Modern Engeneering Tichnologies: Fiberglass

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The world is full of new and interesting. The present era can be proud of the numerous inventions in different spheres: engineering, medicine, chemistry, biology, etc. A wide scope of progress during the last century seems to leave us nothing to invent unless they a constant need to renew new technologies into new solutions. People still keep making easier their lives.

Now I want to catch your attention on the issue of fiberglass. The reason is that this material is a revolutionary one, for instance, in engineering, building, or aircraft construction. First, let us have a look at the general definition of this material:

Fiberglass is a thread made from glass. It is made by forcing molten glass through a kind of sieve, thereby spinning it into threads. Fiberglass is strong, durable, and impervious to many caustics and extreme temperatures. For those qualities, fabrics woven from glass threads are widely used for industrial purposes. Fiberglass fabrics can also be made to resemble silks and cotton and are used for curtains and drapery. A wide variety of materials are made by combining fiberglass with plastic. These materials, which are rust-proof, are molded into the shape required or pressed into flat sheets. Boat hulls, automobile bodies, and roofing and ceiling compositions are some of the uses to which such material is put. (Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2007 17016)

Thus, such “strong, durable” qualities with a resistive capacity to extreme temperatures of fiberglass determine a great interest among scientists in the question of its use. As one of the most popular composites in the machine-building industry it forecast the future of new, made of light in weight materials cars. Fiberglass now demonstrates the ability to substitute aluminum in aircraft and ships hulls. It is so already. In fact, it is a kind of interchange of the materials with which the invention began its history with those ones which tend to regenerate a common view on it.

We can single out those who directed their energies at the invention of glass threads. It, of course, concerns Louis Schwabe, having been inspired by the works of previous scholars as Robert Brook and René Réaumur with their suggestions to create “an artificial silk”, he exhibited threads of glass in the year 1842. This resulted in marking the dawn of a new era, where use of a crude spinneret in processing of glass gave birth to man-made fibers and fiberglass, as a result.

Man-made fibers gave not only a new birth but also a new breath in chemistry and created many ways of their use in significant fields of man research in theory as well as in practice. Before making out the importance of fiberglass in detail, we should first acquire familiarity with the classification of man-made fibers:

Classification of man-made fibers

I. From Natural Polymers

A. Cellulose Base

1. Regenerated cellulose (rayon)

a. Viscose

b. Cuprammonium

c. Saponified cellulose acetate

2. Modified cellulose (esters and ethers)

a. Acetate (Celanese)

b. Ethylcellulose

c. Cellulose acetate butyrate

B. Protein Base

a. Vicara, Zycon

C. Alginates

D. Inorganic

a. Glass

b. Plastic coated glass

c. Metal (not a polymer)

II. From Synthetic Polymers

A. Polyamides

1. Nylon 66

a. Chemstrand: Chemstrand nylon (yarn)

b. Du Pont: Du Pont nylon (yarn, staple and tow)

c. North American Rayon: (yarn)

d. Poliafil, Inc.: Poliafil (yarn)

2. Nylon 6

a. Allied Chemical & Dye: Caprolan (staple)

b. American Enka: Enka, Nylenka (yarn and staple)

c. Industrial Rayon: IRC (yarn, staple, and tow)

d. North American Rayon: (yarn)

B. Polyvinyls

1. Polyacrylonitrile

a. Du Pont: Orlon (staple and tow)

2. Copolymers

a. American Viscose: Avisco Vinyon–vinyl acetate, vinylchloride. (staple)

b. American Cyanamid: Creslan–acrylonitrile, acrylo compounds. (staple and tow)

c. Chemstrand: Acrilan–acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, or

pyridine. (staple and tow)

d. Dow Chemical: Zefran (“nitrile alloy” fiber)–mainly

acrylonitrile. (staple)

e. Tennessee Eastman: Verel–mainly acrylonitrile. (staple and tow)

f. Union Carbide: Dynel–vinyl chloride and acrylonitrile. (staple)

3. Polyvinyl alcohol

4. Vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride copolymers

a. Saran, velon, etc.

C. Polyesters

a. Du Pont: Dacron–polyethylene terephthalate. (yarn, staple, tow, and fiberfill)

D. Polyurethanes

E. Others

1. B. F. Goodrich: Darlan–vinylidene dinitrile. (staple)

2. Polyethylene

3. Polystyrene

4. Tetrafluoroethylene

a. Du Pont: Teflon (yarn and staple)

This table gives a clear survey of the place of glass within fibers. A huge variety of organic and non-organic matters enthralled the branch of chemistry and boarding sciences. Among them fiberglass is of significant interest in the United States.

