GLASS

Glass as building material:

Glass is an inorganic, transparent or translucent material which can be molded into any
shape. Glass is a mixture of raw materials like Silica, sodium potassium carbonate, lime or
lead oxide, Manganese oxide which is ground, sieved and mixed in specific proportion and
melted in furnace.

From the beginning of 20th century modern architecture has been instrumental in mass
production of concrete, glass and steel buildings in the factories we call cities. This
ideology helped accommodate housing needs of the burgeoning middle class. Glass and
steel construction have become the symbol of development in many countries, where
people tend to see these buildings as symbols of affluence and luxury.

Glass is the dominating material in modern day architecture which places optical emphases
and provides for numerous technical functions. Today, the glass industry offers glazing
with individual technical features that can be used as heat, solar, or sound protection, as
design components, safety glass, or as a part of solar systems. The main focus in building
is usually on saving energy, especially in these challenging times of increasing prices for
energy and raw materials.

Glass is an ancient building material, which facilitated penetration of light into buildings.
Once it was used exclusively for window panes, whereas nowadays there are examples of
structures made of glass only. Apart from the traditional non-bearing application in
engineering, it is progressively used for construction of bearing elements. The
progressively stricter regulations dealing with energy efficiency of the buildings gives rise
to application of special characteristics glass of high performance, but also to the more
intensive research in this field. The adequate choice of the glass type can to a great extent
improve the energy efficiency of the building.
The focus of intensive research and development aimed at maximizing the glass three most
attractive traits: the ability to transmit light, block heat and safety issues. These efforts have
engendered a number of significant advances, from the introduction of uncoated spectrally
selective glass to the rise of multi-cavity insulating glass units. Safety issues have a high
importance on glass applications, because of potential life safety hazard to pedestrians and
building occupants.

Architectural glass comes in three different strength categories: annealed glass, heat-
strengthened glass and fully-tempered glass.

Annealed glass is the most commonly used architectural glass. It has good surface
flatness because it is not heat-treated and therefore not subject to distortion typically
produced during glass tempering. On the downside, annealed glass breaks into
sharp, dangerous shards.
Heat-strengthened and fully-tempered glass are heat-treated glass products,
heated and quenched in such a way to create residual surface compression in the
glass. The surface compression gives the glass generally higher resistance to
breakage than annealed glass. Heat-strengthened glass has at least twice the
strength and resistance to breakage from wind loads or thermal stresses comparing
to annealed glass. The necessary heat treatment generally results in some distortion
compared to annealed glass. Like annealed glass, heat-strengthened glass can break
into large shards.
Fully-tempered glass (toughened glass) provides at least four times the strength of
annealed glass, which gives it superior resistance to glass breakage. It is float or
plate glass that has been heated and rapidly cooled, increasing its inherent strength
and ductility. Similar to heat-strengthened glass, the heat-treatment generally
results in some distortion. If it breaks, fully-tempered glass breaks into many small
fragments, which makes it suitable as safety glazing under certain conditions. It is
used for windows that are exposed to high wind pressure or extreme heat or cold.
Properties of annealed and fully-tempered glass are comparatively provided below:
Glass is no longer just a filler element, but is rather nowadays also used for supporting or
enveloping purposes. Glass is a magical material which has so many different properties
and uses, that it has presented Architects with many new possibilities and designs. Glass is
most typically used as transparent glazing material in construction and also used in
architectural features like doors, windows, partition. Glass is a transparent hard substance
created by the application of heat to sand or quartz. Now let’s consider the advantages &
disadvantages of glass as building material:

Advantages:

1. The glass that absorb, refracts or transmits light. It can be made transparent or
translucent so it adds extraordinary beauty to the building.
2. Glass transmits up to 80% of available natural day light in both directions without any
yellowing, clouding or weathering.
3. The glass is fully weather resistance so it can withstand the effects of the wind, rain, or
the sun and can retain its appearance and integrity.
4. Glass does not rust so it does not degrade gradually by chemical and surrounding
environment effects.
5. Glass has a smooth glossy surface so it is dust proof and can be easily cleaned.
6. Glass allows natural light to enter the building even if doors/windows are closed so
thus it saves energy and also lowers the electricity bills, brightens up the room and
brings out the beauty of the building, and most importantly it boosts the mood of
occupant.
7. It is an excellent insulator against electricity. It is impossible to conduct an electric
current under the influence of an electric field.
8. Available in varieties of colors and when we combine the glass sheet in laminated or
insulated units, they change in color and appearance.
9. It can be blown, drawn and pressed to any shape and hence it is used for general glazing
purposes in building, shop fronts, building doors and windows and workshops. It is
also used for furniture after being laminated with plywood or metal sheet.
10. Glass provides an ideal way to showcase a product.
11. It is also with a deep understanding of glass science and by using fusion draw
manufacturing process to lead the display industry with its superior liquid crystal
display (LCD) glass that fueled the electronics gadget screen revolution.
12. Glass is 100% recyclable and it does not degrade during the recycling process, hence
it can be recycled again and again without loss of quality or purity.
13. The glass is UV stable, Since It is not attacked by ultraviolet radiation and hence cracks,
discoloration or disintegration will not occur.
14. The glass is excellent abrasion resistant so it will resist surface wear caused by flat
rubbing and contact with another material.
15. The glass is stable over a wide range of temperature so it is used for fireplace glass,
high-temperature light lenses, and wood burning stoves, cooking tops and high-
temperature areas where low expansion is needed.
16. It is unaffected by noise, air, water and most of the acids hence discoloration, alteration
in the degree of shine, softening, swelling, the detachment of coatings and blistering
will not occur. Glass also protects against outside barriers.
17. Glass has the ability to make the structure look more stunning, sophisticated and adds
beauty to the building. It is used to achieve the architectural view for external
decoration.
18. When used in the interiors, glass saves space.
Disadvantages:

1. Manufacturing of glass is high energy consuming process due to high temperature

required for processing the raw materials, and it is expensive material and ultimately
increases the cost of a building.
2. The glass is very rigid and brittle materials so when it is subjected to stress, it breaks
without significant (strain). Broken pieces of Glass may be sharp and chances of injury
are very high.
3. The glass is less impact resistant so the capability of the glass to withstand a suddenly
applied load is very poor.
4. The glass is affected by external hydrofluoric acid hence sometime etching is appear
on glass surface.
5. The Glass is affected by alkalis ions. Alkali solution simply dissolves a glass surface
and as long as the supply of alkali is sufficient, this type of corrosion takes place at a
uniform rate.
6. Glass offers superior transparency of heat hence it is to be balanced with its relatively
low R-value (energy saving). R-value is considered as one of the most important factors
for insulating.
7. Use of glass also enhances the cost of security.
8. The glass is also unsafe for earthquake proven area. Unfortunately, there is no such
Glass as an earthquake proof material but costly treatment makes them withstand
against earthquake.
9. The glass is poor in terms of heat preservation, leading to higher costs in the operation
of air-conditioners.
10. Though many feel that once you provide glass in a building facade, you are free from
painting expenses for ever. Unfortunately you may have to spend equally for cleaning
of glass. Sometimes it is as costly as expose painting. Again, you may paint building
once in a 5 years but for glass you have to clean every year.
11. Glass absorbs heat and hence act as a greenhouse and hence not suitable in warm and
hot climates. It will increase AC load and more energy consideration for air
conditioning.
12. Glare is a major problem in glass facade building.
Characteristics Of Glass As Building Material:

