Surface properties of some glassmaking sands

JSGT 1957 V4 T283-T288

It has been shown that the specific surface areas of the sands used in glassmaking, as determined by the adsorption of a gas at its vaporisation temperature, are considerably larger than the superficial surface areas as determined by an air permeability method. That this is due to pitting of the silica grains themselves is suggested by the observation that the removal of ferruginous and aluminous material by acid leaching generally leads to an increase in the specific surface values. It has further been shown that sand grain surfaces which do not normally carry a coating of ferruginous material, are covered with compounds containing aluminium probably felspathic in nature. It is considered that the surface properties disclosed by this investigation may have a significant effect on the speed of the melting reactions at least in the early stages of the glassmaking process.

H. D. Sedgrove