GLASS AND

GLAZING
Glazing is a transparent part of a wall, usually made
of glass or plastic (acrylic and polycarbonate).

Glass
common sense refers to a hard, brittle, transparent
solid, such as that used for windows, many bottles, or
eyewear
In the technical sense, glass is an inorganic product of
fusion which has been cooled to a rigid condition
without crystallizing.
In the scientific sense the term glass is often extended
to all amorphous solids (and melts that easily form
amorphous solids), including plastics, resins, or other
silica-free amorphous solids.
Characteristics of Glass

No definite melting point, if heated it soften, melt and

becomes a thick syrupy liquid making it possible to be
bent.

While in a molten state, it can be blown, drawn, rolled,

press and cast into a variety of shapes and textures.

Glass is commonly used to glaze window, sash and

skylight openings in buildings.
Sheet glass

(sometimes called
window glass or drawn
glass) was made by
dipping a leader into a
vat of molten glass
then pulling that leader
straight up while a film
of glass hardened just
out of the vat.
Rolled plate glass
The glass is taken from the furnace in large iron ladles,
which are carried upon slings running on overhead rails;
from the ladle the glass is thrown upon the cast-iron bed of
a rolling-table; and is rolled into sheet by an iron roller, the
process being similar to that employed in making plate-
glass, but on a smaller scale.

Figure rolled glass

The elaborate patterns found on
figure rolled glass are produced
in a similar fashion to the rolled
plate glass process except that
the plate is cast between two
rollers, one of which carries a
pattern.
Float glass
is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a
bed of molten tin. This method gives the sheet uniform
thickness and very flat surfaces. Modern windows are
made from float glass. Most float glass is soda-lime
glass, but relatively minor quantities of specialty
borosilicate and flat panel display glass are also
produced using the float glass process.

The glass cools and slowly Soda-lime glass is prepared

solidifies as it travels over the
molten tin and leaves the tin
bath in a continuous ribbon.
The glass is then annealed by
cooling in an oven called a lehr.
by melting the raw
materials, such as soda,
lime, silica, alumina, and
small quantities of fining
agents in a glass furnace at
temperatures locally up to
1675°C.
Old window
containing a
sheet of float
glass in the upper
left section, Jena,
Germany. The
remaining
sections are
possibly not float
glass as indicated
by the distorted
reflections of a
tree.
 A lehr is a
temperature-
controlled kiln for
annealing objects
Annealed glass made of glass.

is glass without internal stresses caused by heat

treatment (ie by rapid cooling, or by toughening or
heat strengthening). Glass becomes annealed if it is
heated above a transition point then allowed to cool
slowly, without being quenched.

Annealed glass breaks into large, jagged shards that

can cause serious injury
 Laminated glass (safety glass)

is a type of safety glass that holds together when

shattered. In the event of breakage, it is held in place by
an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), between
its two or more layers of glass.
 Toughened glass

(tempered glass) is a
type of safety glass that
has increased strength
and will usually shatter in
small, square pieces
when broken.

Toughened glass is typically

four to six times the strength of
annealed glass.
Stained glass

The term stained glass refers

either to the material of colored
glass or to the art and craft of
working with it. As a material the
term stained glass generally
refers to glass that has been
colored by adding metallic salts
during its manufacture.
Chemically strengthened glass
is a type of glass that has increased strength. The glass
is chemically strengthened by submerging the glass in a
bath containing a potassium salt (typically potassium
nitrate) at 450 °C. 6-8x the strength of annealed glass.
Also unlike toughened glass, chemically strengthened
glass may be cut after strengthening.

Low-emissivity glass
Low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings are microscopically
thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers
deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface
primarily to reduce the U-factor by suppressing radiative
heat flow.
Self-cleaning glass
The first self-cleaning glass was based on thin film titanium
dioxide coating. The glass cleans itself in two stages.

The 'photo catalytic' stage of the

process breaks down the organic
dirt on the glass using ultraviolet in
sunlight (even on overcast days)
and makes the glass hydrophilic
(normally glass is hydrophobic).
During the following 'hydrophilic'
stage rain washes away the dirt -
leaving almost no streaks, because
hydrophilic glass spreads the water
evenly over its surface. Hydrophobic leaf
surface
Insulated glazing

or double glazing is a
piece of glazing
consisting of two or
more layers of glazing
separated by a spacer
along the edge and
sealed to create a
dead air space
between the layers.
This type of glazing
has functions of
thermal insulation and
noise reduction.
Glass brick, also known as glass block, is often
used as an architectural element in underground
parking garages, washrooms, municipal swimming
baths, and other areas where privacy or visual
obscuration is desired, while admitting light.