For some walking over high altitude bridges can be scary enough on their own but one bridge in China has taken high altitude bridges to the next level.

The bridge, on Taihang Mountain near Handan city in China’s Hebei Province is a high altitude glass bridge that has added the illusion of the glass cracking underneath your feet as you walk across. Depending on your perspective its either a hilarious prank or a cruel joke.

The Bridge hangs over 3,800 feet in the air, affixed to the mountainside.

While the path provides an incredible view of the mountainous scenery, it’s also not for the faint of heart.

In the videos that have been have been making the rounds over the last few years, which creates the illusion that the bridge is going to shatter under the weight of those walking on it, can be seen striking crippling fear into a series of hikers.

 

To create the effect, bits of actual broken glass were placed under the sturdy glass floor, as well as video screens that display fake cracks in the glass as people pass over it. The sound of cracking glass is also piped in, to complete the terrifying effect.

How do you think you would go walking over this bridge?

 

You may not realise but glass is a material that makes up so much of our home decor, from windows, showers, doors, glass partitions, mirrors and so much more.

When you need to call a glazier in the Gold Coast area, you might start wondering about this material, and how it is so perfectly made without any type of flaw.

To help you understand more about glass, True Blue Glass can show you how it is made using modern methods.

Ingredients for Modern Glass.

In the past, glass was made from a material found in sand called silica.

This is a very fragile material which has a high melting temperature, and so over the centuries more and more additions have been combined with the glass to give it a lower melting temperature and more strength.

Modern ingredients include silica, oxides such as magnesium, lead, lanthanum or aluminium, sodium carbonate and even iron. Lime is another extremely common addition designed to strengthen the silica.

Melting the ingredients

The first stage in making glasses to melt all of the listed ingredients.

The silica is heated until it becomes liquid, and at this point it completely transforms, developing an inner structure that changes it so that it becomes a crystallized solid even when it cools.

Making glass windows

In order to make the type of glass that True Blue Glass uses for residential and commercial windows and doors, it is necessary to pour out the molten glass into a surface, which is rather like a kitchen baking tray.

This tray has a fine surface of melted tin, and the glass is then pressed so that it is flattened. The glass will then cool down into a flat surface, a pane of glass which can then be cut to the appropriate size.

Learning more about your glass

If you are having glass installed by a glazier in your Gold Coast or Brisbane property, then you can ask them to tell you more about how your glass is made. The team at True Blue Glass are always happy to help with any enquiries, so contact us today online, or call 1800-672-522 now.

For more glass information, read our previous blogs on the different types of glass!

Glass repairs Gold Coast, Brisbane and more!

When it comes to your windows at home, it might be fair to say that the first things that come to mind are the benefits that windows provide in colder and wetter months. Safe and secure windows keep your home interior from suffering from elements like moisture, low temperatures and strong wind, but you should also be remembering that windows are just as important and beneficial during the summer too! 

Here at True Blue Glass, glass repairs are a year-round activity for us, and we think it’s important for you to know that getting things fixed is just as crucial in the summer as it is in the winter. Here are just a few of the ways that having repaired, full health windows can help you during hot summer months.

• In cases of extreme heat, something that we have the potential to get in this country, glass that is compromised or weak in places can actually crack under the conditions. The last thing you want is to have to arrange repairs when it feels as hot as hell outside! This can be avoided with regular glass maintenance.

• Many modern varieties of window and door glass are treated in such a way that they react to insulate in the cold and react to withstand heat when it is too hot. With this kind of technology and innovation, your windows can be a first line of defence against the hot weather to keep the interior of your home as cool as possible.

• If you have a room like a conservatory, it is extremely important to make sure that the glass you use for it is treated to protect you from the harmful rays of the sun. Conservatories are wonderful places to spend time in the summer, but poor quality glass will just intensify the effects of the sun and put you in a dangerous position. With high quality treated glass, you can enjoy the sun whilst still having some sort of protection.

So, if you need one, two, or even more of your glass windows repaired in the near future, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our glass repairs experts. Our professional and experienced service is the best you can hope to receive in the region. Make sure that your home is prepared for all months of the year, including hot summers!

 

The Australian Window Association (AWA) and Australian Glass & Glazing Association (AGGA) are the national peak bodies representing and serving businesses in the window, glass and glazing industries.

Recognising that together the Associations can better serve and promote the interests of their members, the AWA and AGGA decided to join forces late in 2018.

Representing over 1000 member companies covering window manufacturers, glass manufacturers, glass processors, merchants, glaziers and suppliers of supporting machinery, services and materials.

Using an AGWA member when purchasing your window and door products significantly reduces the risk of purchasing the incorrect product for your application.

The AGWA provides window and door specific industry training to members lifting the level of competency within our industry.

AGWA members have access to the latest changes in regulation and industry standards and ensure their products are compliant.

By choosing an AGWA member when purchasing your window and door products, you are guaranteed that:

• All window and door products have been manufactured in compliance with all relevant Australian Standards.
• The windows design performance is verified using a NATA accredited testing laboratory. NATA Brochure Download
• The windows are accurately labelled with the ‘wind pressure’ and ‘water penetration’ requirements of AS2047.
• The windows are subject to annual NATA inspections.
• Business is conducted with honesty and integrity, upholding the right to a fair return for goods and services supplied.

Reduce the risk of getting it wrong, choose an AGWA member for your window and door products.

 

What glass is best for my table?

Glass table tops are usually a hot topic so we will address some of the usual questions we receive here.

Firstly, there are no strict rules on what you can and can’t have with regards to glass on table tops.

Table tops are furniture and therefore do not fall under the glass and glazing code.

However, common sense must prevail.

When is annealed glass ok?

Table tops with a flat surface for the glass to sit on like the one featured, with little to no overhang of glass would be best suited to the option of annealed glass.

Whilst annealed glass is weaker than toughened glass, the surface is actually more durable to cups, plates & cutlery etc. and if it were to break in this situation, the glass would not fall to the floor (and onto people’s feet).

For a table of this size (2000 x 1000) 6mm thickness is a good fit.

If it’s considerably smaller you may want to go down to 5mm, or possibly even 4mm.

When should safety glass be used?

Toughened glass on a table top like this one is not required and is actually more susceptible to scratches and marks, as the surface is softer.

In a situation like the one pictured below where the glass could break and fall to the floor it is recommended to use a safety glass.

Either toughened or laminated will suffice.

Is there a time I should not use laminated glass?

Keep in mind if using laminated glass that if the table top is exposed to the elements, eventually water will get in between the two sheets of glass and you’ll get what is called ‘lam rot’ with the water slowing creeping into the inter layer.

If the table is undercover, you don’t need to worry about this.

Because this one has a frame around it, again, 6mm would be fine up to a diameter of 1000mm. However the table top below is another matter again.

This one has no frame so it would require a heavier glass.

With a diameter of about 1000mm or more, 10mm to 12mm glass should be used as a minimum.

These are just a few examples and should be used as a guide.

Feel free to call us to discuss your options on table tops. Remember to send us photos if possible.

To read more about our services please click here