The dissolution of cords in molten glass

Besides bubbles and solid inclusions, cords form a very important type of g lass faults. with ever increasing demands on the optical quality of glass p roducts, notably those of flat glass products and TV- and monitor screens, the behaviour of cords in the glass melt has become a very important theme. However, the quantitative description of cord deformation and dissolution b ehaviour in the melt is still not well established. This presentation contr ibutes to the description of the cord dissolution process in the glass melt . A model is presented which describes the simultaneous dissolution of a nu mber of cords by diffusion. Recent advances in the methods to derive the di ffusion coefficients of glass melt components will be discussed. The model and the diffusion coefficients are meant to be used in the 3D-models descri bing the complete glass melting process.