Double glazing is used throughout the world as a means of reducing the thermal conductivity of windows, to increase the insulation of building is such regions of the world where outside temperatures can reach extremes, (such as -40degrees C), So to reach reasonable temperatures indoors, heating has too be used in extraordinary proportions, and of course this has many implications in power usage. However many people have thought that using a vacuum in between these two glass sheets would prove much more effective, yet it has always proved a task to difficult for anyone to accomplish.
Need.
The need is a a window with a high thermal insulation properties, for areas of the world which experience extremes in temperature. The need addressed by the innovation, is a effective and viable way of producing a vacuum glazed window with high thermal insulation.
Innovation.
This Innovation is in the process of producing a Vacuum Glazed window, as the idea had been tried before but with no success.
The process used, is not complicated, with two glass sheets being sealed at the edges using solder glass, and small pillars in between the two sheets mad as small as possible, so to stop the sheets coming together once evacuated. The Evacuation, is carried out by a small tube attachment, that is used to suck out the air, and the tube is melted and closed of to seal the vacuum.
Function.
Vacuum glazing reduces the thermal conductivity , from a normal double glazed window ( 3 W m-2 K-1 ) to a very low value ( 0.6 W m-2 K-1).
Aesthetics.
Since the actual product being designed is a window, of course it must maintain all of the properties that a window should posses, that is, be able to let light through without much distortion. Which in itself was a design feat, with many development samples having bent in toward each other creating a double image.
Success.
Vacuum Glazing became a successful innovation, as the many technological breakthroughs and collaboration, enabling commercial manufacture.
