How to recognize and know fiberglass ?

Glass fibers have been produced for centuries, but the earliest patent was awarded to the Prussian inventor Hermann Hammesfahr (1845–1914) in the U.S. in 1880.

In 1932, when Owens-Illinois researcher Game Slayter directed a jet of compressed air to a stream of molten glass and produced fibers, he accidentally discovered the mass production of glass filaments. The patent for this method of producing glass wool was first applied for in 1933. Owens joined Corning in 1935. Owens Corning modified the method and produced the patented "Fiberbolas" (spelled "s") in 1936 . Initially, Fiberglas was a type of glass wool, in which the fibers trapped a large amount of gas, making it useful as an insulator, especially at high temperatures.

du Pont developed a suitable resin in 1936 to combine glass fibers and plastics to produce composite materials. The first ancestor of modern polyester resins was Cyanamid's resin in 1942. At that time, a peroxide curing system was used. Combining glass fiber and resin, the gas content of the material is replaced by plastic. This reduces the insulation performance to the typical value of plastics, but now, this composite material shows great strength for the first time, and is expected to be used as a structure and building material. Many glass fiber composite materials continue to be referred to as "fiberglass" (as a generic name), which is also used for low-density glass wool products that contain gas instead of plastic.

Ray Greene of Owens Corning produced the first composite ship in 1937, but due to the brittleness of the plastics used, no further developments were made at that time. According to reports, in 1939, Russia built a passenger ship made of plastic materials, while the United States built the fuselage and wings of an airplane. The first car with a fiberglass body was a prototype of the Stout Scarab in 1946, but the model did not go into production.