(1) How is glass fiber made?

The manufacturing process of glass fiber usually includes the following major steps:

Raw material preparation:

• Select raw materials suitable for the manufacture of glass fibers. Such as silicate, borate, etc. Broken glass (waste glass) can be added as a recycled raw material.

Raw materials are accurately weighed and thoroughly mixed. This process is called batching or batch processing.

Melting stage:

• Melt the mixed raw materials in the kiln at high temperature. According to different production processes. Crucible method or pool kiln method can be used.

• Crucible method. Glass spheres or other glass raw materials are added to a crucible made of refractory material. Heat to a high temperature to melt it into a liquid state.

• Pool kiln method. The raw material is melted directly into the continuous working pool kiln. A uniform glass solution is formed.

Drawing molding:

• When molten glass solution passes through the leaky plate (or more leaky plates). Being stretched at high speed. Form very fine diameter fiber bundles.

• Crucible method. The secondary molten glass will flow out through the leakage plate. Quickly cooled and cured into fibers.

• Tank kiln process. The glass solution passes through the porous leaky plate. High speed stretching. It is then rapidly cured into fibers.

Post-processing:

• Newly pulled fibers require a series of follow-up treatments. Such as coating resins or other chemicals to enhance their properties. As well as processes such as bunching and cutting and winding and forming. To form the final desired glass fiber product shape.

• Fiberglass can also be finished. Such as impregnating nano silver glue solution. To improve electrical conductivity.

Quality control and inspection:

• The quality of glass fiber should be strictly controlled in the production process. Ensure uniform performance. Meet the specifications of physical and mechanical properties. To sum up. The production of glass fiber is one that involves raw material pretreatment. High temperature melting. The complex process of fiber forming and post-treatment. The ultimate goal is to obtain fiber materials with high strength and weight and good corrosion resistance and performance. With the development of technology. The drawing method of tank kiln is highly efficient, energy saving and highly automated. It has become the main method of glass fiber production in modern industry.

(2) What is glass fiber?

Glass fiber is made of glass material. By air or steam injection. Centrifugal spinning and other special processes. Melt the glass at a high temperature. A continuous fine fiber made by stretching into a fibrous material with a diameter of only a few to tens of microns. Because its internal structure is amorphous. Therefore, this fiber has excellent physical properties. Such as high strength and low density and high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance and good electrical insulation characteristics. Glass fiber is widely used in various fields. Such as: composite materials;

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP or FRP) is a resin-based composite material. Widely used in Marine and automotive parts. And chemical anti-corrosion equipment and sporting goods and wind turbine blades.

Building Materials:

Add to concrete as a strengthening material. Improve earthquake resistance and durability of buildings. It can also be used as insulation material and roof waterproof layer.

Electronic and electrical industry:

It is a high performance insulating material. Used to fill or cover wires and cables and electrical equipment such as motors and transformers.

Aerospace Industry:

Due to its light weight and high strength characteristics. Fiberglass is widely used in structural components of aircraft and spacecraft.

Environmental protection:

It can be used in environmental protection equipment such as waste gas treatment facilities and waste water filtration media. Besides. Because glass fibers have stable chemical properties. Glass fibers are also found in some special natural environments. Such as in the lunar soil samples brought back by Chang ‘e-5. Scientists have discovered naturally occurring glass fibers. In general. Glass fiber is an important industrial material. It plays an important role in the development of modern industry and science and technology.

(3) Choose glass fiber instead of other materials

The main reason for choosing glass fiber over other materials lies in its unique set of advantages:

High strength:

Glass fibers have very high tensile strength. This means that it can withstand a lot of tension per unit area without breaking. This is because the glass fiber is drawn by a special process. Its internal structure is uniform. There are almost no defects. The fiber can effectively disperse the stress when subjected to external force. Thus showing excellent tensile properties. Besides. Glass fibers are often used in bundles or fabric form with other materials, such as resins. After forming a composite material. Its mechanical properties are further enhanced.

Stiffness:

Stiffness is a measure of an object’s ability to resist deformation. The ability of an object to retain its original shape under force. Glass fiber itself has a high Young’s modulus. This means even at very small strains. It can also provide a great counterforce. Fiberglass is woven into cloth or laminated into prepreg. Combined with resin to make composite material. The stiffness of the whole structure can be greatly improved. Ensure small deformation and high stability under load. It is due to these excellent mechanical properties. Fiberglass is widely used in aerospace and automotive manufacturing. As well as wind turbine blades and building reinforcement and sports equipment and many other fields. To achieve the goal of lightweight design and improve structural efficiency.

