GLASS FIBRE-MANUFACTURING

PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS

MADE BY:-
VINAY RANA (2K13/PS/057)
AAYUSH GOEL (2K13/PS/001)
LAKSHAY BALYAN (2K13/PS/031)
MOHD. WASIL (2K13/PS/503)
KIRTI SOLANKI(2K13/PS/501)
 INTRODUCTION

Glass fiber (or glass fibre) is a material consisting of numerous extremely

fine fibers of glass.
Glass fiber when used as a thermal insulating material, is specially manufactured
with a bonding agent to trap many small air cells, resulting in the
characteristically air-filled low-density "glass wool" family of products.
Glass fiber has roughly comparable mechanical properties to other fibers such as
polymers and carbon fiber. Although not as strong or as rigid as carbon fiber, it is
much cheaper and significantly less brittle when used in composites. Glass fibers
are therefore used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products; to form a
very strong and relatively lightweight fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite
material called glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), also popularly known as "fiberglass".
This structural material product contains little air, is more dense than glass wool,
and is an especially good thermal insulator.
 History of glass fibre
Ancient Egyptians made containers of coarse fibers drawn from heat softened
glass.
Napoleons funeral coffin was decorated with glass fiber textiles.
By the 1800s, luxury brocades were manufactured by co-weaving glass with
silk, and at the Columbia Exhibition of 1893.

Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but

mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the
invention of finer machine tooling. In 1893, Edward Drummond
Libbey exhibited a dress at the World's Columbian
Exposition incorporating glass fibers with the diameter and texture
of silk fibers.
Glass wool, which is one product called "fiberglass" today, was invented in 1932
1933 by Russell Games Slayter of Owens-Corning, as a material to be used as
thermal building insulation. It is marketed under the trade name Fiberglas, which
has become a genericized trademark.
Glass in the form of fibers has found wide and varied applications in
all kinds of industry because it is the most versatile industrial
materials known today.
All glass fibers derived from compositions containing Silica, which
are available in virtually unlimited supply.
They exhibit useful bulk properties such as Hardness,
Transparency, Resistance To Chemical Attack, Stability, and
Inertness, as well as Desirable Fiber Properties such as
Strength, Flexibility, and Stiffness.
Glass fibers are used in a number of applications which can be
divided into four basic categories: (A) Insulations, (B) Filtration
Media, (C) Reinforcements, And (D) Optical Fibers.
 CHEMISTRY OF GLASS FIBRE
The basis of textile-grade glass fibers is silica, SiO2. In its pure form it exists as
a polymer, (SiO2)n. It has no true melting point but softens up to 1200 C, where it
starts to degrade. At 1713 C, most of the molecules can move about freely. If the
glass is extruded and cooled quickly at this temperature, it will be unable to form an
ordered structure.
In the polymer it forms SiO4 groups which are configured as a tetrahedron with
the silicon atom at the center, and four oxygen atoms at the corners. These atoms
then form a network bonded at the corners by sharing the oxygen atoms.
The vitreous and crystalline states of silica (glass and quartz) have similar energy
levels on a molecular basis, also implying that the glassy form is extremely stable.
In order to induce crystallization, it must be heated to temperatures above 1200 C
for long periods of time.

Molecular Structure of Glass

 TYPES OF GLASS FIBRES
As per ASTM 162 glass fibre were classified according to the
end use and chemical composition
A-glass (Alkali-lime glass with little or no boron oxide)
C-glass ("C" for "chemical resistance")
T-glass ("T" is for "thermal insulator)
S-glass ("S" for "stiff")
R-glass ("R" for "reinforcement")
E-glass ("E" because of initial electrical application)
E-CR-glass(Electrical/Chemical Resistance)
D-glass(D for dielectric)
 E-GLASS FIBRE

BACKGROUND
E-Glass or electrical grade glass was originally developed for stand off insulators
for electrical wiring. It was later found to have excellent fibre forming
capabilities and is now used almost exclusively as the reinforcing phase in the
material commonly known as fibreglass.

