Glass Production

CHE170-1/B11
Group 8
_____________________________________
Lopez|Osias|Surnit

Glass-Definition
- defined physically as a rigid, undercooled liquid

having no definite melting point and a

sufficiently high viscosity (greater than 10 12 Pa-s)
to prevent crystallization
- defined chemically as the union of non-volatile

inorganic oxides resulting from the

decomposition and fusion of alkali and alkalineearth compounds , sand and other glass
constituents, ending in a product with random
atomic structure

- is a completely vitrified product, or at least

such a product with a relatively small amount

of nonvitreous material in suspension
- has many uses because of its transparency,
high resistance to chemical attack,
effectiveness as electrical insulator and ability
to contain vacuum
- characteristically exhibits greater
compressive than tensile strength

History
Account of Pliny

- ancient Phoenician merchants discovered glass while

cooking a meal placed accidentally upon a mass of trona
at seashore
- union of the sand and alkali
6000 or 5000 B.C.

- Egyptians were making sham jewels of glass of fine

workmanship and beauty
290 A.D.

- window glass was mentioned

Medieval times

- Venice monopolized the glass industry

15th Century

- glass window was generalized

1608 and 1639

- glassworks was founded at Jamestown, Va.

and Salem, Mas., respectively

1688

- plate glass appeared as a rolled product in

France

16th Century prior to 1900

- for more than three centuries thereafter,
processes of glass-making were manual and
rule of thumb
- Improvements: purifying batch materials and
increasing fuel economy

1914

- Fourcault process for drawing a sheet of glass continuously

was developed in Belgium
- modifications of the flat-sheet drawing process aimed at
reducing the optical distortion characteristic of sheet (window)
glass and the cost of producing ground and polished plate
glass - led to flat-glass production technology

1960s
- float glass process was perfected in England
- float glass invaded the window glass market
- automatic machined were developed to speed up production
of bottles, light bulbs, etc.

Uses and Economics

Glass and glassware production types are
classified as:
1. Flat glass (including automobile glass)
2. Pressed and blown glass
3. Glass containers

Commercial Glass
1. Fused Silica
- or vitreous silica, is made by high-temperature
of pyrolysis of silicon tetrachloride or by fusion
of quartz or pure sand
2. Alkali Silicates
- the only two-component glasses of commercial
importance
- sand and soda ash are simply melted together
and the products designated sodium silicates

3. Soda-lime Glass
- constitutes 95% of all glass manufactured
- used for containers of all kinds, flat glass, automobile
and other windows, tumbles and tableware
4. Lead Glass
- obtained by substituting lead oxide for calcium oxide in
the glass melt
- great importance for optical works because of high
index of refraction and dispersion while large quantities
are also used for electric light bulbs, neon-sign tubing
and radiotrons because of high electrical resistance

5. Borosilicate Glass
- usually contains 10-20% B2O3, 80-87% Silica and
<10% Na2O
- superior resistance to shock, excellent chemical
stability and high electrical resistance
- laboratory glassware (Pyrex), high-tension
insulators and washers, pipelines and telescope
lenses
6. Special Glasses
- colored and coated, opal, translucent, safety,
optical, photochromic glasses and glass ceramics

7. Glass Fibers
- produced from special glass compositions that
are resistant to weather conditions
- the large surface area of fibers make them
vulnerable to attack by airs moisture
- low in silica (about 55%) and low in alkali

Composition

Raw Materials
SiO2 Silica Sand
Na2O Sodium Oxide from Soda Ash
CaO Calcium Oxide from Limestone
MgO Dolomite
Al2O3 Feldspar

Raw Materials: Silica Sand

One of the most common sand found in the world.
Made up of broken down quartz crystals.
Used for filtration of water, glass manufacture, industrial casting

and etc.
Size: 125-500 m

Raw Materials: Limestone

Sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate

(CaCO3).
To produce Sodium Carbonate.
Ingredient in the batch to be melted.

Raw Materials: Dolomite

Calcium magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2).
Rarely found in moderm sedimentary environments.
Used as a source of magnesia (MgO)

Raw Materials: Feldspar

Group of minerals distinguished by the presence of alumina and

silica.
Used in industrial applications for their alumina and alkali
content.

Raw Materials: Soda Ash

Na2CO3
Primarily used for glass industry.
Manufactured synthetically through Solvay Process
Naturally from erosion of igneous rock from sodium deposits

Other Raw Materials

Borax
Salt Cake
Carbon
Arsenic Trioxide
Nitrates (Na or K)
Potassium Nitrate or Carbonate
Cullet

Colors to the Glass

NiO & CoO grey tinted glasses (oxide of nickel and cobalt)
SeO bronze tinted glass (oxide of selenium)
Fe2O3 green tinted glass (oxide from iron)
CoO blue tinted glass (oxide from cobalt)

Chemical Reactions

Typical Manufacturing Sequence

1. Transportation of raw materials to the

plant
2. Sizing of some raw materials
3. Storage of raw materials
4. Conveying, weighing and mixing raw
materials and feeding them into glass furnace
5. Burning of fuel to secure temperature for
glass formation

4. Conveying, weighing and mixing raw

materials and feeding them into glass furnace

5. Burning of fuel to secure temperature for
glass formation
6. Reactions in the furnace to form glass
7. Saving of heat by regeneration or
recuperation
8. Shaping of glass products
9. Annealing of glass products
10. Finishing of glass products

Phases of Manufacturing Process

I. Melting
-Pot Furnaces
-Tank Furnaces
-Regenerative Furnaces

II. Shaping or Forming

A. Window Glass
- for many years, this glass was made by
extreme hand process involving gathering a
gob of glass on the end of blowpipe and
blowing it into cylinder
- the manual process has been supplanted
by continuous processes or modifications, the
Fourcault process and the float process

B. Plate Glass
- uses continuous automatic process for roughrolled glass in a continuous ribbon
C. Float Glass
- developed by Pilkington Brothers in England
- it is a fundamental improvement in
manufacturing high-quality flat glass
- the float process employs tank furnace
melting system

D. Wired and Patterned Glass

- in patterned glass manufacture, the molten
glass flows over the lip of furnace and passes
between metal rolls on which pattern has
been engraved or machined

E. Blown Glass
- glass blowing is one of the most ancient arts
until the last century depended solely upon
human lungs for power to form and shape
molten glass
2 Types:

a. Blow and Blow Process

b. Press and Blow Process

Blow and Blow

Press and Blow

III. ANNEALING
- this is necessary to reduce strain to all glass
objects
- involves two operations: (1) holding a mass of
glass above certain critical temperature long
enough to reduce internal strain by plastic
flow to less than a predetermined maximum
(2) cooling the mass to room temperature
slowly enoughto hold the strain below this
maximum

IV. FINISHING
- includes cleaning, grinding, polishing,
cutting, sandblasting, enamelling, grading and
gaging