Properties and applications of glass

1. Some Aspects of the Nature of Inorganic Glasses. Definition of the term ``Glass''. The transformation range. The chemical nature of inorganic glasses. Devitrification. Immiscibility in melts and glasses. The structure of oxide glasses. II. Viscosity. Definition. Viscosity values. Analysis of some simple problems in viscous laminar flow. Measurement of viscosity. Variation of viscosity with temperature. Flow properties in the transformation range. Effects of glass composition. III. Thermal Expansion. The shape of the thermal expansion curve. Methods of measurement. Effects of glass composition. Stresses in glass seals. Thermal stresses. Annealing. Measurement of internal stresses in glassware. IV. The Strength of Glass. The theoretical strength of glass. Effect of surface flaws on the strength of glass - the Griffith equation. Methods for measuring glass strength. High strength glass surfaces. Damage to glass surfaces. Factors affecting the strength of damaged surfaces. Increasing the strength of glass. V. The Strength of Glassware. Determination of service stresses. The simulated service testing of glass containers. Fracture analysis. VI. Refractive Index and Dispersion. Introduction. Refractive index. Dispersion. Optical glasses. The significance of optical properties in lens design. Glass optical fibres. VII. The Absorption of Radiation by Glasses. Introduction. Units and nomenclature. Transition metal ion colours. The absorptivity of oxide glasses in the UV. Colloidal colours. Absorption in the IR. Decolourizing of commercial glasses. Laser glasses. VIII. Electrical Properties. Introduction. Ionically conducting glasses. Semi-conducting glasses. Dielectric loss in oxide glasses. IX. Chemical Durability. Introduction. Weathering. Reactions of silicate glasses with aqueous solutions. Standard tests for chemical durability. Methods of improving the durability of glassware or reducing the attack by specific reagents. References. Author Index. Subject Index.