1. Hardness and Brittleness:

 It is a hard material as it has greater impact resistance against applied load. But at
the same time it is brittle material as its breaks immediately when subjected to load.
2. Weather Resistance:
 It is weather resistant as it can withstand the effect of rain, sun and wind. It can
absorb, reflect and refract light as it enables us to control and manipulate natural
light to influence our daily activities.
 It has greater dimensional stability as it has low thermal expansion value. (I.e. Its
change in volume with respect to temperature change as compared to other
materials is very low.)
3. Insulation:
 It is an excellent insulator against heat, electricity and electromagnetic radiation. It
has a good insulating response against visible light transmission.
 Certain special type of glass has high resistance against ultra-violet, infrared and x-
ray transmission. It has an excellent resistance against sound transmission, provided
used with proper thickness.
4. Chemical Resistance:
 It can withstand the effect of the chemical reaction under different environment
conditions or acidic effects.
 It has excellent resistance to most chemicals, including solutions of inorganic
alkalies and acids, such as ammonia and sulfuric acid.
5. Color and Shape Varieties:
 It can be blown, drawn and pressed to any colour, shape, and varieties.
 Nowadays so many colour and shape varieties are available in the market
depending upon their use, dimensional requirements, and safety requirement.
6. Property Modification:
 It is also possible to change some of its properties to suit different purposes. The
major surface modification processes are listed below, and their names itself
suggest the different properties of glass to which it can be modified depending upon
their use in the building.

List of Surface modification Process of Glass:

 Anti-fogg coating
 Anti-reflective coating
 Chemically strengthened glass (Safety glass, toughened glass, wire-mesh glass, and
laminated glass)
 Anti-corrosion coating (Resistance to water)
 Dealkalization coating (Surface layer that has a lower concentration of alkali ions)
 Hydrogen darkening layer (Chemical process that interferes the passage of light)
 Insulated coating or double glazing or double pane (for heat and or sound
insulation)
 Sand blasting or acid etching process (Frosted Glass)
 Low emissivity coating (Coating helps to reduce heat transfer)
 Pyrolytic coating (Coating for excellent performance)
 Self-cleaning coating
 Sandwichable film or Smart film coating (Alter the light transmission property
when voltage, light or heat is applied)
 Water repellent coating (Making hydrophilic surface)
 Sol-gel coating (Preparation of thermally stable, transparent super-hydrophobic
silica films)
Properties Of Glass:

 Transparency: This property allows visual connection with the outside world. Its
transparency can be permanently altered by adding admixtures to the initial batch
mix. By the advent of technology clear glass panels used in buildings can be made
opaque. (Electro chromatic glazing)
 U value: The U-value is the measure of how much heat is transferred through the
window. The lower the U-value the better the insulation properties of the glass– the
better it is at keeping the heat or cold out.
 Strength: Glass is a brittle material but with the advent of science and technology,
certain laminates and admixtures can increase its modulus of rupture (ability to
resist deformation under load).
 Greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect refers to circumstances where the short
wavelengths of visible light from the sun pass through glass and are absorbed, but
the longer infrared re-radiation from the heated objects are unable to pass through
the glass. This trapping leads to more heating and a higher resultant temperature.
 Workability: It is capable of being worked in many ways. It can be blown, drawn
or pressed. It is possible to obtain glass with diversified properties- clear, colorless,
diffused and stained. Glass can also be welded by fusion.
 Recyclable: Glass is 100% recyclable, cullets (Scraps of broken or waste glass
gathered for re-melting) are used as raw materials in glass manufacture, as
aggregates in concrete construction etc.
 Solar heat gain coefficient: It is the fraction of incident solar radiation that actually
enters a building through the entire window assembly as heat gain.
 Visible transmittance: Visible transmittance is the fraction of visible light that
comes through the glass.
 Energy efficiency and acoustic control: Energy-efficient glazing is the term used to
describe the double glazing or triple glazing use in modern windows in building.
Unlike the original single glazing or old double glazing, energy-efficient glazing
incorporates coated (low-emissivity) glass to prevent heat escaping through the
windows. The air barrier also enhances acoustic control.
Types Of Glass:

 Float Glass: Float glass is made of sodium silicate and calcium silicate so, it is also
called as soda lime glass or clear glass. This is produced by annealing the molten glass,
and it is clear and flat so, it causes glare. Its modulus of rupture is 5000-6000 psi. It is
available in standard thickness ranging from 2mm to 20mm. and they have a weight
range of 6 to 36 kg/m2. It has too much transparency. These are used as shop fronts,
public places, canopies, glass blocks, railing partitions, etc.

