Thermal Stability of Type II Modifications by IR Femtosecond Laser in Silica-based Glasses

Femtosecond (fs) laser written fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are excellent candidates for ultra-high temperature (>800 °C) monitoring. More specifically, Type II modifications in silicate glass fibers, characterized by the formation of self-organized birefringent nanostructures, are known to exhibit remarkable thermal stability around 1000 °C for several hours. However, to date there is no clear understanding on how both laser writing parameters and glass composition impact the overall thermal stability of these fiber-based sensors. In this context, this work investigates thermal stability of Type II modifications in various conventional glass systems (including pure silica glasses with various Cl and OH contents, GeO2-SiO2 binary glasses, TiO2- and B2O3-doped commercial glasses) and with varying laser parameters (writing speed, pulse energy). In order to monitor thermal stability, isochronal annealing experiments (Δt⁓ 30 min, ΔT⁓ 50 °C) up to 1400 °C were performed on the irradiated samples, along with quantitative retardance measurements. Among the findings to highlight, it was established that ppm levels of Cl and OH can drastically reduce thermal stability (by about 200 °C in this study). Moreover, GeO2 doping up to 17 mole% only has a limited impact on thermal stability. Finally, the relationships between glass viscosity, dopants/impurities, and thermal stability, are discussed.

Influence of Glass Additions on Illitic Clay Ceramics

A mixture of an illitic clay and waste glass was prepared and studied during the sintering process. The illitic clay, from the Liepa deposit (Latvia), and green glass waste (GW) were disintegrated to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The addition of disintegrated GW (5–15 wt% in the mixture) led to a reduction in the intensive sintering temperature, from 900 to 860 °C, due to a significant decrease in the glass viscosity. The addition of GW slightly decreased the intensities of the endo- and exothermic reactions in the temperature range from 20 to 1000 °C due to the reduced concentration of clay minerals. GW reduced the plasticity of the clay and reduced the risk of structural breakage. The increase in sintering temperature from 700 to 1000 °C decreased the apparent porosity and water uptake capacity of the ceramics from 35% and 22%, down to 24% and 13%, respectively. The apparent porosities of all the sintered mixtures showed a decrease of between 6% to 9% after the addition of GW with concentrations from 5 up to 15 wt% respectively, while the water uptake capacities decreased from between 4% and 10%. The addition of GW led to an increase in the apparent density of the ceramic materials, up to 2.2 g/cm3. Furthermore, the compressive strength increased by more than two times, reaching a highest value of 240 MPa after the sintering of the 15 wt% GW-containing mixture at 1000 °C.

Nanocomposites Based on Water Glass Matrix as a Foundry Binder: Chosen Physicochemical Properties

The nanocomposites based on water glass matrix were attempted in the study. Nanoparticles of ZnO, Al2O3 or MgO in organic solutions were applied into water glass matrix in the amounts of: 1.5; 3; 4 or 5 mas. %. Wettability of the quartz sad by the nanocomposites based on water glass matrix was determined by testing changes of the wetting angle θ in time τ for the system: quartz - binder in non-stationary state, by means of the device for measuring wetting angles. Wettability measurements were carried out under isothermal conditions at an ambient temperature (20 - 25°C). The modification improves wettability of quartz matrix by water glass, which is effective in improving strength properties of hardened moulding sands. Out of the considered modifiers in colloidal solution of propyl alcohol water glass modified by MgO nanoparticles indicated the smallest values of the equilibrium wetting angle θr. This value was equal app. 11 degrees and was smaller no less than 40 degrees than θr value determined for not modified water glass. Viscosity η of nanocomposites based on water glass matrix was determined from the flow curve, it means from the empirically determined dependence of the shearing stress τ on shear rate γ: τ = f (γ) (1), by means of the rotational rheometer. Measurements were carried out at a constant temperature of 20°C. The modification influences the binder viscosity. This influence is conditioned by: amount of the introduced modifier as well as dimensions and kinds of nanoparticles and organic solvents. The viscosity increase of the modified binder does not negatively influence its functional properties.

Effect of Auxiliaries on Pore Structure of Foam Glass

In this paper, foam glass as thermal insulation material was prepared from alkali-free glass powder, and silicon carbide was used as foaming agent in the process. The effect of silicon carbide and sodium carbonate was investigated. Thermal performance of the batch was investigated by using the TG/DSC simultaneous thermal analyzer. The morphology of the glass foams was evaluated by the scanning electron microscopy. The phase of the sample was studied through X-ray diffraction, and chemical composition of the samples was estimated by using X-ray fluorescence spectrum. The results show that, the pore diameter of sample increases gradually at first and then stabilizes with the increasement of silicon carbide. Sodium carbonate not only improves the foaming ability by reducing the glass viscosity but also influences the crystallization of the sample. The bulk density and compressive strength are decreasing while the content of sodium carbonate increasing.