Whoa! Scientists have done it again. Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Tsukuba, and Tel-Aviv University have discovered that quantum fluctuations that take place at near-absolute-zero temperatures can cause some forms of glass to turn into goo.
A few years ago the scientists had a pencil-and-paper result about what would happen to glass near absolute zero, but they couldn't believe what they were seeing. So they put it in a computer quantum simulation and as we all know, computers don't lie (well, not yet, anyway). Normally, science and past research tells us that the colder the temperature, the less energy a particle has, and therefore the less it vibrates. That is, the colder the temperature, the more solid the material. However, as the quantum simulations show, within a few degrees of absolute zero, glass turns to goo. And at a few degrees above that the glass is actually stronger than at room temperature instead of being more brittle as you might expect.
It turns out that at room temperature, glass, an amorphous solid, acts and looks like a solid, but when you bring it down to near absolute zero, the smaller particles of glass have the greatest quantum properties and are able to tunnel through each other creating a free-flowing liquid. At a slightly higher temperature, with fewer quantum effects (larger particle size), the glass density was increased and the glass' strength was increased. Check out Wired Science for the full story and a simulation video.
Buy window or I'll put head in vice: Trading standards officers are investigating after pensioners were threatened with DEATH unless they bought double glazing. One OAP was told his head would be put in a vice and he'd be left to bleed to death during a terrifying phone call. Others were warned they faced fines or "green taxes" if they didn't part with their cash for replacement windows. The calls were all made in Leicestershire by a company calling itself Bowater.
Trading standards said it had received at least 12 complaints about the firm - but it is believed there may be many more victims too afraid to come forward. Leicestershire County Council said Bowater appeared to be targeting older residents who were told they qualified for a government grant to have their windows replaced. But when the homeowner said they weren't interested, the salesman told them their phone call was being recorded and they would be reported to their district council. They were then threatened with a fictitious "green tax" and the cancellation of their single occupancy council tax reduction.
But the intimidation took on an even more sinister edge for at least one pensioner. Paul Shipman, 68, from Broughton Astley, Leics, said: "The salesman started out saying that there were new British standards and I needed new windows but when I showed no interest, he threatened me with a green tax. "When that didn't work, he threatened to put my head in a vice and watch me bleed to death, which I didn't think was a very good sales line. "He was very threatening - in the end, he said he'd come round and kill me."
David Bull, head of Leicestershire County Council's trading standards, said any victims should hang up, then report the call to them. He added: "We are very concerned that this firm is deliberately targeting older people. It is sickening they're being threatened with fictitious taxes or fines, the loss of benefits or even death. "Reputable companies do not pressurise or threaten people. If they are a reputable company, then they should be recording calls." The Glass and Glazing Federation said investigations had revealed there was a company which had traded as Bowater. But it had not used the name since a takeover.
Glass company fined $70,000 in death of worker - TORONTO: Ely’s Glass Company Limited, a Toronto company that sells and installs windows, was fined $70,000 on Jan. 27 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused a worker’s death. On Sept. 9, 2009, a worker from Ely’s Glass was replacing a window in an apartment building in Toronto. To remove the window pane, the worker cut a hole in it from the inside and reached through to pry it out of the window frame. The worker was standing on a ladder, which slipped. The worker fell and their arm hit the sharp edge of the window pane and was cut severely. The worker eventually succumbed to their injuries. An investigation found that the worker was not wearing protective clothing and the sharp edge of glass in the window pane was not covered to protect the worker. Ely’s Glass Company Limited pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a worker was protected from the hazard.
Hilarious Window-Smashing Burglar went Viral in China: Meet China’s “Window smashing” burglar, who smashed the bulletproof glass using a hammer. Did I say bulletproof? Yes and he was apparently extremely determined to crack it open. In the video, he was seen smashing the glass for more than 4 minutes before climbing over to the office area and start stealing.
The Glass Guru, Roseville, Calif., ended its fourth year of franchising in December 2010, adding three new franchises to its growing network of full-service window restoration and replacement shops, according to a Jan. 24 release.The company added a total of 17 new franchises in 2010, growing from 33 to 50 active stores in North America including its first franchise in Canada, in Abbotsford, BC. Also in December, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked The Glass Guru #400 on its Franchise 500 list of the nation’s top franchise companies as well as #90 on Entrepreneur’s list of the top 100 low-cost franchises and #34 on their list of the top 50 new franchises.
Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.
