Editing Fiberglass (section)

=== Types  ===
{{main|Glass fiber}}
The most common types of glass fiber used in fiberglass is [[E-glass]], which is alumino-borosilicate glass with less than 1% w/w alkali oxides, mainly used for glass-reinforced plastics. Other types of glass used are A-glass ('''A'''lkali-lime glass with little or no boron oxide), E-CR-glass ('''E'''lectrical/'''C'''hemical '''R'''esistance; alumino-lime silicate with less than 1% w/w alkali oxides, with high acid resistance), C-glass (alkali-lime glass with high boron oxide content, used for glass staple fibers and insulation), D-glass (borosilicate glass, named for its low '''D'''ielectric constant), R-glass (alumino silicate glass without MgO and CaO with high mechanical requirements as '''R'''einforcement), and S-glass (alumino silicate glass without CaO but with high MgO content with high tensile strength).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1= Fitzer |first1= Erich |title= Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |last2= Kleinholz |first2= Rudolf |last3= Tiesler |first3= Hartmut |last4= Stacey |first4= Martyn Hugh |last5= De Bruyne |first5= Roger |last6= Lefever |first6= Ignace |last7= Foley |first7= Andrew |last8= Frohs |first8= Wilhelm |last9= Hauke |first9= Tilo |last10= Heine |first10= Michael |last11= Jäger |first11= Hubert |last12= Sitter |first12= Sandra |display-authors= 3 |publisher= Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA |volume= 2 |date= 15 April 2008 |location= Weinheim, Germany |doi= 10.1002/14356007.a11_001.pub2 |chapter= Fibers, 5. Synthetic Inorganic |isbn= 978-3527306732 }}</ref>

Pure [[silica]] (silicon dioxide), when cooled as [[fused quartz]] into a [[glass]] with no true melting point, can be used as a glass fiber for fiberglass but has the drawback that it must be worked at very high temperatures. In order to lower the necessary work temperature, other materials are introduced as "fluxing agents" (i.e., components to lower the melting point). Ordinary A-glass ("A" for "alkali-lime") or soda lime glass, crushed and ready to be remelted, as so-called [[cullet]] glass, was the first type of glass used for fiberglass. E-glass ("E" because of initial Electrical application), is alkali-free and was the first glass formulation used for continuous filament formation. It now makes up most of the fiberglass production in the world, and also is the single largest consumer of [[boron]] minerals globally. It is susceptible to chloride ion attack and is a poor choice for marine applications. S-glass ("S" for "stiff") is used when tensile strength (high modulus) is important and is thus an important building and aircraft epoxy composite (it is called R-glass, "R" for "reinforcement" in Europe). C-glass ("C" for "chemical resistance") and T-glass ("T" is for "thermal insulator"—a North American variant of C-glass) are resistant to chemical attack; both are often found in insulation-grades of blown fiberglass.<ref>{{cite web |title= Fiberglass |publisher= redOrbit.com |url= http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/inventions/2583670/fiberglass/ |first = Sam|last = Savage|date = 15 November 2010}}</ref>