ETUDE DE L’EFFET DE HF SUR L’ETAT DE SURFACE D’UN VERRE ERODE PAR SABLAGE

Abstract

Glass is an important material in the fields of optics, lighting, car, buildings and electronics. In its major applications, its surface is exposed to a variety of external aggressive conditions (corrosion, chemical reactions and mechanical damages), which lead to a reduction of its mechanical strength and optical transmission. In the present work, we are interested in the effect of a chemical treatment by HF acid attack on the various characteristics of Soda lime, glass eroded by sandblasting. This technique is considered as a glass mechanical strengthening method that improves its glass lifetime. We studied the evolution of the glass properties (optical transmission, mechanical strength) in function of the attack duration by HF. To explain the mechanisms of the HF chemical attack, we carried out Vickers indentations under various loads which are subjected to various attack duration. The observations of the indentation imprints show the surface cracks blunt gradually with the HF attack duration and tend to form a cellular morphology.