Technical Library

Product Literature

The following ClimaGuard flyers and brochures are available for download in Adobe PDF format.

Technical Information

The following list of documents offers a comprehensive look at how to properly handle, wash, process and fabricate ClimaGuard residential products.  If you have any questions regarding the fabrication and/or the various applications ClimaGuard products are intended for, please contact our ClimaGuard Applications Engineering personnel at 888-521-9734.   

Warranty

The following documents apply to ClimaGuard Residential products only.  If you have any questions regarding ClimaGuard warranties, please contact our ClimaGuard Applications Engineering personnel at 888-521-9734.   

Glossary / Terms

An extensive glossary of glass-related terms and phrases. 

Acoustical Information:

The acoustic performance of glazing assemblies is expressed in two terms: Sound Transmission Class (STC) is used to measure the sound transmission loss of interior walls, ceilings and floors; and Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC), which measures the sound transmission loss of exterior glazing applications. High sound transmission loss – good sound insulation – is desired in many residential window applications. Limiting sound transmission through glazing requires review and testing of the entire glazing system. Laminated glass and insulating glass tend to produce higher OITC ratings because the laminate dampens vibration and the air space limits sound transmission. For more information, refer to the Glass Association of North America Glazing Manual. 

Annealed Glass:

Float glass (also called “flat” glass) that has not been heat-strengthened or tempered is “annealed glass.” Annealing float glass is the process of controlled cooling to prevent residual stress in the glass and is an inherent operation of the float glass manufacturing process.  Annealed glass can be cut, machined, drilled, edged and polished.

Color Rendering Index (CRI):

The ability of transmitted daylight through the glazing to portray a variety of colors compared to those seen under daylight without the glazing. Scale is 1 – 100. For instance, a low CRI causes colors to appear washed out, while a high CRI causes colors to appear vibrant and natural.  

Heat Gain:

Heat gain is heat added to a building interior by radiation, convection or conduction.

Heat-Strengthened Glass:

Heat-strengthened (HS) glass has been subjected to a heating and cooling cycle and is generally twice as strong as annealed glass of the same thickness and configuration. HS glass must achieve residual surface compression between 3,500 and 7,500 PSI for 6 mm glass, according to ASTM C 1048. HS glass has greater resistance to thermal loads than annealed glass and, when broken, the fragments are typically larger than those of fully tempered glass. Heat-Strengthened glass is not a safety glass product as defined by the various code organizations. This type of glass is intended for general glazing, where additional strength is desired to withstand wind load and thermal stress. It does not provide the strength of fully tempered glass and is intended for applications that do not specifically require a safety glass product. HS glass cannot be cut or drilled after heat-strengthening and any alterations, such as edge grinding, sand blasting or acid etching, can cause premature failure.

Hurricane Glass:

The coastal areas of North America have begun adopting “hurricane codes” to help prevent catastrophic building failure during hurricane conditions. Initially, Dade County, Florida, enacted requirements that have been used as a model for other areas such as Texas and the Gulf Coast, as well as up the Atlantic Seaboard. The codes may vary regionally, so design professionals are encouraged to research the local municipality codes when beginning new projects. The following diagram indicates basic Dade County, Florida, code requirements for small and large missile glazing testing.

Infrared (long-wave) Energy:

Energy generated by radiated heat sources such as electric coil heaters or natural gas-powered, forced-air furnaces.  Also, any object that can absorb heat and radiate it is producing long-wave, infrared energy.  NOTE: When short-wave energy from the sun is absorbed and radiated by glazing, it is converted to long-wave energy.

Insulating Glass:

Insulating glass refers to two or more lites of glass sealed around the edges with an air space between, to form a single unit.  Commonly referred to as an “IG unit,” insulating glass is the most effective way to reduce air-to-air heat transfer through the glazing.  When used in conjunction with low-E coatings, IG units become an effective means to conserve energy and comply with building codes.  The most common residential insulating glass unit configuration is 1/8" glass / 1/2" air space / 1/8" glass. 

