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Shenzhen insulated glass factory, why is the heat insulation and sound insulation performance of insulated glass stronger than that of ordinary glass?

Release time:

Mar 14,2025

　　Thermal Insulation Performance

Thermal resistance of the air layer: Ordinary glass is generally a single-layer structure, and heat is easily conducted directly through the glass. Insulated glass, however, consists of two or more layers of glass, with an air layer of a certain thickness (usually 6-20 mm) between the layers. Air has a much lower thermal conductivity than glass, making it an excellent thermal insulation medium.

This air layer increases the thermal resistance in the heat transfer process, so that when heat passes through the insulated glass, it needs to pass through multiple layers of media such as glass-air-glass, greatly slowing down the speed of heat conduction. For example, in summer, external heat quickly enters the room through ordinary glass, while the air layer of insulated glass can effectively block the heat, reducing the cooling load of indoor air conditioning.

Reduced convective heat transfer: In the air layer of insulated glass, the convection of air is greatly suppressed due to the constraints of the glass. In an ordinary glass environment, when there is a temperature difference between the two sides of the glass, the air near the glass surface will generate convection due to temperature changes, thereby accelerating heat transfer.

However, in insulated glass, the space of the air layer is limited, and the air is difficult to form an effective convection cycle, further reducing the pathway of heat transfer through convection. In winter, for example, warm indoor air is difficult to convectively dissipate to the outside through the air layer of the insulated glass, helping to maintain indoor warmth.

Application of Low-E coatings: Many high-performance insulated glass units have a Low-E (low-emissivity) coating applied to the surface of one of the glass layers. This coating has an extremely low surface emissivity, and can reflect long-wave thermal radiation from indoor objects (such as heat emitted from the human body and appliances) back into the room, while preventing outdoor thermal radiation from entering the room.

Ordinary glass does not have this selective reflection ability for thermal radiation, and heat easily penetrates without obstruction. For example, in winter in cold regions, insulated glass with a Low-E coating can maximize the retention of indoor heat, reducing heat loss to the outside and improving energy utilization efficiency.

　　Sound Insulation Performance

Blocking air-borne sound: Sound propagation requires a medium, and air is a common sound transmission medium. Ordinary glass has a single-layer structure, and its ability to block air-borne sound is limited. The air layer of insulated glass plays a role again; when sound waves propagate to the insulated glass, part of the sound energy is reflected by the glass surface, and part enters the air layer.

Due to the large difference in acoustic impedance between air and glass, the sound is repeatedly reflected and refracted at the air-glass interface, and energy is continuously lost. For example, external traffic noise can be heard clearly indoors through ordinary glass, while insulated glass can effectively attenuate such noise, making the indoor environment quieter.

Reduced resonance effect: Ordinary glass is prone to resonance when subjected to sound vibrations, which in turn amplifies the effect of sound propagation. Insulated glass, due to its multi-layer structure and the buffering of the intermediate air layer, changes the inherent vibration frequency of the glass. When the external sound frequency is inconsistent with the inherent frequency of the glass, the resonance phenomenon is greatly suppressed.

Sounds of different frequencies are weakened to varying degrees when passing through insulated glass, especially for high-frequency noise, the sound insulation effect of insulated glass is more significant. For example, the sharp sound emitted by a high-pitched speaker will have its volume significantly reduced indoors after passing through insulated glass.

Damping effect: In some high-end insulated glass products, inert gases (such as argon and krypton) or damping materials are filled in the air layer. These inert gases have a larger molecular mass than air, and lower thermal conductivity, which can further enhance the heat insulation effect, and also have a damping effect on sound propagation.

Damping materials can absorb the energy of sound vibrations, converting sound energy into other forms of energy such as heat energy, reducing sound transmission. This composite structure makes the sound insulation performance of insulated glass far superior to that of ordinary glass, creating a more tranquil environment indoors.

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