第2部　機能紙の原料繊維（15）合成繊維（その8）ガラス繊維

摘要

ガラスというのは，本来物質三態に関 係する特殊な状態を指す言葉である．三 態とは温度の変化に応じた固体，液体， 気体を指す．固体は熱力学的に安定で， 原子·分子の配列が規則的な結晶である と考えられている．しかし，物質によっ ては固体であっても原子，イオンの配列 が整然としていない非晶状態をとる可能 性がある．このような時にガラスと呼ぶ のである．%Quite apart meaning from the most commonly used term "glass", which indicates an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material mainly composing of soda lime, "the scientific term glass" is defined in a much wider sense, including every solid that possesses a non-crystalline (I.e., amorphous) structure and that exhibits a glass transition when heated towards the liquid state. In this wider sense, glasses can also be made of quite different classes of materials such as organic polymers and metals. The category of the newly born glass is called as "new glasses" or "intelligent glasses" and the R&D were comprehensively made in 1970s and 1980s. One of the typical "new glasses" technologies applied to papermaking was so-called "sole-gell method", by which natural cellulosic papers were modified by coating by thin glassy films.rnAs to classical glass fibers, glass fiber industry was led by Owens-Corning FiberGlas® Co. (OCF) established in the 1938. In Japan, only one year later Nitto Spinning Co.,Ltd. Started the production of glass fiber filament. Presently around 10 companies belonging to "The Glass Fiber Society" are manufacturing filament and/or shortcut glass fibers.rnThe glass fibers have characteristics in high tensile strength and elastic modulus which can be comparable to those of super fibers and are applied as reinforced fibers for plastics. Glass fiber papers were made by OCF with support of The Institute of Paper Chemistry in 1955. One of the most useful applications of glass fiber paper is a high efficiency particulate air filter such as HEPA, ULPA and super ULPA.rnCeramic fiber paper such as alumina-silica fiber paper was also exemplified.