Chemical stability:

Glass fiber is mainly composed of inorganic materials such as silicate. Does not react easily with most acids and bases and solvents. It is therefore resistant to many common chemical attacks.

Acid and alkali resistance:

Glass fiber has good acid and alkali resistance. Suitable for applications with strong acid or alkali environment. Such as chemical equipment and plating tank lining and anti-corrosion pipes.

Antioxidant and weather resistance:

Fiberglass does not rust from oxidation like metal. It is effective against ultraviolet rays. The humidity. Temperature changes and other factors cause physical and chemical aging. Maintain stable performance. Therefore, it can maintain a long service life in outdoor and bad weather conditions.

Coating protection:

In order to further improve the corrosion resistance of glass fiber. It can be surface treated. Such as coating with special resins and ceramic or other anti-corrosion coatings. To enhance its corrosion resistance to specific corrosive liquid or gas environments. However. Although the glass fiber itself has excellent corrosion resistance. However, at extremely high temperatures or under the action of some special corrosive media (such as high temperature acidic solutions, strong oxidants). Its corrosion resistance may be affected. Besides. If there is a defect or coating failure at the interface joint of the glass fiber composite. It may reduce the corrosion resistance of the overall structure. Therefore. It depends on the specific situation. Choose the right fiberglass products.

High temperature resistance:

High temperature resistance of glass fiber. Depends on its specific type and manufacturing process. Different types of glass fibers have different high temperature limits. The following is the general high temperature range of different types of glass fiber:

Ordinary glass fiber:

The temperature resistance of glass fiber is usually between 300℃ and 500℃. However, it is also pointed out that the temperature resistance of some ordinary glass fibers can reach 350 ° C.

Ultrafine glass fiber:

For ultrafine glass fibers, the temperature resistance can be increased to about 450 ° C.

Alkali free ultrafine glass fiber:

This kind of material has superior high temperature resistance and can withstand temperatures up to 650 ° C.

High silica glass fiber:

This special type of glass fiber can withstand higher temperatures, up to 1000 ° C.

Quartz glass fiber:

Because the main component of quartz is silicon dioxide. So its high temperature resistance is very good. It is stable at temperatures of 1100 ° C or higher. One thing to note. The above temperature does not refer to the long-term use temperature of glass fiber at this temperature. More refers to the highest temperature it can withstand in a short period of time or an instant. In practical application. In order to ensure material performance and service life. The operating temperature is usually set within a certain range below the limit temperature of the glass fiber. Except. Mechanical properties of glass fiber at high temperature. And insulation properties will also change with the increase of temperature.

Excellent insulation performance:

Glass fiber because of its unique material properties, its insulation performance is indeed very good:

Electrical insulation:

Glass fiber has excellent electrical insulation properties. It is a non-conductive material. Can effectively prevent the current through. Therefore. It is widely used in the insulation layer of wire and cable and the insulation part of electrical equipment. And the transformer. Insulation and insulation structure of electric equipment such as motors.

Thermal insulation:

Glass fiber also has good thermal insulation properties. Due to its low thermal conductivity. High thermal resistance. It slows the transfer of heat. It is widely used as insulation material in the construction industry. Like a wall. Insulation of roof and floor.

Acoustic insulation:

Same. The barrier effect of glass fiber in sound transmission is also very significant. Can be used as sound insulation material. Used when it is necessary to control the spread of noise or to provide a quiet environment. Such as theaters and recording studios and sound walls in home improvement.

Long-term insulation properties due to chemical stability:

Glass fibers have stable corrosion resistance to most chemicals. This means that its insulation properties are not easily reduced over time. It can maintain a long-term effective insulation effect even in harsh environments. To sum up. Glass fiber for its excellent insulating properties. It has irreplaceable application value in many fields.

Lightweight advantages:

The lightweight advantages of glass fiber are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Low density:

Compared with traditional metal materials, glass fiber has a lower density. This means that at the same volume, the mass of the glass fiber composite is lighter.

High strength to weight ratio:

Although light in weight. But fiberglass can provide considerable strength and stiffness. Therefore, its strength-to-weight ratio (or specific strength, specific modulus) is very high. This is critical for product or structural designs that need to reduce their own weight while maintaining structural strength. For example, aerospace components. Auto parts and sports equipment.

