Different Grades and Functions of Architectural Glass
There are a variety of architectural glass grades; each serving a specific purpose. In buildings, glass is typically used for safety to segregate the occupants from exposure to environmental elements. Therefore, most glass used in buildings is reinforced and laminated. In modern architecture, it is as important to aesthetics as it is to safety. Therefore, architects must select the exact type to fit the customer's requirement.
Grades of Architectural Glass
There are a large number of types of glass used in the construction of structures. The most common include:
•Float glass
•Laminated glass
•Toughened glass
•Insulated glazing
Float Glass: Most of the world's flat glass is manufactured through the float process which involves the pouring of molten glass into a tin bath. Then, the glass floats and spreads out across the bath delivering a smooth material. As it cools, it solidifies and leaves the bath in a continuous ribbon. This process provides perfectly parallel surfaces required in buildings.
Laminated Glass: Another popular glass choice for buildings is laminated glass which is produced through the bonding of at least two layers with Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) under heat and pressure which results in a single sheet. The PVB provides extra support which prevents it from shattering and causing bodily harm. This type is used in instances where security is a major concern.
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 puts the outer surfaces into compression and the inner surfaces into tension. Such stresses cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as plate glass (aka: annealed glass) create. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.
As a result of its safety and strength, toughened glass is used in a variety of demanding applications, including passenger vehicle windows, shower doors, architectural glass doors and tables, refrigerator trays, as a component of bulletproof glass, for diving masks, and various types of plates and cookware.
Insulated glazing, more commonly known as double glazing (or double-pane, and increasingly triple glazing/pane) are double or triple glass window panes separated by an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope.
Insulated Glass Units are manufactured with glass in range of thickness from 3 mm to 10 mm (1/8" to 3/8") or more in special applications. Laminated or tempered glass may also be used as part of the construction. Most units are manufactured with the same thickness of glass used on both panes[citation needed] but special applications such as acoustic attenuation or security may require wide ranges of thicknesses to be incorporated in the same unit.
