Glass is a material which attracts people with its glossyshine. This material has many applications as mirrors, utensils, furniture,windows, and artworks. This appealing material has found its way into thetextile industry as well. This hard and rigid material can also be made intofine, and glossy fibres which looks very beautiful, and feels like silk. Thisis known as fibre glass. It is also known as glass fibre.
Making Glass Fibres:
Heating glass and making thin fibres out of it is known forages, but still make glass fibres for textile applications is a novel concept.Thin strands of glass are extruded into numerous fibres with minute diameters suitablefor textile processing. Silica, limestone, sand borax, ash, soda, and otheringredients are used in requisite proportion. They are formulated in anelectric furnace from which molten glass with an approximate temperature of2500F flows into marble forming machines, making marbles of 15mm in diameter.Impurities are removed from these marbles, and then they are melted again inelectric furnaces and extruded through spinnerets. Sometimes, glass strands arealso extruded directly from molten glass without making the marbles.
- Staple Fibres: where fibres with long qualities are made by passing the molten glass through small holes of bushing. Then jets of compressed air is passed through the strands producing thin fibres ranging from 8-15 inches. These fibres are passed through a spray of lubricant and drying flame onto a revolving drum where they form into thin webs. Yarns are made from these webs by adopting similar methods used for cotton yarns. These glass yarns are used for industrial purposes for insulation.
- Continuous Filament Process: where filaments of indefinite length is made. Molten glass is passed through spinnerets with hundreds of openings. These strands are carried through a winder revolving at high speed. Thus fibres are drawn out in parallel filaments of diameter of the openings. Binders are used to twist and winding to prevent breakage during yarn making. Sizing is removed from the fibres through volatizing in an oven. These yarns are used for making home textiles such as drapes and curtains.
Textile Industry Applications:
Glass fibres have potential and profitable applications inhome furnishings such as curtains, and drapes, for making apparels andgarments, and for tires, and reinforced plastics. Numerous designs are possiblewith glass fibres providing the end user with unlimited material combinationsto choose from. It does not stretch of shrink when exposed to extreme high orlow temperatures. They do not absorb moisture, and does not change when exposedto water. Possessing minimum weight and good strength, its textile form can beunidirectional or bidirectional and facilitates flexibility in design and cost.Fibre glass is an inorganic material and does not rot or deteriorate.
Global Market for Glass Fibres:
Global glass fibre industry is estimated to witness a rapidgrowth. Demand for these fibres is expected to grow 3.9% for a year on yearbasis to reach 4.5 billion USD by 2013. Low production costs and big andprofitable markets are its growth drivers. US demand for glass fibre ispredicted to increase by 3.3% annually to reach 7.2 billion USD by 2013. Glasswool fibre with textile glass fibre is anticipated to experience good growthmanipulated by maturing markets and intense competition from imported fibres. Textileglass fibres will be particularly squeezed by the impact of low priced importsfrom Asian countries, especially China.
Glass fibres posses excellence virtues of high strength tofire resistance. Versatility of glass fibres makes it a unique textilematerial. Textile applications of these fibres offer both economy andflexibility.
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