No abstract

Glass ®bres are well-known reinforcing agents for different kinds of materials. For example, plastics, polyesters and epoxy resins can be reinforced using glass ®bres originally developed for electrical applications; the resistance of bituminous materials is increased with the addition of chemically resistant glass ®bres, and alkali resistant ®bres are used in reinforced concrete. The price of conventional glass ®bres is high because of the cost of the raw materials and of the high energy cost involved in the melting process. Therefore, a process which would allow the substitution of the natural raw materials with secondary products such as certain inorganic industrial wastes which have a lower melting temperature, would be of interest because it could increase the saving of energy and natural resources. Moreover, the disposal of industrial wastes in land®ll would be reduced.