STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

objective; monolithic panels of low-iron glass with an anti-reflective coating use in a
frameless glass system and provided with a wet-glazed silicone seal, provide the very
maximum in transparency. Even though tempered monolithic qualifies as safety glass, it
will still fall from the glass support with the potential of damaging property and injuring
people. Laminated glass is a superior product in most applications because if is less
likely to drop from the support. Laminated glass has other significant benefits over
monolithic glass.
Laminated
Description: Laminated glass refers to the fabrication practice of bonding two or more
sheets of glass through the use of an interlayer material, typically polyvinyl butyral or
PVB. The PVB is a sheet material that is sandwiched between the leaves or plies of
glass, and in the presence of pressure and heat provides a continuous bond between
the glass plies.
Fabrication: Laminated annealed glass can be easily fabricated. Large sheets of
laminated annealed are produced by some fabricators and supplied to small glaziers
having no laminating capability, but can cut and machine the panels the same as they
would a monolithic piece of glass. However, laminated panels that include heat-treated
plies must have all machining work completed prior to laminating. One of the challenges
with laminated glass in point-fixed applications requiring drilled tempered glass is
assuring that the holes in the two plies of tempered glass remain aligned during the
bonding process.
Strength: The combined glass thickness of a laminated panel is generally less strong
than a piece of monolithic glass of the same thickness.
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