Abstract
New glasses based on wastes of limestone, phosphate, and cement kiln dust besides white sand were manufactured. The structure of the prepared glasses was studied by FTIR, thermal analysis, UV spectroscopy and ultrasonic techniques. The analysis revealed that increasing the content of SiO2 influences the concentrations of the structural units constituting the amorphous network. The values of the physical parameters; the density, ultrasonic velocity, the elastic moduli, the refractive index, the optical band gap and the glass transition temperature increase as the SiO2 content increases, which was attributed to the former role of SiO2 which strengthens the calcium borate network and the conversion of non-bridging oxygens into bridging oxygens. These factors increase the crosslink density and connectivity within the glass network and hence its rigidity.