acase@tulane.edu / 1 / Christopher Gray

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1999. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 95 p.; also contains graphics (some colored). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-94).

Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Bibliography: leaves 162-166.

Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 245-252).

The focus of this research was to investigate methods of combining two materials, metal and glass, specifically concentrating on the application of a variety of metals in glass, with different glass techniques, for creative use. Metal inclusions in glass constitute an element in the further development of my artistic practice. However, it was found that the palette of metals used by artists was restricted. This is because the present methods available for artists have demonstrated many limitations and uncertainty of results. Therefore, this research aims to explore the solutions to combining metal and glass in artistic practice. The study also covers the history of inclusions in glass, and their aesthetic function in craft and art, as well as the perception of inner space occupied by inclusions. The nature of this perception is an important element in understanding why artists are intrigued by inclusions. Current practice in this field is illustrated through an evaluation of the works of a number of artists who employ glass and inclusions (especially metal). These artists were chosen because they have connections with industry or interests in technology which they apply in their artistic practice. The research also investigated these artists’ personal technical procedures and the specific reasons for the development of their procedures. The artists were asked, wherever possible, to provide a statement relating to their technical and creative practice, and the difficulties they encountered. The collected data was partly used to determine directions for research. Following this, the application of metals in glass as a distinctive method of creating shape and internal structure along with issues relating to transparency, clearness and texture to glass were explored. Studio based experiments to identify creative parameters for combining glass and metal, especially in the hot state, and process routes that allow the combining of these two materials in the hot state were developed and tested. This testing was further extended by compatibility studies and developing applications of metal in glass that would avoid problems arising from incompatibility issues. In particular, experiments were concentrated on nickel, nickel alloys, lead and tin alloys in hot poured glass formed in moulds. The results of these investigations were explored in the context of the application of metals with glass in various industries, the scientific developments in these fields and the possibility of applying these materials and techniques for creative use by an artist in a studio environment. The original contribution to knowledge is mainly to be found in the techniques for applying metals, particularly nickel, lead and tin alloys, in glass in a hot stage to creative practice. These techniques especially relate to: ▪ building high temperature resistant moulds with a very fine textured surface ▪ developing a method for the application of nickel (up to 3mm = 118.11mil thickness) and lead/tin (up to 5mm = 196.85mil thickness) alloys with hot pouring glass using the mould method ▪ developing appropriate firing cycles to control the application of inclusions ▪ identifying lubricants and appropriate methods for applying them to prevent reaction and incompatibility problems between different materials. A further original contribution of this research relates to the assemblage and interpretation of views concerning the perception of inner space in glass sculpture occupied by inclusions. The subject of this research may be a stimulus to increase cooperation between scientists and artists, as well as promoting understanding of inclusions through a different approach to this subject.

This practice led research is focused on encapsulating complex flameworked glass components within the interior and on the surface of sandcast glass objects. This research develops new techniques and enhances old methods associated with hot glass inclusion processes to achieve consistent and repeatable results. The practical problems associated with the encapsulation process are smearing, elongation and cracking. Further undesirable effects caused to inclusions whilst casting are misplacement, contamination and breakage. The technical investigation is built on the methods of two artists, José Chardiet and Paul Stankard. The research concentrates on the adaptation of the pre-heated mould technique and paperweight inclusion techniques. Through mould pre-heating a new process called the ‘transitional’ inclusion has been developed. This technique negates misplacement of inclusions during casting, breakage from exposure to cold or distortion. Paperweight techniques are utilised for the ‘floating’ inclusion, a historical technique. The ‘floating’ inclusion in conjunction with paperweight encapsulation techniques allowed for the creation of detailed inclusions floating between the glass strata. Paperweight techniques counteracted undesirable encapsulation reactions between the flameworked elements and the negative effects of heat, contamination and the flow of molten glass during the casting process. A second new technique called the ‘partial’ inclusion is developed using a metal mandrel to create negative holes in the cast during sandcasting. These holes can be used to add flameworked inclusions to the surface of the annealed sandcast with a glass post. This technique negated the need to find compatible glass for casting. A series of artworks are produced to demonstrate and further develop the new technical processes. The themes behind the artworks are unraveled through three case studies. The inclusion can be used within the body of the sandcast in diverse ways and their relative placement generates potential for a rich new visual language in glass art. These new techniques offer a conceptual opportunity for the artist to articulate the human condition. In conclusion this investigation contributed to new knowledge by generating new encapsulation methods for use in glass industrial design, studio production and to enhance the individual glass artists’ palette.

