Reflective glass – effective sun protection

10.12.2021

Reflective glass is one of the popular modifications of solar control glass. It has a special mirror coating that effectively reflects the rays of the sun. This allows you to significantly limit the entry of solar heat into the room, i.e., provide protection against overheating and improve the microclimate in the rooms. They solve reflective (mirror) glasses and some related problems. Manufacturers offer a fairly large selection of products of this type for use in residential and commercial construction.

Double-glazed windows with a matte surface.

Frosted glass is mainly used in bathrooms, meeting rooms or furniture manufacturing.

These glasses come in four types:

1. "Satin". The most common and economical glass. The haze is imparted to glass by treating the glass with acid. It transmits light very well and, in comparison with other methods of frosting glass, is a leader among such glasses due to its strength and capabilities. This glass can be not only monolithically frosted, but also with a frosted pattern.
2. "Creset".. Glass with relief patterns. Such glasses were very common in the 20th century, although they are still in demand today. Before the advent of “satin”, “kreset” had a large number of patterns, but over time, due to a decrease in demand, only one or two patterns remained in use.
3. “Sandblasting” The haze is achieved by treating the glass with sand. The sand is accelerated by the air flow and directed into the glass, then the sand particles knock out the glass chips, giving the glass a dull finish. This method has a disadvantage, since due to the knocking out of glass particles, it becomes more fragile than “satin” or “creset”
4. "Smart" glass. These are the most advanced technologies in making glass haze. “Smart” translated from English means smart. In short, such glass becomes frosted when the electricity is turned off, and transparent when turned on. This effect is achieved due to nanoparticles that are located between two glued glasses (triplex). Without the supply of energy, the particles are in a chaotic state and when looking at the glass, a matte effect is visible, and when electricity is connected to the glass, an electromagnetic field is formed, which aligns the particles strictly with their end facing our view and, due to their small end area, the glass becomes transparent. The disadvantage of such glass is still the price and electricity consumption.

Do you need tinted and reflective windows and who needs them?

If we ignore “smart” glass, then the use of glass with a reflection effect is advisable and even necessary for interiors that do not involve shading with curtains and blinds. These can be shopping and entertainment centers, offices, apartments and houses with panoramic glazing. The cost of a double-glazed window does not exceed the cost of a regular one by more than 10%, which allows you to save on the purchase of curtains or on the repair of a constantly fading interior.

Pros and cons of tinted and reflective coating:

• Reflective and tinting coatings are easy to use and do not interfere with the interior compared to blinds.
• Compared to blinds, they reflect the sun's energy much better and do not heat up like aluminum slats of blinds in the summer.
• No maintenance required.
• Wide variety of colors. The variety of colors in films is not only huge, but it is also possible to choose them with different percentages of reflection of solar energy, the environment and room darkening.
• The downside is that when the lights are on inside the room at night, everything will be visible from the street. But this is significant if the windows are low to the ground.
• An important advantage is additional sound insulation due to tinting films, and also increases the impact resistance of such glass.

Advantages of using reflective glasses

Thanks to a special coating, reflective glasses are multifunctional products. As a result, in addition to protection against overheating, window owners have the opportunity to provide:

• confidentiality;
• energy saving;
• improved window aesthetics.

Those windows that are covered with a special reflective film become safer to use, since the polymer coating with a metallized layer gives the glass shockproof qualities.
Moreover, even if broken, such products turn out to be much safer than conventional models, because the fragments are held in place by the film and do not scatter around the room. Recently, the range of these products was replenished with another modification - with a self-cleaning effect. Thanks to the presence of titanium oxide, such reflective glass not only protects from the sun, but also decomposes dirt. This process is described in detail in a separate material on OknaTrade.

The protective coating on such glasses can be soft or hard. The first type of product is vulnerable to external influences, and therefore is not suitable for single glazing. At the same time, the soft coating more effectively blocks infrared and ultraviolet waves.

Tinted windows

Tinted glass reduces the transmission of light in both directions without creating a “mirror” effect. Installed in a double-glazed window with external glass. During the production of light-heat-protective glass, special additives are introduced into the raw material mass, thanks to which the sheet becomes less thermally conductive (the heat transfer coefficient meets the new, stricter SNiP requirements) and transmits less light.

In rooms with glazing made of light-heat-protective glass, temperature changes (day/night) are reduced, the “dazzle” effect of the sun is reduced, furniture, painted surfaces, etc. do not fade. What is especially important is that heating and air conditioning costs are reduced.

The industry produces light-heat-protective glass in bronze, green-blue and gray colors. There are also architectural and patterned options designed for decorative design of the interior and exterior of buildings.

Mirror tinted glass

The second, more economical option is mirror tinting of the glass unit. Often, plastic windows are tinted to protect them from heat. This allows you to save both on the purchase of an air conditioner and on electricity bills.

The film has different specularity and degree of darkness: taking into account all the features of your room, you can choose the optimal one for yourself.

Acting as a reflector, the mirror film does not allow reflection of glare from the sun to pass through. This helps both protect objects in the room from fading and protect your eyes from unwanted exposure to bright rays.

