Glass fibre

Glass fibres are made of silicon oxide with addition of small amounts of other oxides. They are strong, corrosion resistant and inexpensive.

There are two main types of glass fibres: E-glass and S-glass. E-glass is more commonly used, while S-glass is stronger.

Glass fibres, in the form of woven mats or spray application, are much used as reinforcing materials in conbinations with other materials, see GRP.

Due to their ability to conduct light, single strand glass fibres are also used as optical fibres for telecommunications.

They are produced by a spinning process, in which they are pulled out through a nozzle from molten glass at a rate of thousands of meters per minute..