Glass - what is it and how produced? Properties of glass

Each of us met the glass. What is this fragile and transparent material, any schoolboy knows. Every day we see it in the mirrors, Windows, dishes and furniture, but do we know him? How it is made, what constitutes and what are the properties of the glass?

What it means

There are many reference materials that can help in this matter. What is the meaning of the word "glass" is one of the most popular sources? Ozhegova dictionary characterizes this substance as a solid material made from quartz sand mixed with the oxides of certain metals. Even the definition gives some idea of the mode of production of this material. But to this subject we turn later.

Probably all used to that glass – is a transparent material. But please note – dictionary of Ozhegova gives such clarification. Glass can be not only transparent, but also colored or opaque. But the composition of the material when it is not relevant.

What makes glass

Standard glass composition is a mixture of pure quartz sand, lime and soda. To change the properties of the material can be used various additives. But still the main constituent component is pure river sand. The amount is approximately 75% of the entire mixture. Soda reduces the melting point of sand is almost 2 times. Lime protects the glass from exposure to most chemicals and adds strength and Shine.

Additional impurities:

• Manganese. It is added to glass to obtain a specific shade of green. For other colours can be used Nickel or chrome.
• Lead gives glass extra Shine and distinctive ringing. The material is more cold to the touch. Glass is called lead crystal.
• The Oxide of boric acid also gives the material extra sparkle and transparency, while lowering the coefficient of thermal expansion of the products.

History of glass production

Even 6,000 years ago people were able to create this beautiful and delicate material. Of course, his appearance was somewhat different from the modern glass, as in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia do not have the equipment to clean high-quality sand and other tools. However, the production of glass began right there. Due to resistance to environmental influences, this material gave historians an idea of the culture and technical capabilities of the ancient peoples.

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Russia's first plant for the manufacture of glass appeared in 1636. It was located not far from Moscow. It was created tableware and window glass. Great development of this industry got under Peter I.

In 1859 the invention of the high-pressure pump is allowed to create glass without the participation of glass blowers. This greatly simplified the production. And in the early 19th century it was discovered an interesting property of the material – if the finished product is reheated to a certain temperature, the mechanical properties of the glass will increase by 400%.

Modern trade

Technology has leaped forward, allowing us to create any materials in huge quantities and with the least amount of human strength. Currently, there are many factories, which by the standard established technology creates glass. What is a modern material derived from melted quartz sand, know, acquainted with technology. As an example, take the sheet material.

Manufacture of glass by stages:

1. All the right ingredients loaded into the furnace and heated until a homogeneous liquid mass.
2. In a special homogenizer this alloy mix to a homogeneous condition.
3. The resulting mass is poured into a flat container, the bottom of which the molten tin. Where the glass is distributed, forming a uniform thin layer.
4. Cooled down and solidified, the material is sent to the pipeline. There is a control of the thickness of the glass and cutting. Material that has failed and the defective parts are sent to the smelter.
5. Is the last quality check, after which the glass is supplied to the warehouse of finished products.

Glasses

Currently, this material is one of the most common. It is not surprising that there are different types of glass, which differ both in appearance and physical properties. Here are some of them:

1. Crystal glass. This material, containing in its composition lead. We talked about it above.
2. Quartz glass. Contain clean sand, whereby a high strength. Able to withstand temperature spikes, so used to create optical instruments, laboratory glassware and Windows.
3. Foam glass. The light construction material, which can be used for both finishing and for walls and floors. Contains a large number of voids, which has high heat and sound insulation properties.
4. Wool. Surround air material consisting of thin and very strong threads. Fire-resistant, and therefore usednot only in construction but also in the clothing for firefighters and welders.

Glass

Depending on properties and appearance this material can be found in almost any application. The main consumer of the produced nowadays glass – construction industry. It uses more than half of the produced material. Its purpose can be quite varied & ndash; cladding, glazing, construction of walls of hollow bricks, insulation, etc. To the construction industry can be attributed to the stained glass. What is the Gothic window, know everything. Usually it is lined with a large number of colored lenses. Nowadays stained glass has not lost its relevance and is used both in construction and in furniture manufacturing.

In second place in popularity are glass vessels of various purposes. A little less produced dishes. It should be noted that in the chemical industry glass is an indispensable material because it is resistant to most chemicals.

Physical properties

Like any other material, glass has a number of qualities that you need to know before you use it in one area or another.

1. Density. May vary depending on the mixture composition and method of manufacture. The density of glass can vary from 220 to 650 kg/m³.
2. Fragility. This characteristic is a distinctive feature of the glass and limits its application in the construction field. Currently, the scientists created a more complex alloys, maximizes the strength of the material.
3. Temperature Resistance. Ordinary glass can withstand temperatures up to 90 ^OC. After processing, the thermal properties of the material are greatly increased. For example, the industrial glass is able to withstand temperatures of more than 200 ^OC.

Interesting facts

We learned a lot about glass – what is produced and what properties they possess. It's time to digress a bit and read the most interesting facts about this very common material. Few people know that:

• The velocity of the crack on the broken glass is 4828 km/h.
• Time of decomposition of this material is about a million years.
• Glass can be repeatedly melted with virtually no loss of quality. In this respect, he has almost no analogues.
• Being an amorphous material, the molten glass does not harden when rapidly cooled. This requires special conditions.

No wonder Glass is so widely used in construction and other areas of human life. Surely it will long remain one of the most popular materials. In favor of this statement say strength, durability and relative ease of fabrication of glass related to the fact that the components of his creation are present on Earth in large quantities.