Fig ()

 Laminated Glass: Laminated glass is the combination of layers of normal glass. This
type of glass is made by sandwiching glass panels within a protective layer. It is heavier
than normal glass and may cause optical distortions as well. It is tough and protects
from UV radiation (99%) and insulates sound by 50%. Used in glass facades,
aquariums, bridges, staircases, floor slabs, etc.

Fig ()
 Tinted Glass: Tinted glass is nothing but colored glass. A color producing ingredients
is mixed to the normal glass mix to produce colored glass without compromising its
strength or affecting any other properties of the glass. Different color producing
ingredients are tabulated below:

Coloring ion Color

Iron oxide Green
Sulphur Blue
Manganese dioxide Black
Cobalt Blue
Chromium Dark green
Titanium Yellowish brown
Uranium yellow

Fig ()
 Shatterproof glass: Shatterproof glass is used for windows, skylights, floors etc. Some
type of plastic polyvinyl butyral is added in its making process. So, it cannot form sharp
edged pieces when it breaks.

Fig ()

 Toughened Glass: Toughened glass is strong glass which has low visibility and may
have distortions. When it is broken it forms small granular chunks or breaks into small
dice-like pieces, which are dangerous, that happen at modulus of rupture of 3600 psi.
Hence it is used in making fire resistant doors etc. They are available in same weight
and thickness range as float glass.

Fig ()
 Extra clean glass: Extra clean glass has two special properties, photocatylitic and
hydrophilic. Hydrophilic i.e. the water moves over them without leaving any marks.
Photocatylitic i.e. they are covered with Nanoparticles that attack and break dirt.
Because of these properties, it acts as stain proof and gives beautiful appearance as well
as making the glass easier to clean and maintain.

Fig ()

 Chromatic glass: This type of glass can control the transparent efficiency of glass and
protects the interior from daylight. These glass are available in three forms-
photochromatic (light sensitive lamination on glass), thermochromatic (heat sensitive
lamination on glass) and electrochromatic (light sensitive glass the transparency of
which can be controlled by electricity switch.). this type can be used in meeting rooms
and ICUs.

Fig ()
 Double Glazed Units: These are made by providing air gap between two glass panels
in order to reduce the heat loss and gain, therefore it is considered as good insulators.
Normal glass can cause immense amount of heat gain and up to 30% of loss of heat of
air conditioning energy. Green energy efficient glass can reduce this impact. These are
also called as insulated glazed units.

Fig ()

 Glass wool: Glass wool is a thermal insulation and a fire resistant that consists of
intertwined and flexible glass fibers, which causes it to "package" air, and consequently
make good insulating materials. Glass wool can be used as filler or insulators in
buildings, also for soundproofing.

Fig ()
 Glass blocks: Glass block or glass bricks are manufactured from two different halves
and they are pressed and annealed together while melting process of glass. The
resulting glass blocks will have a partial vacuum at the hollow center. These are used
as architectural purpose in the construction of walls, skylights etc. They provide
aesthetic appearance when light is passed through it.

Fig ()
Type Of Glass Used In This Project:
In this project we are going to use Laminated Glass, due to it is numerous benefits and
advantages which we will discuss it below:

a) Safety
Ordinary glass is brittle, breaking into long sharp pieces which can cause serious
and sometimes fatal injuries. The principal feature of laminated safety glass is its
performance under impact. The interlayers absorb the energy of the impact, and
resist penetration. Although the glass may break, the glass fragments remain firmly
bonded to the interlayer, minimizing the risk of injuries. Little wonder that
laminated glass is mandatory for automotive windshields in almost every
industrialized country in the world and increasingly specified or required in
architectural glazing.
In glass skylights, sunspaces, sloped glazing installations and curtain walls, there
is always the possibility of glass breakage. Without laminated glass, that could
mean a big safety problem caused by falling glass. Unlike all types of monolithic
glass, laminated glass remains intact when broken, protecting people from injury.
This is why many building codes worldwide require laminated glass for overhead
glazing.