U.S. demand for advanced flat glass products is projected to increase 9.1 percent annually to 745 million square feet in 2014, valued at $7.0 billion, according to The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. This growth represents a significant improvement over the 2004-09 period, when advanced flat glass consumption suffered from the combination of a weak economy, crisis in financial markets, the bursting of the housing bubble and a sharp downturn in motor vehicle production. Going forward, a rebound in residential construction and motor vehicle production from low 2009 levels will spark strong growth in demand for advanced flat glass products, according to the firm. These and other trends are presented in Advanced Flat Glass, a new study from The Freedonia Group.
Cleveland: Federal building will get a new glass 'skin' - The new "skin" will be attached about 2.5 feet outside the existing glass. Designs were shown for the first time today. The intent is to reduce energy bills as well as prevent further corroding of the metal panels on the original facade. Employees in the building will continue to occupy the structure throughout the construction The project is expected to be finished in 2014 and is expected to save $600,000 to $700,000 a year on the building's $3.7 million annual heating and cooling bill.
Arrow Shot into Couple's Bedroom: An elderly couple in Burbank got quite a scare when a 2-foot arrow flew through their window and landed above their bed. Priscilla Muller, 79, was using her computer on the evening of Jan. 28 when she heard a loud crash through her bedroom window. She and her husband found broken glass on the floor, but it wasn't until they turned into bed that they found a 2 1/2-foot carbon-fiber arrow lodged in the wall. According to officers, the arrow, which appeared to have been shot from the next door residence, was not shot with malicious intent. It pierced through a fiberglass panel between the two properties before breaking a 3-inch hole in Muller's window. The Mullers, who have lived in their home on the 700 block of North Buena Vista Street since 1985, told the LA Times that they have had trouble sleeping since the incident.
New solar-powered glass road to melt snow on roads: An expert has come up with a novel idea for dealing with snowy roads: replacing them with a glass surface embedded with solar cells that generate power form the sun and store it in batteries for use at night. Scott Brusaw's company, Solar Roadways is waiting for approval on a new 750,000 dollars grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that will help him build a large-scale prototype to test new materials and electronics, and hopefully prove that his invention works. "Think of the rear window of your car," he said. "There would be a heating element [in each cell] similar to that. In the morning, when you go start your car, it pumps out about 15 amps and cranks it up to about 85 degrees to melt whatever snow and ice has accumulated overnight. If you kept the temperature at about 40 degrees you wouldn't have to do that because it would not accumulate."
Regarding the glass material used for the roads, Brusaw said, there are glass research projects where the material is strong enough to stop a bullet or can even be used as a shield against roadside bombs, so his surface could easily withstand the weight of an 18-wheeler. A textured surface would provide traction on par with blacktop. "The thicker you make it, the more you laminate it, the stronger it gets," he said. "The cells will be inside the glass. In our prototype we have the LEDs laying under the glass. We learned we could laminate the LEDs between two pieces. [This makes] the cells more visible to sunlight." Brusaw said keeping the roads clean enough for the solar cells to operate would not be a problem. He suggests using a chemical spray, such as titanium dioxide, which would prevent dirt accumulation and even turn oil deposits into a sandy mix. "Worst case, we can use squeegee trucks to replace snow plows," he said.
Henry House Receives Electronic, Energy-Efficient Windows for High Tech Makeover. Innovative Glass Corporation announced today that they have provided SPD-SmartGlass windows for the government owned Henry House located within Fort Knox in Kentucky. The 1934-built Henry House is a historic home that is now used as VIP Guest Quarters / "Bed & Breakfast" for dignitaries when visiting the area. The completed installation is part of a "net-zero" energy project to demonstrate that energy-efficient smart windows, and several other state-of-the-art technologies, can be cost-effectively included in renovation and retrofit applications to save money. The project, which was funded by the U.S. Army, is a key element of their long-term study to reduce energy consumption to "net zero" - a term meaning that the building generates as much energy as it uses, for a net power bill of zero.
According to Steve Abadi, Chairman of Innovative Glass Corp, "After an evaluation of other smart window technologies including electrochromics, the Energy Services Team of Harshaw Trane, the Energy Services Provider and systems integrator for the project, selected Innovative Glass to provide SPD-Smart windows that would fit in - both physically and aesthetically - with the old-world historical charm of the existing frames and structure. We then custom-built windows that incorporated our state-of-the-art SPD-SmartGlass for the project." The SPD-SmartGlass windows, constructed with variable-tint SPD film invented by Woodbury, NY based Research Frontiers (Nasdaq: REFR), enable users and facilities managers to instantly and precisely adjust the amount of light, heat, glare and solar energy passing into the home, offering both solar energy control and daylight harvesting benefits.