This will also save your plants, but in this case you should take care of the safety of especially heat-loving plants, as this can negatively affect their growth and development.

Another important feature of mirror film is its durability: if the glass breaks for one reason or another, the glass will crack, but will remain inside the film that fixes it.

Thus, it will not scatter throughout the apartment and will protect people in the room from injury, as well as keep surrounding objects safe and sound. This feature will be useful for residents of disadvantaged areas or those who live on the first floors and are worried about both the safety of the windows themselves and their property in general.

In addition, mirror tinting will allow you to show your individuality and diversify the appearance of the window, having a wide range of color shades, mirror tinting film gives any building an interesting look: if desired, you can even order tinting with photo printing.

But if your windows are on the north side or surrounded by trees, the appearance of your apartment may be gloomy, since the film does not radically, but still reduces the amount of visible light.

Types of reflective (mirror) glasses

Depending on the composition of the protective coating, reflective glass reacts differently to sunlight. It is capable of not only reflecting heat waves, but also absorbing them, and performing both operations simultaneously. These properties determine the manufacturing technologies and materials used:

1. Completely absorbing radiation
   - at 650°C, a ceramic, polymer or metal oxide composition is applied to the glass surface. This coating has a silver tint and does not heat up during prolonged exposure to sunlight.
2. Completely reflective radiation
   - either metal oxides or special crystals are applied to glass heated to 650°C. Such products are capable of transmitting up to 75% of the waves of the visible spectrum and blocking up to 65% of infrared rays. However, in the process of dividing and absorbing sunlight, they can become quite hot.
3. Combined
   - four layers of metal oxides applied at 650°C and subsequent hardening with a finishing coating of silver allow such mirror glass to simultaneously absorb and reflect light.

Reflective glass is commonly used to provide privacy and aesthetic appeal to a property. They have a bronze tint on the inside and are suitable for lamination. However, all glass of this type reduces the light transmittance of windows and has a relatively high cost.

Reflective double glazed windows

To protect objects from the sun, reflective double-glazed windows are usually used rather than single glazing.
Such products are suitable both for completing windows made of plastic, wooden and aluminum profile systems, and for continuous facade glazing. Only in this way can you not only solve the problem of excessive insolation and ensure privacy, but also reduce heat loss, as well as the level of noise coming from the street. In addition, even a hard reflective coating is best located on the inside of the air chamber of the glass unit. This is especially true for objects located on polluted streets. It is also worth noting the lack of a mirror effect in such double-glazed windows at night. If the lights are on in the interior, everything that happens in the rooms will be perfectly visible from the street. Blinds or curtains solve the problem, but some property owners remain confident for some time that they are not visible at all times of the day, and sometimes find themselves in unpleasant situations because of this. Also, reflective double-glazed windows are afraid of severe overheating. In such cases, they may even become stained and lose some of their properties.

Strained glass

Strained glass

— is a sheet glass subjected to special heat treatment in order to increase mechanical strength and ensure safe destruction. Not destroyed by accidental household impacts; when broken, it forms small, safe glass fragments and does not fall out in large pieces that can injure people.

Tempered glass is 4-5 times stronger in bending than non-tempered glass. An increase in mechanical strength leads to an increase in heat resistance. Sheet glass has a heat resistance of about 400C, tempered glass - up to 1800C, which prevents the destruction of tempered glass when overheated or due to temperature changes.

The optical properties of glass (transmittance, absorption, reflection) after hardening practically do not change. The light transmittance of clear tempered glass is at least 84 percent.

If necessary, the required cuts, holes, and edges are first made in the glass, because ready-made tempered glass cannot be cut, drilled, or subjected to other types of mechanical processing.

Multifunctional glass

Multifunctional glass is a progressive development aimed at combining two of the most relevant properties of a modern double-glazed window: energy efficiency and sun protection. This is the first technology that works both in winter and summer.

In any room, with any glazing, the most serious loss of heat occurs through glass in the cold season, and through it, along with sunlight, the largest amount of unwanted heat enters the room in summer. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main attention in the technical improvement of translucent structures is now directed to glass.

Multifunctional glass works all year round. The same metal coating is applied to its surface, only, unlike I-Glass, it is applied not in one, but in several layers. Moreover, the molecules of each next layer lie crosswise with the molecules of the previous one. This ensures that heat is reflected inside the room in winter and outside in summer.

Mirror film

The most popular varieties are polymer-based models. The material is glued directly to the glass. The raw materials are made multi-layered, with the thickness of each tier not exceeding 20 microns. After exposure to high temperature, a homogeneous surface is obtained that does not distort the view.

Main types

Mirror coating for double-glazed windows is produced in different types. There are 4 varieties that are suitable for glazing a balcony:

• Darkening (sun protection). The film is fixed from the side of the room. In hot weather, it reflects 35-40% of ultraviolet radiation. If damaged it is easy to replace.
• Mirror metallized. Glue to the street surface. The model protects the inhabitants of the home from prying attention, while not affecting light rays.
• Decorative. Creates the effect of a mirror coating with a pattern in a double-glazed window. It comes in matte and glossy.
• Protective. The professional option makes the surface stronger. Fixed from the outside.

