Foam Glass Production and Thermal Properties
Summary
Foam glass is a lightweight, cellular material obtained by fuelling the expansion of glass melts or powders through gas evolution, yielding a rigid, predominantly closed-cell structure. Common feedstocks include waste or recycled glass mixed with foaming agents such as carbonates, oxides or organic compounds, which release gas upon heating. The sintering temperature, heating rate and holding time govern pore size, density and distribution, directly influencing both mechanical and insulating performance. Typically exhibiting porosity levels above 60 per cent, compressive strengths range from a few to several tens of megapascals, while thermal conductivity may be reduced to below 0.2 W m−1 K−1. These characteristics render foam glass a sustainable option for building insulation, cryogenic containers and lightweight fills, with ongoing research emphasising process optimisation, raw-material valorisation and durability under thermal cycling.
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Foam Glass Production and Thermal Properties publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in foam glass production and thermal properties across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Foaming agent: Substance introduced to molten glass to generate gas bubbles and form the cellular structure.
Porosity: The volume fraction of voids or pores within a material, affecting density and insulating ability.
Thermal conductivity: A measure of a material’s ability to conduct heat, expressed in W m−1 K−1.
Compressive strength: The maximum load a material can withstand under compression before failure, measured in MPa.
Cellular structure: The network of interconnected or closed pores within foam glass that determines mechanical and thermal properties.
References
- Study on Factors Affecting Properties of Foam Glass Made from Waste Glass. Journal of Renewable Materials (2021).
- Preparation of thermal insulation materials based on granite waste using a high-temperature micro-foaming method. Journal of Asian Ceramic Societies (2022).
- Numerical Simulation of Thermal Conductivity of Foam Glass Based on the Steady-State Method. Materials (2018).
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