Energy saving effect:

Total load can be reduced due to lightweight design. Thus reducing energy consumption. Especially in transport vehicles. Replacing traditional metal materials with glass fiber composites can significantly reduce fuel consumption. Improved power performance. And help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Optimal design freedom:

Fiberglass can be laminated as needed. Entangle. Prepreg molding and other methods. Machined into components of various complex shapes and sizes. This allows designers to be more flexible without sacrificing strength. More innovative design solutions. To achieve a better lightweight effect.

Widely used:

In many industries. Like the automobile industry. Build boats. Wind power generation. Building structure reinforcement and other fields. Glass fiber due to its excellent lightweight characteristics. It is widely used in the manufacture of various lightweight high-performance products. Help to improve the technical level of the entire industry and energy saving and emission reduction benefits.

Non-combustible and safe:

Glass fiber has non-combustion and high safety, reflected in the following aspects:

Non-flammability:

The main components of glass fiber are silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and other inorganic oxides, which are not easy to burn under normal conditions. In the case of direct contact with an ignition source, although high temperatures may cause it to melt or soften, flame combustion will not occur as with organic materials.

Flame retardant performance:

When glass fiber is combined with other resin matrix into FRP, the flame retardant grade of the whole composite material can be further improved by adding flame retardants, so that it shows good fire resistance and self-extinguishing performance in the face of fire risk.

Low smoke toxicity:

In a fire, even if the glass fiber is heated, it will not produce a large amount of toxic smoke, which is crucial for ensuring life safety and reducing fire losses, especially for public buildings, transportation vehicles and industrial facilities with high fire protection requirements.

Heat insulation:

Due to its low thermal conductivity, glass fiber can also be used as a high-quality thermal insulation material, which can effectively isolate heat in high temperature environments and reduce the possibility of fire spread. In summary, the non-flammability and safety of fiberglass make it the preferred material for many industries, especially in applications where fire and heat resistance are required and strict safety standards are met.

Aging resistance and durability:

The aging resistance and durability of glass fiber are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Chemical stability:

The main component of glass fiber is inorganic oxides, such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), which are very stable in the natural environment and are not easy to react chemically or be eroded by acid and alkali, so they have good chemical durability.

Uv stability:

Because the glass fiber has a high resistance to ultraviolet light, long-term exposure to outdoor sunlight will not be significantly degraded or brittle due to ultraviolet radiation, thus ensuring its service life and performance in outdoor environments.

Thermal stability:

Glass fiber has a high temperature resistance, in a certain temperature range can keep its mechanical properties are not significantly reduced. Even in the extreme high and low temperature alternating environment, it can also show better fatigue resistance and weather resistance.

Humidity and moisture have little effect:

Compared with natural materials such as wood, glass fiber is not affected by moisture, and does not cause dimensional changes or performance attenuation due to moisture absorption, which makes it still able to maintain stable physical and mechanical properties in wet environments.

Biological inertia:

Glass fiber also has strong resistance to biological factors such as microorganisms and insects, and is not easily affected by biodegradation or corrosion. To sum up, glass fiber because of its excellent aging resistance and durability, widely used in building structures, automobile manufacturing, wind power blades, chemical anti-corrosion equipment and a variety of industrial products that need to be used in harsh environments for a long time.

Flexible processing:

The processing of glass fiber is indeed very flexible, thanks to its unique physical properties and manufacturing process. The following are several aspects that reflect the flexibility of its processing:

Drawing molding:

Glass fibers can be drawn by high temperature molten glass liquid through the leakage plate at high speed to make extremely fine diameter continuous fibers, these fibers can be controlled according to the need for length, and can be bunched into different specifications and strength levels of products.

Composite material processing:

Glass fiber and resin (such as unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, etc.) can be combined to form a variety of composite materials, through laminating, molding, injection molding, winding, jet molding and other processes, can be made to meet the specific shape, size and performance requirements of various parts and structural parts.

Weaving and prepreg technology:

Glass fiber can be woven into yarn or fabric, further processed into fabric reinforced composite material, can also be pre-impregnated resin to become prepreg, according to the design requirements cut and laminated after curing.

Customized design:

Because the glass fiber composite material has good design freedom, the material thickness, direction distribution and fiber content can be customized according to the product needs, to achieve lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, heat insulation and other functional characteristics.

Restoration and renovation:

For existing glass fiber products, if there is damage or need to improve, new glass fiber and resin can be added to repair or strengthen the original structure, showing high repairability and reuse. Therefore, whether it is aerospace, automotive manufacturing, construction industry or sporting goods and other fields, glass fiber is widely used because of its excellent processing flexibility.