Laminated Glass:

Laminated glass is two or more lites (pieces) of glass permanently bonded together with one or more plastic interlayers (PVB) using heat and pressure. The glass and interlayers can be a variety of colors and thicknesses designed to meet building code standards and requirements as necessary. Laminated glass can be broken, but the fragments will tend to adhere to the plastic layer and remain largely intact, reducing the risk of injury. Laminated glass is considered “safety glass” and meets the requirements of the various code organizations that set standards for safety. Heat-strengthened and tempered glass can be incorporated into laminated glass units to further strengthen the impact resistance. Hurricane resistance, the need for bomb blast protection, sound attenuation and ballistic or forced-entry security concerns are all primary uses for laminated glass. For complete industry-accepted information about laminated glass, please review the Glass Association of North America’s Laminated Glazing Reference Manual.

Light-to-Solar Gain:

Ratio of the visible light transmittance to the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. LSG=Tvis/SHGC
A higher LSG ratio means sunlight entering the room is more efficient for daylighting, especially for summer conditions where more light is desired with less solar gain.  This ratio is the measurement used to determine whether the glazing is “spectrally selective.” 

Low-E Coatings:

Relatively neutral in appearance, low-E coatings reduce heat gain or loss by reflecting long-wave infrared energy (heat) and, therefore, decrease the U-value and improve energy efficiency. Current sputter-coated low-E coatings are multilayered, complex designs engineered to provide high visible light transmission, low visible light reflection and reduced heat transfer. ClimaGuard 75/68, 71/38, 70/36, 63/31, 55/27, ClimaGuard IS and Guardian Neutral 70 are low-E coatings.

Monolithic Glass:

Glazing construction consisting of one lite of glass.

Pyrolytic Low-E Glass:

Glass with low-E coating applied at high temperatures and fired into the glass surface during the float glass manufacturing process.

Relative Heat Gain (RHG):

The total heat gain through glass for a specific set of conditions. This value considers indoor/outdoor air temperature differences and the effect of solar radiation. The units are Btu/hr.ft². RHG = [(89°F - 75°F)(Summer U-value) + (200 Btu/hr.ft²)(Shading Coefficient)]

R-Value:

A measure of the resistance of the glazing to heat flow.  It is determined by dividing the U-value into 1, (R-value = 1/U-value).  A higher R-value indicates better insulating properties of the glazing.  R-Value is not typically used as a measurement for glazing products and is referenced here to help understand U-value.

Sloped Glazing:

Any installation of glass that is at a slope of 15 degrees or more from the vertical.
 

Solar Control Glass:

Tinted and / or coated glass that reduces the amount of solar heat gain transmitted through a glazed product.
 

Solar Energy:

Radiant energy from the sun having a wavelength range of 300 to 4000 nm, which includes UV (300 to 380 nm), visible light (380 to 780 nm) and near infrared energy (780 nm to 4000 nm).

• % Reflect Out = percentage of incident solar energy directly reflected from the glass back outdoors
• % Absorbance = percentage of incident solar energy absorbed into the glass
• % Transmittance = percentage of incident solar energy directly transmitted through the glass

The sum of percent reflectance out + absorbance out + transmittance = 100%.  This is commonly referred to as the RAT equation. An additional consideration is emission, or emissivity.  This refers to the irradiation of absorbed energy that can be emitted toward both the exterior and interior of the building. Emissivity is controlled through the use of low-emissivity, or low-E coatings.
 

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC):

The percent of solar energy incident on the glass that is transferred indoors both directly and indirectly through the glass. The direct gain portion equals the solar energy transmittance, while the indirect is the fraction of solar energy incident on the glass that is absorbed and re-radiated or convected indoors. For example, 1/8" (3.1 mm) uncoated clear glass has an SHGC of approximately 0.86, of which 0.84 is direct gain (solar transmittance) and 0.02 is indirect gain (convection / re-radiation).
 

Spacers (for Insulating Units):

The spacer in insulating glass units is at the perimeter and keeps the two lites of glass separated at a specific gap width. The spacer material can be aluminum, stainless steel, silicone foam, etc.

