ION-BEAM ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE-INDUCED CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF FLOAT GLASS SURFACES

Float glass is an important kind of commercial grass used in buildings and automobiles or other vehicles. It is produced in the so-called neat process, in which the glass melt floats on a bath of molten tin while cooling and solidifying. The stoichiometry of the surface layer differs from that of the bulk and will sometimes change due to subsequent high-temperature process steps and attack by water or humidity. Float glass samples which had undergone a defined hydration treatment were investigated by means of NRA (N-15 technique) and RES. We report on the observed alterations in the depth distributions of sodium and hydrogen caused by controlled temperature treatment (up to 400 degrees C).