Composition
E-Glass is a low alkali glass with a typical nominal composition of SiO2 54wt%,
Al2O314wt%, CaO+MgO 22wt%, B2O3 10wt% and Na2O+K2O less then 2wt%. Some
other materials may also be present at impurity levels.
FIBRE MANUFACTURE
E-Glass fibres are generally produced using melt spinning techniques. These
involve melting the glass composition into a platinum crown which has small
holes for the molten glass to flow.
Continuous fibres can be drawn out through the holes and wound onto
spindles, while short fibres may be produced by spinning the crown, which
forces molten glass out through the holes centrifugally. Fibres are cut to
length using mechanical means or air jets.
Fibre dimension and to some extent properties can be controlled by the
process variables such as melt temperature (hence viscosity) and
drawing/spinning rate.
As fibres are being produced, they are normally treated with sizing and
coupling agents.
KEY PROPERTIES
Properties that have made E-glass so popular in fibreglass and other glass fibre
reinforced composite include:
Low cost
High production rates
High strength,
High stiffness
Relatively low density
Non-flammable
Resistant to heat
Good chemical resistance
Relatively insensitive to moisture
Able to maintain strength properties over a wide range of conditions
Good electrical insulation
 APPLICATIONS
o The use of E-Glass as the reinforcement material in polymer matrix
composites is extremely common.
o To promote strength, laminate structures can be constructed, with
continuous fibres aligned in other directions. Such structures are used
in storage tanks and the like.
o Random direction matts and woven fabrics are also commonly used for
the production of composite panels, surfboards and other similar
devices.

E-glass fiber direct roving

E-Glass Chopped Strand Mat E-glass fiber fabric

Glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass)
Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) is a composite material made of a plastic
reinforced by fine glass fibers. The glass can be in the form of a chopped
strand mat (CSM) or a woven fabric. The plastic matrix may be
a thermosetting plastic most often epoxy, polyester resin or vinylester, or a
thermoplastic.
Fiberglass is a strong lightweight material and is used for many products.
Although it is not as strong and stiff as composites based on carbon fiber, it is
less brittle, and its raw materials are much cheaper. Its bulk strength and
weight are also better than many metals, and it can be more readily molded
into complex shapes.
Applications of fiberglass include aircraft, boats, automobiles, bath tubs and
enclosures, swimming pools, hot tubs, septic tanks, water tanks, roofing,
pipes, cladding, casts, surfboards, and external door skins.
 Ancient Egyptians made containers of coarse fibers drawn from
heat softened glass.

Napoleons funeral coffin was decorated with glass fiber textiles.

By the 1800s, luxury brocades were manufactured by co-weaving

glass with silk and at the Columbia Exhibition of 1893.

Glass fibers are used in number of applications which can be

divided in four basic catagories:-a.) Insulations b.) Filteration
media c.) Reinforcements d.) Optical fibers
The fiber manufacturing
process has effectively two
variants. One involves the
preparation of marbles,
which are re-melted in the
fiberisation stage.

The other uses the direct

melting route, in which a
furnace is continuously
charged with raw materials
which are melted and refined
as that glass reaches the
forehearth above a set of
platinum-rhodium bushings
from which the fibers are
drawn
 The molten glass flows to platinum/rhodium alloy bushings and then through
individual bushing tips and orifices ranging from 0.76 to 2.03 and attenuated in
air into fine fibers ranging from 3 to 35m.

Mechanical winders pull the fibers at lineal velocities upto 61m/s over an
applicator which coats the fibers with an appropriate chemical sizing to aid
further processing and performance of the end products.
 The temperature is so high>1600c that the sand and other
ingredients dissolve into molten glass.

The inner walls of the furnace are lined with special refractory
bricks that must periodically be replaced.
What are glass fibre bushings and how do they work? Bushings are, in their
simplest form, boxes made from platinum alloys and having a large number of
small nozzles or tips on their underside. Typically, the tips have an internal
diameter between 1.5 and 4 mm.

The bushing is fixed in place by means of insulating refractory cement and is

maintained at the operating temperature by direct resistance heating. Glass is
maintained in a molten state with closely controlled viscosity inside the bushing
and flows slowly through the tips under the influence of gravity.

BUSHING IN SERVICE FILAMENT FORMATION AT TIP

PROPERTIES OF GLASS FIBRE
STRENGTH AND STIFNESS
For glass this will be about 7GPa.
A typical E-glass fiber can have a strength of 3GPa.
High strength-to-weight ratio of glass fiber make it a
superior material in application where high strength and
minimum weight are required.
1 PSI= 6894.71 Pa
TENSILE PROPERTIES
The strength of glass is usually tested and reported for "virgin" or pristine
fibersthose that have just been manufactured.
The freshest, thinnest fibers are the strongest because the thinner fibers are
more ductile. The more the surface is scratched, the less the
resulting tenacity
Because glass has an amorphous structure, its properties are the same along
the fiber and across the fiber.
Humidity is an important factor in the tensile strength. Moisture is
easily adsorbed and can worsen microscopic cracks and surface defects, and
lessen tenacity.
In contrast to carbon fiber, glass can undergo more elongation before it
breaks.
THERMAL PROPERTIES
Glass fibers are useful thermal insulators because of their high ratio of
surface area to weight.
By trapping air within them, blocks of glass fiber make good thermal
insulation, with a thermal conductivity of the order of 0.05 W/(mK)
Glass fiber has low coefficient of thermal expansion and low thermal
conductivity properties.
Viscosity of glass fiber decreases as the temperature increases.
Viscosity vs temperature
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000
RADIATION PROPERTIES

