Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.

ARCH – VI SEM

Glass as building material

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.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

9. It is not affected by air or water.

10. It is not easily attacked by ordinary chemical reagents.
11. It is possible to intentionally alter some of its properties such as fusibility, hardness, refractive
power etc. to suit to different purposes.
12. It is possible to obtain glass with diversified properties. The glasses may be clear, colorless,
diffused and stained.
13. It is possible to weld pieces of glass by fusion.
14. It is transparent and translucent and it works as a good insulator.
15. The amorphousness of glass permits it to be blown, drawn from furnaces and continuously
worked.
16. Glass can be cleaned very easily.
a. Applying methylated spirit
b. Painting glass with lime-wash and leaving it to dry and then washing with clean water.

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"

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 Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

Raw materials used in manufacturing of glass

• Sodium as Na2Co3 (used in soft glass).

• Potassium as K2Co3 (used in Hard Glass).
• Calcium as lime stone, chalk and lime.
• Lead as litharge, red lead (flint glass).
• Silica arc quartz, white sand and ignited flint.
• Zinc is zinc oxide (Heat and shock proof glass).
• Borates are borax, Boric acid (Heat and shock proof glass).
• Cullets or pieces of broken glass to increase fusibility.

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

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

Following are process for sheet formation of glass

( Site / Workshop modification of glass surface / characteristics)-

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:

Classification of glass is done according to the following :

a. According to its manufacturing processes:

Float glass, Clear glass, Soda lime glass, lead glass, Rolled glass, Crystal glass, Reinforcement
glass, Wired glass & Opal Glass.

3 steps involve: Melting, Forming & Controlled cooling- Annealing.

b. Post application processes:

Offline coating glass, Self cleaning glass, Laminated glass, Chemically strengthened glass,
Thermally Toughened glass, Low- E glass

c. Post manufacturing processes:

Edge treatment, Sand blasting, Acid etching, Pigmented glass, Bended glass.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

The different types of glass are explained below:

1. Soda lime or Soft Glass

 About 90% of all glass is soda-lime glass made with silica (sand), Calcium carbonate and
soda ash.
 The approximate composition is Na2CO3.CaO.6SiO2.
 They are low cost, resistant to water but not to acids.
 They can melt easily and hence can be hot worked.
 Uses: Window glass, Electric bulbs, Plate glass, Bottles, Jars, cheaper table wares, test
tubes, reagent bottles etc

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.

3. Potash lime or hard glass

 Potash lime glass is made with silica (sand), Calcium carbonate and
 potassium carbonate.
 The approximate composition is K2CO3.CaO.6SiO2.
 They posses high melting point, fuse with difficulty and are less acted upon by acids, alkaline
and other solvents than ordinary glass.
 Uses: These glasses are costlier than soda lime glass and are used for chemical apparatus,
combustion tubes and glassware which are used for heating operations.

4. Lead glass or flint glass

 It is made up of lead oxide fluxed with silica and K2CO3 is used instead of sodium oxide.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

 Its approximate composition is K2Co3.PbO.SiO2.

 To get dense optical glasses about 80% lead oxide is used. Lead glasses has a lower
softening temperature than soda glass and higher refractive index and good
 electrical properties.
 It is bright lustrous and possess high specific gravity.
 Uses: High quality table wares, optical lenses, neon sign tubing, cathode ray tubes, electrical
insulators, crystal art objects or cut glass, Windows and Shields for protection against X-rays
and Gamma rays in medical and atomic energy fields etc.

5. Borosilicate / pyrex / jena glass

 It is common hard glass containing silica and boron with small amount of alumina and less
alkaline solids.
 It contains SiO2(80.5%), B2O3(13%), Al2O3(03%), K2O(3%) and Na2O(0.5%).
 These glass have low thermal coefficient of expansion, and high chemical resistance
i.e..shock proof.
 Uses: Industrially used for pipeline of corrosive liquids, gauge glasses, superior laboratory
apparatus, kitchen wares, chemical plants, television tubes, electrical insulators etc.

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.

7. 96% silica glass

 It contains 96% Silica, 03% B2O3 and traces of other materials.
 It is translucent, the coefficient of thermal expansion is very low hence it has high resistance
to thermal shock, have high chemical resistance to corrosive agents and are corroded only
by Hydrofluoric acid, hot phosphoric acids and concentrated alkaline solutions.

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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.

8. 99.5% silica glass / vitreosil

 It contains pure silica heated to its melting point. It is translucent, the coefficient of thermal
expansion is very low hence it has high resistance to thermal shock, have high chemical
resistance to corrosive agents.
 If Vitreosil glass is heated above its melting point, it becomes transparent and is known as
clear silica glass.
 Uses: They are used in construction of chemical
plants, laboratory crucibles, induction
 furnace lining, electrical insulators and heaters and
have high light transmission properties.

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.

10. Optical or crook’s glass

 It contains Phosphorus, PbCO3, silicates and Cerium oxide which has the property to absorb
harmful ultra-violet light.
 This glass is given through homogeneity by heating it for a prolonged period of time.
 These glasses have low melting point and are relatively soft.
 Uses: They are used for making optical lenses.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

11. Poly-crystalline glass

 It is new type of glass which is produced by adding nucleating agents to a conventional glass
batch and then shaped into desired form.
 It is then subjected to heating where nucleating agents forms large number of micro
crystallites.
 It is not ductile.
 It exhibits high strength and considerable hardness.
 Uses: For making specialized articles.

