Fused Silica Glass Telescope

Its transmission and homogeneity exceed those of crystalline quartz without the problems of temperature instability inherent in the crystalline form.

Fused silica glass telescope.

Fused quartz or fused silica is glass consisting of silica in amorphous form. The optical and thermal properties of fused silica are superior to other types of glass due to its purity. Such glass is subjected to less thermal stress and can withstand temperature differentials. Uppliers of telescope mirror blanks supremax 33 blanks precision machined optical glass blanks molded optical glass blanks fused quartz fused silica optical glass filter glass zerodur and industrial glass.

It will devitrify above about 1100 c in the presence of contaminants such as sodium phosphorus and vanadium with the formation of cristobalite crystals which destroy the properties of the glass. Fused silica is a noncrystalline glass and has an extremely low coefficient of expansion 31 x 10 6 f. Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with silica and boron trioxide as the main glass forming constituents. They contain more contaminants and can t offer the high material quality and homogeneity of fused silica.

Hence these materials are not as pure as fused silica. It differs from traditional glasses in containing no other ingredients which are typically added to glass to lower the melt temperature. Fused silica is very resistant to thermal changes but titanium gives it great thermal stability. Unlike fused silica these quartz glass grades are made by melting natural quartz crystals instead of high purity synthetic quartz material.

Fused silica is a synthetic amorphous silica glass of the highest purity and one of the most transparent glasses made. Synthetic amorphous silica glass of the highest purity and one of the most transparent glasses available. The low coefficient of thermal expansion of pyrex code 7740 glass allows it to withstand higher temperatures and temperature extremes than ordinary window glass. Superior optical and thermal properties to most other glass in the world.

Some telescope mirrors are made from ultra low expansion ule tm glass fused silica that contains the element titanium. Borosilicate glasses are known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion 3 10 6 k 1 at 20 c making them more resistant to thermal shock than any other common glass. A telescope mirror made from ule tm glass won t. Fused silica therefore has high working and melting temperatures.

Fused silica glass is a very low thermal expansion material and so is extremely thermal shock resistant. The material is also chemically inert up to moderate temperatures except to hydrofluoric acid which dissolves silica. Allows for the difference in thermal expansion between carbon fiber and aluminum. Although the terms fused quartz and fused silica are used interchangeably the optical and thermal properties of fused silica are superior to those of fused quartz and other types of glass due to its.