Spectrally Selective Glazing:

High-performance glazing that admits as much daylight as possible, while preventing transmission of as much solar heat as possible. By controlling solar heat gains in summer, preventing loss of interior heat in winter, and allowing occupants to reduce electric lighting use by making maximum use of daylight, spectrally selective glazing significantly reduces building energy consumption. The United States Department of Energy has established a Light-to-Solar Gain Ratio of 1.25 as the minimum measurement to be classified as a “Spectrally Selective Glazing.” The calculation of spectrally selective glazing follows the formula described in the “Light-to-Solar Gain” definition.

Sputter Low-E Glass:

Glass with low-E coating applied through an off-line fabrication process. Glass is put into a vacuum chamber, where ionized gas bombards the surface of a metal cathode (silver) with ions. Atoms of the desired metal are vaporized and then deposited in a thin film on the surface of the glass.

Strain Pattern:

Refers to a specific geometric pattern of iridescence or darkish shadows that may appear under certain lighting conditions, particularly in the presence of polarized light (also called “quench marks”). The phenomenon is caused by the localized stresses imparted by the rapid air cooling of the heat-treating operation. Strain pattern is characteristic of heat-treated glass and is not considered a defect.

Tempered Glass:

Fully tempered glass is approximately four times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness and configuration. Residual surface compression must be over 10,000 PSI for 6mm glass, according to ASTM C 1048. When broken, it will break into many relatively small fragments, which are less likely to cause serious injury. The typical process to produce tempered glass involves heating the glass to over 1,000 degrees F, then rapidly cooling to lock the glass surfaces in a state of compression and the core in a state of tension.

Tempered glass is often referred to as “safety glass,” because it meets the requirements of the various code organizations. This type of glass is intended for general glazing, and safety glazing such as sliding doors, storm doors, building entrances, bath and shower enclosures, interior partitions, and other uses requiring superior strength and safety properties. Tempered glass cannot be cut or drilled after tempering, and any alterations, such as edge grinding, sand blasting or acid etching, can cause premature failure.

Tinted Glass:

A colored glass which reduces both visual and radiant transmittances. Tinted glass may require heat-treatment to reduce potential thermal stress and breakage (when using thicker and very large pieces of glass) and tends to reradiate the absorbed heat.

UV (Ultraviolet):

Ultraviolet radiant energy from the sun having a wavelength range of 300 to 380 nm with air mass of 1.5.

UV Transmittance:

Percentage of incident ultraviolet energy that is directly transmitted through the glass.  Long-term exposure to UV light may result in fabric and pigment fading, plastic deterioration and changes to the appearance of many types of wood.

UV Tdw:

Damage Weighted Transmission (Tdw-K) data is a measurement of the fading reduction over the whole solar spectrum, not just ultraviolet. It is ‘weighted’ to include the fact that fading damage occurs from a broad band of solar energy such as infra-red, visible light and ultra-violet.

U-Value (U-Factor):

A measure of the heat gain or loss through glass due to the difference between indoor and outdoor air temperatures. It is also referred to as the overall coefficient of heat transfer. A lower U-value indicates better insulating properties. The units are Btu/(hr)(ft2)(°F).

Visible Light:

Radiant energy in the wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm with Ill. D65 and CIE 2° observer.

• % Transmittance = (%Tvis) percentage of incident visible light directly transmitted through the glass
• % Reflectance Indoors = percentage of incident visible light directly reflected from the glass back indoors
• % Reflectance Outdoors = percentage of incident visible light directly reflected from the glass back outdoors

Warm-Edge Spacer:

This technology is another option for improving thermal properties, reducing condensation and reducing U-values in IG units. There are a number of warm-edge spacer designs available, all of which thermally break the metal-to-glass contact point to some degree, while offering varying levels of structural integrity that may or may not be suitable for commercial applications. Warm-edge spacers can significantly reduce heat conduction when compared to conventional metal spacers.