MATE1000 Lecture 19 - Glass: Composition, Structure and Mechanical Properties of Glass

MATE1000 Lecture 19 Glass
(Callister: Selected parts of Chapter 13, Chapter 14 and Chapter 22)
Glass is the most important material in optics, with uses in windows, lenses, fibres, mirrors and
prisms. Glasses are non-crystalline solids chemically similar to the crystalline ceramics. Protective
and decorative glass coatings on ceramics and metals are called glazes and enamels, respectively.
Glass is used in enormous quantities; the annual tonnage is close to that of aluminium.
Composition, structure and mechanical properties of glass

The predominant category is the silicates, of which the most common is soda-lime-silica window
glass. The major ingredient, SiO2, is usually sourced from local sand deposits. Window glass has a
typical composition of 70SiO2.10 CaO.15 Na2O (wt %). Other common additives are Al2O3 and
B2O3. The borosilicate glasses are used in laboratory ware and cooking ware. The glass fibres in
fibreglass usually contain lime, alumina and borate in addition to silica. The nonsilicate glasses
such B2O3 are of little commerical value because they are typically very reactive. Borate glass, for
instance, is soluble in water.
Silicon atoms bond strongly with 4 oxygen atoms to form an SiO4 tetrahedral unit. In pure
cristobalite, this forms the diamond structure with every C atom replaced by a SiO4 unit. Silicate
glasses are based on the same SiO4 tetrahedra but they are arranged in a non-crystalline or
amorphous way. The high softening point of pure silica glass is reduced by adding network
modifiers such as Na ions, which reduces the numbers of cross-links and hence Tg and makes the
glass easier to work.
At temperatures above Tg, glass deforms by viscous flow. Glass is brittle below Tg because the
amorphous structure provides no mechanism for plastic deformation. It is an ideal elastic and
isotropic material. The mechanical properties are controlled by surface flaws. Failure usually
occurs by thermal shock or impact. Both events generate a tensile stress on the glass surface. If
this surface contains a flaw, then fracture may result. Tempered glass is strengthened by
quenching which puts the surface into compression (and the interior into tension). This is only
effective if the compressive region extends beyond the depth of the microflaws.
Window glass and glazes on glass
The development of the float glass process earlier this century lead to the development of large
glass curtain wall buildings. It is estimated that windows account for 5.5% of the total US energy
consumption (buildings account for 18%). This has lead to the development of low emittance
coatings on glass to reduce energy losses. High infrared reflectance and thus low emissivity can be
achieved by using a material with a high conductivity. The noble metals (gold, silver, copper) can
be coated onto glass in thin layers (5-10 nm) which are optically transparent but are excellent IR
reflectors. Metals are opaque because photons are absorbed by electron excitation into empty
electron states. Because this absorbtion only occurs in the outer layers, metals thinner than 100nm
are transparent to visible light.
Flat Panel Displays
In active matrix liquid crystal displays, the semiconductor-based thin-film transistors are
fabricated on the active glass substrate and colour filter structures of dyed pigmented resins are
built on the passive plate of a AMLCD cell. Glass is therefore a critical consituent of such
displays. The requirements of this glass are a very high surface finish on sheet thicknesses of
0.5mm; thermal stability at high temperatures because the silicon is typically deposited at
temperatures between 300-600C; alkali free because the migration of the alkali into the silicon
will cause device problems; and chemically stable in the variety of etchants and cleaning solutions
used, which range from acidic to basic. For these reasons, alkali earth aluminoborosilicate glasses
are used.
Optic Fibres
An optical fibre is a low cost ($0.10 m-1), thin (125m), functionally graded glass fibre tens of
kilometers long. Pure silica forms the substrate because the light energy lost by absorbtion and
scattering in bulk silica is less than in other glasses. It is then selectively doped, usually with
GeO2, P2O5 or F, to change the refractive index. Either a hollow silica rod is coated internally
using chemical vapour deposition, sintered and then drawn into a fibre; or a ceramic preform is
coated externally and then withdrawn before sintering and drawing. The external process is more
difficult to control but longer fibres (up to 100km) can be fabricated.

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MATE1000 Lecture 19 Glass

(Callister: Selected parts of Chapter 13, Chapter 14 and Chapter 22)

Composition, structure and mechanical properties of glass

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