Borosilicate

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Borosilicate glass is created by adding boron to the traditional glassmaker's sand, sodium carbonate, and ground calcium oxide.  Borrowing from the welding, new burners combining [[oxygen]] with [[natural gas]] were required to melt the glass.
 
Borosilicate glass is created by adding boron to the traditional glassmaker's sand, sodium carbonate, and ground calcium oxide.  Borrowing from the welding, new burners combining [[oxygen]] with [[natural gas]] were required to melt the glass.
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Although, there are electric ovens that are capable of this.
  
 
== Composition and physical characteristics ==
 
== Composition and physical characteristics ==
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  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <th>Element</th>
 
  <th>Element</th>
<th>Atomic<br>number</th>
 
 
  <th>Fraction</th>
 
  <th>Fraction</th>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>B</td>
 
  <td align=center>B</td>
<td align=center>5</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.040064</td>
 
  <td>0.040064</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>O</td>
 
  <td align=center>O</td>
<td align=center>8</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.539562</td>
 
  <td>0.539562</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>Na</td>
 
  <td align=center>Na</td>
<td align=center>11</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.028191</td>
 
  <td>0.028191</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>Al</td>
 
  <td align=center>Al</td>
<td align=center>13</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.011644</td>
 
  <td>0.011644</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>Si</td>
 
  <td align=center>Si</td>
<td align=center>14</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.377220</td>
 
  <td>0.377220</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <tr>
 
  <td align=center>K</td>
 
  <td align=center>K</td>
<td align=center>19</td>
+
 
 
  <td>0.003321</td>
 
  <td>0.003321</td>
 
  </tr>
 
  </tr>
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== Usage ==
 
== Usage ==
  
Borosilicate glass's refractory properties and physical strength make it ideal for use in laboratories, where it is used to make high-durability glass lab equipment, such as beakers and test tubes.
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Borosilicate is most often employed where a glass would be subject to swings in temperature, such as labware and glass pipes.
 
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Most glassware used in laboratories is made of borosilicate glass, due partly to how little it warps when exposed to heat hence its ability to provide accurate measurements of volume over time.
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During the mid-twentieth century borosilicate glass tubing was used to pipe coolants (often distilled water) through high power vacuum tube based electronic equipment such as commercial broadcast transmitters.
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Glass cookware is another common usage; a borosilicate glass pie plate is almost the American standard pie dish. Borosilicate glass measuring cups, which featured painted-on markings illustrating graduated measurements, are also widely used in American kitchens.
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Aquarium heaters are sometimes made out of borosilicate glass. Due to its high heat resistance, it can tolerate the great temperature differences between water and the [[nichrome]] heating element.
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Many high quality [[flashlight]]s, such as those made by [[Surefire]], use borosilicate glass for the lens. This allows for a higher percentage of light transmittance through the lens than compared to plastics and lower-quality glass.
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Specialty [[marijuana]] pipes (commonly sold as [[tobacco]] pipes for legal reasons) are made from borosilicate glass. The high heat resistance allows the pipe to tolerate a longer period of use, and these pipes are also more durable.
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Most premanufactured glass guitar slides are also made of borosilicate glass.
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New [[lampworking]] techniques led to artistic uses.
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Borosilicate glass is sometimes used for high-quality beverage glassware; [[Bodum, Inc.]] markets a line of French coffee presses and double-walled beverage glasses made of borosilicate, lending them increased durability and [[microwave oven|microwave]]/[[dishwasher]] compatibility.
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Artists and craftsman choose to use borosilicate due to the colors that are available, the working properties, thermal properties, and many more reasons.
  
Most astronomical reflecting [[telescope]] glass mirror components are made of borosilicate glass due to the low coefficient of expansion due to heat. This makes very precise optical surfaces possible that change very little with temperature, and matched glass mirror components that 'track' across temperature changes and retain the optical system's characteristics. Borosilicate glass is not used for high quality lenses due to striations and inclusions common to this type of glass.
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[[Category:Materials]]

Latest revision as of 19:22, 21 March 2012

Contents

[edit] Borosilicate

Borosilicate glass was first developed by German glassmaker Otto Schott in the late 19th century and sold under the brand name Schott "Duran" in 1893. After Corning Glass Works introduced "Pyrex" in 1915, it became a synonym for borosilicate glass in the English-speaking world. In addition to the quartz, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate traditionally used in glassmaking, boron is used in the manufacture of borosilicate glass. Typically, the resulting glass composition is about 70% silica, 10% boric oxide, 8% sodium oxide, 8% potassium oxide, and 1% calcium oxide. Though somewhat more difficult to make than soda lime glass, it's economical to produce because its superior durability, chemical and heat resistance.

[edit] Manufacturing process

Borosilicate glass is created by adding boron to the traditional glassmaker's sand, sodium carbonate, and ground calcium oxide. Borrowing from the welding, new burners combining oxygen with natural gas were required to melt the glass. Although, there are electric ovens that are capable of this.

[edit] Composition and physical characteristics

Borosilicate glass has a very low COE, about one-third that of soda lime glass. This reduces material stresses caused by temperature gradients, thus making it more resistant to breaking. This makes it ideal for use in telescopes and labware. Borosilicate glass begins to soften around 821 °C (1510 °F). Borosilicate glass is less dense than soda lime glass.

While more resistant to thermal shock than other types of glass, borosilicate glass can still crack or shatter when it is exposed to extreme temperature changes. Annealing can mitigate some of these properties, but it is an inherant property of glass, with quartz glass being the most shock resistant. When broken, borosilicate glass tends to crack into large pieces rather than shattering.

Fraction by weight

Element Fraction
B 0.040064
O 0.539562
Na 0.028191
Al 0.011644
Si 0.377220
K 0.003321

Physical characteristics
Density = 2.23 g/cm3

[edit] Usage

Borosilicate is most often employed where a glass would be subject to swings in temperature, such as labware and glass pipes.

Artists and craftsman choose to use borosilicate due to the colors that are available, the working properties, thermal properties, and many more reasons.

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