GLASS

INTRODUCTION

The glass had been used as an engineering material since ancient times.

But because of the rapid progress made in the glass industry in recent

times, the glass has come out as the most versatile engineering material

of the modern times.

Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material. Glasses are

typically brittle and optically transparent.

The use of glass in buildings is a transparent feature to allow light to enter

into rooms and floors, illuminating enclosed spaces and framing an

exterior view through a window. It is also a material for internal partitions and external cladding.

Properties of Glass

1. It absorbs, refracts or transmits light.

2. It can take up a high polish and can be substituted for expensive gems.

3. It has no sharp melting point.

4. It is an excellent electrical insulator.

5. It is available in different colors.

6. It can be worked in many ways.

7. It is not usually affected by air or water.

8. It is extremely brittle.

9. It is not easily attacked by ordinary chemical agents.

10. It is possible to weld pieces of glass.

11. It is possible to alter the properties to suit different purposes.

12. Cleaning of glass is very easy.

Colored glass

To make colored glass, coloring pigment is added to the raw materials while

preparing the batch for its manufacture. The whole mass is heated till it becomes

homogenous.

Color Substances

1. Blue Cobalt oxide, Cupric oxide

2. Dark blue Cobalt, Manganese, and iron oxides

3. Green Ferric oxide, Chromium Sesquioxide.

4. Red Caprous oxide, Metallic gold

5. Violet Manganese dioxide

6. White opaque Tin oxide, Calcium Phosphorite

7. Yellow Antimony trisulphide, Charcoal, Silver borate.

Bulletproof Glass

It is made of several layers of plate glass and alternate layers of vinyl-resin plastic.

The outer layers of plate glass are made thinner then the inner layers. the

thickness of this type of glass may vary from 15mm to 75mm or more. It will not

allow bullet to pierce through it.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass (also called glass-reinforced

plastic, GRP, glass fiber-reinforced

plastic) is a fiber reinforced

polymer made of a plastic matrix

reinforced by fine fibers of glass.

Glass reinforced plastics are also used

for the production of roofing laminate,

door surrounds, over-door canopies,

window canopies and dormers,

chimneys, coping systems, heads with

keystones and sills. The use of fiberglass

for these applications provides for a

much faster installation and due to the

reduced weight manual handling issues

are reduced.

Float glass

Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of

molten metal, typically tin, although lead and various low melting

point alloys were used in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform

thickness and very flat surfaces.

-It consumes 30% to 40% less energy. Hence it is environment friendly.

-It is aesthetically appealing.

-It is available in large sizes and various thicknesses.

-It is economic and easy to maintain.

-It is tougher and more scratch-resistant.

-It makes the windows transmit more natural light.

-It possesses high optical clarity and superior safety properties.

Eg- Asahi, Saint-gobain.

Glass blocks/Glass bricks

Glass block, also known as glass brick, is an architectural element made

from glass used in areas where privacy or visual obscuration is desired while

admitting light, such as underground parking garages, washrooms, and

municipal swimming baths. Glass block was originally developed in the

early 1900s to provide natural light in industrial factories.

Glass blocks are available in square sizes with dimensions as 150mm,

200mm, and 300mm with the approximate thickness of 100mm.

They are easy to clean and hence they can be maintained well.

They are excellent in light transmission.

They provide very good insulation against cold, heat and noise.

They possess adequate strength to carry their own weight up to a maximum

of 6m in height.

Obscured glass

This glass is used at places where light is to be transmitted but vision is to be

obscured. It has one surface either ground or made opaque by melting

powdered glass upon the surface.

This type of glass is useful for public toilets, office doors, partitions, etc.

Safety glass

Toughened or tempered glass is a

type of safety glass processed by

controlled thermal or chemical

treatments to increase its strength

compared with normal glass.

Tempering creates balanced internal

stresses which cause the glass, when

broken, to crumble into small granular

chunks instead of splintering into

jagged shards. The granular chunks

are less likely to cause injury.

Toughened glass is used in buildings

for unframed assemblies (such as

frameless doors), structurally-loaded

applications, and any other

application that would become

dangerous in the event of human

impact.

Laminated glass

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In

the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl

butyral (PVB), between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the

layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the

glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces. This produces a characteristic

"spider web" cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely

pierce the glass.

Laminated Glass

Usage Of Laminated Glass For Building

Laminated Glass Would Not Shatter When It Breaks

North Carolina Nations Bank

Laminated Art GlassColored glass laminated to solid white opalescent glass

Mountain View City Hall

Laminated Art Glass - SkylightLeaded Glass & Fired Ceramic Fit - Atrium Walls

First Union Corporate Headquarters

Laminated Art GlassHeat strengthened laminated glass with holographic film

Southwest Bank

Leaded glass

Hillsborough Gov’t Center

Dichroic glass with stainless steel truss

Siteman Cancer Center

Laminated Art Glass with Prismalite

Ronald Reagan National Airport

Hand painted, silk-screened and fused glass

Orlando Airport

Leaded Glass