As it was mentioned earlier, many industries require high strength and low weight of their products. That is why the invention of carbon fiber stimulated such desires to come true. As we know, glass is thought to be something like an elastic solid. Its metastable state defines the molecular model of glass and its amorphous structure. Such formation, I mean its crystalline form, suggested an idea to simply let scraps of glass through the orifice to make fibers. Glass like this turns out to be endurable. It reminds us of a quality of steel when quenching it through a press. Silica-based glass after extrusion being heated and drawn obtains the quality of an irreplaceable material like fiberglass. Accordingly to the properties of fiberglass we figure out that, when processing, the freshest fibers obtain strength in their consistence because of their ductility. The other aspect is several scratches on the surface area of fiberglass; with many of them it gets better tenacity. Here the humidity plays a great role, as the moisture can be easily absorbed by microscopic hollows. The ability of glass to undergo elongation before it breaks seems to contrast with other composites, such as carbon fiber. We usually distinguish within types of fiberglass the most frequently used E-glass and S-glass. The first one is good at insulation, maintaining its properties up to 1500 degrees F; the second one is stiffer and acquires a high tensile strength.

While using fiberglass we remind the fiberglass molding, the process which reinforces resin plastics in glass fibers to gain a definite shape. The fiberglass spray lay-up process is also spoken about to produce molds. One should mention here a mold released agent PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol), which is a kind of wax to perform a definite shape of a mold. Too many composites are used in conjunction with each other, creating new structures of materials in the shaping of modern time. Nevertheless, people in a search of new technologies forget about those mistakes, fulfillment of which causes a danger to them and the environment.

A curious thing is that being inorganic glass fibers go well together with plastic. This combination provokes a rather actual question of its safety for people. The environment can hardly “breath” with a huge variety of waste, we either. Talking about the effect of fiberglass on human beings, one article admits:

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) is an extremely versatile structural material composed of unsaturated polyester resin and fiberglass; objects made from it, obtained by manual or mechanical layering, are characterized by a low specific weight, high resistance to corrosives and atmospheric agents, and low thermal and electrical conductivity. Through a complex chain of events, exposure to fiberglass contributes to the development of pathologic alterations of the respiratory apparatus for which the etiopathogenesis and evolution are still unclear (Changes Induced by Exposure of the Human Lung to Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic 1)

One of the problems producing fiberglass is its use of formaldehyde. Being a binder in this process presents a very dangerous risk of out-gassing. Moreover, fiberglass is known to be “possibly carcinogenic”. This opinion plunged people into sorrow as of the utensils and parts of their houses. Still, it is not a signal to pull out your roof. It is one more appeal to the owners of this many-billion dollars industry and to the scientists to optimize the use of hazardous gases and other materials in combination with which glass fibers can present danger for mankind. This means, that we should insulate it somehow. Do you mind that production of fiberglass should be with no binders at all? Thomas Newton, one of the scholars working in this field, says: “Fiberglass blow-in insulation doesn’t need a binder, but most of it has one anyway because it is made from scraps and edges of fiberglass bats.” (Magazine article by Suzanne Spencer, Amy Gulick; E, Vol. 8, May-June 1997 1) Nowadays there are some of the newly invented alternatives needed instead of fiberglass and that are less dangerous for men. For example, non-toxic foam based on air realized in magnesium oxide called Air-Krete; or perlite, a natural product made of tiny volcanic pebbles captured in the furnace. The main problem is in their expensive cost.

Repeating the idea of both profit and danger of using fiberglass in national economy we should keep our eyes open every now and then. It goes without saying, that fiberglass helps in making present and new building materials and new appearance of composite materials, though we should take into account a probable risk of its components and binders. As I see, this idea should not stop the progress, but living in an anthroposophic environment one cannot, but remember that that device he created may appear to be a hazard of great power. It did not matter people in an accident with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Let new technologies and new researches provide beneficial values for us in the focus of new ways of population protection not only in the United States of America but also worldwide.

Works Cited

Abbate, Carmelo, et al. “Changes Induced by Exposure of the Human Lung to Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic.” Environmental Health Perspectives 114.11 (2006)
“Fiberglass.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2007. Questia. 2009
“Conserving with Insulation; Some Materials Are Eco-Friendly; All Cut Energy Use.” The Washington Times 2007: B01. Questia. 2009
Manwell, J. F. Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design and Application. Ed. J. G. McGowan and A. L. Rogers. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
Spencer, Suzanne, and Amy Gulick. “Security Blanket: Fiberglass’ Potential Dangers Can Be Avoided with Insulating Alternatives.” E 1997

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Modern Engeneering Tichnologies: Fiberglass

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