Glass

Glass is a material with essentially unlimited application possibilities. This second edition of a comprehensive reference in glass science, points out the correlation between the performance of industrial processes and practice-relevant properties, such as strength and optical properties. Interdisciplinary in his approach, the author discusses both the science and technology, starting with an outline of history and applications, glass structure, and rheology. The sections on properties include mechanical strength and contact resistance, ageing, mechanics of glass processes, the production and control of residual stresses, high-tech products, and current research and development. Applications include glazing, packaging, optical glass, glass fibers for reinforcement, and abrasive tools. The development of touchscreen technology showed how important were the design and resistance of thin flexible glass and these new thin aluminosilicate glasses are also discussed.

Eric Le Bourhis is professor at Poitiers University (Futuroscope, France). He initially taught at a secondary school in Lima (Peru) between 1989 and 1991. Upon returning to France, he gained his PhD at Paris VII University in 1994. During this period, he started investigations of the thermomechanical properties of semiconductors. Then he joined Evry University for one year as an assistant professor and subsequently the Saint Gobain R&D team at Aubervilliers for 4 years as an engineer. During this industrial period, he applied contact mechanics to glass surfaces and coatings developed for glazing, and was also involved in industrial production tasks. He joined Poitiers University in 1998, where he has pursued an activity to promote sol-gel hybrid coatings in close collaboration with glass industrial manufacturers, while his other activities focus on small-scale mechanics.