Glass flakes are extremely thin

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

plates with an average thickness of 5 ± 2 micrometers.

Manufacture

There are two main methods to manufacture glass flakes. The first is the "bubble method", where a glass marble is turned into liquid and then blown into a bubble. It is then smashed into glass flakes and sieved by

particle-size distribution The particle-size distribution (PSD) of a powder, or granular material, or particles dispersed in fluid, is a list of values or a mathematical function that defines the relative amount, typically by mass, of particles present according to size. Si ...

. The second method is the "

centrifuge A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby separating fluids of different densities (e.g. cream from milk) or ...

method", in which high-temperature liquid glass in a rotating tub creates glass flakes due to the centrifugal force.

Application

Glass flakes can be applied in anti-corrosive coatings, paints and pigments to prevent

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engi ...

. Glass flakes can also be used as a reinforcement material in the manufacture of

composite materials A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

. Glassflakes or glass flake particles form dense, inert barriers within the paint film. Overlapping layers of glass resist water and chemicals permeating the paint film. The addition of glass also increases the flexibility, hardness and abrasion resistance of coatings.

Leading supplier

GLASSFLAKE LTD., NIPPON SHEET GLASS, GLASS-FLAKE

References

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