GLASS FOR BUILDINGS
INTRODUCTION
Glass is an amorphous, hard, brittle, transparent
or translucent super cooled liquid of infinite viscosity, having no
definite melting point obtained by fusing a mixture of a number of
metallic silicates or borates of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and
Lead.
COMPOSITION OF GLASS
Glass is made from the following raw materials:
Silica (S2O2) 71.0 to 78.0%
Alumina (Al2O3) 0.5 to 1.5%
Iron oxide (Fe203) 0.05 to 0.15%
Calcium oxide (CaO) 5.0 to 10.0%
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 2.0 to 5.0%
Sodium oxide (Na2O) 13.0 to 16.0%
Potassium oxide (K2O) 0.0 to 1.0%
Sulphur trioxide (SO3) 0.0 to 0.5%
PROPERTIES OF GLASS
Amorphous
Brittle
Transparent / Translucent
Good electrical insulator
Unaffected by air, water, acid or chemical reagents except HF
No definite crystal structure means glass has high Compressive
strength
Can absorb, transmit and reflect light
MANUFACTURE
Melting
Forming and Shaping
Annealing
Finishing
MELTING:
Raw materials in proper proportions are mixed with cullets. It is
finely powdered and intimate mixture called batch is fused in furnace at
high temperature of 1800°C this charge melts and fuses into a viscous
fluid.
FORMING AND SHAPING
The viscous mass obtained from melting is poured into
moulds to get different types of articles of desired shape by either blowing or
pressing between the rollers.
ANNEALING
Glass articles are then allowed to cool gradually at room
temperature by passing through different chambers with descending
temperatures. This reduces the internal Strain in the glass.
FINISHING
Finishing is the last step in glass manufacturing. It involves
following steps.
Cleaning Grinding
Polishing Cutting
Sand Blasting
TYPES OF GLASS
Laminated Glass
Toughened Glass
Wired Glass
Reflective Glass
Flat Glass
Patterned Glass
Glass Brick
Tinted Glass
Chemically Strengthened Glass
Low Emissivity
Self-Cleaning Glass
LAMINATED GLASS
A type of glass that holds together when shattered
In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically
polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between its two or more layers of glass.
This produces a characteristic “spider web” cracking pattern when
the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass.
Usually used for skylight and automobile windshields.
TOUGHENED GLASS
A glass that has been processed by controlled thermal or chemical
treatments
Usually used for automobile side and rear windows, skylights,
frameless glass door
WIRED GLASS
A type of glass into which a wire mesh is embedded during
production.
Manufactured primarily as a fire retardant, with wire mesh inlaid in
the glass to prevent it from shattering and breaking out under stress
or when exposed to high temperatures. In case of breakage, the
mesh retains the pieces of glass.
REFLECTIVE GLASS
Coating of a metal compound applied on one surface by chemical
deposition.
principally used in curtain wall glazing and structural glazing, train
windows(AC compartments), doors and windows of commercial
buildings, partitions and internal wall cladding.
FLAT GLASS
Flat glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed
of molten metal, typically tin. This method gives the sheet uniform
thickness and very flat surfaces.
Modern windows are made from float glass process
PATTERNED GLASS
Has a pattern or texture impressed on one or both sides in the
process of rolling.
Uses: decorative glazing of windows, bathroom partitions, door.
GLASS BRICK
Also known as glass block, is an architectural element made from
glass. Glass bricks provide visual obscuration while admitting light.
Use in floors are manufactured as a single solid piece, or as a
hollow glass block with thicker side walls than the standard wall
blocks.
PERFORMANCE OF GLASS
Glass should be used in buildings with due
consideration to the following three items
Solar control
Wind loading
Sound transmission
