Introduction to glass
Introduction to glass
Introduction to glass
Glass is the name given to all amorphous bodies that are obtained by lowering the temperature of a melt independently of its chemical composition and the temperature range of solidification, which as a result of the gradual increase of viscosity adopts the mechanical properties of a solid body.
Glass is melted at a temperature between 1000 and 2000° C.
The microscopic structure of glass is comparable to that of a liquid in which the individual constituents form an irregular network without a long range order. Glass is also the name given to a cooled melt.
Raw Materials:
The substances are introduced in the form of quartz sand, soda and lime. 5% oxides such as magnesium and aluminium oxide are added to this mixture. These additives improve the physical and chemical properties of the glass.
Main glass groups
- Soda lime glass
- Lead glass
- Boro silicate glass
Main glass products:
- Flat glass (for architectural or automotive applications)
- Glass containers/glass tubes
- Special glasses
- Glass fibre
Float Glass process
The float process refers to the manufacturing process for flat glass. This process came into general use in the 1960s. Saint-Gobain installed its first factory equipped with float technology in Pisa, in 1965. The theory: as the molten glass ribbon comes out of the oven, it is floated on a bath of liquid tin. Result: the glass does not need polishing or smooth grinding. It is cut directly on the production line.