Mechanical Strength Of Glasses - Studies Then And Now

Breakthroughs in the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of inorganic glasses, and thus possibly breakthroughs in the development of new and better glasses, are suggested by recent experimental studies as well as theoretical advances. Detailed discussion of silica lightguide fibres may be somewhat outside the scope of this introduction, however, a brief review of the remarkable mechanical behaviour of these fibres, as well as some insights into the debt that the lightguide industry owes to early "traditional" glass research, is analysed here.