What is a fiberglass and how is it made?


What is a fiberglass and how is it made?


     Fiberglass is a form of glass that is made when glass is drawn or blown into extremely fine fibers. These fibers retain the tensile strength of glass and yet remain very flexible. The most commonly used raw material for fiberglass is quartz, a form of silica that is the chief constituent of sand. Quartz is resistant to attack by almost all chemicals and can be extracted very easily when it is in the molten state. In most cases, the molten glass from which fiberglass is made is forced through a platinum plate with very fine openings. On the far side of the plate, the fine fibers of glass that emerge are united without being twisted, and are wound on a suitable spindle.

Mats of fiberglass
     Mats of fiberglass (see photo above), or glass wool, are formed from shorter fibers that radiate in a variety of random directions. These fibers are bonded together with a thermosetting resin, a high Molecular-weight kind of glue. Fiberglass has a number of applications today; it is often used in automobile bodies and insulating materials.

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