Glass-to-Metal Seals

Although many new innovations have been made in the commercial exploitation of glass-to-metal seals and related components, and the science underpinning these systems is now more thoroughly understood, many of the topics covered in Partridge’s original monograph on glass-to-metal seals are still highly relevant today. This is particularly true in the areas of underlying technology, including metal and glass preparation prior to sealing, and certain aspects of stress analysis. The original monograph also continues to provide an excellent introduction to the general area of glass-to-metal systems, as well as providing an historical overview of the early work and technology in this area, particularly in relation to archaic electrical components.The primary purpose of this new monograph is to provide a thorough review of glass-to-metal seals, with particular reference to the more recent developments in the scientific, technical and commercial fields. Current applications for glass-to-metal seals are extraordinarily diverse, ranging from the humble, taken-for-granted light bulb to complex aerospace and military components developed within the last few years. New applications also continue to emerge where the unique properties of these systems can be exploited, thus making a monograph of this nature timely. It is therefore also the purpose of this monograph to highlight new and emerging fields which are benefiting from the application of glass-to-metal seal and related technologies. In this respect, the scope of the monograph has been broadened to include the related topic of glass-to-metal coatings, coatings in general having found many applications in areas ranging from domestic paraphernalia to the aerospace industry. In addition, the more recent and highly versatile glass-ceramic-to-metal systems are reviewed, glass-ceramics not, of course, having been invented in Partridge’s day. Some of the newer ceramic-to-metal, glass-to-glass, glass-to-ceramic and ceramic-to-ceramic systems are also covered briefly, areas very much in their infancy in 1949.