Fiberglass

Walking man
MFA# 2001.268

Description

A common generic name used for glass fibers, glass fabrics and resins reinforced with glass fibers. In 1893, spun glass fibers were made into a fabric for a lampshade by Edward D. Libbey and exhibited at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Beginning in the 1930s, Owen-Corning developed several processes for making fine, continuous glass fibers which were sold under the trademark of "Fiberglas". Over time, the name 'fiberglass' became generally used for all glass fiber products.

See also GRP (glassfibre reinforced plastic) and FRP (reinforced plastic fiber reinforced plastic).

SEM

SEM

Synonyms and Related Terms

fiber glass; glass fiber; fibreglass (Br.); GRP (glassfibre reinforced plastic); glass fabric; FRP (fiber reinforced plastic); fibra de vidrio (Esp.) Glaswolle (Deut.); fibre de verre (Fr.); fibra de vidro (Port.); fiberglas (Ned); glasvezel (Ned); glaswol (Ned); spun glass; silica fiber;

Brand names: Fiberglas [Owens-Corning]; Garan; Modiglass; PPG; Ultrastrand;

Risks

• Irritating to skin and respiratory system
• Suspected carcinogen.
• Nonflammable
• V2 Composites: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Density = 2.54 g.ml

Resources and Citations

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985

• Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Thomas C. Jester (ed.), Twentieth-Century Building Materials, McGraw-Hill Companies, Washington DC, 1995

• Identification of Textile Materials, The Textile Institute, Manchester, England, 1985

• 'Can this be glass? The strange story of Fiberglas-the wonder glass of the 20th Century' Owens-Corning, Toledo Ohio, 1939.

• The Dictionary of Art, Grove's Dictionaries Inc., New York, 1996 Comment: "Plastic" and "Fibreglass"