Glass Committee Terminology;... Indentation

Since my induction into the Glass Committee of the IWCA I have been pouring over many "white papers" sent my way by Paul West the current committee chair.  These are scientific research papers that discus glass surface test results.  However if someone didn't understand the terminology used they might as well have been written in another language.  So that we all can have a much better understanding of the details of the research Penn State has been working on for the IWCA Glass Committee I have decided to write a series of artcles/posts in the Glass Smart Blog called Glass Committee Terminology.

INDENTATION: 

This is a deep notch or depression on a surface.  Some words that define it are hollow, dip, dent, cavity, or pit. Here is a link to an excellent very technical article on nanoindentation technology.  Which is the kind employed by Penn State.  

http://szft.elte.hu/oktat/www/mikronano/Nano_indentation.pdf

It also discusses microindentation.  Indentation is the means by which certain mechanical properties of solid surfaces are measured, in particular hardness.  Which is what the GC was interested in using to learn about how the hardness of glass surfaces might change when subjected to different conditions of Relative Humidity (RH). Also they wanted to learn what glass surface hardness might be when the sodium atoms in particular have been selectively removed. This is important information since every scratch begins with a point of indentation.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

Scratched Glass Questionaire from The Glass Committee of the IWCA.

This is for everyone.  If you would like to join with the Glass Committee in our research with the scratched glass issue then here is your chance.  This is the questionnaire.  Please send all information by email to the Chair of the GC, Paul West.  His contact info is at the bottom of the questionnaire.

Scratched glass questionnaire:

What is the address/location of the property?

 

Who is the manufacturer of the scratched glass?

 

How many levels/floors on the property?

 

What levels did the scratching occur?

 

Did the scratching occur on interior or exterior or both?

 

Describe the interior surroundings near any scratched glass.

 

Describe the exterior facade and surroundings near any scratched glass.

 

Was there any accumulation of debris and  sand/soil on glass?

 

How was the debris removed?

 

Was the scratched glass annealed, heat strengthened, or tempered?

 

Is the glass coated or uncoated? Where is the coating located; surface #1, #2, #3 or #4?

 

Is there an insurance claim, lawsuit, or loss of money involved?

 

Is it the tin side or airside of glass that is scratched?

 

Was this a post-construction cleaning incident or a normal maintenance project?

 

What was the approximate size of the units involved?

 

Did you observe that some glass units exhibited scratches while others in the same environment did not?

 

Who initially discovered the scratched glass?

Please fill out answers and return to:

Paul West

IWCA Glass Committee

KohalaPaul@gmail.com

808.885.7600 (O)

808.443.3833 (M)

Thank you everyone!