The motivation for the research was to expand on the creative possibilities of air bubbles in glass, through the application of digital and kiln technologies to formulate and control complex air entrapment, for new configurations in glass art. In comparison to glassblowing, air entrapment in kiln forming glass practice is under-developed and undocumented. This investigation has devised new, replicable techniques to position and manipulate air in kiln-formed glass, termed collectively as Kiln-controlled Precision Air Entrapment. As a result of the inquiry, complex assemblages of text and figurative imagery have been produced that allow the articulation of expressive ideas using air voids, which were not previously possible. The research establishes several new innovations for air-entrapment in glass, as well as forming a technical hypotheses and a practice-based methodology. The research focuses primarily on float glass and the application of CNC abrasive waterjet cutting technology; incorporating computer aided design and fabrication alongside more conventional glass-forming methods. The 3-axis CNC abrasive waterjet cutting process offers accuracy of cut and complexity of form and scale, across a flat plane of sheet glass. The new method of cleanly fusing layered, waterjet-cut float glass permits the fabrication of artwork containing air entrapment as multilayered, intricate groupings and composite three-dimensional void forms. Kiln-controlled air entrapment presents a number of significant advantages over conventional glassblowing techniques of air entrapment which are based around the decorative vessel or solid spheroid shaped on the blowing iron. The integration of digital and traditional technologies and the resulting technical glassmaking discoveries in this research advance potential new contexts for air entrapment, in sculptural and architectural glass applications. Contexts include solid sculptures which explore the internal space of glass, to flat-plane panels and hot glass roll-up processes which take air entrapment beyond the limitations of its previous incarnations. The creative potential of Kiln-controlled Precision Air Entrapment for glass art is demonstrated through the development of a body of artworks and their dissemination in the field of practice. Documentation of the findings in the thesis has resulted in a 3 significant body of knowledge which opens up new avenues of understanding for academics, creative practitioners and professionals working with glass.

In an effort to determine whether glass flows when polished uranium glasses were fused to non uranium glasses and polishings carried out in a direction from the active to the inactive side. Soda-lead-silicate and phosphate glasses were polished with rouge and ceric oxide. To locate any of the uranium glass which may have been transferred during the polishing, nuclear track plates were used. Thus by autoradiographs taken before and after polishing, any alpha particles from the uranium glass transferred to the side of the non uranium glass would have registered on the developed plates. This method was capable of detecting a 4.5 A° flowed layer or chips of uranium glass 0.019 mms in diameter. No evidence of any flow, greater than over a distance of 0.2 mms, was found by the authors. Experiments were also carried out using radioactive ceric oxide. Thus if the contact temperatures reached during polishing approached the softening point of the glass it was reasoned that the agent might, have become fused with the polished surface. By using this method it would have been possible to detect 2.3 X 10⁻⁷ grams of Ce0₂ spread over 6 cm² on the surface of the glass. By assuming that the Ce0₂ would fuse with and become part of the glass it was possible to detect a 15 A° layer of this changed glass, if 10% of this changed glass was CeO₂. The authors found no evidence of any fusion of the Ce0₂ with the glass under the conditions of polishing used in this project. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate

The effects of heat treatments on viscosity were analysed for three types of glasses. "Pyrex" glass could be approximated to a Newtonian liquid in the range of temperature 470 to 590°C. The activation energy for viscous flow varied from 65 to 85 kcal/mole according to the previous thermal history. All glasses exhibited phase separation to different degrees according to the heat treatments to which they had been submitted. Phase separation and different degrees of devitrification could account for the variation in viscosity which have been encountered. Several mathematical expressions were tested in an attempt to correlate viscosity change with time. The best fit was obtained with a relationship of the type n = (a + bt)[superscript]c where c varied in the range 0.2 to 0.5. In the case of a ternary borosilicate glass, the value was found to be 0.5. This may suggest that phase separation is a diffusion controlled process. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Materials Engineering, Department of / Graduate

The practice-led research is concerned with the changes to the material vocabulary available to the glass artist as a result of developments in technology. Many stained glass artists continue to use a one hundred year old vocabulary in the production of works for contemporary buildings. In this research programme, the potential of a relatively new material - dichroic glass - is explored and an appropriate aesthetic developed. Dichroic glass is selected as focus in the research due to its unique qualities of reflection and transmission of specific wavelengths of light. Thin films technology has resulted in its production and is able to transform standard float glass into a magical material with enormous aesthetic potential. The approach to the application of the material is essentially a response as an artist to its unique qualities, but this approach is informed by a study of historical precedence and contemporary practice, which sets the context within which the research is carried out. The vital importance of light as the phenomena with which artists designing glass for architecture are primarily concerned, is revealed by this contextual study. The relationship of artistdesigned glass to its architectural" context is examined and in-depth case studies reveal the approaches of three contemporary artists. Personal practice is thus linked to contemporary practice and historical precedent. Developments in glass technology are reviewed and the current and developing functions of glass in architecture are outlined. This study establishes the wider context within which the artist, designing glass for contemporary architecture, is working. A study of thin film technology places dichroic glass within its technical framework. In depth analysis of how dichroics are produced and the subsequent production of a range of samples gives valuable insight into the nature of the material. The research uses a range of methods to address the artistic application of dichroic glass. To utilise the unique qualities of the material, forms are developed both in experimental models and in existing architectural settings. In seeking to enhance the experience of architectural space, the design of forms are developed in response to the particular lighting conditions of the chosen contexts. The various strands of the research work together to uncover data which would assist artists and designers in their approach to the architectural application of dichroic glass. The methods explored and developed provide useful tools for other practitioners in their approach to design.