Quantitative analysis of glasses used within Australia

An initial 134 glasses have been collected from eleven classifications of glass used within Australia. These include both local and imported glasses. Quantitative elemental analyses of the glasses have been determined using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The current program provides for an elemental analysis for Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S or Pb, Cl, K, Ca, Ba or Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Mn and Zn expressed as oxides, and has a sensitivity down to approximately 0.1%. The data for the six most commonly occurring elements, namely, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K and Ca, together with the refractive index are presented for each class of glass in terms of their mean value and standard deviation from the mean, and also in histogram form.