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Fried Egg Glass Contaminant
Award winning SEM Picture

Congratulations go out to Dr. Brandon Aldinger and Brad Salitrik for this award winning image taken on our JEOL IT-300LV Scanning Electron Microscope.  The image “Sunny-Side Up Egg” was selected as the winner for the month of January 2024 in the JEOL USA Image Contest.  With some color added for interest, this photomicrograph of an embedded material particle closely resembles a classic breakfast delight. The particle was inadvertently deposited inside a glass food jar during formation while the glass was still red-hot. The yellow 'yolk' in the image corresponds to an area enriched in tin, while the 'whites' correspond to areas that were bubbled and cracked due to reactions with the surrounding glass. Embedded particles on the interior of a glass container lower its strength; therefore, determining the composition of particles is the first step in eliminating the source of the contaminants.

Broken Coffee Carafe Case Study
Broken Coffee Carafe

What caused the carafe to fracture?

Were the applied tensile stresses too high or was the glass surface strength too low?

Read the case study in our recently released Q1 e-Newsletter to learn our conclusions on this breakage event here

Patience Zimmer
Please join us in welcoming Patience Zimmer to our administrative team.

Patience became a member of our team at the end of 2023. She will work with project leaders in the preparation of final reports and billing.  In addition, she manages the research library and data storage.  She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland.

Prior to joining AGR, she served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years. While on active duty, she served aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. As a native of western Pennsylvania, she enjoys hiking with her family, fishing, and crocheting. Welcome to the American Glass Research family Patience. 

New Case Study Released
New Case Study Released

How do you know whether the cause of breakage in this non-refillable 12-ounce bottle was due to the tensile stresses being too high or whether the glass strengths were too low?

Read our just released case study entitled “Problems with Aluminum Metal in the Cullet Stream” in our Q4 e-Newsletter .

Interpreting AGR Design Reports
Interpreting AGR Design Reports

Join our new, free livestream event “Maximizing FEA Results: Interpreting an AGR Design Report”. This one-hour session, to be conducted on Thursday November 16 at 9 AM EST by Brad Salitrik, will walk you through the assumptions and background from which an AGR Design Report is produced. It will provide a detailed explanation of the key aspects of design, including:

Thickness Considerations
Glass strength calculations
Creation of the 3D model
FEA interpretation of Stress values
Pass levels establishment for expected loads

Craziest Things in Glass Making
Craziest Things in Glass Making

What is the craziest thing YOU’VE seen thrown in a glass furnace?

Watch a short video highlight of a discussion between Phil Ross, Batch and Furnace Expert, and Dr. Brandon Aldinger, AGR Senior Scientist, on what they have seen or heard of over the years on our LinkedIn page.

Interested in learning more about batch and furnace issues? Watch our full podcast with Phil here