Glass manufacture compared with

Extensive tables of constants can be found in the publications of Monch [2] and Eitel et al. [3]. A paper prepared at the Central Laboratory of the V B der Glas-industrie (Association of the Glassware Manufacturers), Ilmenau, GDR [4], contains the constants of chemical glasses as compared with those of porcelain, metals and plastics. Also, applications of glass as a constructional material and the ])roj)erties of glass fibres and products made of glass fibres are exhaustively dealt with. 

Attempts by Kao and others to enhance transparency by chemically removing impurities from glass met with little success the level of purity required was indeed comparable with that needed in silicon for integrated circuits. In the event, the required purification was achieved in the same way in which semiconductor-grade silicon is now manufactured, by going through the gas phase (silicon tetrachloride), which can be separated from the halides of impurity species because of dilTerences in vapour pressures. This breakthrough was achieved by R.D. Maurer and his... 

Compared with tar, which has a relatively short lifetime in the marine environment, the residence times of plastic, glass and non-corrodible metallic debris are indefinite. Most plastic articles are fabricated from polyethylene, polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride. With molecular weights ranging to over 500,000, the only chemical reactivity of these polymers is derived from any residual unsaturation and, therefore, they are essentially inert chemically and photochemically. Further, since indigenous microflora lack the enzyme systems necessary to degrade most of these polymers, articles manufactured from them are highly resistant or virtually immune to biodegradation. That is, the properties that render plastics so durable... 

Even though silicon is extremely abundant, only one silicon-containing compound appears in the list of top 50 industrial chemicals. That is sodium silicate, Na2 Si03, used for the manufacture of silica gel and glass. Nevertheless, with the advent of the electronic age silicon has become an extremely important substance that is the primary ingredient of most semiconductors. Because these are microscale devices, the quantity of production of silicon remains small compared with that of fertilizers and construction materials. Although relatively small in quantity, the value of silicon products is quite high. 

Thermal Expansion. Most manufacturers literature (87,119,136—138) quotes a linear expansion coefficient within the 0—300°C range of 5.4 x 10"7 to 5.6 x 10 7 /°C. The effect of thermal history on low temperature expansion of Homosil (Heraeus Schott Quarzschmelze GmbH) and Osram s vitreous silicas is shown in Figure 4. The 1000, 1300, and 1720°C curves are for samples that were held at these temperatures until equilibrium density was achieved and then quenched in water. The effect of temperature on linear expansion of vitreous silica is compared with that of typical soda—lime and borosilicate glasses in Figure 5. The low thermal expansion of vitreous silica is the main reason that it has a high thermal shock resistance compared to other glasses. 

Hardness of stonewares materials of different manufacturers measured with Mackensen blower, compared with pane glass hardness (A = 2.13 + 0.05 mm, 28 cm3 chamber) (after Niewiedzielski and Sobczynska, 1973)... 

The high frictional coefficient (0.4 to 0.5 compared with < 0.1 for glass fibers) of asbestos fibers is crucial to its utilization in the frictional lining sector. In the manufacture of brake and clutch linings 20 to 60% asbestos is incorporated together with fillers, metal chips and preferably phenol resins and rubber into a composite material, which has to satisfy many requirements. Currently there are asbestos-free so-called semimetallic brake linings, which consist of mixtures of metal fibers, metal powders, cellulose fibers, aluminum silicate fibers and mineral wool bonded with synthetic resins. 

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