Magnesium Oxide in Fiberglass Applications

Magnesium Oxide in Fiberglass Applications

Archaeological evidence indicates that fiberglass has existed since ancient times. The Greeks, Phoenicians, and Egyptians used glass filaments as decoration. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s, when the process was developed for commercial-scale manufacturing, that fiberglass became as ubiquitous as today. While ancient peoples could stretch molten glass into long filaments, today’s manufacturing methods can produce glass fibers as small as 4 microns in diameter and thousands of feet long. Demand for fiberglass continues to grow with a CAGR of 3.6% over the past 10 years.

Applications of fiberglass are many and varied. Some common applications include:

• Printed Circuit Boards
• Automobile Components
• Wind Turbine Blades
• Home Insulation
• Roofing Materials
• Boat Hulls
• Piping and Tanks

With such a wide variety of fiberglass applications, many different physical and chemical properties are sought. Wind turbine blades, for example, often utilize a strong and stiff high-modulus fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Other applications favor other properties, such as electrical insulation or chemical resistance.

• E-Glass (Electrical Glass): The most common type of fiberglass, originally used for electrical applications, such as printed circuit boards
• S-Glass (Structural Glass): This is higher-strength glass, such as the type used for windmill blades or aerospace and military applications, such as composite body armor
• C-Glass (Chemical Glass): Used for applications where chemical (acid) resistance is required

E-glass, the most common fiberglass type, is made from silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and boron oxides. The relative concentration of each component is modified to produce all the different types of fiberglass. S-glass, for example, has no calcium oxide but the highest levels of magnesium oxide.

Magnesium oxide increases the viscosity of the glass melt, reducing breakage. Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties produces MagChem®10, a high-purity, hard-burned magnesium oxide with high density and low reactivity. MagChem®10 is available in several different milled sizes.