E glass and S-2 glass fibers have excellent resistance to all types of nuclear
radiation.
Alpha and beta radiation have almost no effect. But some times it produce 5
to 10% decrease in tensile strength.
E glass and C glass are not recommended for use inside atomic reactors
because of their high boron content.
Different types of resistance

FIRE RESISTANCE-glass fiber is an inorganic material and will not burn or

suppoet combustion. It retains approx. 25% of initial strength at 1000 F.
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE-most chemicals have little or no effect on glass. It is
expressed as a percentage weight loss due to corrosive and leaching action of
chemicals. Glass fibers are affected by HCl, hot phosphoric acid and strong
alkaline substance.
 MOISTURE RESISTANCE-glass fibers do not absorb moisture or change
physically or chemically when exposed to water.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTY AND
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY
Glass fiber is an excellent material insulation. The combination of properties
such as low moisture absorption, high strength, heat resistance and low
dielectric constant makes fiber glass ideal as a reinforcement for printed
circuit boards.
Glass fiber is a dimensionally stable material. Glass fiber does not stretch or
shrink after exposure to extremely high or low temperatures. The maximum
elongation for E glass at break is 4.8% with a 100% recovery when stressed
close to its point of rupture.
APPLICATIONS OF GLASS FIBRE
 Uses of Glass Fiber or Glass Yarn Glass
Fiber is manufactured in a wide range of fine diameters. Some of
them are so fine that they can be seen only through a
microscope. This quality of fineness contributes greatly to the
flexibility of glass fibers. Various manufacturers produce different
types of glass fibers for different end uses
 There are certain glass fibers that can resist heat upto
7200oC and can withstand forces having speed of
15,000 miles per hour.

These types of glass fibers are used as

1. Filament windings around rocket cases;
2. Nose cones;
3. Exhaust nozzles; and
4. Heat shields for aeronautical equipment
Features of glass fibre
low technology fabrication
durability
high flexing tolerance
moderate/high strength/weight ratio
corrosion resistance
impact resistance
 Aviation and Aerospace
Typical GRP(glass-reinforced plastic) applications
are: engine cowlings, luggage racks, instrument
enclosures, bulkheads, ducting, storage bins and
antenna enclosures. It is also widely used in
ground-handling equipment.
Automotive
For those who love automobiles, the 1953 model
Chevrolet Corvette was the first production car to
have a fibreglass body. As a body material, GRP has
never succeeded against metal for large production
volumes.
However, fiberglass has a big presence in the
replacement body parts, custom and kit auto
markets. Tooling costs are relatively low as
compared with metal press assemblies, and ideally
suit smaller markets.
 Electronics
GRP is widely used for circuit board manufacture (PCB's)
there is probably one within six feet of you now. TVs,
radios, computers, cellphones GRP holds our electronic
world together.
Home
Almost every home has GRP somewhere whether in a
bathtub or a shower tray. Other applications include
furniture, and spa tubs.
Leisure
How much GRP do you think there is in Disneyland? The
cars on the rides, the towers, the castles so much of it is
based on fiberglass. Even your local fun park probably has
water slides made from the composite. And then the
health club do you ever sit in a Jacuzzi? Thats probably
GRP as well.
Medical
Because of its low porosity, non-staining and hard wearing
finish, GRP is ideally suited to medical applications, from
instrument enclosures to X-ray beds (where X-ray
transparency is important).
 Projects
Most people who tackle DIY projects have used fibreglass at one time or
another. It is readily available in hardware stores, easy to use (with a
few health precautions to be taken), and can provide a really practical
and professional looking finish.
Wind Energy
Building 100 wind turbine blades is a major growth area for this
versatile composite, and with wind energy a massive factor in the energy
supply equation, its use is certain to continue to grow.
Summary
GRP is all around us, and its unique characteristics will ensure that it
remains one of the most versatile and easy to use composites for many
years to come.
THANK YOU !!