Strengthening of a soda-lime-silica glass by ion exchange using an adherent potassium salt coating

摘要

Chemical strengthening of glass below the glass transition range is mainly restricted by technological limitations. The drawbacks of the current state of the art process are analyzed and a technological alternative is presented and tested. The samples were characterized by their alkali concentrations perpendicular to the ion exchanged surface, their bending strength and the mechanical stresses in the ion exchanged layer. The obtained values were compared to results obtained from earlier experiments with the current state of the art process. Both processes lead to a significant increase in strength of the glass. Possible reasons for the differences are discussed.