TOUGHENED GLASS.

Kumara Times, Issue 432, 13 February 1878, Page 2

TOUGHENED GLASS.

Some interesting experiments with toughened glass have recently been made iu Christchurch, and are described by the Press as follows:—We have amused ourselves by experimenting with an ice cream saucer, the material of which closely resembles the well known opal-tinted glass. The saucer has been repeatedly thrown to a considerable height and allowed to fall upon the ground, it has been dashed against a wall, thi’own into a grate and upon a slab of stone, and: used both' as a, cricket ball and as a football, all of which tests it defies, and ) leads to the conclusion that, a hopseholdi stacked with such articles might, set the proverbial cat. at defiance.. According to the various noticed o'f M. de la Bastie’a process which’ have tune to time, that gentleman in ’the first Instance endeavoured to obtain his desired result by a * compreeaidttbf the glass while in a SBuid ' idea being-that by, somei,such < pl-ocess the cohesion of its patioles could be increased. The attempts were failures, and it was then discovered that by dipP 11 1?? glass into oil- or some similar liquid which was . capabjeu of '-being, raised to, a; temperatvre -. considerably above that of boiling water, the glass was not only; hardened but in other words its brittleness -haaltbappeared. This is the al though there are many attendant conditions which have tp be .carefully provided for, such, as . the, temperature of the glass nature pf the pvens. -yerjjvyrjsely;,popped of , { . although.; capable... pf- immense resistance,, are. fioi . to., be suppos&i to ■ the forpe of a detiberai tdly i dimed: • the;’.Eighth of an inch thicphas fabhh ‘of beating W } TO lamp I the direct contact of flamd WttWrbreasage. If the that it cannot' 'with a diamond t \