Geometrical transformation of glass

Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Jürgen Neugebauer, University of Applied Sciences & Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Espich

A newer tendency in glass architecture is to get increasingly structured façades. These glass elements can be realised through geometrical transformation. To use curved glass is a good possibility to combine load-carrying aspects and light transmitting aspects. The basic product is a float glass. A thermal transformation of glass is, on the one hand, pure bending at a temperature of approx. 600°C and on the other hand a transformation of glass mass at a higher temperature – of up to approx. 800°C. With the bending process of glass mathematically defined shapes can be produced. These shapes can be, for example, cylindrical, conical or spherical. Free formed shapes can also be produced. A basic characteristic of the bending process at a temperature of approx. 600°C is a nearly constant thickness and a transparency before and after the bending process. By increasing the temperature it is possible to produce extreme transformed glass with small radii. An example for this transformed glass is a tower for advertising, built in 2005 in London, UK. This tower with a height of 29 m is covered with transformed glass in a corrugated shape. The length of the wave is approx. 75 mm and the height of the wave is approx. 30 mm. This tower is a good example to show how load carrying aspects and light transmission aspects can be combined.

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The Authors

Dr. Jürgen Neugebauer Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Maierhofer Glastechnik GmbH Jürgen Neugebauer, born 1966, received his diploma and doctor degree from the University of Technology in Graz. Now he is the chief of the department of research in the company Maierhofer Glastechnik ... Read more