Manufacture of a vitreous silica product by a sol-gel process

• Main Authors: DEBRA ANNE FLEMING, EDWIN ARTHUR CHANDROSS, JOHN BURNETTE MACCHESNEY, DAVID WILFRED JOHNSON, FREDERICK W. WALZ
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.02.1999
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; GLASS; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

Lowered cost fabrication including preparation of large bodies of void- free, high-silica glass, depends upon gellation of an aqueous sol of colloidal silica particles, followed by drying and firing of such gel. Freedom from cracks in the dried gel is the consequence of included polymeric material which wets the particles. The polymeric material is removed by thermal decomposition attended upon temperature attained in firing.