Advanced Materials for Higher Temperature Glass Forming

40429 November 18, 1996 Ultramet To promote substantial improvements in energy and cost efficiency in fiberglass manufacturing, new component materials and coatings must be developed that allow glass forming at higher temperatures than currently possible. Two substantial improvements would result: increased use of recycled glass materials, and reduced melting and formation of air-polluting emissions. Increasing the glass-forming temperature, and minimizing the addition of flux materials, would allow for formulating new fiberglass compositions which use large amounts of post-consumer glass cullet (i.e., recycled material). Phase I will develop and test highly refractory, mechanically stable and inert glass-forming components with coatings capable of operation at temperatures in excess of 3000oF, with increased lifetime over current materials. Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: The primary application is in the area of spinner components for fiberglass manufacturing, where mechanical stresses and glass reactivity issues are particularly demanding. Components used in melting and refining processes may also benefit from the development of cost-effective coating materials that are highly resistant to molten glass.