Stresses in Glass Produced by Nonuniform Exchange of Monovalent Ions

Abstract

A study was made of the rate of diffusion of alkali ions into a soda‐lime glass from nitrate melts, and the distortion of glass disks produced by the stresses thus developed was measured using an interference technique. A maximum of 124,000 psi was produced when Na + was replaced by K + . Tensile stresses accompanying the replacement of a large ion by a smaller one or by leaching ions out of the surface with water or dilute acid may be large and can destroy the glass.