What Can Cut or Scratch Glass?
Glass proves to be one of the hardest materials to cut or scratch. Because of its relative strength, many falsehoods surround what can and cannot penetrate glass. Actually, several materials exist that can easily cut or scratch glass. Several extraneous factors can allow weaker material to cut glass.
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Misconceptions
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One common myth is that only a diamond can cut or scratch glass. People would authenticate diamonds if they could scratch glass with them, according to scientists at Argonne National Laboratory. In reality, several different materials can cut or scratch glass--diamonds included.
Types
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Whether or not a material can cut glass depends on its ratings on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. The Mohs Scales was invented by Frederich Mohs in the early 1800s to rank the strength of minerals. Glass has a Mohs rating of around 6 to 7, depending on the quality of the glass. Anything with a higher Mohs rating than glass, such as quartz and topaz can cut glass, according to AMFED.org.
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Considerations
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The Mohs scale only rates the ability to scratch a material at a fairly slow rate. Other factors like the force of the cutter, the speed and time allow materials with a lower Mohs rating to scratch glass, reports James Griepenburg of Chemmet Services. A common occurrence of a low rated Mohs material scratching glass happens with dog's fingernails. Fingernails rate about a 2.5 on Mohs Scale. However, a dog can scratch glass if he does it fast enough and other materials like sand and dirt are trapped in his paws.
Expert Insight
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Adding water to the scratches in glass can facilitate a cut, reports scientists at Argonne National Laboratory. Water penetrates deep into the cut due to some similar molecular formations between water and glass. When pressure is put on the cut, water creates new bonds with the parts of the glass that would normally attempt to stick together.
Potential
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The future of glass cutting appears to be in materials that can cut and shape glass on an atomic level, reports the National Science Foundation. International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass researchers are developing a way to create scratches and cuts in glass to give it a porous, bone-like quality. When grafted onto a broken bone, new cells should form in this glass matrix and help bone tissue regrowth.
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References
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Andrew Magill
