Page 53 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

4: Special fibres
Compared to the production of fibres for fabrics, all other fibre production is small. Nevertheless, some very important fibres are made for specific purposes. Fibres made from glass and carbon are especially important.
Most special fibres are made to perform a particular function that natural and petroleum-based synthetic fibres cannot. This usually relates to strength, heat, and chemical resistance, and also, in the case of optical fibres, to transparency and the ability to hold light inside a fine fibre.
Glass fibre
Glass fibres do not have a very long history even though they are the oldest special purpose fibre to be produced.
(Right and below) Glass fibre is a mineral material embedded in a resin to give the brittle resin greater strength.
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