Experimental Measurement of Glass to Mold Heat Transfer for Computational Modeling of Container Production

Abstract

Recent advances in numerical simulation capabilities have made the modeling of glass container forming processes feasible. These forming models must include large free surface deformations, viscoelastic behavior, conjugate heat transfer, and complex contact phenomena between the glass and the forming molds. One of the most critical inputs to these models is the heat flux between the glass and mold. A simple one-dimensional heat transfer model was developed for use in conjunction with a complex three-dimensional forming model to determine the heat flow between the glass and forming mold. Initial comparisons to experimental results indicate the simple model captures the primary physics of heat flow during forming. This paper describes an experimental effort to determine the time varying contact conductance between molten glass and container forming molds. The experimental apparatus is capable of independently varying the glass pressure, glass temperature, mold temperature, and glass type. Initial validation of the experimentally determined contact conductance function in conjunction with the one-dimensional heat transfer model utilized within a glass forming model indicate good agreement between calculated and measured results. These forming models are now able to determine final glass container properties without having to resort to the trial-and-error process currently utilized in glass container production.