The Many Faces of Glass
Glass is not simply a transparent substance that can break easily. It is not just for eyeglasses and windows either. There are many kinds of glass for many types of applications and made in hundreds of different ways. Let’s take a look at just a few types of glass used in our homes and vehicles today.
Laminated Safety Glass
Safety glass it more than just glass, it combines plastic as well. Alternate layers of flat glass and plastics are made so that if an outer layer of glass breaks, the plastic layer flexes to hold the broken glass together. The most common use of laminated safety glass is in vehicle windshields.
Tempered Safety Glass
The difference between the laminated and tempered safety glass is that tempered is just a single piece of glass. It has been specially heated to make it many times stronger than the laminated version. It is typically used in automobiles, most often in the side and rear windows. It is very hard to break, but even when it does, the piece collapses into small pieces
Flat Glass
For the average person, this is the most common type of glass. It is used in traditional, non-technical windows, mirrors, room dividers and perhaps some types of furniture. Usually it is made in the form of flat sheets, but in the application of vehicle windshields it is reheated and curved over a cast.
Container Glass
Is made by blowing and pressing the combined raw materials. As the name suggests, it is used for the production of glass containers such as bottles, jars and bowls. Container glass is sometimes referred to as soda-lime glass, which references to the ingredients in the glass itself.
Optical Glass
This is the type of glass used in eyeglasses, cameras, microscopes, and binoculars. Because it is used for precise instruments, the raw materials must be very pure. The purity allows for flawless glass. It is a long process and therefore more expensive than other types of glass.
Heat-resistant Glass
Most commonly used in cookware, heat-resistant glass has a high content of silica. It does not expand much when heated making it able to withstand high temperatures without cracking. Masks used in industrial settings are usually made with heat-resistant glass.
Architectural Glass
This is typically a type of flat glass used as a building material. It can come in many styles and textures depending on the look and function desired. There are many styles of glass under the architectural umbrella such as: cast plate glass, float glass, crown glass etc.
Now that we have looked at just a few of the ways glass can be made, lets explore a little of what it is made from. Silica is the most common ingredient in glass. It can be found in nature as sand or quartz, but most often is manufactured. Sodium carbonate is usually added to the silica to make the mixture more easily blended. However it also makes the glass water soluble. At this point lime (from limestone), magnesium oxide and aluminum oxide are added to achieve durability. The concoction becomes what was earlier referred to as soda-lime glass. Adding barium makes the glass more reflective, iron is added for glass meant to absorb heat, and finally sodium chloride is added to most mixtures in order to cut down on the bubble content.
Another common ingredient is recycled glass, or cullet. In a society that has a continued interest in green energy and eco-friendly manufacturing processes, glass is one of the least environmentally friendly industries. While the use of recycled glass does cut down on raw materials and energy costs, the impurities in the cullet often cause machinery to malfunction or completely break down. In the repair of the equipment and the stop of regular production, most of the predicted savings are lost. Until equipment can be made that is able to handle recycled glass, the industry will struggle to be environmentally friendly.
Novus Auto Glass, is a san jose auto glass replacement company located in the California Bay Area. We are locally owned and operated and aim to provide you with innovative, cost effective and safe solutions for windshield repair and restoration. For more information visit us online today!