GLASS

Topics Covered
Classification
Manufacture of Glass
Uses of Glass
Testing for quality
 ,
Glass
amorphous, hard, brittle, transparent, or
translucent, super cooled liquid of infinite
viscosity, obtained by fusing a mixture of
metallic silicates, most commonly of
Na,K, Ca. and Pb
It has no sharp melting point and definite
structural formula
General formula: aX2O.bYO.6SiO2
Where X:Na,K and Y:Ca. and Pb
Classification of Glass
Soda lime glass
Potash lime glass
Potash lead glass
Soda lime glass
◦ Na2O,CaO,6SiO2
Known as soft glass an mixture of sodium
silicate or calcium silicate.
Properties
◦ Available in cheap and clear state
◦ Fusible at comparatively low temperature
◦ Possible to blow or weld articles made from glass
tubes with the help of simple apparatus
Uses: glass tubes, Plate glass, Window glass
Potash-lime glass:
 k2O,CaO,6SiO2

known as bohemian-glass or hard glass.

mixture of potassium silicate and calcium
silicate.
Properties:
◦ (i)it fuses at high temperature.
◦ (ii)it is not easily affected by water and other
solvents.
◦ (iii)it does not melt so easily.
Uses: manufacture of glass articles to with
stand high temperatures as combustion tubes.
Potash-lead glass:
k2O,PbO,6SiO2
known as flint glass.
mixture of potassium silicate and lead silicate.
Properties:
(i) Fuses very easily.
 (ii) Easily attacked by aqueous solution.
(iii) Posses great refractive power.
(iv) Specific gravity is about 3 to 3.50.
(v) Turns black and opaque.
Uses: manufacture of artificial gems, electric bulbs,
lenses, prisms etc
Common Glass
known as bottle glass.
Mixture of sodium silicate, calcium silicate
and iron silicate.
Properties:
◦ (i) Fuses with difficulty.
◦ (ii) It is brown, grey or yellow in colour.
◦ (iii) easily attacked by acids.
Uses: medicine bottles.
Manufacture of Glass
Collection of raw materials
Preparation of batch
Melting in Furnace
Fabrication
Annealing
 Collection of raw materials
Based on type
Soda-lime-chalk-soda-sand
Potash –lime-chalk-K2CO3
Potash-lead-glass-Litharge (PbO)Lead sesquioxide (Pb3O4), Potassium
Carbonate and sand
Cullet :
◦ Pieces of broken gas
◦ Increases feasibility and prevent loss of alkali during volitization
◦ Reduce cost
◦ Declourises
Raw materials contain ferrous and ferric oxide
◦ Ferrous –green tint
◦ Ferric-yellow tint
◦ (antimony oxide (Sb2O3)
◦ Arsenic oxide (AS2O3)
◦ Cobalt Oxide (COO)
◦ Nickel oxide (NIO)
 Batching
 Raw materials, cullet,
decolouriser powdered in
grinding machine
 Remember to weigh
accurately
 Mixing is done in mixing
machine till uniform
mixture is obtained
 Mixture thus obtained is
called flint or a batch.
 Now batch is taken to
furnace
 Melting in furnace
 Done either in pot furnace or tank
furnace and heating is continued till
release of CO2,O2,SiO2 stops.
 Pot furnace
 Made of fire clay-resembles crucible
steel process
 Pots are placed in holes of furnace
 Charging and collecting doors are kept
projecting out for convenient addition
of raw materials ad withdrawal of
molten glass.
 Pots are filled with raw material melted
down and removed from the pot
 Intermittent process and used to melt
small quantities of glass at a time and
used for special types of glass
 Tank Furnace
Continuous Process-Large Scale Production
Constructed of reinforced masonry and given special shape to
deflect flames of heated glass
Ports for entry of preheated producer gas
Doors are provided for charging and for taking out molten
glass
Bridge separates tank into large and smaller compartments.
Impure glass in large flow through bridge reaches to small
and this gall is collected
Interior surface of the tank is provided with refractory lining .
Tank is filled with raw materials, furnace is heated by
allowing producer gas through ports. The charging of raw
materials and taking out of molten mass are simultaneous
Continuous process and is adopted to melt large quantities of
glass at a time
fabrication
Blowing
Casting
Drawing
Pressing
Rolling
Spinning
Blowing
Blow pipe of 12mm dia and 1.8m length
is used
One end is dipped in molten mass and a
lump of 50 N is weighed
Lengthened to some extent by its own
weight
From other end operator blows regularly
from other end of bow pipe by means of
air compressor
Blowing and heating is continued till a
cylinder is formed,
Placed on a iron plate and disconnected
finally when placed vertically a thin plate
of glass is forced by gravity
casting
Molten glass is poured in to moulds and
are allowed to cool down slowly
Adopted for mirror
Large pieces of simple design are
prepared
drawing
Pulling of molten glass either by hand or
mechanical equipment
Iron bar is dipped sideways and lifted horizontally
thus catches up a sheet of molten glass
Allowed to pass a large rotating roller
Roller helps the molten glass to spread in the form
of thin sheet
pressing
Pressingin to mould either
by hand or mechanical
process
Adopted for ornaments

Rolling
Molten glass is passed through
heay iron rollers and flat glass of
uniform thickness is obtained.
Poured on a flat iron casting
table with the aid of heavy iron
roller
spinning
Used in providing insulation
against heat and sound
Molten glass is spun at high
speed to form very fine glass
fibres
Doesn't fade, decay, shrank ,
not attacked by acids and
vermin's
Soft and flexible
Hugh tensile strength that of
mild steel
Annealing
Glass, being insulator cannot be cooled
rapidly because if it is cooled rapidly the
superficial layer cools down and the inner
layer remains in expanded state which
may cause breakage of glass.
Due to this reason glass is passed through
different zones of decreasing temperature
and this process is known as annealing
Uses of Glass

Sheet glass
Plate glass
Float glass wired glass
Translucent glass
Glass blocks
Laminated safety glass
Glass for structural glazing
Plastic sheets for glazing
Bullet proof glass
Tinted glass
Testing for quality
Quality
Waviness
Tolerance of sixe
weight