A glass melting apparatus, such as a submerged combustion melter, has a housing that includes at least one wall, which may be liquid cooled. The wall includes an inner composite layer that faces an interior chamber of the melting apparatus and, in operation of the apparatus, contacts molten glass. The inner composite layer is comprised of a composite material that includes glass and clay and, additionally, may further include one or more of a refractory material, reinforcing fibers, an adhesion agent, or an atomizing agent. The wall of the housing may be provided by a plurality of panels with each panel providing a portion of the inner composite layer. A method of making the composite material from a castable material, which may be an aqueous slurry that includes water and a solids mixture, is also disclosed.

A glass fiber and method for producing the same are provided. The method includes a covering process, a sintering process, a mixing process, and drawing process. The covering process is implemented by covering a tungsten compound onto a plurality of surfaces of a plurality of inorganic particles to form a plurality of modified inorganic particles. The sintering process is implemented by sintering the modified inorganic particles in a nitrogen atmosphere having a temperature of between 400 C. and 1,000 C. The mixing process is implemented by mixing the modified inorganic particles into a glass raw material that is in a molten state. The drawing process is implemented by drawing the glass raw material mixed with the modified inorganic particles to form a plurality of glass fibers.