If granite can melt (it can it becomes magma) [1], then can it be cast or blown like glass?
A look at the melting temperature of granite reveals that it is something higher than soda-lime glass, but lower than borosilicate! And it turns out that if you control the cooling rate of the material you can determine its crystalline structure. [2] You also control the structure of soda-lime glass by controlling the rate at which you cool the material to room temperature. [3] However, it remains to be understood how slowly it would need to be cooled to form a rock with the properties you would want.
But, I want to challenge the notion that glass is only cast or blown, and rock is only carved.
Also I read in the news that the covid vaccine vials are being manufactured with a "new" glass which is based on Aluminum [4] and is being used as an alternate to borosilicate. [5]
Granite has a fairly high proportion of Aluminum. So I also want to compare granite to a couple of clear, glass-like materials which contain aluminum: Aluminosilicate [6] and Aluminum Oxynitride [7].
Let's take a look at these materials:
Name | Silica, Si02 (%) | Alumina, Al2O3 (%) | Glass Transition, Tg (degF) |
Granite | 72 | 14 | Approx. 2300 |
Soda-Lime Glass | 74 | 1.3 | 1063 |
Borosilicate | 80 | 2-3 | 3000 |
Aluminosilicate | 52-60 | 15-25 | ? |
Aluminum Oxynitride | 0 | 30? | 3900 |
Very interesting! At first glance it is so similar to aluminosilicate I don't see why it couldn't be cast. But the fining agents will make a huge difference.
From another point of view one could say we are already casting/blowing granite, as aluminosilicate.
Questions that come to mind regarding casting the opaque stone:
1.) What is the minimum annealing time required?
2.) Is it easy to work with?
3.) What kind of COE does it have?
4.) Is it a robust material, resistant to cracking or shattering?
5.) And does it age well, without oxides?
6.) Does it fair well with additives (e.g. cobalt) for coloring?
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite
[2] https://www.quora.com/If-I-melt-granite-will-it-be-granite-when-it-cools
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda%E2%80%93lime_glass
[4] https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccines-could-depend-on-the-stren...
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borosilicate_glass
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminosilicate
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride