How to make glass?

glass We face glass products every day, but do we often think: what is glass made of, what is the technology for making it? The homeland of the windows is ancient Egypt. The first products( and they are neither more nor less than 5 thousand years!) Were quite unattractive in appearance and almost opaque. The technology of manufacturing modern glass is quite different. Consider how to make glass, what is included in its composition.

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What does glass consist of?

The following materials are used in the glass industry:

• Quartz sand( approximately 75%).It is the sand that determines the quality of the finished product.

Important! Famous for the whole world Venetian glass blowers for the manufacture of Murano glass use sand, brought from the province of Istria. At the heart of the no less famous Bohemian glass is ground quartz.

• Soda. This substance helps to lower the temperature necessary for melting quartz sand. Soda, added to the mixture in the correct proportions, reduces the melting point of quartz by almost half.
• Lime. It makes glass resistant to many aggressive chemicals. For the first time lime was used in the 17th century by Bohemian glass blowers, in the form of chalk or limestone.

Glass with specific properties has in its composition oxides and various metals. Base materials, from which glass is made( composition, proportions) remain the same, and additives can be very different:

• Boron oxide. Reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion of the glass. Finished products turn out to be brilliant and transparent.
• Lead. This ingredient is used in crystal production. Crystal products acquire a characteristic melodious ringing.
• Manganese. The glass is obtained with a greenish tinge. The effect of coloration is also given by metals such as chromium, cobalt and nickel.
• Iron oxides make the glass saturated red.
• Nickel oxides impart a purple and brown tint.
• Uranium oxides make the glass yellowish
• Chrome gives the glass a green tint.

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Physical Characteristics:

• Density. This indicator largely depends on the chemical composition of the glass and varies between 220-650 kg / m³.As the temperature rises, the density of the glass decreases. It becomes more fragile.
• Strength. The variability of strength is from 50 to 210 kgf / mm².If the surface of the product is slightly damaged, then the strength is reduced by 3-4 times.
• Friability. This property is the main reason for the limited application of glasses.
• Thermal resistance is the ability to withstand high temperatures. Ordinary grades of glass can withstand up to 90 degrees. For thermally stable varieties, this indicator is several times higher.

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Varieties of glass

The area of ​​use of this material is quite wide - dishes, kitchen accessories, lamps, decor elements, window panes. This list can be continued.

What are the different types of glass used for the manufacture of different products?

• Crystal. Contains in its composition lead oxide. The glass is transparent, shiny, very beautiful. It is used mainly in the manufacture of dishes and souvenirs.
• Quartz. The production uses quartz sand. This type of glass is able to withstand significant temperature changes. Used in the manufacture of windows, insulators, laboratory glassware, optical instruments.
• Foam glass. It is a glass mass with a large number of voids inside. It has good sound and heat insulation properties. It is used in construction.
• Glass wool. The structure of this material is a mass of glass filaments that resist the tear well. Use glass wool in construction and chemical production. The material has a high degree of fire resistance, so it is used to make special clothes for firemen and metallurgists.

Separate group - special types of glass:

• Fire-resistant - resistant to high temperatures, withstands open flame.
• Heat resistant - has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, can withstand sharp temperature changes.
• Bullet-proof - resistant to powerful mechanical forces.

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How to make glass from sand?

The process of manufacturing glass passes in several stages.

• Preparation of materials: enrichment of quartz sand, removal of iron impurities from the sand, crushing of limestone and dolomite.
• Mixing of ingredients in certain proportions. The concentration of different constituents depends on the given physical and chemical characteristics of the finished product.
• Melting in a glass melting furnace. The range of temperatures at which the cooking of glass occurs varies between 800-1400 degrees. The quartz sand melts and the glass becomes transparent and viscous.

Important! After a homogeneous glass mixture is obtained, the glass products are formed, followed by a sharp cooling, as well as physical and thermal processing.

Information, "how to make glass" for children, is particularly interesting.

How do window glass - the nuances of production:

• All the components used for the production of glass are loaded into the oven and heated until a homogeneous viscous mass is obtained.
• Then the mass is loaded into the homogenizer to achieve complete homogeneity of the composition.
• The mass is poured into a container with liquid tin so that the surface is perfectly smooth.
• Next, the glass tape is fed to the conveyor to control thickness and cut into standard pieces.
• Waste from trimming and defective products comes in the remelting.
• Finished glass products undergo another stage of quality control and is sent to the warehouse.

Such information "what is made of glass" for children( and not only!) Is very interesting.

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Scope of

glass Despite the significant drawback( increased fragility), glass has a wide enough scope of use - both in everyday life and in various industries:

• Mechanical engineering. Glass is added to the non-stick paint.
• Paper industry - impregnate the finished paper pulp.
• Construction. Glass is used as an additive in acid- and heat-resistant materials.
• Chemical industry - in the production of detergents.
• Colored glass is used in construction and in the manufacture of decorative products.

Glass has served people for many years, but the process of its creation remains attractive and a little mysterious. It not only protects people's housing from the cold and heat, but also provides an almost unlimited field for creativity.