Partitions, Barriers, Walls

The year 2020 brought with it many changes to our way of life. But challenging times always produce new innovations and ideas that contribute to the greatest good.

The glass industry is no exception, and the recent challenge encountered was how to utilize our products to maintain safety while allowing folks to participate in life and to keep production, business, and society moving forward.

To that end, the glass industry has utilized its products and ingenuity to create partitions, barriers, and walls made from glass and high end plastics like Lexan.

These infection barriers and screens have been put to use in many applications to prevent the spread of Covid-19 over the last months, and are likely to be used for the foreseeable future to protect customers, patients, shoppers, and diners from various infectious diseases.

Doctor and dentist offices, along with hospitals, can use the barriers and screens for reception areas, and the glass walls for individual patient, exam, and waiting areas.

Government offices may employ the screens for reception areas, interview and questioning areas, and in court rooms to protect the testifying witness, the jury, and the judge. Police stations again can utilize the benefits of glass partitions for reception areas and perhaps in specialized holding cells.

Other businesses that can benefit from glass walls and barriers are:

Grocery stores

Gas Stations

Day Cares

Spas

Gyms

Restaurants

Hotels

Retail Stores

Gyms

Glass walls, barriers, and screens in businesses allow the general public to participate in social situations while lessening the threat of exposure to infection. They fulfill a need while innovating a new, safer approach to conducting business.

Call us today to update your environment!

Summertime Window Replacement

Summer is here!  Before it gets too hot, and to help with utility costs, replace those fogged or cracked windows.  Current products help reduce UV rays, and offer advanced protection from outside temperatures.

Dallas Glass and Door Co., Ltd. serves the residential needs of Rockwall County, and offers commercial service to the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.

Glass Facts From the Past- 16th Century – England

Window size of this period directly correlated to prosperity, and was influenced by the stability of the Tudor reign. As the windows themselves became larger, many were divided into smaller sections called “lites” by vertical mullions and horizontal transoms.  These vertical and horizontal bars were made from stone or timber during this period.

To form a hinged casement opening, a frame of wrought-iron was set in the vertical mullion and provided a smaller window able to be opened.

Dallas Glass & Meals on Wheels

Dallas Glass – sponsor of Meals on Wheels Charity Golf Tournament

Dallas Glass & Door was proud to sponsor the Meals on Wheels of Rockwall County golf tournament on Friday, April 26th.

As a community-motivated organization, we are proud to aid Meals on Wheels in its efforts and success in feeding the elderly and disabled of Rockwall County. Many times, this section of the population goes unnoticed, but with the endeavors from such a wonderful organization as Meals on Wheels, and the dedicated and passionate professionals who make up the organization, these citizens are provided with nutrition and human contact.

Congratulations to Meals on Wheels for being an outstanding member of the community.

Glass and the Faraday Cage

A Faraday Cage is created from a conducting material and protects the interior of the enclosed space from electrical fields. As an electrical charge comes in contact with the Faraday Cage, the charge is redistributed along the exterior structure rather than penetrating through the walls, thereby shielding and protecting the contents within the cage structure from an electrical field surge.
Automobiles and airplanes are protected from lightning by this structure, and the microwaves are contained inside a microwave oven.
Certain areas require the application of a Faraday Cage to protect from radio frequency electromagnetic radiation and similar electrical fields. These areas may require windows, so glass has been designed to act as a Radio Frequency shield or conductor, therefore maintaining the integrity of the Cage.
A leader in glass innovation, Pilkington Glass has developed Datastop which has an added coating to create shielding.

Source: http://www.breakglass.org/faraday-cage-principle-glass.html

Glazing History

Prior to the 16th century, most “windows” were openings in the building covered with thin sheets of horn, paper, or oiled cloth. Only the buildings deemed most important were glazed, generally with small panes of glass that were held in lead strips.  Prosperity came in with the Tudor dynasty, and wealth was displayed by the larger size of windows and glazing.

The Italian Renaissance brought an influence on window shape, producing windows that were taller than they were wide, and divided into four panes by a mullion and transom.

