Technical Advice | Useful Information about Architectural Glazing
Roller Wave
Summarise with:
Copilot
Copy this prompt, then open Copilot:
Technical Advice | Useful Information about Architectural Glazing
Summarise with:
Copilot
Copy this prompt, then open Copilot:
01
We do not make up topics just to get clicks. Our topics come from the questions people really ask us. Architects ask us when they plan a building. Builders ask us on-site. Homeowners ask us when they plan their project. If the same question keeps coming up, we write about it.
02
The first draft is written by someone who works with that glazing system. This might be a technical advisor, a designer, or a product expert.
They write using three things, in this order. First, our own finished projects and what we learned from them. Second, the building rules and the glass standards that apply. Third, the maker's technical data for the system we supply. When we give a number or a limit, we say where it comes from. We name the rule or standard and link to the official source so you can check it yourself.
03
Before any article goes live, a second qualified person reads it. They check three things. That the facts are right and not made too simple. That any rule or standard we mention is current and stated correctly. That the advice matches how the work is really done on site.
This checker can send the article back, ask for proof, or stop it from going live. Two experts must agree. This is the most important safety step in how we work. The name of the person who checked each article is shown on the article itself.
04
Each article shows who wrote it, who checked it, and the date it was last checked. Rules, standards, and products change over time. So we go back and review our advice on a regular basis. We update it when a rule changes, a standard is replaced, or a product changes. Being right matters more than leaving an old article alone.
Heating float glass creates soft pliable glass which is then rapidly cooled to create heat-strengthened or toughened glass. Unfortunately, this process can create forms of optical distortion in the surface of the glass.
Roller wave is a common form of this optical distortion. Roller wave is caused during the heating process as the glass sags slightly when being transported through the furnace between the carrier rolls used. The glass then passes through the quench, rapidly cooling the glass after the heating process. This heating and cooling creates a compression and tension in the glass thickness that is what creates the additional strength and safety in a glass unit to create toughened or heat-strengthened glass.

Although this process allows us to create impressive architectural glazing and technical glass installations, it can also result in a slight inconsistency to the surface of the flat glass, usually seen as ripples or a roller wave. The amount of distortion can be affected by the glass thickness and size. If the glass is thicker, the glass will remain flatter than if thinner glass was used. Larger glass sizes will also show more distortion than smaller sections. Roller wave is also normally only visible in the reflections of the glass.
This optical distortion can be reduced in the heat-treating process. Many issues must be addressed in this process such as the conveyor system, furnace temperature uniformity and the quench design which can all affect the outcome of the quality of glass. However, due to the nature of roller wave distortion, it cannot be completely eliminated, only reduced.
IQ Glass are required to follow the Glass and Glazing Federations standard guidelines as to what is accepted as an acceptable level of optical distortion for an architectural glass installation.