Glazing film must be of high quality. Multiple layers are combined under temperature into a homogeneous (single) layer. There is no distortion when looking through glass. When purchasing models, preference is given to types that have the ability to select the degree of light transmission.

What types are there Source ru.aliexpress.com

Video description

Mirror coating on glass

Disadvantages of raw materials

High cost is the main disadvantage of mirror glass units. The raw materials have a complex manufacturing technology, consisting of several stages. The length and painstaking nature of production is reflected in the final price, which is why not everyone can afford high-quality material. Most often, the products are installed in administrative and shopping and entertainment buildings, less often in high-rise buildings and cottages.

High price Source ba-bamail.com

It is better to order glass with mirror coating at the glazing stage. Of course, you can replace the transparent material in existing bags. The quality of such structures is much worse than that of new ones, which will negatively affect the microclimate of the room.

Absorbing mirror glass units for plastic windows get hot. Due to its absorbent properties, during solar activity the surface becomes very hot, and in the evening it cools down sharply. With such fluctuations, the material cools unevenly, so it gradually loses its properties and may crack. The model should not be used on south-facing balconies.

Disadvantages of reflex types Source stihi.ru

What is a mirror glass unit

Previously, we could see windows with mirror glass mainly in the buildings of shopping and business centers, sports complexes and other public places. Now owners of private houses are increasingly using mirrored windows for additional decoration and protection of their building.

Mirror glass can be achieved in two ways:

1. Manufacturing of a special reflective type of glass.
2. By gluing a mirror film onto ordinary glass.

Triplex

Triplex belongs to the class of glass with increased strength. When hit, fragments of such glass do not fly apart, because triplex consists of at least two glasses firmly glued together with a special film (PVB), which holds the fragments during impact. Damaged triplex does not require immediate replacement and continues to function even under severe wind and rain loads.

The main advantages of triplex:

• Increased strength;
• High thermal resistance;
• When destroyed, glass fragments do not fall out, but remain on the adhesive layer, as a result of which the triplex does not need urgent replacement.

In addition to impact resistance, triplex glass is superior to its “colleagues” in noise insulation properties, prevents the penetration of ultraviolet radiation into the room, but freely transmits the visible part of the spectrum necessary for humans and plants. In addition, by using a PVB layer of different colors, it is possible to create laminated glass in more than 1000 different shades. Triplex can have different shapes; it can be decorated with an image both on the outside and on the inside, and have decorative holes.

Advantages

• increased durability
• do not deteriorate from atmospheric influences
• opaque outside
• UV protection
• spraying is resistant to mechanical stress
• variety of shapes
• high reflectivity
• protect against excessive heat
• allow you to save on air conditioning
• protection of interior items from fading
• aesthetic appeal

Tinted mirror glass with “Spy” coating has the effect of “one-way visibility”: on one side, the glass allows you to clearly see the objects behind it, and on the other, visibility is limited. This result is achieved thanks to the special composition of the coating. The effect of “one-way visibility” is maximally manifested with greater illumination from the glass side with strong specularity.

Mirror glasses with a similar effect are represented by the brands “Spy-1” and “Spy-2”. The former have a lilac-violet tint and the maximum effect of one-way visibility, the latter have a blue-blue tint.

Glass for furniture production

Glass furniture has become very popular in recent decades. The reason is simple - such products visually expand the space. They do not create boundaries for the flow of light and, thereby, make the rooms wider and brighter. In addition, glass furniture decorates any room, since it is elegant and functional, and made from tempered glass and is also safe.

We produce a wide range of glass furniture: countertops, display cases, shelving, bookshelves, equipment racks. If you need exclusive “fragile” furniture, then we are ready to bring your sketch to life.

Features of solar control reflective glass

Reflective glass has a bronze tint on the inside and can be laminated. But it must be taken into account that they always reduce the light transmittance of the window, i.e. they are only suitable for rooms with an excess of natural light. Another nuance is the price of models with a special mirror coating. It is higher than the cost of a standard double-glazed window. The price also depends on the type of protective polymer coating, which can be soft or hard. The first is susceptible to external influences, as a result of which it is not used with single glazing. But such a film blocks ultraviolet and infrared radiation better.

It is necessary to keep in mind that double-glazed windows with reflective glass are designed to reflect the sun's rays coming from outside. And in the dark they do not have a mirror effect. That is, if you turn on the light in the room in the evening, then everything that happens there will be visible from the street (as is the case with a regular double-glazed window). Therefore, you need to take care of protection from prying eyes in the evening. Otherwise, you may end up in an awkward and unpleasant situation. But this problem can be easily dealt with using ordinary curtains or blinds.

The modern range of reflective window glass also includes models with a self-cleaning effect. Their coating contains titanium oxide. Thanks to this additive, it not only provides protection from sun rays, but also dissolves dirt. Such models require minimal maintenance and are especially optimal for large glass areas. In this case, they significantly reduce labor costs for washing windows in an office building, shopping center or country cottage.