Evaluation of Foaming Behavior of Glass Melts by High-Temperature Microscopy.

Optical monitoring techniques can record in situ the size of glass samples during a dynamic heating process. This allowed us to study the sintering and expansion rate of panel glass from cathode ray tube using MnO2 as foaming agent. We show the maximum expansion rate of glass melt foaming ( in situ value) correlates to 50% closed porosity, and we define a universal temperature window for foaming glass melts based on the sintering-expansion curves obtained with a heating microscope. The sample size obtained at the maximum expansion rate can be used to quickly evaluate various foaming parameters such as type and concentration of foaming agent, glass composition, and particle size to obtain foam glass with high porosity and closed pores. Using this approach, we show that the foaming of bottle glass is preferentially conducted at a SiC concentration of 1-4 wt%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]