The SPD-Smart windows in the Henry House at Fort Knox use Hitachi Chemical's newest SPD "light" film which has a dynamic light transmission range from 65% in the clear state down to a room-darkening 3% light transmission. The light transmission for their SPD-Smart window is instantly and precisely adjustable to any level between dark and clear, and had better performance than any other technology considered for the project. In addition to the dynamic light range, the windows also block 99% of harmful and fabric-fading U.V. rays.
Klingshield's Titanium and Platinum coated window films contain an invisible layer of metal which acts as a shield and in turn, weakens or restricts the broadcast of wireless data signals. By radically reducing such broadcasts, data hackers are limited to snooping and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive corporate and government data." We often hear of incredible stories- how hackers drive by with sophisticated detection equipment looking for networks ripe for picking" said Leon Levy CEO of Klingshield. "Once found, these hackers often break into such networks which typically contain vast amounts of information" added Levy. "By applying Klingshield's reflective window films, signals are limited and naturally the amount of networks to be snooped by white collar criminals radically reduces.
Military personal and police have been the early adopters of this window film technology for cyber crime prevention because of the vulnerable position these departments find themselves in. Banks and Financial Institutions are forerunners in the research and development within the data security arena and have recently began deploying window film in various branch sites within their organizations. "In a recent Johannesburg installation we managed to restrict all Wi-Fi signals from escaping a of 4 story building" said Levy. Another advantage of this cyber crime deterrent is the aesthetic appearance of the reflective Klingshield window film range. These products are hardly noticeable from the inside and have excellent optical clarity; however from the outside additional benefits include privacy from prying eyes as well as creating a cooler interior temperature by blocking the sun rays.
Man Eats Glass Champagne Flutes and Household Lightbulbs: First there was the woman who eats couches, now there's Josh, a Wooster, Ohio man who is hooked on eating glass household products. His story aired on TLC's My Strange Addiction, and, like most, we watched with an odd hybrid of shock and sadness. In the four years since he's been doing this, Josh has consumed more than 250 lightbulbs and 100 Champagne flutes, explaining that "it was kind of scary at first." "It's not like I feel anything, it doesn't hurt when I eat glass or anything," he adds, later admitting to having cut his lips and the corners of his mouth a few times. He's also gotten glass shards stuck in his gums.
AcoustiVision turns your car's rear window into subwoofer: Premium, high-tech sound systems often demand lots of vehicle space, especially those delivering powerful bass. Consequently, many car owners choose to make do without them. Magna International just found a solution that could change their lives. It's called AcoustiVision and it turns the rear window into a subwoofer. How does it work? Pretty simple: from the stereo, the subwoofer feed goes into an amplifier in the trunk which boosts it from 12 volts to 200. The voltage goes into a pair of exciters at the base of the rear window to generate sound. The glass has a sealant that allows it to vibrate up and down with the throbbing bass.
It's a whole new way of generating sound that not only saves precious vehicle space but also offers noise cancellation and weight reduction benefits. Music lovers will finally be able to enjoy quality sound without sacrificing comfort, practicality and performance. "It's like sitting inside a subwoofer box," says product director Greg Rizzo. And you can't hear it outside the vehicle. Nice! Don't get too excited yet, though, as AcoustiVision is still a good ways from making it to your local electronics store. While the technology has been in development for about four years and now performs as desired, mass production is scheduled for the 2015 model year only. In the meantime, Magna will manufacture the necessary parts in high volumes and secure contracts from automakers.
What makes an energy-efficient window? To counter the low heat-retaining efficiency of glass window panes, revolutionary technologies have led to the perfecting of highly energy-efficient windows. The improvements include low emittance coating, the use of inert gases between the panes, low-conductivity spacers, and improved window frames.
Low emittance coating is a thin, invisible metallic coating which is applied directly to the surface of the window glazing. It reduces heat loss by reflection, transmitting most of the solar spectrum rays towards the interior. The coating also prevents the penetration of heat emitted by objects outside the structure and blocks most of the ultraviolet rays that discolour carpets and fabrics. By filling the space between the panes of a window with inert gas, thermal transmittance (heat loss) by conduction and by convection is reduced.
The new low-conductivity spacers are a considerable improvement as far as energy efficiency is concerned. Generally speaking, they can increase the efficiency of a low emittance window filled with argon by 20 percent. The effectiveness of the techniques and the materials used varies considerably and consumers should always rely on the Energy Rating (ER) number.
