fiberglass

fiberglass, thread made from glass. It is made by forcing molten glass through a kind of sieve, thereby spinning it into threads. Fiberglass is strong, durable, and impervious to many caustics and to extreme temperatures. For those qualities, fabrics woven from the glass threads are widely used for industrial purposes. Fiberglass fabrics can also be made to resemble silks and cotton and are used for curtains and drapery. A wide variety of materials are made by combining fiberglass with plastic. These materials, which are rust proof, are molded into the shape required or pressed into flat sheets. Boat hulls, automobile bodies, and roofing and ceiling compositions are some of the uses to which such material is put.

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fibreglass (US), fiberglass

1. material consisting of matted fine glass fibres, used as insulation in buildings, in fireproof fabrics, etc.

2. a fabric woven from this material or a light strong material made by bonding fibreglass with a synthetic resin; used for car bodies, boat hulls, etc.

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fiberglass [′fī·bər‚glas]

(materials)

glass fiber

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fiberglass, fibrous glass, glass fiber

Filaments of glass, formed by pulling or spinning molten glass into random lengths; either gathered in a wool-like mass or formed as continuous thread-like filaments having diameters in the range of 10 to 30 µ m. The wool-like material is processed into many forms of varying densities for use as thermal and acoustical insulation. The continuous-filament type is used for textiles, glass fabrics, and electrical insulation and as reinforcement for other materials.