New Alumina-based Glass

Here's an interesting article:

http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/9

A new method for making alumina-based glass in bulk.
Better windows for aircraft and spacecraft perhaps?

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 09:23:13 -0700, sanman wrote:

Here's an interesting article:

http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/9

A new method for making alumina-based glass in bulk. Better windows for
aircraft and spacecraft perhaps?

Transparent aluminum? Whodathunkit?

--Damon So where's the tritanium already?

"sanman" wrote in message
om...
Here's an interesting article:

http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/9

A new method for making alumina-based glass in bulk.
Better windows for aircraft and spacecraft perhaps?

The method has been around for a long time. See
http://www.societyofglasstechnology....dfs/041998.pdf for one example.
http://www.tpd.tno.nl/Docs/DMP/glass...1Edinburgh.pdf for
others.
--
Terry Harper
http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/

sanman wrote:

Here's an interesting article:

http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/9

A new method for making alumina-based glass in bulk.
Better windows for aircraft and spacecraft perhaps?

Aircraft use biaxially stretched acrylic. Spacecraft use fused
silica. Reaction-based glass deposition is big stuff for
fiberoptic preforms and Corning ULE (titanium silicate) glass.
Both are high price premium niches. If you read the article you
see that the standard output is cloudy, and will therefore be
competing with much less expensive ceramics.

"We've got the solution! Who has the question?"

It's still research.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf

I want to find materials that will bond alumina, particlularly metals that
will bond that material.
"Mike Miller" wrote in message
om...
Damon Hill wrote in message
...

Transparent aluminum? Whodathunkit?

Anyone who's seen a sapphire.

"Alumina" is aluminum oxide. Calling it "transparent aluminum" is kind
of like trying to say rust is iron, or that water is hydrogen.

With some tasteful impurities, alumina gets pretty colors and new
names, like "ruby" and "sapphire."

Alumina is a common industrial product, and very transparent alumina
has been produced for watch faces for decades. You can get cheap
replacement sapphire watch 'crystals' for $10-$15.

Mike Miller, Materials Engineer

"Neil Farbstein" wrote:
I want to find materials that will bond alumina, particlularly metals that
will bond that material.

Sorry, Neil, but I do have a response to Terry Harper in


The method has been around for a long time.

The MIT Technology Review article on this, which appeared Sep 07 (I
know, I'm rushing along too fast), makes clear that what is new is the
ability to make non-silica glasses *in bulk*, thus promising lower
costs for these materials.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/09/rnb_090804.asp?p=1

quote
Non-silica glasses are stronger than traditional silica glasses, but
existing manufacturing methods only allow for fibers or thin films.
The researchers' process allows them to mold or machine complex shapes
while the material is amorphous, then crystallize it into a hard
ceramic.
/quote

/dps

[Cute response to original poster preserved for hysterical
perspective]

"Mike Miller" wrote
Damon Hill wrote

Transparent aluminum? Whodathunkit?

Anyone who's seen a sapphire.

"Alumina" is aluminum oxide. Calling it "transparent aluminum" is kind
of like trying to say rust is iron, or that water is hydrogen.

With some tasteful impurities, alumina gets pretty colors and new
names, like "ruby" and "sapphire."

Alumina is a common industrial product, and very transparent alumina
has been produced for watch faces for decades. You can get cheap
replacement sapphire watch 'crystals' for $10-$15.

Mike Miller, Materials Engineer