"Above us Only Sky"

Ashley Torr, Pilkington Automotive

Automotive glazed areas continue to increase in size, driven by the design, safety and styling benefits of fluid shapes, enhanced external visibility, lighter interiors and a greater desire for occupant interaction with the environment.

The consequence of increasing the glazed area of a vehicle, in particular in the roof, potentially increases the solar gain inside a vehicle, with the negative impact to occupant thermal comfort and the load on the air-conditioning unit. However, the benefits of increasing the visibility areas do not necessarily mean that any associated heat gain cannot be defeated.

This paper illustrates the significant improvements that can be achieved in thermal comfort by optimising the choice of roof glazing construction. The concepts, initially addressed by thermal modelling, have been practically verified by in-the-field testing.

Full-Text Article [128 KB]

The Authors