0030] FIGS. 3 and 4 represent edge polishing possibilities for edge 14 of glass sheet 12. FIG. 3 shows a rounded finish 18, known as a pencil polish finish. FIG. 4 represents a chamfer 20 of glass sheet 12 where bevels 21 and 23 have been applied to the edge 14 of glass sheet 12 to form such beveled chamfered finish.

[0031] Turning now to FIG. 5, it may be seen that the unique method of producing fire-rated glass 10 consists of specifically tempering glass sheet 12 by feeding glass 12 sheet through a tempering furnace 22. The special tempering process includes passing glass sheet 12 through tempering furnace for an unusually long period of time ranging between 750 and 960 seconds, preferably between 800 and 900 seconds. Such tempering may take place on a continuous or batch basis. A continuous rate of passage through tempering furnace 22 ranges between 60 and 450 millimeters per second. The heat applied to glass sheet 12 within tempering furnace 22 varies between 600 and 670 degrees Celsius for the period of time noted. Following the application of heat within tempering furnace 22, sheet of glass 12 is air quenched by top and bottom nozzles within tempering furnace in a conventional manner. The pressure of the nozzles is generally about 100 millimeters. After exiting tempering furnace 22, fire-rated glass sheet 10 exhibits a surface compression of approximately 10,000 pounds per square inch.

[0032] Specially tempered glass sheet 10 is then available for subjection to a fire test 24 to achieve a fire rating, which will be described hereinafter.

[0033] A fire exposure test 24 may be employed to achieve an accepted fire rating of glass sheet 10. Fire exposure test 24 has been conducted according to a standard protocol known as the National Fire Protection Association 257 test (NFPA-257). The NFPA-257 fire exposure test may extend anywhere between a time period of 5 minutes and 3 hours. In the present case, several fire-rated glass sheets 10 were tested successfully for as long as 90 minutes where temperatures approached 980 degrees Celsius. Generally, the NFPA-257 fire exposure test comprises two stages: a fire test stage where flame heat is applied for a particular amount of time followed by a hose stream test stage, where water is applied to the heated glass after removal of the flame heat source. In the present case, as a result of the NFPA-257 fire exposure test, glass 10 exhibited the surface visible patterns shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows a section of the surface area of glass sheet 10 following the hose stream test portion of fire exposure test 24, where a fractured pattern 26 appears without shattering of the glass sheet 10. That is to say, glass sheet 10 maintained a single sheet integrity. It is believed that the plurality of seams 28 between the plurality of solid portions 30 of glass sheet 10 softened, but re-adhered to one another to maintain the integrity of entire glass sheet 10 following such hose stream portion of the fire exposure test 24. FIG. 7 shows the adhered fracture seams 28 as being irregular between chamfered edges 30 and 32 of glass sheet 10. It is believed this unusual result is due to the prior described special tempering process applied to glass sheet 12.

[0034] Subsequent to the tempering process, fire-rated glass 10 may be overlain with a suitable coating such as a bonded polymer base. Such coating would help increase the performance and strength of the glass surface of fire-rated glass 10 when mounted for use in a window or door frame.

[0035] The following working examples are provided to illustrate the present invention but are not deemed as a limitation thereto.

WORKING EXAMPLE I

[0036] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a 96 inch length, 48 inch width and inch (19 millimeters) thickness was tempered for 840 seconds at a temperature of about 640-670 degrees Celsius, followed by an air quench. The tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and failed such test by shattering at 10 minutes into the fire test portion. Inspection of the sheet of glass revealed perimeter imperfections.

WORKING EXAMPLE II

[0037] A selected rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a 96 inch length, 48 inch width, and a inch thickness was tempered for only 600 seconds at 650 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace. The tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and failed such test by shattering at 5 minutes, into the fire test portion. At the point of failure, the glass sheet reached a temperature of about 580 degrees Celsius (1,000 degrees Fahrenheit).

WORKING EXAMPLE III

[0038] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a length of 96 inches, a width of 48 inches, and a thickness of inch (19 millimeters) was selected. The sheet was then inspected for perimeter imperfections. The edge was then finely abraded to create a pencil polished finish. The sheet was tempered for an extended period of 960 seconds at about 650 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace and air quenched. The sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and failed by shattering after 15 minutes into the fire test.

WORKING EXAMPLE IV

[0039] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a length of 11 inches, a width of 11 inches, and a thickness of inch (19 millimeters) was selected. The sheet was the inspected for perimeter imperfections. The edge of the sheet was then polished to create a penciled edge. The sheet was then specially tempered for 840 seconds at a temperature of about 640-670 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace and air quenched. The specially tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and passed such test, including the fire and hose stream portions, at 90 minutes, by maintaining integrity.

WORKING EXAMPLE V

[0040] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a length of 60 inches, a width of 20 inches, and a thickness of inch (19 millimeters) was selected. The sheet was then inspected for perimeter imperfections. The edge of the sheet was further polished to create a chamfered finish. The sheet was then specially tempered for 800 seconds at a temperature of about 640-670 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace and air quenched. The specially tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test, including the fire and hose stream portions and passed such test at 45 minutes by maintaining integrity.

WORKING EXAMPLE VI

[0041] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a length of 96 inches, a width of 48 inches, and a thickness of inch (19 millimeters) was selected. The sheet was the inspected for perimeter imperfections. The edge of the sheet was then polished to create a penciled edge. The sheet was then specially tempered for 840 seconds at a temperature of about 600-670 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace, and air quenched. The specially tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and passed such test, including the fire and hose stream portions, at 90 minutes, by maintaining integrity.

WORKING EXAMPLE VII

[0042] A rectangular sheet of clear float annealed glass having a length of 99 inches, a width of 33 inches, and a thickness of inch (19 millimeters) was selected. The sheet was the inspected for perimeter imperfections. The edge of the sheet was then polished to create a penciled edge. The sheet was then specially tempered for 840 seconds at a temperature of about 640-670 degrees Celsius in a tempering furnace, and air quenched. The specially tempered sheet was then subjected to the NFPA-257 fire exposure test and passed such test, including the fire and hose stream portions, at 90 minutes, by maintaining integrity.

WORKING EXAMPLE VIII

[0043] Four identical sheets of glass each having dimensions 36 inches wide, 76 inches high, and inch (19 millimeters) thick were specially tempered using the tempering process of Working Example VI. Each tempered sheet of specially tempered glass was then subjected to an impact test according to the test methods specified by Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 16 CFR 1201 CAT II and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z97.1 CAT A. Thus, each upright sheet of specially tempered glass received an impact force of 400 foot-pounds applied to its center surface. All of the sheets of specially tempered glass withstood the impact force without breaking. Following the impact step, the edges of each sheet of specially tempered glass were broken with a center-point punch. The 10 longest broken particles of each sheet of specially tempered glass were collected and weighed. The combined weight of the 10 particles of each sheet was less than the weight of 10 square inches of the unbroken sheets of glass (238 grams). Thus, each sheet of specially tempered glass passed the CPSC 16 CFR 0201 CAT II and ANSI Z97.1 CAT A tests.