Uses and Importance of Expanded Glass Sphere

While different materials are preferred at every stage of production, one of the materials used in sectors where thermal insulation is required is the expanded glass sphere. Expanded glass sphere is used in different fields as a special thermal insulation material. You can find more information about this material in this article, where we discuss the uses and importance of this sphere.

What is an Expanded Glass Sphere?

Scrap glass recovered through recycling technology is combined with high heat and special chemicals with a special patented technology. This combination, transformed into a small cellular structure with a smooth outer wall, is called “Expanded Glass Sphere”. Expanded Glass Sphere, a special thermal insulation material, provides insulation to the building material thanks to its thermal insulation coefficient. This material has become frequently preferred due to its compressive strength values that do not change even in the final material, flame resistance, resistance to almost all organic and inorganic chemicals and does not accept more than 10% absorption even if it is completely in liquid.

Ecological Thermal Insulation Aggregate Expanded Glass Sphere

Being a lightweight aggregate, the expanded glass sphere becomes a suitable aggregate in lightweight concrete production, concrete and mortar production, adding thermal insulation and lightness to these products. Thanks to these properties, the product provides an ideal form in humid areas, in highly alkaline and acidic environments, in areas with temperatures exceeding 700°C. The expanded glass sphere, which also contributes to nature thanks to the fact that it is produced from recycled glass, is a product that is suitable to be described as ecological in this context.

Goals of Expanded Glass Sphere Technology

The goal of the expanded glass sphere at all stages, from the first moment it is created to the last moment it is used in the product, is ecological. While the product is in the production process, it has goals such as recycling waste glass with environmental awareness, facilitating energy saving thanks to its intended use of thermal insulation and protecting natural resources. With all these, the expanded glass sphere has a structure that encourages the use of durable and lightweight thermal insulation materials that are harmless to human health in the construction sector where it is used extensively.

Expanded Glass Sphere Uses

The main use of the expanded glass sphere is in the construction sector. Thanks to the product’s heat resistance, it is possible to come across examples where it is used in building chimneys to prevent fires. On the other hand, expanded glass sphere is also used in many construction products such as insulating plasters and floor leveling, repair mortars, insulation panels, lightweight concrete, cement-based adhesives. The material is used extensively in different products based on its properties of providing 40% thermal insulation and 50% lightness. Thanks to these advantages of expanded glass spheres, resistance to bacteria and mold growth, better architectural and acoustic design, increased moisture resistance and breathable structures are possible.

On the other hand, the material, which also allows thermal insulation when used in bulk, is preferred in flat attic insulations as it does not put extra load on the roof. The expanded glass sphere, which maintains the advantages it provides in thermal insulation in floor heating applications, prevents heat loss in these applications. Thanks to its moisture, bacteria and mold resistant structure, the material, which is also used in kitchen and bathroom countertops and drainage points, thus resists rotting and icing. The product is frequently used in lightweight panels due to its high level of fire protection and excellent heat and sound insulation. On the other hand, it is possible to come across expanded glass sphere in 3D printing technology, which is preferred more frequently with the development of technology. By choosing the right size of expanded glass sphere instead of sand, which is often used in concrete during this production, it is possible to build structures of different designs and this choice can greatly reduce the weight of the structure. For such applications, products with diameters of 0.25-0.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm, 1-2 mm and 2-4 mm are recommended.

In this article, we have touched upon the advantages of the expanded glass sphere, which is one of the first materials that come to mind when it comes to thermal insulation, in which areas it is used, how it is created and what goals it aims to fulfill.