Abstract: A foamed glass body, comprising a foamed glass portion and a pore portion. The pore portion includes a plurality of gas-filled pores generally homogeneously distributed throughout the foamed glass portion. The foamed glass portion has a cristobalite content of less than one volume percent.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed glass composite engineered material arresting system for aircraft arrest, including heating glass frit to a temperature of between about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and about 1900 degrees Fahrenheit, softening the frit to define a viscous glass material, and foaming the viscous glass material to yield a foamed glass body. The foamed glass body is then cooled, positioned in a bed located adjacent an airport runway, and at least partially surrounded with a structural matrix material to define a composite bed portion. The foamed glass body is incompressible and fails with a crushing failure mode.

Abstract: An aircraft runway safety area for slowing an aircraft that has overrun a runway, including a brittle, nondeformable material for arresting the travel of an aircraft without catastrophically damaging the aircraft, the nondeformable material being configured to crush upon being contacted by the aircraft to effect arrest, and comprising incompressible material in the form of one or more foamed glass bodies, each respective body having a top surface, a bottom surface and oppositely disposed side surfaces, and a frangible matrix encasing the one or more foamed glass bodies, the frangible matrix fabricated to protect the incompressible material and having a breaking strength sufficient to readily break without subverting the arrestment characteristics of the incompressible material. The frangible matrix is different from the incompressible material.

Abstract: A method of treating a surface to remove unwanted material therefrom, including providing a foamed glass article formed from a starting mixture including glass, a carbonate foaming agent, and a devitrification agent selected from the group potassium phosphate, potassium phosphate tribasic, sodium phosphate and combinations thereof, and contacting the surface with the foamed glass article while providing relative movement between the surface and the article. The crystal silica content of the foamed glass body is less than 1 weight percent. The surface is treated by sanding, rubbing, scraping, degreasing, polishing, cleaning, smoothing, depilling, grooming, stripping, degumming, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed glass body, including preparing an admixture of powdered glass, at least one carbonate based foaming agent, and at least devitrification inhibitor, heating the admixture to a first temperature to soften the glass, heating the admixture to a second, higher temperature to foam the softened glass into a foamed glass body, and cooling the foamed glass body, wherein the temperature of the foamed glass body always remains too cold for silica crystal growth. The crystal silica content of the so-formed foamed glass body is less than 1 weight percent.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed glass body, including preparing an admixture of powdered glass, at least one carbonate based foaming agent, and at least devitrification inhibitor, heating the admixture to a first temperature to soften the glass, heating the admixture to a second, higher temperature to foam the softened glass into a foamed glass body, and cooling the foamed glass body. The crystal silica content of the so-formed foamed glass body is less than 1 weight percent.

Abstract: A method of slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass bodies to define a bed, covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed, and crushing at least a portion of the composite bed with an oncoming aircraft, wherein crushing the at least a portion of the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft to slow the oncoming aircraft. The composite bed is generally resistant to fire.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed glass composite, including crushing a vitreous precursor material, such as waste glass, frit, metallurgical slag or the like, sizing the crushed vitreous precursor to segregate an amount of crushed particles of a predetermined size and pelletizing the crushed particles. The pellets are preheated and passed through a high-temperature zone to foam the pellets. The foamed pellets are rapidly quenched to a temperature below their dilatometric softening point and then cooled to room temperature. The high temperature zone is at least about 1200° C. and the pellets are preheated to within no more than about 25° C. of their dilatometric softening point. The pellets are quenched to partially or completely avoid annealing and have increased hardness and compressive strength as a consequence, as well as a preferred failure mode under compression and torsional loads of crushing/shattering.

Abstract: A foamed glass plant growth support structure, including a foamed glass substrate and a plurality of interconnected pores distributed throughout the substrate. The substrate is characterized by a porosity of at least about 80 percent. The pore size is substantially between about 0.2 and about 5 millimeters and the substrate is sufficiently chemically stable such that water filling the plurality of interconnected pores experiences a pH shift of less than 0.5.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed glass body, including preparing an admixture of powdered glass, at least one carbonate based foaming agent, and at least devitrification inhibitor, heating the admixture to a first temperature to soften the glass, heating the admixture to a second, higher temperature to foam the softened glass into a foamed glass body, and cooling the foamed glass body. The crystal silica content of the so-formed foamed glass body is less than 1 weight percent.

Abstract: A granular soil composition consisting of a first mixture of organic material and a second plurality of substantially nonporous generally spherical foamed glass particles. The second substantially nonporous generally spherical foamed glass particles is typically present in amounts of between about 20 and 50 volume percent. The first mixture is typically selected from the group including bark, wood chips, rice husks, coco peat, peat moss and mixtures thereof and the plurality if substantially nonporous generally spherical foamed glass particles are characterized by mean strengths of at least about 350 PSI, diameters of between about 0.1 and 10 millimeters, and bulk densities of between about 15 and about 60 lb/ft3.

Abstract: A method of disposing of waste material in a waste stream, including positioning a porous foamed glass member characterized by an open-cell interconnected pore network in contact with a volume of liquid to be purified and removing an amount of an undesired material from the volume of liquid.

Abstract: A porous glass plant growth support structure, including a porous glass substrate and a plurality of interconnected pores distributed throughout the substrate. The substrate is typically formed from foamed glass and/or fused glass spheres and is characterized by a porosity of at least about 80 percent. The pore size is substantially between about 0.2 and about 5 millimeters and the substrate is sufficiently chemically stable such that water filling the plurality of interconnected pores experiences a pH shift of less than 0.5.

Abstract: A foamed glass plant growth support structure, including a foamed glass substrate and a plurality of interconnected pores distributed throughout the substrate. The substrate is characterized by a porosity of at least about 80 percent. The pore size is substantially between about 0.2 and about 5 millimeters and the substrate is sufficiently chemically stable such that water filling the plurality of interconnected pores experiences a pH shift of less than 0.5.

Abstract: A foamed glass plant growth support structure, including a foamed glass substrate and a plurality of interconnected pores distributed throughout the substrate. The substrate is characterized by a porosity of at least about 80 percent. The pore size is substantially between about 0.2 and about 5 millimeters and the substrate is sufficiently chemically stable such that water filling the plurality of interconnected pores experiences a pH shift of less than 0.5.

Abstract: A method of making a foam glass preparation is provided. The following are mixed together: powdered or ground glass, at least one non-sulfur based foaming agent, and at least one additive that reduces the crystalline silica content in the foam glass derived from the preparation to less than 1% (volume basis).

Abstract: A method of producing a foamed glass composite panel is provided. Glass and 0.1-20.0% by weight of at least one non-sulfur based foaming agent are mixed together, and the mixture is heated to a temperature sufficient to foam it. The foamed mixture is cooled to form at least one foamed glass substrate. During or after the cooling step, material is bonded or attached to at least one side of the foamed glass substrate to form a composite panel.