Where can I get raw glass wool, like the stuff they use in insulation?

>>930092
hydroponics "rock wool"

>>930092
also its basically just fibreglass anon. just buy spray fibreglass. but why would you compress it? are you trying to sculpt something out of glass and think you can just compress it then hit it with a blow torch?

>>930096
I need the wool for its low density and bulkiness.

I'm trying to see if I can heat up the wool, compress it while it's still hot so the fibers fuse together, and turn it into a rigid material.

>>930098
its low density comes from it being uncompressed. you take the air out of it by compressing it and it's no longer low density. just glass. you realise that what you are trying to do already exists as fibreglass or carbon fibre or whatever binder/fibre composite you choose? fibreglass is a good composite because glass is heavy and brittle. urethane is brittle and light. together they form a composite that is much stronger. you can get woven fibreglass cloth and make it whatever shape you want then set it in plastic. you can buy it in kits at auto parts stores.

>>930121
Fiber glass woven is called fiber glass roving. Fyi.

>>930121
Nigga, I'm a mechanical engineer. I think I know what I'm doing.

The polyester/ epoxy matrix typically used in composites is actually quite weak in comparison to the carbon/ glass fiber, resulting in a highly anisotropic material that's only able to support tensile loads in the direction of the fibers. The low density and air entrapment of the wool is actually desirable since I'm attempting to create a lightweight porous material that can easily achieve large cross sectional area moments without incurring too much weight, making it ideal for producing structural beams.

File: 20131026-184733.jpg (131KB, 495x724px) Image search: [Google]

131KB, 495x724px

>>930247

>>930286
>my ignorance is superior to your knowledge

>>930247
>making it ideal for producing structural beams.

Beams for what? Ants?

>>930247
Nigga I too am a Mech E and what the fuck are you doing? They make carbon fiber beams already you know?

What is randomly oriented chopped fiber fiber glass for fuck's sake?

>>930296
>>930092

Ok, now that I've actually read...

Yeah if you melt it so that the fibers compress, you're just turning the fiberglass back into.... glass.

0/10 throw away your degree and literally kill yourself.

>>930296
Laminated composites would have pretty different mechanical properties from what I'm envisioning.

>>930298
Yeah, if you just completely melted it and smushed all the air out. It doesn't melt instantly: it's a slow transition.


Now can anyone give me a better source for glass wool?

>>930304
Well when I google glass wool, I get several ads for pyrex glass wool to be used as filters for lab experiments.

I suspect that when you heat it up, the fibers will strive to reduce surface energy and bead up.

>>930092
You sound like more and more like a moron as this thread progresses. Please continue.

>>930247
>The low density and air entrapment of the wool is actually desirable
>ideal for producing structural beams.
Supposing you achieved your goal of compressing fiberglass to make a rigid beam... it would be a terrible beam. When you reduce weight by adding air (apart from structured anisotropic situations made for specific loads), you reduce strength more than you reduce weight. A fiberglass beam of the same weight would be stronger.

>>930092
ITT: I'm a super intelligent engineer with a brilliant idea, but I don't know how to use google... Halp plox

>>930409
>A fiberglass beam of the same weight would be stronger.
And it would also be really flexible, flammable, and could only be loaded in the direction of the fibers.

>>930353
>I suspect that when you heat it up, the fibers will strive to reduce surface energy and bead up.
True, but as long as you don't overheat the wool it should come out okay.

>>930247
I'm a PE ME and I wish you luck, but my guess is that you're going to end up learning a lot. That's about it.

>>930439
>And it would also be really flexible, flammable, and could only be loaded in the direction of the fibers.
It would be less flexible and more fire resistant than the compressed wool beam, which wouldn't be able to support a significant load in ANY direction. And how much off-axis loading are you expecting in a beam? Compression on one side, tension on the other, and a bit of shear in the middle. Fiberglass comes in structural tubes if you need it to resist torsion.

>>930562
Shh, let him try. Maybe he'll learn some humility.

>>930247
>I think I know what I'm doing.
>Stupid story about making structural beams out of a porous material made of glass and air and thinking it will be stronger than composites.

I think if you think you know what you're doing, you'd better try a study where you'll learn flipping burgers. Your >>930289 "knowledge" is completely absent, so better not wasting your time trying to become a mechanical engineer mate. Also if your idea is soo fucking good, how the fuck can you have any struggles finding a source for fiberglass?

TLDR: just try it out you moron.

>>930562
Fiberglass is flammable because of the plastic matrix m8. It will actually catch on fire if you light it.

>>930610
It's a completely different use case. I'm trying to approximate the material properties of wood.

Also I did a cursory search before posting but wasn't able to find quite what I was looking for.

>>930613
>approximate the material properties of wood

There's one problem with that, wood is really cheap, and generally does its job pretty fucking well

>>930613
>It will actually catch on fire if you light it.
And it's still more fire resistant than loose fiberglass. Here's something you can try at home. Get a lighter, some fiberglass insulation, and a chunk of composite fiberglass. Hold a flame under each kind of fiberglass and see what happens.

>>930729
I think that the idea is to get something mechanically similar to wood but with greater stability, homogeneity, and moisture/decay resistance.

Menards would sell blowers wool next to the cellulose bails. It was white. Not sure if dye or that was the appearance when clumped all together.

>>930247
BS in Business management here.

the strength of glass is in the tensile strength. but in fiberglass or compressed fiberglass that's going to be all different directions and not capable of making a beam.

>>930873
>moisture/decay resistance.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253793/The-1-000-year-old-wooden-bridges-modern-China-moving-Stunning-timber-structures-withstood-test-time.html

And with modern pressure treating wood can last an awfully long time.

>>931208
>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253793/The-1-000-year-old-wooden-bridges-modern-China-moving-Stunning-timber-structures-withstood-test-time.html
>Again the bridge, which is an impressive 62.7 metres long and 4.9 metres wide, has been rebuilt several times, but remains an iconic image of ancient Chinese construction methods.
That's a ship of Theseus situation. And while pressure treatment can prevent insect and microbial attack, it doesn't do much for oxidation, which limits the lifespan of wood exposed to the atmosphere.

>>931234
The question you need to ask yourself is :does this need to last without repairs for 50+years? Because chances are it does not

I've seen that raw shit used as a base & partial cover for underground telco stuff

>>931264
I'm not OP, so I don't know. If I wanted something to last like that, I'd make it out of stainless, then passivate it. Try reading the conversation a bit more closely.