A Century of Developments in Glassmelting Research

Abstract

This article reviews the progress in studies devoted to the understanding of glassmelting made since the foundation of The American Ceramic Society. After briefly considering some of the necessary preliminaries, the article briefly discusses studies in melting reactions, redox control, refining, homogenizing, volatilization, refractory corrosion, and flow in furnaces. Knowledge of all of these has advanced significantly in the period considered. However, although many aspects of glassmelting can be discussed on a reasonably sound theoretical foundation, the actual behavior of real, multicomponent systems can be predicted only rarely with confidence from the generally available data base. Computers now make it possible to store much more data than ever before and to analyze information in much more sophisticated ways. Nevertheless, there is often a need to continue carefully conducted basic work. The article concentrates on the older work not readily recovered by computer database searches.

Briquetting of waste glass cullet fine particles for energy saving glass manufacture

“…However, collection, recycling and transportation of cullet produces a significant fraction of fine particles which cannot be directly re-introduced into glass furnaces and are thus currently treated as a waste and discarded. The glass industry has strict requirements for the particle size distribution of batch components [5]. Specifically, very small particles (typically 6mm diameter or less and cannot be sorted using existing optical technology) of glass cullet or batch raw materials can cause dust formation prior to and after entry to the furnace [5]; entrainment of many tiny bubbles or "seed" in the glass melt; and foaming of the melt in furnace [6].…”

“…The glass industry has strict requirements for the particle size distribution of batch components [5]. Specifically, very small particles (typically 6mm diameter or less and cannot be sorted using existing optical technology) of glass cullet or batch raw materials can cause dust formation prior to and after entry to the furnace [5]; entrainment of many tiny bubbles or "seed" in the glass melt; and foaming of the melt in furnace [6]. Moreover, fine particles can have both corrosive and erosive effects on furnace refractories [6,7] and they can block or foul the checkers in furnace regenerators [7].…”

Mechanization of Glass Manufacture

“…Production of optical glass may be considered chiefly a matter of special melting procedures but was not dealt with in the author's previous centennial review. 137 It deserves inclusion, because it is a separate and very important branch of the industry.…”

Experimental study of bubble formation in a glass‐forming liquid doped with cerium oxide

“…The understanding of bubble formation is of particular interest to the glass industry since bubbles might adversely affect both the process itself and the final product . In glass‐melting processes, several gases might be present including molecular oxygen . This gas might be formed through redox reactions involving polyvalent elements .…”

“…In glass‐melting processes, several gases might be present including molecular oxygen . This gas might be formed through redox reactions involving polyvalent elements . It has been experimentally observed that higher temperatures lead to more reduced states for most of the polyvalent elements, favoring then molecular oxygen production .…”