A study of lead silicate glass degradation behaviour with reference to glass-to-metal seal applications

Investigates the chemical resistance properties of lead silicate glasses suitable for compression-type glass-to-metal (GM) seals, to aggressive solvents, containing different amounts of Na, K, and Ba as modifier ions, in acidic and alkaline media. In general attack rate was observed to be higher in alkaline medium, with maximum dissolution of 53.35 mg cm2 compared to the maximum of 10.6mg cm2 in acidic medium after 50 hour exposure. An increase in the concentration of BaO was found to decrease the degradation rate, while samples with higher molar amounts of either Na2O or K2O showed more though similar damage rates. The degradation rate was observed to be linear for higher BaO concentration in alkali solution, whereas in other cases accelerated rates were observed with longer exposure time. GM seals prepared with glass, having higher BaO content, were less susceptible to damage and had higher insulation resistances.