Among the most used materials, without which we can not imagine our life, is glass. Glass has been a fascinating material ever since it was discovered. It is used for making a lot of objects and impacts many important aspects of life and serves many purposes. In this lesson, we are going to learn about glass, and we are going to discuss:
- What is glass?
- What is glass made of?
- Properties of glass.
- Uses and applications of glass.
- Types of glass.
- Advantages and disadvantages of glass.
What is glass?
Glass is a hard material that can be made in many shapes. Glass is an inorganic solid material that is usually transparent or translucent. It is called an amorphous solid because it lacks the ordered molecular structure of true solids, and yet its irregular structure is too rigid for it to qualify as a liquid.
Glass has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass impacts many important aspects of life and serves many purposes.
The history of glass-making dates back to at least 3,600 BC in Mesopotamia, however some claim they may have been producing copies of glass objects from Egypt. But, there is also other archaeological evidence that suggests that the first true glass was made in coastal north Syria, Mesopotamia, or Egypt.
Glass may be mostly man-made nowadays, using natural, raw materials, but it is also found in many forms in the natural world. In nature, glasses are formed when sand or rocks, which are often high in silica, are heated to high temperatures and then cooled rapidly.
It is a safe material for the environment. Even when glass breaks down, it remains safe and stable and doesn't release any harmful chemicals into the soil. So even when glass isn't recycled, it does minimal harm to the environment.
What is glass made of?
Glass is made from the following natural and abundant raw materials:
- sand, a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles
- soda ash, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3)
- limestone, a common type of carbonate sedimentary rock
These raw materials are melted at very high temperatures to form glass. Sand melts at an incredibly high temperature of 1700°C (3090°F).
At high-temperature, glass is structurally similar to liquids, however, at ambient temperature, it behaves like solids.
Properties of glass
Some of the properties of glass as a material include:
- it is a hard and solid material
- it is fragile and easily breakable
- it is transparent to visible light
- it is a recyclable material
- it is safe for the environment
- it has a disordered and amorphous structure
- it is heat absorbent
- has a high degree of both corrosion and chemical resistance
Use and applications of glass
Glass is used in the following non-exhaustive list of products: bottles for water and other drinks, jars for food, drinking glasses, plates, cups, bowls, windows, mirrors, cameras, lightbulbs, computer screens, aquariums, and eyeglasses.
Types of glass
In general, glass can be divided into two groups: natural glass and artificial glass. As the name implies, natural glass is produced by processes in nature, while artificial glass is produced by the melting of several raw materials.
The following are some of the most common types of glass:
- Soda glass or soda-lime glass is the most prevalent type of glass, usually used for windowpanes and glass containers (bottles and jars) for drinks, food, and some commodity items. Soda-lime glass is chemically stable, relatively inexpensive, and reasonably hard glass.
- Stained glass, which is colored glass. It is used for making decorative windows and other objects through which light passes. Strictly speaking, all colored glass is “stained,” or colored by the addition of various metallic oxides while it is in a molten state.
- Plate glass, flat glass, or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for glass doors, windows, transparent walls, and windscreens.
- Safety glass is glass with additional safety features that make it less likely to break.
- Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that is made of two or more panes of annealed glass joined together by a layer of plastic, or polyvinyl butyral.
- Optical glass is a clear homogeneous glass of known refractive index and it is used to make lenses.
Advantages and disadvantages of glass
Glass, like any other material, has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of glass:
- Transparency
- Dustproof and Waterproof
- Color availability
- Aesthetically appealing
- UV stable
- Weather and Rust resistance
- Recyclable
- Easily molded
Disadvantages of glass:
- Expensive material
- Breaks easily
- Unsafe for Earthquake-prone areas
- Melts in high temperatures
Summary:
- Glass is a hard, inorganic solid, which is usually transparent or translucent and can be made in many shapes.
- The history of glass-making dates back to at least 3,600 BC.
- Glass may be mostly man-made nowadays, using natural, raw materials, but it is also found in many forms in the natural world.
- It is a safe, non-toxic material for the environment.
- Glass is made from sand, soda ash, and limestone, which are melted at very high temperatures to form glass.
- Glass is transparent, fragile, non-toxic, recyclable, heat-absorbent, and has a high degree of both corrosion and chemical resistance.
- Glass is used in the following non-exhaustive list of products: bottles for water and other drinks, jars for food, drinking glasses, plates, cups, bowls, windows, mirrors, cameras, lightbulbs, computer screens, and eyeglasses.
- In general, glass can be divided into two groups: natural glass and artificial glass.
- Some common types of glass are soda glass, optical glass, laminated glass, safety glass, plate glass, and stained glass.
- Glass, like any other material, has its advantages and disadvantages.