The 17th century saw the introduction of the sash window and crown glass – molten glass that is blown into a bubble, pierced, and spun into a disk about four feet in diameter.  After cooling, this glass could be cut into panes which had a slightly rippled effect.  The use of crown glass ended the used of glazing with lead in wealthy households.  The sash window held the glass in place and was capable of being raised and lowered, adding the ability to allow fresh air into the home as well as sunlight.

Due to the fact that crown glass was so expensive, the prominent type of window for most of the population was the casement window with leaded glazing.  By the end of the 18th century, window size became more standardized, and glass production techniques evolved to the point that the cost was reduced, allowing for more of the population to add glazing to their homes and buildings.

Egyptian Glass

Man’s first efforts to make glass are unknown, but the Egyptians were the first to use glass in their culture and art. Amulets and solid glass beads were made in Mesopotamia circa 2500 BC, and the Egyptians began making glass 1000 years later.  http://www.historyofglass.com/glass-invention/egyptian-glass/

The first glass vessels appeared during the reign of Tuthmosis I during the New Kingdom. In the Old and Middle Kingdoms, glass jewelry, amulets, and animal figures were created.

Extensive glass manufacturing began during the New Kingdom around 1550 BC, as it is believed that the craft of glass making was first introduced into Egypt by glass makers captured by Thutmose II, who reigned from 1479 BC to 1425 BC. During this period, attempts were made to use glass in more complicated projects, and the methods of core-forming and cold cutting were introduced. .  http://www.historyofglass.com/glass-invention/egyptian-glass/

Core-forming is the technique of forming a vessel by winding or gathering molten glass around a core supported by a rod. After forming, the object is removed from the rod and annealed. After annealing, the core is removed by scraping. https://www.cmog.org/glass-dictionary/core-forming

When cold-working glass the material was treated similarly to stone. Blocks of it could be cut and ground to give them desired shape and drilled to create a hollow space. But glass being very brittle and easily shattered, this method was only rarely employed. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/glass/index.html     Both methods were abandoned after the invention of the glass blowing technique during the Roman Era.

Decorations were added by pinching the hot glass, adding handles or other features to it like strands of differently colored glass which could then be pinched to change simple straight patterns into more intricate ones.

Coloring agents were naturally occurring impurities or metal oxides added on purpose. The much-coveted blue-tinted glass was made by adding cobalt. Yellow was the result of using iron and antimony, turquoise of copper or purple of manganese ^[3. Clear, almost colorless glass could be made by adding decoloring agents such as manganese oxide, as was done by the Romans. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/glass/index.html

In ancient Egypt, glass was regarded as an artificial semi-precious stone, and was given to favored subjects by royalty.   The production of glass declined in Egypt after the 21^st Dynasty (1096-945 BC).  Although revived during the 26^th Dynasty (664-525 BC), it continued on a much-reduced scale. .  http://www.historyofglass.com/glass-invention/egyptian-glass/

Glass Recycling

Glass can be recycled without losing quality.  Glass is not the only product made from recycling glass, as glass tiles and countertops can be crafted from recycled glass.

New glass is made due to demand, as much “old” or “used” glass is never collected for recycling.

Laminated Glass

Two layers of glass used as bread slices over an interlayer  denotes laminated glass.  Laminated glass is viewed by many as a safer product than normal glass due to the fact that if it is broken, the pieces will remain attached to the sticky surface of the interlayer instead of exploding and erupting into many loose pieces.  This type of glass is commonly used in windshields, and as the cockpit windows of aircraft.

Pyrex Glass

Heat resistant to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit, Pyrex glass is safe to use in an oven or a microwave.  Originally made from borosilicate glass, Pyrex glass was first marketed in 1915 by Corning Incorporated, which first used this type of glass in 1912 for railroad signal lanterns.  The glass was adapted to create a baking tray for use in ovens in 1915.

Today, Pyrex glass is made from borosilicate glass and soda lime glass, and is used in applications such as industry, laboratory, and kitchen.