Читать книгу Encyclopedia of Glass Science, Technology, History, and Culture - Группа авторов - Страница 146

It is expected that E‐glass and its variants will continue to be the predominant form of glass fiber for most reinforcements markets in the near term. However, as larger volume applications grow with increased performance needs, the glass fiber industry will face challenges to develop manufacturing technology platforms capable of making these products at costs acceptable to the markets. Innovation is needed in both glass chemistry and manufacturing technology to grow specialty fiber businesses that usually provide higher profitability than traditional glass fiber markets. Some examples of manufacturing technologies could include new melting furnace designs, new melting techniques, new fining methods for higher temperatures, and new refractory materials for high‐temperature operations. In terms of fiber‐glass chemistry, an in‐depth fundamental understanding of glass structure–property relationships will aid glass optimization for performance and manufacturing scalability. Most ongoing research, including molecular dynamic modeling, focuses on local structure of both network work formers (primarily Si, B, and conditionally Al) and network modifiers (primarily alkali, alkaline earth, and rare earth).