Glass fiber
Glass Fiber
• Glass is a manufactured fiber in which fiber forming substance is glass either borosilicate or soda -lime
silicate.
•Other materials can be added to the silicate network to modify the resulted properties of glass.
• It is a syntethie fiber consist of silica sand, lime, Magnesia, Alumina, soda, potash, Boric oxide. A typical
glass fiber is made by melting of above chemicals together in furnace.
Types:
(1) 'A' - Glass
(2) 'C'.- Glass
(3) 'E'-Glass
Chemical composition by weight :
Name 'A' Glass 'C' Glass "E' Glass
1. silica 72.2 62.7 53
1. Lime 9.5 6 16.8
1. Magnesia 3.5 - 5.2
1. Alumina 1.8 1 14.4
1. Soda 13 11.15 -
1. potash - 1-3 -
1. Boric oxide - 3-4 10.6
Properties of Glass fiber:
• Tenacity: 6 g/den
• Diameter: 0.008mm
• Elongation at break: <2%
• Specific gravity: 2.5 - 2.7
• Moisture Regain: Nill
• Softening: point: Glass fiber is soften at more than 700°c.
• Flammability: will not burn (nill)
• Melting point: 1400°C-1500°C
• Abrasion resistance: Lack of abrasion resistance; when slight abrasion occur, filament roughen & breaks: It has
lack of resiliency & stretch.
• Acid resistance: Strong resistant But can be attacked by hot phosforic & hot hydro fluoric acid.
• Organic solvent resistance: Resistant
• Sunlight, mildew resistance: Resistant
• Strength: Glasses is a oriented amorphous fibre; which has no crystalline part at all, that’s why it exhibits good
strength.
In softening point; amorphous part of polymer will start to move. It is denoted by Tg( Glass Transition temp)
In melting point: Crystalline part polymer will start to move. It is donated by Tm. When melting occurs; polymer
does not retain its dimensional stability.
Production process;
Continuous filament process
Staple fiber centrifugal & jet process (C- glass type)
Uses:
Fire proof fabric, screen-curtain, Furniture-cover, life-boat hulls, oil-tankers, car-bodies, TV - cabinet, air -craft
parts etc
Carbon fiber
Introduction:
• Carbon fiber is a non polymer man made fiber whose starting material for production is acrylic
fiber such as “Courtelle" in which the backbone of cotton atom is attached to the hydrogen atoms
cyanide groups (-CN).
Production: The production process involves three heating process for converting acrylic fiber to carbon
fiber.
1st heating:
At first the acrylic fiber is heat at 300°C - 400°C under oxidizing condition.
2nd heating:
This is followed by a second heating process of the oxidized fiber at 1000°C at inert atmosphere. As a result,
hydrogen & nitrogen is expelled leaving only the carbon atom in the form of Hexagonal ring which is arranged in
oriented filaments.
3rd heating;
Finally this carbonized fiber is heated at 3000°C again at inert atmosphere. This increases the orderly
arrangement of carbon atom & organize into a crystalline structure similar to that of graphite.
microorganism:
Properties:
Carbon fiber is characterized for great stiffness (ie: resistant to bending& twisting) & high strength.
• Tensile strength (KN/mm²) - 1.8 - 2. 4
• Stiffness (KN/mm3) : 350 - 410
• Breaking extension (%) : 0.5
• Density: 1.9
• Specific gravity: 1.75- 1.85
• Flammability: Nill (Not affected)
• Effect of sunlight: Nill
• Effect of microorganism: ' Nill
• Effect of insects: Nill
• Effect of moisture: Nill
End use:
• For protective clothing
• For making components of aircraft, Such as breaks & engines
• For making components of submarines.
• Fore chemical industry:
• For golf club shafts, fishing rods, boats etc.
