Materials scienceLesson 1 of 4 in the course Ceramics and glass

Glass: Structure, Production, Properties, and Applications

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Glass is familiar in windows, bottles, and lenses, but its structure differs from that of most solids. This lesson introduces glass as an amorphous material and explains how rapid cooling can preserve its disordered structure.

Glass is commonly defined as a non-crystalline solid formed when a melt cools rapidly. More broadly, the term can refer to an amorphous solid that exhibits a glass transition as it is heated toward a liquid state.

All flashcards

Glass transition
A temperature range in which an amorphous material's behavior changes as it is heated toward a liquid state.
Glass-forming ability
How readily a material forms glass rather than crystals during rapid cooling.
Annealing
Controlled cooling of formed glass to reduce internal stresses and lower the risk of breakage.
Glass-ceramic
A material containing both glassy and crystalline phases, made by controlled nucleation and partial crystallization.
Fused quartz
Nearly pure silica glass that resists heat and chemical weathering but is difficult to shape.

Quiz questions

  1. How does the glass transition differ from the melting of a crystal?Answer: It occurs over a temperature range rather than as a sharp first-order transition.
  2. In the float-glass process, what supports the molten glass as it forms a flat ribbon?Answer: A bath of molten tin
  3. What is fibreglass?Answer: Plastic reinforced with glass fibres
  4. Why did Stone Age societies use obsidian for cutting tools?Answer: It can fracture to produce exceptionally sharp edges.
  5. Which glass family is widely used for windows, bottles, jars, and tableware?Answer: Soda–lime glass

Based on the Wikipedia article Glass, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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