What is Glass Fibre?
Glass fibre has a lot of excellent physical properties that makes it a versatile fibre for technical and functional uses. Glass fibre is commonly used in a wide range of industrial purposes. Generally glass fibre is made from thin strands of glass. The strands have both high flexibility and strength properties which is ideal for special applications as insulation, reinforcement, and composites.
Properties of Glass Fibre:
We have mentioned earlier that glass fibre has some excellent physical properties that makes it distinct from other fibres. Here some physical properties of glass fibre are discussed below-
a) High Strength: Due to its composition construction and crystallanity, glass fibre has very high strength. The tensile strength of glass fibre may be up to 5 GPa that means it is 05 times more stronger than steel of equivalent weight! Due to the exceptional level of strength, it owns a high degree of resistance to stretching. This property makes it suitable for some special uses on reinforcement and composites.
b) Low Density: Though glass fibre poses an exceptional level of tensile strength, but the density of glass fibre is significantly lower than other high-strength materials like steel or aluminum. Glass fibre has density around 2.5 g/cm3 only. Due to this low density physical property, glass fibre is more ideal material for applications that require a high strength-to-weight ratio.
c) High Modulus: High Modulus property of a fibre increases its resistance to deformation under different stresses. Glass fibre has a very high modulus of elasticity. This high modulus makes it suitable material for specially reinforcement applications. It may be used in a composite to improve the strength of other materials such as polymers or concrete.
d) Thermal Resistance: Glass fibre has an excellent level of thermal resistancy. It can withstand temperatures up to 500°C without any significant degradation. Due to higher level of thermal resistancy of glass fibre, it can be used on high-temperature applications such as exhaust systems and furnace insulation.
e) Chemical & UV Resistance: Chemical resistancy is another important property for the fibres specially used on technical and functional purposes. Glass fibre is highly resistant to most chemicals. Therefore it can be used in a wide range of chemical processing applications and treatments. Glass fibre also has excellent resistance to UV radiation and weathering. This resistance capable it for being used in outdoor applications.
f) Electrical Insulation: It is an excellent electrical insulator. It is very much suitable for electrical and electronic applications. It is also used as a reinforcing material in electrical insulation materials such as varnishes and resins.
g) Sound Absorption: Glass fibre can absorb sounds. Due to its excellent sound absorption properties, it is applied for acoustic insulations. It is popularly used in building constructions to reduce noise levels and improve acoustic performance.
h) Non-Magnetic: Glass fibre is non-magnetic material. For this property, it is more suitable for use in applications where magnetic interference is a concern, such as in MRI machines.
i) Water Resistance: Glass fibre has zero absorbency and high resistance to water and moisture. Hence it can be used in applications that require water resistance, such as boat hulls and water tanks.
j) Corrosion Resistance: Glass fibre can protect corrosion to high extent. It is therefore used in some special applications where corrosion resistance is critical. It is commonly used in the construction of tanks and pipelines that is treated with some corrosive chemicals.
k) Fatigue Resistance: Glass fibre has very high fatigue resistance. It can sustain under a numerous of cycle of stress without any significant degradation. It is applied in some area where the object is treated with cyclic loading, such as wind turbine blades.
l) Biocompatibility: Glass fibre is biocompatible. It is used in a wide range of medical applications, including surgical implants and prosthetics.
Conclusion:
Due to some distinct properties of glass fibre, it is good choice for a wide range of applications. Its high strength, low density, and excellent thermal and chemical resistance make it an ideal material for use in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive to construction and medical.
Working as head of the dept. of Wet Process Engineering at Textile Engineering College, Zorargonj, Chattogram. He is also CEO at TEC Media and advisor at Textile Engineers Club. He hosts textile related online program ‘TEC Show’.