b) Security
Burglars often break windows to get to door and window handles, and laminated
glass can resist their intrusion. Even if it is accidentally broken, the interlayer
continues to safeguard the building until the glass is replaced. Reglazing can be
done when convenient, rather than during expensive after-hours.
Laminated glass can be designed to withstand bullets and bomb blasts by using
multiple or thick layers of glass and interlayer. In prisons, laminated security glass
can replace traditional bars to create a more humane environment.
The rise in urban crime and terrorism has created a need for glazing materials that
enable people to carry on normally and be protected from harm. Laminated glass
made up of several glass sheets and interlayers can provide protection in medium
to high security applications.
c) Sound reduction
Noise, just like a burglar, gains easiest entry to homes and buildings through
glass. Laminated glass has proven to be an excellent barrier to noise, having a
higher sound reduction index than monolithic glass of equal thickness between
the frequencies of 125Hz and 4,000Hz. This sound dampening is due to the
"viscoelastic" properties of the interlayer material. The coincidence effect
experienced with monolithic glass at certain frequencies is also considerably
reduced with laminated glass, and the noise reduction performance of IG units can
be greatly improved by incorporating at least one layer of laminated glass.

d) Solar energy control

While natural light plays an important role in architectural design, too much
sunlight can also mean too much heat. Tinted laminated glass can reduce heat
gain from sunlight to lower air conditioning costs, and it can also control glare.
Laminated glass also can be used to combine reflective coated glass or low-E glass
with heat absorbing glass tints. In warm climates, these combine the penetration
resistance and sound reducing qualities of laminated glass with good shading and
energy management. In laminated glass containing coated glass, the metallic
coating faces toward the inside of the laminate, where it is protected from harmful
dirt or contact.

e) UV control
The major cause of deterioration and fading of furnishings and pictures is the
chemical reaction caused by short-wavelength UV radiation. UV-absorbing
additives in the interlayer in laminated glass can screen out almost all these
damaging rays.

f) Protection from weather and natural disasters

In developed areas subject to heavy winds and rains such as hurricanes or
cyclones, buildings often need extra protection. Flying debris carried by these
winds can shatter the glass of windows and doors, injuring people and opening
buildings to often devastating further damage. Laminated glass constructions can
be properly designed to remain intact under impact and keep the envelope of the
home or building sealed. Glass fallout in earthquakes exposes people to dangerous
broken shards. Again, laminated glass has been shown to keep the glass intact and
in its frame. If broken, laminated glass remains in its frame, preventing interior
damage, while reduced flying glass protects people both indoors and outdoors.
 g) Durability
Laminated glass is durable, maintaining its color and strength, and is as easily
cleaned as ordinary glass.

h) Design versatility
Laminated glazing can be manufactured flat or curved, and include annealed,
toughened, heat strengthened, spandrel, wired, patterned, tinted and reflective
glasses. laminating interlayers can be used to add color tints or increase the
opacity of the glazing, for further design aesthetics or privacy needs.

i) Installation ease
Laminated glass is simple to install. Standard-sized, two-ply glass panels can be
cut to size on-site, and can also be drilled or notched.

j) Low visual distortion

Laminated building glass is usually glazed in an annealed form, avoiding the
distortion caused by "roller waves" in tempered and heat-strengthened glass.

Fig ()

Eventually, there are many good reasons for installing laminated glass. However, there
are a few disadvantages that you need to consider. If we compare the price of standard
glass and laminated glass, we’ll witness a significant difference. Laminated glass are
quite a bit more expensive than regular glass. This is because they require a lot more
steps during the manufacturing process and because they have several layers of material.
Therefore, many clients avoid installing laminated glass due to its cost.