A frame made from efficient materials will reduce heat loss by conduction to a minimum. Thanks to stronger materials, frames and sashes are now much thinner. This creates a larger surface area of glazing, which in turn increases solar heat gains. Take note that frames manufactured from a blend of materials draw benefits from the synergy of each of their strengths. Good energy efficiency in a frame translates into a high ER number.
Boost your windows efficiency, deal with condensation: Condensation that appears on interior panes is usually the result of too much humidity inside the house and cold temperatures outside. The colder it is outside, the colder the glazing becomes. The colder the glazing, the less humid the air inside the house needs to be for condensation to form. Condensation showing up on the interior pane of a storm window is a consequence of warm, humid air leaking past the prime window and getting trapped in the space between the prime window and the storm window. Draperies and shades often generate condensation problems by shielding the glazing from the home’s warmth, thus allowing the glass to grow cold, while also fitting loosely enough that humid air can infiltrate between the shade and glazing.
On top of all this, windows that are uncovered during the nighttime hours are huge heat sinks to the outside. While a modern double-pane insulated glass window, equipped with low-E glass film and filled with argon gas between the panes, can yield an R factor of about R-4 (R-factor is a measure of resistance to heat flow; high numbers indicate greater resistance, and thus greater efficiency), the rest of even an average insulated exterior wall might measure R-17 or more. Drapes and shades increase a window’s R-factor, but they can create the aforementioned condensation issues. So what to do? Well, there are several solutions available that can not only boost window R-factors, but also reduce or eliminate condensation. While the commercial products designed for this purpose are not inexpensive, they could very well pay off over time in energy savings in both winter and summer. Homemade “movable” insulation shutters or panels, because of their lower cost, could produce a quicker payback.
First, exterior storm windows create an additional, insulating dead air space between the prime window and the exterior environment, making the interior pane warmer and less prone to form condensation. Window Quilt, manufactures insulated, quilted fabric rolling shades. A key to the product’s success is that the shades seal against the window’s top, bottom, and sides. This design virtually eliminates the problem of warm, humid air reaching the cold window. That, in turn, should eliminate condensation formation. Window Quilts cost about $14 per square foot of opening covered.
Installing interior storm windows is another way to tackle both energy efficiency and condensation problems. Rpluswindow sells, for about $14.50 per square foot, a polycarbonate plastic double-pane interior storm window. The storms are made to fit each opening exactly, and are ringed with a rubber gasket material that creates an airtight seal. The manufacturer claims homeowners can save between 15-40 percent on energy bills with the use of its product.
One feature of both Window Quilts and R+ interior storm windows is that they are installed from the inside. This could be important in a historic home. Too, in homes built before 1978, because the existing window is not replaced, no potential lead paint issues arise. Lastly, since the first “oil crisis” hit this country in the 1970’s, homeowners have been experimenting with homemade insulated interior and exterior shutters, and other types of movable insulative panels. They usually consist of a rigid foam core, a durable skin of some kind (often thin plywood), and some sort of gasketing material around the perimeter that creates an airtight seal.
Condensation is a problem at this time of year and it can damage your decor. It happens when warm air inside the room meets the cold windowpane and forms droplets of water. With double and secondary glazing, condensation can get between the panes, which isn’t good for the window frames, especially if they’re made of wood.
To help to protect wooden frames, wipe off the condensation every morning – from both the glass and the frames – and open the windows. Even if you can only open them for a short time before going to work, this will clear the condensation quicker than not doing it.
With wooden frames, keep an eye out for damaged and deteriorating paintwork. If you spot chipped, cracked or bubbling paint, sand and clean the area, apply a little wood filler to blend the bare and painted wood, sand and clean when dry, and paint over with quick-drying wood primer/undercoat and then topcoat. Keeping the paintwork in good condition will help to protect the frames from the moisture.
Walls also get condensation on them, particularly in bay windows, in the kitchen, because of the steam generated by cooking, and in the bathroom, when you shower or bath. Having efficient extractor fans is important – if you don’t have any, get a qualified electrician to fit them in your kitchen and bathroom – and, again, open the windows whenever possible.
Not ventilating a room that suffers from condensation can lead to mould on your walls, particularly behind curtains, beds, sofas, sideboards, etc. Scrub it off with a mould-cleaning liquid or spray and wait several weeks to see if the problem reoccurs. If the mould has marked the walls, give them a fresh coat of paint, but only if you’re sure you’ve cracked the cause of the problem.
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