In order to investigate the effect of sol-gel coatings on the mechanical behavior of a high strength glass substrate, HF etched glass rods were used. Coatings with different compositions (SiO2, ZrO2 and 20%ZrO2---80%SiO2) and different thicknesses were produced to study the influence of these parameters on strength. Functions of integral probability versus strength were used to analyze data. Coated glass rods exhibit higher strength in comparison with uncoated control rods that have undergone the same treatment. It seems evident that there is an effect of composition on strengthening. SiO2 coated rods displayed higher strength. A lowering in strength at thickness higher than 0.2 μ was observed, independently of composition. The effect of a saturated Ca(OH)2 solution was also studied. |