James P Sowman

42796342, Jul 21, 1981

Dec 3, 1979

6/099766

Gabriel M. Sisoler - Sterling Heights MI
Vincent L. Spade - Chelsea MI
James P. Sowman - Farmington Hills MI
Larry J. Casterwiler - Taylor MI
Bernard Puma - Nashville TN

Ford Motor Company - Dearborn MI

C03B 1818

651823

This specification is directed to a dam structure which may be used in a float glass chamber for separating a hot entry end of the chamber from a cold exit end of the chamber. The dam has been specially designed so that it will mix tin currents sheared from a glass ribbon moving thereover of higher temperature with colder tin moving around the edges of the dam and returning from downstream of the float chamber. The mixing of the tin currents occurs at a position spaced outwardly fromm the position of movement of the glass ribbon over the dam so that glass ribbon is not subjected to zones of tin having varying temperatures which could cause optical distortions therein.

39691004, Jul 13, 1976

Feb 27, 1975

5/553859

Kenneth J. Kuna - Plymouth MI
James P. Sowman - Farmington MI

Ford Motor Company - Dearborn MI

C09C 156

65 27

A method of pelletizing glass batch materials including commercially available sand, soda ash, salt cake, other minor glass forming materials, dolomite having an average (statistical mean) particle size less than 15 microns, and limestone having an average (statistical mean) particle size less than 250 microns is disclosed. The process involves the steps of mixing the glass batch materials together. A pelletizing regime is established on a rotating, pelletizing disc in which three zones of pelletization exist in the form of a pellet nucleation zone, a pellet growth zone, and a pellet tumbling zone. Each of the zones exists generally from the top of the pelletizing disc downwardly in a curved fashion over an area of the pelletizing disc with each zone having a discernable width. A prescribed amount of water is added to a portion of a pellet growth zone established on the pelletizing disc. A prescribed amount of a caustic soda solution is also added to a portion of the pellet growth zone spaced downwardly from the top of the pellet growth zone.