About Fiberglass

Fiberglass is the popularly used term for two separate products: glass fibers and fiber-reinforced polymers. Fiberglass is an ubiquitous material that is used in dozens of different modern applications. It is also a product that has existed for a relatively short period of time and, therefore, has a brief story.

Types

There are really two separate products that are both commonly referred to as "fiberglass." Glass fibers, one of the two products, are essentially long, thin fibers of stretched glass. Fiber-reinforced polymers, on the other hand, are what most people visualize when they picture "fiberglass." In actuality, glass fibers are really only used as an ingredient in the manufacturing of fiber-reinforced polymers, so both products can technically carry the moniker "fiberglass."

History

The history of fiberglass goes back as far as the history of glass. Those cultures with the ability to make glass have experimented with glass fibers since the dawn of time. The problem is that such glass fibers are relatively worthless outside of the structure of modern fiberglass, interwoven into a fiber-reinforced polymer. So, despite the fact that glass fibers have existed for hundreds of years, the history of modern fiberglass really only stretches back to the 1930s. It was then that Owens-Corning began to create what we would recognize today as fiberglass.

Function

Fiberglass is created by drawing out extremely thin, fiber-width strands of molten glass and cooling these strands very quickly. These strands are then woven together into a pattern and mixed together with different polymer substances. The composite material that forms from this process, known as fiberglass, is extraordinarily strong and light and relatively inexpensive to create.

Benefits

There are many different benefits to the usage of fiberglass in various applications. To begin with, fiberglass is extremely strong but also rather light. Its strength-to-weight ratio, when compared to most similar compounds, is outstanding. It is also fairly heat resistant and has good properties as an insulator. Also, since glass does have some viscous flow, fiberglass is less brittle than comparable products and it can withstand severe pulling strain before failing altogether. It also bears mentioning that fiberglass is a resource that is easily created and can fill in for more expensive products.

Significance

The societal significance of fiberglass is increasingly large. Fiberglass is used in many, many different types of products. Cars, boats, carbon fiber, home appliances and fiber optics technology all utilize a great deal of fiberglass. While some of these products don't necessarily need fiberglass to exist, all of them benefit a great deal by using fiberglass in their construction. The potential of fiberglass technologies such as carbon fiber and fiber optics is only really beginning to be examined by scientists.

Resources

• Examples of common fiberglass products