GLASS

1. THREE IMPORTANT PROPERTIES OF GLASS:

1.1 Hardness
1.2 Transparency
1.3 Chemical resistance

2. RAW MATERIALS – generally oxides or compounds capable of yielding

oxides
2.1 Silica sand (S102)
- of all the oxides, this possesses the highest degree of desirable
freedom of devitrification
- resistance to attack by water and acids
- low coefficient of expansion
- difficulty is encountered in melting these, in freeing them from
bubbles, and in working it without other minor ingredients
- the iron content (Fe2O3) in silica sand is very important, as it
affects the color of most glasses
2.2 Soda (Na2O)
- soda ash or sodium carbonate supplies Na2O
- substitutes are sodium carbonate, salt cake or sodium nitrate
2.3 Lime (CaO)
- common sources are: limestone (CaCO3), burnt lime from
dolomite (CaCO3. MgCO3)
- added for chemical durability
2.4 Feldspar (R20.Al2O3.6SiO2)
- important source of aluminum oxide (alumina) which serves to
lower the melting point of the glass and to retard devitrification
2.5 Borax
- principal source of boric acid
- increases chemical durability
- lowers the expansion coefficient
- has a high fluxing power
2.6 Salt Cake
- used in removing the troublesome scum from tank furnaces
- examples are sodium and potassium nitrates, which serve to
oxidize iron and make it less noticeable in finished glasses
2.7 Cullets
- waste glasses, broken glasses and bad wares that are to be
remelted
- facilitate melting and utilize wastes
2.8 Minor Ingredients
- arsenic trioxide serves to facilitate the removal of bubbles
formed during the melting processes
2.8.1 decolorizers – selenium and cobalt oxide with traces of arsenic
trioxide and sodium nitrate
 2.8.2 colorizers
2.8.3 refining agents
3. MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
3.1 Melting
- done on a pot furnace or tank furnace
- melting temperature may range from 1427ºC to 1593º
3.2 Forming
3.2.1 Blowing
- for deep products and frequently must be used for thin – walled
items
- light bulbs and vases are examples of products formed by
blowing
3.2.2 Pressing
- used for relatively shallow, heavy – walled products
3.2.3 Combination of blowing and pressing
- used for softdrinks bottles, neck is press formed while the
bottom is formed by blowing
3.2.4 Drawing
- for forming flat glasses
- drawing methods: Foucault or Vertical Drawing Process,
Colburn Process, Continuous Sheet Process, Float Glass
Process
3.3 Annealing
- done to retard the rapid cooling process by carefully lowering
the temperature at certain rates and intervals that are most
beneficial to the product
3.4 Finishing
- to assemble glass parts or to finish an object to closer
dimensional tolerances that forming can not produce
3.4.1 Hot finishing
- involves reheating of the glass articles to the working
temperature
3.4.1a. Soldering
- the sealing of glasses to each other or to other materials
3.4.1b. Coating
- to protect the article from abuse to which it is subjected during
shipping
3.4.1c. Sagging
- used for dishlike or throughlike glass articles
3.4.1d. Sintering
- grinding and refusion of glasses
3.4.1e. Bending
- to produce shapes otherwise difficult to fabricate
- for automobile windshield
3.4.2 Cold finishing
3.4.2a. Grinding
 - eliminates excess glass to establish the final dimension
3.4.2b. Polishing
- smooths the matte surface
- cerium oxide, ferric oxide, fire and acid polishings are used
3.4.2c. Drilling
- use of soft metal tube rotating with a little slurry or abrasive
- diamond and tungsten carbide cores are used
3.4.2d. Cutting
- may be mechanical or thermal
4. TYPES OF GLASSES
4.1. Commercial Glasses
4.1.1. Soda Lime Glass
- most common
- the only one manufactured in the Philippines
- made into: flat glass for doors, windows, walls, mirrors; bottles
for food and beverage containers; jars; vases; tumblers; plates
4.1.2. Sodium Silicate or Alkali Silicate Glass
- called water glass because it is soluble in water
- called solder glass because it is used in making seals between
two glass surfaces, between glass and metal surface, or
between ceramic surfaces
4.1.3. Borosilicate Glass (Pyrex)
- have excellent chemical durability
- high electric resistance
- their low thermal expansion yields a glass with a high resistance
to thermal shock
- used in chemical laboratory wares, cook wares, pharmaceutical
wares, pipelines, high tension insulator and washer
4.1.4. Silica Glass
- simplest in composition (contains more than 96% silica)
- difficult to produce
- heavier than ordinary glass
- lowest thermal expansion
- resistant to electric shock
- capable of transmitting ultraviolet light
- used in making telescopic mirrors
4.1.5. Aluminosilicate Glass
- can withstand higher operating temperatures than borosilicate
because of its high alumina content
- glasses with high alumina content and no boric oxide are
exceptionally resistant to alkali
- used in electronics, high temperature laboratory equipment, in
alkali resistant apparatus
4.1.6. Lead Glass
- one of the multi – purpose glasses
 - used in artistic glass products, in radio and television tubes, to
shield observers from x – rays
4.1.7. Fiber Glass
- can take the form of glass wool or glass fiber
- glass wool consists of coarse, discontinuous fibers drawn
directly from the furnace
- used as fireproofing and insulating material
- glass fiber consists of thinner, continuous threads drawn from
glass marbles. It is woven into textiles or combined with plastic
to make automobile bodies and boat hulls
4.1.8. Cellular Glass (Foam Glass)
- contains sealed bubbles enabling it to float on water
- used for thermal insulation especially in chemical process plant
4.1.9. Optical Glass
- formulated for maximum transmission of light and for controlled
optical properties
- used in prisms, lenses or optical mirrors, in making eyeglasses
4.2 Special Types of Glasses
4.2.1. Photosensitive Glass
- contains very fine metallic grains that will retain an image when
exposed to ultraviolet light
- used in making nameplates, instrument dials or others that
require permanent design
4.2.2. Colored Glass
- used for decorative purposes such as lantern glass or traffic
lights
4.2.3. Variable Transmission Glass
- the glass is coated with micro thin layers of metallic film which
provide the performance characteristic of the glass
- used to control glare and reduce solar heat
4.2.4. Safety Glass (Laminated Glass)
- a composite structure consisting of two layers of glass with an
interleaf of plastic, plasticized polyvinyl and butyral resin
- used in the automobile and transportation industry as
windshields
4.2.5. Tempered Glass
- a glass that is reheated almost to the softening point then
rapidly but evenly chilled by blasts of cold air over its surface
- the glass which with a blow sufficiently hard to break it,
disintegrates into many small pieces without the usual sharp
cutting edges
4.2.6. Opal Glass (Translucent Glass)
- are clear when molten but becomes opals cent as it is worked
into form
- important commercially as diffusing media in illumination, as
containers and as construction materials
- used for light globes for internal lighting fixtures as well as for
street lighting
4.2.7. Phosphate Glass
- phosphorus pentoxide is the major ingredient
- has the ability to resist hydrofluoric acid
- used in making sight glasses for the handling of uranium
hexafluoride in making atomic bombs; in special optical,
ultraviolet heat absorbing and fluorescent glasses