Glass Marcos Colina Cristopher Vargas Laura Medina Marcos
Colina Cristopher Vargas Laura Medina
Slide 2
What is Glass? Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid
material. Glasses are typically brittle, and often optically
transparent. Glass is commonly used for windows, bottles, modern
hard drives and houses.
Slide 3
History of glass - Origins of glass - The beginning of
glassware - The Roman Empire - Sheet Glass - Venice - Late Middle
Age - Other advances - From craft to industry - More and more glass
- Prehistory - 3500 BC - AD 100 - 11 th century - 12 th century -
15 th century - 17 th century - 19 th century - 20 th century -
Prehistory - 3500 BC - AD 100 - 11 th century - 12 th century - 15
th century - 17 th century - 19 th century - 20 th century
Slide 4
Origins of glass Natural glass has existed far long before
humans, formed when certain types of rocks melt as a result of high
temperature phenomena such as volcanic eruptions or lighting
strikes. - Prehistory
Slide 5
The beginnings of Glassware The earliest glassware made by man,
mainly transparent glass beads and glazing on pots and vases, are
thought to date around 3500 BC, in Egypt and Mesopotamia. However,
the oldest fragments of glass vases date back to the 16 th century
BC. - 3500 BC
Slide 6
The Roman Empire It was the Romans who began to use glass for
architectural purposes, with the discovery of clear glass in
Alexandria around 100 AD. Cast glass windows began to appear in the
most important buildings in Rome and luxurious villas of Pompeii.
During the Roman Empire craftsmen of glass could establish and
develop good creations, but between 4 th and 7 th century AD
glassmaking slowed, because of the decline of the Empire. - AD
100
Slide 7
Sheet Glass In 11 th century occurred an important development:
the creation of a technique for producing bigger glass sheets by
German glass craftsmen, measuring as much as 3 meters long, with a
width up to 45 cm. The panes thus created would then be joined with
lead strips and pieced together to create windows. Glazing
remained, however, a luxury up to the late Middle Ages, with royal
palaces and churches the most likely buildings to have glass
windows. - 11 th century
Slide 8
Venice In the Middle Ages, the Italian city of Venice assumed
its role as the glassmaking centre of the western world. To protect
glassmaking secrets and the like, most of venecian glass craftsmen
were moved to Murano, one of the citys islands, where started to
use quartz sand and potash to produce particularly pure glass,
famous until advanced 16 th century. - 12 th century
Slide 9
Late Middle Age In late Middle Age Gothic Architecture placed
glassmaking in the level of tall Art by giving the possibility of
making (for the moment) big and tall windows that let the light
through. These windows were made with panes of stained glass,
joined with lead strips. Beautiful and colored, these windows
resembled historical and religious scenes in cathedrals and
palaces. - 15 th century
Slide 10
Other advances Better kinds of glasses surged between 17 th and
18 th century. The English glassmaker George Ravenscroft used
higher proportions of lead oxides instead of potash, and created a
brilliant lead glass with a high refractive index which was easier
to cut and engrave. Meanwhile, in France were developed new methods
for plate glass, which was used especially for mirrors. - 17 th
century
Slide 11
From craft to industry It was not until the latter stages of
Industrial Revolution that mechanical technology for mass
production and in-depth scientific research of glass and its
qualities began to appear in the industry. In Architecture, the
glass became at this moment one of the favorite materials. Huge
crystal buildings were the moments sensation. - 19 th century
Slide 12
More and more glass Since 19 th century the use of glass in
Architecture has been taken to the limits, and the research in
glass production has seen basically one direction: massive, easier
and cheaper production, besides of specific technological glasses
types. - 20 th century
Slide 13
Glass properties These are the main characteristics of glass:
Fragile and easily breakable into sharp pieces (it isnt elastic at
all) Disordered and amorphous structure Solid and hard
material
Slide 14
Glass properties These are the main characteristics of glass:
Glass is 100% recyclable and one of the safest packaging materials
due to its composition and properties Inert and biologically
inactive material. Transparent or translucent to visible light
Slide 15
Glass properties These are the main characteristics of glass:
Glass is 100% recyclable and one of the safest packaging materials
due to its composition and properties Inert and biologically
inactive material. Transparent or translucent to visible light
Slide 16
Glass properties These are the main characteristics of glass:
Glass is 100% recyclable and one of the safest packaging materials
due to its composition and properties Inert and biologically
inactive material. Transparent or translucent to visible light