12. Toughened glass

 It is made by dipping articles still hot in an oil bath, so that chilling takes place.
 This results in outer layer of articles shrink and acquire a state of compression while inner
layer are in state of tension.
 Such glass is more elastic to mechanical and thermal shock.
 It breaks into a fine powder.
 Uses: For making window shields of fast moving vehicles, windows of furnace and automatic
opening doors, railings etc.

13. Coloured glass

Addition of transition metal compounds to glass gives color to the glass. They are outlined below:
 Yellow: Ferric Salts Green: Ferrous and Chromium salts
 Purple: Magnese dioxide salt
 Red: Nickel and cuprous salts Cu2O
 Lemon Yellow: Cadmium sulphide
 Fluorescent greenish yellow: Uranium oxide
 Blue: Cobalt Salts, CuO
 Greenish Blue Color: Copper Sulphate
 Brown: Iron
 Opaque milky white: Cryolite of Calcium
phosphate
 Ruby : Auric Chloride

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

14. Wired glass

 Wired glass does not fall apart into splinters when it breaks and is fire resistant.
 It is made by fusing wire in between the two glass layers.
 Uses: For making fire resistant doors, roofs, skylights and windows

15. Glass wool

 Glass wool consists of tiny fibers formed by
action of steam jets on dripping molten glass
down from very fine hole.
 Uses: Heat Insulation, for filtration of
Corrosive chemicals, so und insulation etc

16. Laminated glass

 The sheets of glass fiber or glass wool are
soaked in a solution of thermosetting plastic
like phenol formaldehyde resin and placed
one above the other and then cured under
heat or pressure.
 It is strong as steel.
 Non flammable and insulating.
 In bullet resistant glass vinyl resins are added
in alternate layers.
 Uses: Shatter, shock and Bullet proof Glass.

17. Insulating glass

 Two or more plates of glass are filled with dehydrated air and the edges are sealed air-tightly.
 Uses: Provides thermal insulating and so houses remain cool in summer and warm in winter.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

18. Rolled & Rough Cast Glass:

 This is a term applied to a flat glass produced by a rolling process.
 Glass productivity in this manner is translucent which transmits light with varying degrees of
diffusion so that vision is not clear.
 A wired transparent glass with 80% light transmission and available thickness is 6mm.
 The glass is made translucent by rolling on to one face a texture or pattern which will give 70
- 80% light transmission.

19. Glass types made with use of Coating :

Float glass is commonly coated to alter its transmission of energy or other surface properties.Some
coating is done while the glass is hot, by the process of chemical vapor deposition. Other coating
known as 'off line' or 'soft' are applied by the separate process of magnetron sputtering at room
temperature but under high vacuum.

19.1 Low- emissivity glass:

Glass naturally has an emissivity of about 0.9 . To , improve the insulating performance of double
glazing, low emissivity 'low-e' coatings are applied.

19.2 Selective , High - Performance Glass:

A range of clear solar -control coatings with very high light transmission, good colour rendering and
low emissivity to give good thermal insulation, were developed. They are known as ' high
performance ' or ' highly selective' glass.

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Notes on Glass as a building material SPPU T.Y. B.ARCH – VI SEM

19.3 Self Cleaning Glass:

The objective is that water does not wet the glass surface but forms beads that run off esily, carrying
away dust particles. The coating of titanium dioxide is applied on the float line, so it is an integral part
of the surface and highly durable.

19.4 Solar Control Glass:

Solar control coating are designed to reflect the short wave 'near infrared' radiation back into the
environment and allow visible light through to the interior.

i. Body tinted glass:

Body tinted float glass or polished plate glass is transparent glass in which the whole
body of the glass is tinted.
Tints are usually green, grey, blue or bronze and thicknesses 4,6,10 & 12mm.
ii. Surface modified Glass:
This glass is transparent glass that during manufacture , has a colored layer of metal
ions injected on to the glass. Solar control properties are provided by an increase in
reflection and absorption. Thicknesses are 6, 10 and 12mm. Refer as low - emissivity
glass.
iii. Surface Coated Glass:
Surface coated float glass is transparent glass that has a reflective surface layer
applied either during or after manufacture. Colours are silver, blue and bronze by
reflection. Refer as low - emissivity glass.
This type of glass is designed for use in the inner pane or sheet of glass in sealed
double glazing units where the greater inside surface temperature of the glass
reduces condensation and the effect of 'cold spot' discomfort.

20. Glass types made due to Decoration Process:

20.1 Sand Blasting:

A simple way to modify the transparency of glass is to sand blast one surface to create a
texture that scatters the light and diffuses the image seen through the pane.
A range of texture can be produced and the surface can be sculpted to achieve consistent
texture and combined with masking to apply patterns and graphic designs.

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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.

20.2 Acid Etching:

Glass is resistant to most of chemicals but dissolved in hydrofluoric acid. Acid - etched glass
diffuses light rather less than sand blasted. Acid - etched glass is easier to clean and does not
mark so readily.

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.

20.4 Stained Glass:

Instead of ink jet printing with a liquid frit , this process deposited dry powder pigments onto
the glass under digital control. When the glass is fired, the pigments flow and merge, which
results in less definition than a digitally printed frit but much higher translucency and bending
of colour.

References:

1. Engineering materials By Rangwala

2. Barry's Introduction to construction of buildings by Stephen Emmitt & Christopher Gorse
3. Basics Building Construction by Birkhauser Basel
4. Construction Materials: Their Nature and Behaviour

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