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11
GLASS TYPES
Glass and the Building Regulations For all transparent glazings, sufficient infra-red
radiation may be transmitted to cause ignition of
The use of glass types, which provide enhanced materials on the other side. The exception is
levels of environmental performance or integrity laminated glass with an intumescent
is mandatory for particular glazing situations. interlayer(s), which on exposure to fire becomes
opaque and limits or resists the transmission of
Thermal insulation conductive and radiative heat. The safety of
overhead glazing, where falling broken or heat-
Approved document L1 dictates insulation levels softened glass may prevent safe escape of the
for dwellings and other buildings whose floor occupants or limit safe access for firefighters, is
area exceeds 30m2, and thus the maximum particularly important.
allowable glazed area, depending on the glass
type and type of building. Security
Safety (falling)
Part K gives details of the requirements for
protection from falling. BS 6180 gives
recommendations for the design and
CWCT 2000
March 2000
Glass types TN11
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because the flaws which are present on the Nickel sulphide failures start to appear
surface of the glass are held in compression and immediately after production, with a peak failure
prevented from developing into fractures. rate around four to five years after production,
but may occur for 20 years.
Toughened glass shatters into small, relatively
safe fragments. A vertical pane may remain in The best protection is to obtain glass from a
its frame, but sloping panes are likely to fall out quality manufacturer; the next safeguard is to
when they break. The greatest risk with heat soak test.
toughened glass is that the fragments may clump
together and fall en masse. The failure of toughened glass in service can be
reduced by heat soaking - the toughened glass is
The proposed European standard for toughened heated for several hours (depending on the
glass (prEN 12150) requires that, within 5 thickness of glass and the quality of oven) to
minutes of breakage, a 6mm thick pane of encourage reversion of the impurities to the low
toughened float glass shall have at least 40 glass temperature state. Panes of glass with large
fragments in a 50mm square; this suggests a impurities should shatter during this process, but
mean fragment size of 8mm. Each falling this depends on the quality of the oven and
fragment therefore represents a significant procedures used for heat soaking.
projectile, and even a small clump of fragments
may cause significant damage if falling from a One large, reputable manufacturer reckons that
height. For thicker panes of toughened glass the only one critical inclusion occurs in every 13
fragments will be as long as the glass is thick, tonnes of glass that they produce, and that 90 per
and present significant projectiles when falling cent of the inclusions will cause premature
from a sufficient height. breakage during their heat soaking process. This
means that only one nickel sulphide inclusion
The manufacturer should be consulted for details will get through for each 12,700m2 of 4mm
of what glass types can be toughened because heat soaked toughened glass, or for each
not all tinted or coated glass can be toughened. 8,500m2 of 6mm heat soaked toughened glass.
Glass having a hard (pyrolytic) coating (e.g.
some low-E coatings) can be toughened after Poor design (failure to check thermal safety) and
coating. Some soft (sputtered) coatings can also careless handling (e.g. edge damage) or glazing
be toughened after coating but others must be (wrong or no setting blocks) are much more
applied to the glass after the toughening process. common reasons for spontaneous breakage of
toughened glass than nickel sulphide inclusions.
Heat soaked toughened glass Nevertheless, heat soak testing must be specified
for toughened glass in critical locations -
All annealed glass contains nickel sulphide
designers are responsible for ensuring that the
impurities, in the form of small crystals. As
specification is correct.
glass is heated during the toughening process
these impurities change state. The high
As a minimum requirement, toughened or heat-
temperature -state of the impurities may be strengthened glass located at height or overhead
frozen when the glass is quenched, and recovery should be heat soaked.
to the low temperature -state may then take
several years. Spontaneous breakage of the Heat-strengthened glass
glass may follow, as the low temperature -state
of the nickel sulphide impurities occupies a Heat-strengthened glass is formed by heating
slightly greater volume and generates a local annealed glass and then cooling it under
stress concentration. Impurities larger than controlled conditions. Differential cooling and
50m will cause failure, but only if they are in hardening across the thickness of the glass
the core (tensile zone) of the glass. generates a compressive stress in the surface
layer of the glass and a tensile stress in the core
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of the pane. Heat-strengthened glass offers PVB and other interlayer materials degrade in
some of the strength of toughened glass the long-term presence of water so the edges of
(described above) but a reduced risk of failure laminated glass should be permanently protected
due to nickel sulphide inclusions because of the from immersion in liquid. Note that although
reduced tensile stress in the glass. laminated glass is only slightly weaker than a
single pane of the same thickness it will deflect
Heat-strengthened glass could also be called more under long-term loads, and the interlayer
partly toughened; by varying the strengthening may soften at higher temperatures; PVB is not
process it is possible to produce glass with suitable for sustained high temperature exposure
fracture properties anywhere between those of (in excess of 70C).
annealed and toughened glass.
Laminated glass may include one or more panes
There is no current standard which defines heat- of toughened glass. If all panes are of
strengthened glass. The definition of heat- toughened glass then the broken glazing will
strengthened glass contained within the draft lose all structural integrity and may pull free
European standard prEN 1863, requires heat- from the frame, unless properly secured.
strengthened glass to exhibit fracture properties
similar to those of annealed glass, but with a In a fire situation, glass laminated with special
limit on the number and size of island and gels gives infra-red and insulation protection
particle fragments. An island is a large fragment (see below), whereas PVB laminated glass may
of glass, with an upper and lower limit on size break and hang loosely from its frame.
and a particle is a small island. Softening of the plastic interlayer may allow
such broken laminated glass to continue to fall
Laminated glass from a slope glazing system for a significant
Laminated glass is formed by bonding together period of time after a fire has been brought
two or more panes of glass using a plastic under control, and as such presents a serious
interlayer. Any of the above forms of glass may hazard to fire-fighters. Proper selection of the
be used, in any combination. A common glass can help to control this problem, for
interlayer material is poly-vinyl-butyral (PVB), example by incorporating borosilicate glass.
which is used in multiples of 0.38 mm thickness.
A thicker interlayer may help to reduce the risk PVB laminated glass is recommended for the
of debris penetration on impact. inner pane of overhead glazing with the
agreement of the local building control officer.
Glass is laminated for the purpose of:
Intumescent glazing
Maintaining integrity should a pane of glass Intumescent glazing is a special form of
break, laminated glass in which the interlayer is a
material which becomes opaque when subjected
Reducing the likelihood of penetration (for
to excessive heat. This opacity may be
security or safety reasons),
accompanied by fracture of the glazing, but the
glazing remains in place. Intumescent glazing
Improving acoustic properties;
thereby protects passers-by from the effects of
Give decorative effects. intense heat.
Laminated annealed glass breaks into shards, Intumescent glass is available with several
exposing sharp edges, but these are held together intumescent interlayers, depending upon the
by the interlayer. Different interlayer materials level of fire protection required.
and thicknesses have different effects upon
performance.
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CWCT 2000