ABOUT WINDOW GLASS

Annealed glass is the commonest window glass medium, in spite of its vulnerability to breakage. However, safety window glasses are increasingly being specified, particularly following the introduction of legislation on safety in the workplace.

Ordinary laminated glass is, thickness for thickness, no stronger for window glass than annealed glass; its virtue is that broken shards tend to be held by the interlayer and, if recommended glazing techniques have been followed, the window glass should be retained until safe removal is possible. Wired window glass is weaker for glazing than unwired annealed window glass of corresponding thickness but, as with laminated glazing, the shards tend to be held.

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Thermally toughened window glass is stronger than annealed glazing, both in terms of impact resistance and of thermal stress. When broken the window glass will not hold together though the pieces are relatively small. The best of both worlds can be obtained by glazing with sheets of laminated toughened window glass. Laminated windw glass for domestic work is commonly made with two sheets of glass laminated together under heat and pressure with a polyvinylbutyral (PVB) interlayer. Laminates with acrylic interlayers may also be used.

Sealed double glazing units for windows became generally available in the UK in the early 1960s. Their use in new housing has been boosted by changes in the building regulations. Double glazing units improve heat insulation, but have little effect on sound insulation. The spacer unit in double glazing units is usually made from mill finished aluminium, although galvanised steel and plastics can also be used. In all double glazing units a desiccant is held within the hollow spacer bar. This desiccant absorbs water vapour sealed in the double glazing unit at the time of manufacturer and also absorbs any moisture that permeates through the edge seal of the window glass.

The two main window glass systems used for both single and double glazing are drained-and-ventilated window glass systems and fully bedded window glass systems. The drained-and-ventilated window glass method is preferred as it ensures that any water penetrating the sealant is drained away. This is achieved via a sloping rebate and drain holes. The fully bedded glazing method relies on the bedding being perfect, otherwise water will lie in contact with the edge seal of the window glass.

LEADING UK WINDOW GLASS SUPPLIERS

Click here for an easy-to-use listing of leading UK suppliers of window glass, provided by Archbone.

Other useful links relevant to window glass:
Glass & Glazing Federation

DETAILED INFORMATION RESOURCES ON WINDOW GLASS

We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include manufacturers' specifications and CAD details: Barbour Compendium at www.barbourcompendium.co.uk, RIBA Product Selector Plus at ww.productselector.co.uk, ASC Bricsnet at www.ascinfo.co.uk, Building Products Index at www.bpindex.co.uk, British Board of Agrément at www.bbacerts.co.uk, British Standards Online at www.bsonline.bsi-global.com.

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