Glass "flies" into space: putting "protective armor" on Chinese spacecraft

What kind of glass can "fly" into the sky? Recently, at Qinhuangdao Xingjian Special Glass Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xingjian Company"), we saw this type of glass with a thickness of only about one tenth of the diameter of a human hair, which can provide special protection for spacecraft in space. What's even more surprising is that this type of glass has a high flexural strength, and it won't break even when folded in half.

The Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft, which is about to return from the Chinese space station, has "worn" over 9000 pieces of this thin yet incredibly tough "protective armor". From Shenzhou 5 to Shenzhou 18, every time the 'Shenzhou' spacecraft flies, it wears a special 'coat' that we have made, "said Lu Yong, Chairman of Star Arrow Company, proudly.

From the "Shenzhou" series of manned spacecraft to the "Chang'e lunar exploration project" series of satellites, from the "Tiangong" series of space laboratories to the "Tianwen-1" Mars probe, Xingjian Company has successfully supported multiple major Chinese aerospace engineering projects, creating a record of over 15 million pieces of special glass without any defects or quality errors. The "Hebei Intelligent Manufacturing" shining in space has put on the spacecraft the "armor" of the Chinese people.

If glass wants to ascend to the sky, the difficulty is comparable to climbing to the sky

In the space environment, space glass covers the outer surface of spacecraft battery arrays and important instrument equipment, requiring effective shielding of high-energy particles and harmful radiation, high transparency, and as thin and lightweight as possible. Producing this type of glass is equivalent to creating a special "coat" of crystal for spacecraft. Therefore, there is a popular saying in the aerospace glass industry that goes, "If glass wants to go to space, the difficulty is comparable to climbing to the sky

Anti irradiation is the core problem to be solved, but this is contradictory to weight reduction. Weight reduction requires reducing the thickness per unit area, which can result in insufficient anti irradiation ability and fragile products. At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure that the product is not affected under the instantaneous temperature fluctuation conditions of 200 ℃ above zero and 180 ℃ below zero... "Lu Yong sighed as he mentioned the difficulties he had overcome along the way.

Special glass undergoes over 30 processes from research and development to production, including formula formulation, melting, annealing, cutting, and grinding, with higher standards for producing glass cover sheets required for aerospace applications. In order to solve the problem of radiation resistance and balance the technical requirements of "fighting against each other", every process needs to go through countless failed tests.

The R&D team starts with the formula, uses a small experimental furnace to make samples for testing, finds the best formula, and then produces samples. Due to insufficient funds, they are unable to purchase relevant testing equipment and simulate the ultra-low temperature and strong radiation environment in space. They can only send samples to customers for testing, and then improve and perfect the products based on the obtained data.

In this way, after repeated failures, experiments, and breakthroughs... After repeated exploration, Star Arrow Company finally developed the leading domestic anti radiation glass manufacturing process. In 2003, this product was successfully paired with China's first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V, and has since been widely used in China's major aerospace projects.

Embroidery on hair, carving on needle tip

With the development of China's aerospace industry, spacecraft have increasingly high requirements for this "protective armor". Star Arrow Company is determined to overcome difficulties with great determination. Even if a piece of glass loses 0.03 grams, the total weight of 400000 pieces of such glass on China's space station will be reduced by 12 kilograms.

Reducing weight requires thinning the glass again. They first improved the process by reducing the thickness of the glass cover from 0.1 millimeters to 0.03 millimeters. But still not satisfied, in October 2022, Star Arrow Company began developing 0.01mm ultra-thin high-temperature resistant optical glass.

0.01 millimeters is approximately one tenth the diameter of a hair strand, which is equivalent to embroidering on a hair strand, and the difficulty can be imagined. General Manager Lu Yilin led the team to continuously optimize the formula, adjust the ion exchange temperature, and improve the high temperature resistance of the glass. By improving the precision grinding and polishing process, the thickness of high-temperature resistant optical glass has finally been reduced to 0.01 millimeters, and the product can withstand high temperatures of 800 ℃, breaking the industry record.

At the beginning of 2023, Star Arrow Company developed 0.009mm ultra-thin high-temperature resistant optical glass. It is as thin as cicada wings, yet as strong as armor, able to withstand an instant high temperature of 1200 ℃, becoming another major breakthrough in the field of optical glass in China.

From breaking through 0.1 millimeters to breaking through 0.01 millimeters, and then to breaking through 0.009 millimeters, the research team of Star Arrow Company continues to break the record for ultra-thin special optical glass. Their more than ten products have broken foreign monopolies and become a leading force in the international aerospace glass field.

What the state needs, I will do it

Entering the melting workshop of Star Arrow Company is like arriving at a magic scene: the blended silicon raw materials are put into the melting furnace, and after 30 hours of melting, they become crystal clear pieces of glass. Many people may not expect that our company has not introduced foreign equipment or purchased foreign technology since its establishment in 2000. From kiln construction to glass formula, everything has been gradually explored by ourselves, "Lu Yilin proudly said. The company's R&D and production team consists of 245 people, including 25 core researchers, most of whom are not from academic backgrounds and learn while working. To comprehensively improve its technological level, the company invests 7% -10% of its annual sales revenue into research and development.

Relying on independent innovation, Xingjian Company has gradually grown from a small family workshop enterprise to the only qualified supplier of space radiation resistant glass cover sheets for China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and a specialized and innovative "little giant" enterprise of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. At present, the company has 12 invention patents and 2 utility model patents.

Only by firmly mastering the core technology in our own hands can we truly grasp the initiative in competition and development. "Lu Yong still remembers vividly the breaking of the foreign monopoly on secondary surface mirror glass substrates. Previously, this type of glass needed to be imported from abroad at a price of over 300 yuan per piece, which was not only expensive but also difficult to guarantee quality. The research team of Star Arrow Company conducted repeated experiments from formula to manufacturing process, and finally successfully developed and solved the problem of foreign "neck jamming". In 2010, this important technological innovation achievement was released in Beijing, and since then, this glass substrate has achieved domestic mass production. At that time, the aerospace experts present held my hand tightly and said, 'Finally, we no longer need to import, and our country has confidence.' Lu Yong said that the product price of Star Arrow Company is more than 30 yuan per piece, which is only one tenth of similar foreign products. So far, it has saved the country 500 million yuan in funds.

On November 1, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on private enterprises, and Lu Yong was one of the speakers. Recalling the scene at that time, Lu Yong was still excited. "We must always maintain the passion for entrepreneurship, persist in innovation without stopping, and help China's spacecraft fly higher and farther. If the country needs it, I will do it. No matter the conditions, no matter the cost。