A Brief History of Glass

Before people have known how to make glass, natural glasses are already there. The perfect example of that is obsidian. It forms after an igneous rock from a volcano cools down immediately with little crystal growth.

This natural occurring glass is used in making knives, jewelry, and even money. It was not until the seventeenth century when a major company for manufacturing lead glass took the step to make larger glazed windows. This plays a big role, particularly in the creation of glass wall in 1800.

Different types of glass used in the engineering industry

There are many types of glasses used in making walls. They’re the following:

Insulated Glazed Units

Insulated glazed units are sometimes called double glazed units. Two or three layers of glass are separated by air which keeps the heat from passing through inside the building. It’s a good investment for those owners who are looking for ways to reduce their annual utility bill.

Float glass

Also called annealed glass or flat glass, the most common type of glass. It was made of soda ash, limestone, salt, dolomite, and sand using the floating glass method. This glass has a transparent, smooth, and flat surface. It’s quite easy to differentiate, thanks to its hue or naturally green color.

Laminated glass

Laminated glass holds together when shattered. That is why they’re essentially required on buildings located in hurricane-prone areas. Since it was made of layers of glasses, it has more weight and volume. It’s sound resistant and UV proof. Because of its durability, they’re highly used on building aquariums and bridges.

Tinted glass

Glass manufacturers have different ways of making safe and thermal insulation glasses. Rather than adding extra layers between the glass, they injected it with colors. Tinted glass may come in green, black, blue, and yellow. Their color may affect your comfort, TV viewing experience, electricity bill, and aesthetic appeal of your exterior and interior.

Extra clean glass

Among all the types of glass, the extra clean glass wall is the easiest to maintain. Because of its hydrophilic and photocatalytic properties, it remains stain proof and beautiful. When it was first introduced in 2001, it was marketed as a self-cleaning window.

Glass wool

Glass wools are made of fibers of glass, with texture and arrangement similar to wool. It’s special among all types of glass due to its high fire-resistant property.

Glass block/brick

Glass blocks or also known as glass bricks are the most common type of glass wall. They admit light while adding aesthetic appeal to your building. Glass blocks can come in many colors, sizes, and texture.

Toughened glass

Toughened glasses are also called tempered glasses. They’re strong, thick, and has low visibility. They can be very dangerous when shattered.