Glass is an amorphous solid that has been around in a variety of forms for many thousands of years. We have been manufacturing glass it ever 1200 BCE.
The status of glass as a liquid, versus a solid, has been hotly debated, and there is no real agreement on its classification, even today. Some believe it is a super cooled, highly viscous liquid and others believe that it is, in fact, a crystalline solid. Glass has to be one of the most versatile materials known to mankind. It has a huge array of applications and can take many different forms, from windows to jewelry, drinking glasses to conservatories.
Glass forms naturally when rocks, rich in silicates, melt at high temperatures and then cool before having the chance to change in to crystalline structure. Obsidian glass and volcanic glass are two commonly occurring types of natural glass. Natural glass can also form when a lightening bolt hits sand that is rich in silicates.
Manmade glass is created using ingredients including soda, lime and silica. Various other materials can be added to give glass a different appearance (colour, smoke effect, etc.). The components of glass are heated to 982 degrees Celsius, which causes it to turn in to a liquid state, enabling it to be easily manipulated in to different shapes. Once it cools, glass becomes a very strong and rigid substance.
Glass has a number of unique qualities, one of which is that it does not react easily with any liquid chemicals that it comes in to contact with, which makes it suited towards the storage of liquids and chemicals in laboratory conditions. It's also very bad at conducting electricity, which makes it a great insulating material and that is why industrial glass is used to insulate high voltage power cables.
Silica, one of the main components of glass, can be found in wide array of naturally occurring sources, the most common and abundant of which is sand. Soda is added to lower the melting and fusion point of the silica, which makes it lighter and easier to work with. Lime is added to increase the hardness and chemical durability of glass.
Tempered safety glass can either be made of glass or polycarbonate plastic. Safety glass is far more resilient than traditional glass and if it does break, it does not do shatter in to jagged pieces like normal glass. This makes toughened safety glass perfect car windscreens, PVC windows, and for any other product where consumer safety is a concern.
The status of glass as a liquid, versus a solid, has been hotly debated, and there is no real agreement on its classification, even today. Some believe it is a super cooled, highly viscous liquid and others believe that it is, in fact, a crystalline solid. Glass has to be one of the most versatile materials known to mankind. It has a huge array of applications and can take many different forms, from windows to jewelry, drinking glasses to conservatories.
Glass forms naturally when rocks, rich in silicates, melt at high temperatures and then cool before having the chance to change in to crystalline structure. Obsidian glass and volcanic glass are two commonly occurring types of natural glass. Natural glass can also form when a lightening bolt hits sand that is rich in silicates.
Manmade glass is created using ingredients including soda, lime and silica. Various other materials can be added to give glass a different appearance (colour, smoke effect, etc.). The components of glass are heated to 982 degrees Celsius, which causes it to turn in to a liquid state, enabling it to be easily manipulated in to different shapes. Once it cools, glass becomes a very strong and rigid substance.
Glass has a number of unique qualities, one of which is that it does not react easily with any liquid chemicals that it comes in to contact with, which makes it suited towards the storage of liquids and chemicals in laboratory conditions. It's also very bad at conducting electricity, which makes it a great insulating material and that is why industrial glass is used to insulate high voltage power cables.
Silica, one of the main components of glass, can be found in wide array of naturally occurring sources, the most common and abundant of which is sand. Soda is added to lower the melting and fusion point of the silica, which makes it lighter and easier to work with. Lime is added to increase the hardness and chemical durability of glass.
Tempered safety glass can either be made of glass or polycarbonate plastic. Safety glass is far more resilient than traditional glass and if it does break, it does not do shatter in to jagged pieces like normal glass. This makes toughened safety glass perfect car windscreens, PVC windows, and for any other product where consumer safety is a concern.