The present invention relates to a silica glass substrate including: a first main surface and a second main surface that are facing each other, in which the silica glass substrate has a density of 2.0 g/cm3 or less, the silica glass substrate includes a plurality of bubbles, the silica glass substrate has an average diameter of first recessed portions of 30 m or less, the first recessed portions being formed by the bubbles exposed on the first main surface, and the silica glass substrate has the number of the first recessed portions of 200/mm2 or less on the first main surface.

The invention provides a white sintered glass-ceramic tile and a method for preparing the white sintered glass-ceramic tile. The white sintered glass-ceramic tile is a single fired tile with a glazed glass-ceramic layer and a porous glass-ceramic layer, wherein each layer is prepared using same starting raw materials. The method includes milling the starting raw materials to obtain a homogenous mixture. The homogenous mixture is melted and poured in water to obtain glass frits. The glass frits are milled and thereafter, sieved to obtain glass frit powder with particle size of below 100 micron (m). A mixture of the glass frit powder and one or more foaming agents is cold pressed to form a porous glass-ceramic layer. Thereafter, the glass frit powder is deposited on the porous glass-ceramic layer to obtain a glazed glass-ceramic layer. Finally, both the layers are fired together.

An apparatus and method for producing foamed glass having a silo (1) for receiving a glass mixture containing a temperature-activated foaming agent, a sluice chamber (12) arranged to receive a volume of glass mixture from the silo, a feed chamber (22) arranged to receive a volume of glass mixture from the sluice chamber, an extruder chamber (26) arranged to receive a volume of glass mixture from the feed chamber where the glass is melted and the foaming agent is activated, one or more nozzles (32) arranged at an end of the extruder chamber, through which a viscous foamed glass material may exit under influence of a positive operating pressure and an expansion chamber (38) arranged to receive foamed glass mixture from the nozzles. The invention also includes a novel foamed glass product having a glassy, sealed outer surface and a unique internal cell structure.

Coated glass or glass ceramic substrates having high temperature resistance, high strength, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The coating includes pores, is fluid-tight and suitable for coating a temperature-resistant, high-strength glass or glass ceramic substrate with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, and to a method for producing such a coated substrate.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of expanded microspheres, comprises mixing a plurality of solid particles, at least one binding material capable of binding the plurality of solid particles, and a plurality of reactive expansion components into a batch, forming a plurality of agglomerated particles from the batch, heating the plurality of agglomerated particles in an expansion equipment to above a softening temperature of at least a portion of the plurality of agglomerated particles and activating the plurality of reactive expansion components, and forming a gas and expanding the plurality of agglomerated particles into the plurality of expanded microspheres, the step of activating the plurality of reactive expansion components occurring independently from a chemical composition of an atmosphere surrounding the plurality of agglomerated particles inside the expansion equipment.

A method of slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass bodies to define a bed, covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed, and crushing at least a portion of the composite bed with an oncoming aircraft, wherein crushing the at least a portion of the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft to slow the oncoming aircraft. The composite bed is generally resistant to fire.

A method of producing an arrestor bed for slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass aggregate to define a bed, and covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of expanded microspheres, comprises mixing a plurality of solid particles, at least one binding material capable of binding the plurality of solid particles, and a plurality of reactive expansion components into a batch, forming a plurality of agglomerated particles from the batch, heating the plurality of agglomerated particles in an expansion equipment to above a softening temperature of at least a portion of the plurality of agglomerated particles and activating the plurality of reactive expansion components, and forming a gas and expanding the plurality of agglomerated particles into the plurality of expanded microspheres, the step of activating the plurality of reactive expansion components occurring independently from a chemical composition of an atmosphere surrounding the plurality of agglomerated particles inside the expansion equipment.

Controlling foam in apparatus downstream of a melter by adjustment of alkali oxide content in the melter. One method includes feeding a feedstock into a submerged combustion melter (SCM) apparatus having an internal space containing a flowing or non-flowing molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein, the molten mass having glass foam comprising glass foam bubbles on at least a portion of a top surface of the molten mass. The molten mass from the SCM is routed to a downstream apparatus, stability of the glass foam in the downstream apparatus is observed, and alkali oxide percentage fed to the SCM apparatus is adjusted based on the observation to positively or negatively affect the foam stability. Systems for carrying out the methods, and the products of the methods are also considered novel and inventive.

Disclosed is a cellular glass product having a density D at ambient temperature of at most 200 kg/m.sup.3 and a process for the production of a cellular glass product having a density D at ambient temperature of at most 200 kg/m.sup.3. The process comprises the steps of: a) contacting glass powder with foaming agent to form a dry mixture, b) thermally treating the mixture in a foaming furnace, thereby forming cellular glass, and c) annealing the cellular glass of step b) in an annealing lehr, wherein the concentration of at least one of the reagents in the dry mixture of step a) that are necessary for enabling the foaming reaction is at least 150% of the concentration corresponding to the theoretical minimum requirement for obtaining the density D.