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ARCH – VI SEM
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.
Manufactured Glass dates from pre-historic times in the Far East, India and Egypt
Little is known about the first attempts to make glass. However, it is generally
believed that glass making was discovered 4,000 years ago, or more, in Mesopotamia.
The Roman historian Pliny attributed the origin of glassmaking to Phoenician sailors.
He recounted how they landed on a beach near Ptolemais (in modern-day Israel), propped a
cooking pot on some blocks of natron (a naturally-occurring alkali substance) they were
carrying as cargo, and made a fire over which to cook a meal. To their surprise, the beach
sand beneath the fire melted and ran in a liquid stream that later cooled and hardened into
glass. Though this is an interesting explanation, this scenario is not possible since a cooking
fire cannot reach the melting temperature of glass, and the story most likely involved
Ptolemais because its beach sand was historically known to be heavily used for glassmaking.
Properties of Glass:
The properties of Glass depend on the constituents, state of surface, thermal treatment conditions,
dimensions of specimen etc. Following are the properties of glass:
1. It absorbs, refracts or transmits light.
2. It can take up a high polish and may be used as a substitute for very costly gems.
3. Is has no definite crystalline structure.
4. It has no sharp melting point.
5. It is affected by alkalis.
6. It is an excellent electrical insulator at elevated temperatures due to the fact that glass can be
considered as an ionic liquid. The ions are not easily moved at room temperature because of the
high viscosity. But when the temperature rise, the ions are permitted to flow and thus they will
sustain an electric current.
7. It has good workability. It can be blown, drawn or presses. But it is difficult to cast in large
pieces.
8. It is extremely brittle.
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Manufacture of Glass:
Glass is produced by heating a mixture that consists largely of Sillica(silicon dioxide) and soda ash
(sodium carbonate). Soda ash serves as a flux to reduce the high melting point of silica (approz
1800*c). the melting that then takes place above 1100deg. cel. is amorphous that is virtually
nocrystals are formed. Because the structure of glass resembles that of fluids, glass is sometimes
called a "supercooled liquid"
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
1. Melting Process: 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.
CaCO3 + SiO2 → CaSiO3 + CO2↑
Na2CO3 + SiO2→ Na2SiO3 + CO2↑
After removal of CO2 decolorizes like MnO2 are added to remove traces of ferrous compounds and
Carbon. Heating is continued till clear molten mass is free from bubbles is obtained and it is then
cooled to about 800°C.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Finishing: It is the last step in glass manufacturing. It involves following steps:
Cleaning
Grinding
Polishing
Cutting
Sand Blasting
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
1. Drawn Clear Sheet Glass: Clear sheet glass is transparent glass with 85% light transmission
with fire finished surface.
2. Vertical Drawing (VD): The VD from a pool of molten glass which when 1m or so above the
pool level is rigid enough to be engaged by a series of asbestos faced rollers that continue to draw
the ribbon of glass up a tower some 10m high after which the ribbon is cut into sheets & washed in a
dilute acid to remove surface deposits.
3. Horizontal Drawing (HD): The glass is initially drawn in the vertical plane but it is turned over
a roller so that it is drawn in the horizontal direction for some 60m & pass in to an annealing furnace
at the cold end of which it is cut in to sheets.
BS 952 recommends for sheet glass:
Ordinary Glazing Quality (OGQ): this to be used for general glazing purpose.
Selected Glazing Quality (SGQ): for glazing work requiring a sheet glass above the ordinary glazing
quality.
Types of Glass:
Float glass, Clear glass, Soda lime glass, lead glass, Rolled glass, Crystal glass, Reinforcement
glass, Wired glass & Opal Glass.
Offline coating glass, Self cleaning glass, Laminated glass, Chemically strengthened glass,
Thermally Toughened glass, Low- E glass
Edge treatment, Sand blasting, Acid etching, Pigmented glass, Bended glass.
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
2. Float Glass: Float glass is formed by floating a continuous ribbon of molten glass over a
bath of liquid metal at a controlled rate & temperature .The continuous ribbon of molten glass is then
run in to an annealing chamber in which the temperature is gradually reduced to avoid distortion of
the glass. Most float glass is soda-lime glass, but relatively minor quantities of specialty borosilicate.
To produce thinner glass, the molten ribbon of glass is cooled and stretched between rollers.
Float glass also known as polished plate glass.
A general glazing quality & a selected quality are produced in ranging from 3,
4,5,6,10,12,15,19,25mm thick.
This is truly flat glass with undistorted vision.
This is transparent glass giving 85% light transmission.
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
6. Alumino-silicate glass
The typical approximate composition of this type of glass is SiO2(55%), Al2O3(23%),
MgO(09%), B2O3(07%), CaO(05%) and Na2O, K2O(01%).
This type of glass possess exceptionally high softening temperature.
Uses: It is used for high pressure mercury discharge tubes, chemical combustion tubes and
certain domestic equipments.
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Uses: Used only where high temperature resistance is required (800°C). They are used in
construction of chemical plants, laboratory crucibles, induction furnace lining and electrical
insulators.
9. Safety glass
It is made by fusing two to three flat sheets of glass
and in between them alternate thin layer of vinyl plastic
is introduced.
It is heated where both the layers merge together and
glass is toughened.
Uses: It is used as wind shield in automobiles and
airplanes. On breaking it pieces does not fly apart because of the presence of the plastic
layer in betwe en the glass layers.
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune
Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM
The surface tends to absorb grease and oil readily , so it shows finger marks and is difficult to
clean. Sand blasted surface provide higher friction than smooth glass surfaces when wet, so
are sometimes used to reduce the risk of slipping on glass floor.
20.3 Fritting :
Frit can also be applied directly to the glass by the 'ink -jet' process on a scale of up to 3m by
4m. Direct digital printing in this way can reproduce digital artwork in colour but is currently a
slow process, and therefore more suited to individual designs rather than repetitive patterns.
References:
Compiled by: Ar. Swati Godbole and Ar. Preeti Kale SBPCOAD, Nigdi, Pune