Physical and Chemical properties of glass
Amorphous (non-crystalline) materials like glass lack any long-range translational periodicity
and possess a high degree of short-range order (“super cooled liquid”).
The melting point is not fixed, with softening occurring in wider temperature ranges. The glass
melting point is between 500°C and 1650°C, depending on its structure.
Glass can be shaped with different techniques like blowing, rolling, stretching and casting.
It erodes very slowly and can mostly withstand the action of water. It is mostly resistant to
chemical attack, does not react with foods, and is an ideal material for the manufacture of
containers for foodstuffs and most chemicals. Glass is also a fairly inert [Link] is hygienic
since it does not assume any flavor the taste of its content.
It also has no odor; its surface is smooth and easy to clean.
Glass also does not let any gas through its surface.
The other important properties of glass are low thermal conductivity, high dielectric strength,
Optical properties:Glass is in widespread use largely due to the production of glass
compositions that are transparent to visible light. In contrast, polycrystalline materials do not
generally transmit visible light. The individual crystallites may be transparent, but their facets
(grain boundaries) reflect or scatter light resulting in diffuse reflection. Glass does not contain
the internal subdivisions associated with grain boundaries in polycrystals and hence does not
scatter light in the same manner as a polycrystalline material. The surface of a glass is often
smooth since during glass formation the molecules of the supercooled liquid are not forced to
dispose in rigid crystal geometries and can follow surface tension, which imposes a
microscopically smooth surface. These properties, which give glass its clearness, can be
retained even if glass is partially light-absorbing, i.e., colored.
Glass has the ability to refract, reflect, and transmit light following geometrical
optics, without scattering it (due to the absence of grain boundaries). It is used in the
manufacture of lenses and windows. Common glass has a refraction index around 1.5. This
may be modified by adding low-density materials such as boron, which lowers the index of
refraction (crown glass), or increased (to as much as 1.8) with high-density materials such as
(classically) lead oxide (flint glass and lead glass), or in modern uses, less toxic oxides
of zirconium, titanium, or barium. These high-index glasses (inaccurately known as "crystal"
when used in glass vessels) cause more chromatic dispersion of light, and are prized for their
diamond-like optical properties.
Corrosion Resistance: Although glass is generally corrosion-resistant and more corrosion
resistant than other materials, it still can be corroded. The materials that make up a particular
glass composition have an effect on how quickly the glass corrodes. A glass containing a
high proportion of alkalis or alkali earths is less corrosion-resistant than other kinds of glasses.
Glass flakes have applications as anti-corrosive coating.
Strengh: Under low loads it reacts in elastically, while it crushes under heavy loads.
The behavior of glass is linearly elastic and brittle. The stress-strain curve for the glass is shown
in Figure 3. In compression, the glass is very strong and its compressive strength can reach up
to 10,000 MPa. But in tension, when stress level exceeds 100 MPa, glass fails easily. The
failure of glass is due to the stress concentration at surface flaws as no plastic flow is possible
in glass. The fiberglass which is drawn from the molten glass has tensile strength ranges from
0.2-7 GPa. The glass fiber is stronger than the steel and most of the time used as a reinforcing
material to form reinforced plastics.
Figure 3. Stress versus strain diagram of steel and glass.
Several factors such as imperfections like scratches and bubbles and the glass's chemical
composition impact the tensile strength of glass. Several processes such as toughening can
increase the strength of glass.
