The Design Technology Blog

Author: Eriks

  • Glass

    Glass belongs in the ceramics category of materials. It contains primarily silicon dioxide and sodium dioxide, along with calcium oxide and other chemicals in small quantities.

    Production

    It is produced from sand, limestone and sodium carbonate with the use of large amounts of heat. The glass furnaces reach up to 1675°C for all the above mentioned ingredients to melt together. Usually recycled glass is added to the mixture to reduce the temperature necessary to melt all the materials together. The glass is then set in to shape with the use of molders or blowers.

    Physical Characteristics

    Glass is made in furnaces such as this one, located in a glass studio in New York

    Glass has various different characteristics. It is very hard, since it is a ceramic, yet it is very brittle. It is transparent, which is a very rare characteristic in materials and it allows it to absorb and reflect light. It does not conduct electricity, and can be easily colored.

    Main types of glass

    There are two main types of glass other then the one mentioned above; toughened glass, and laminated glass. Toughened glass can withstand more tensile load and compressive stress on the surface. It also shatters in to little pieces after it is broken, it’s in use in places such as windscreens of cars. Laminated glass contains layers of glass around a plastic transparent sheet (which can be recolored). The plastic prevents cracks from appearing on the glass. They can be seen in use in windscreens or bank teller windows (as they’ve been made bulletproof).

    Uses of Glass

    Glass is used in all kinds of different areas, such as construction, furniture and of course, glassware. It is used a lot in construction due to it thermal conductivity, which reduces the resources necessary to heat the house/room. It is very resistance to tensile and compressive forces, making a good material to place weight upon. Furthermore it is transparent which allows natural light to enter the house/room, again further decreasing the amount of energy required to light the house.

    This building in Denver, has it's outer layer made mostly from glass to let in natural light

    It’s transparency allows for interesting interior designs, which can’t be achieved with non transparent materials. Glass is also used in furniture such as tables, this goes along with the transparency adding to a unique design. Another major use of glass is in glassware, which includes everything from glasses, to plates, to figures, and more.

    There are thousands of different kinds of glassware designs

  • Solar Powered Clothing

    Solar power is already becoming a mainstream source of energy all over the western hemisphere. At this point however it is used almost exclusively by large corporations which can afford to set up hundreds of cubic meters of solar panels. Most people are still in doubt about whether switching to solar panels for their houses is worth it or not, since it costs quite a lot.

    What about smaller scale uses of solar panels? One smaller scale use of solar panels has already been designed – in clothing.

    The idea is that clothes would be specially outfitted with solar panels, and electronic devices could be charged by just plugging them in to the solar panel’s battery (which is in one of the pockets of the clothing) and walking around in the sun for a while. This would save money by making people use electricity less at home, as well as maybe eventually making batteries obsolete.

    Silvr Lining has developed a range of clothing items that feature pockets to house solar panels to charge up mobile electronic devices, the theme in their new GO Collection.

    The GO Collection includes a hip-length, Bush-style Director’s Jacket, hooded Utility Vest, 3/4 length Myer’s Topper overcoat and Urban Cargo Pant, letting you have solar powered energy in every possible garment you wear.

    All garments are made from Ultrasuede, a 100 percent polyester fabric that feels like natural suede but is resistant to stains and discoloration, is easy to wash and dry, and is animal-friendly. The clothes (as of now) come in two colors; olive green, or stone gray.

    All articles of clothing in the range feature specially designed pockets to house the independently functioning solar power supply panels, which measure 6 x 8 inches (15 x 20 cm) and output power that is tailored for automatic charging of mobile electronic devices. The chargers can of course be removed from the clothing, and support USB 2.0.

    All the pieces of the GO Collection include two solar panels, while additional units can be purchased separately for the Director’s Jacket, which can accommodate up to four panels.

    Even so – the solar panel jacket isn’t cheap compared to most clothing. The price ranges from US$920 for the Urban Cargo Pant up to $1,260 for the Myer’s Topper. Additional solar panels cost $175 each.

    Of course the GO collection isn’t the only solar powered clothing collection in the market, it reveals the concept of hoe they work however.
    In terms of strength, most clothing solar panels will convert about 5 percent of the light that hits them into electricity, whereas typically solar panels with silicon cells are 16 percent to 20 percent efficient. The actual amount of energy created differs between item.
    The clothes can also be heated up by the solar panels, so people can be warm during the winters.
    Developers believe that the clothing will become mainstream in the next 20 years when solar panels have become cheaper themselves.

    Sources:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2000633.stm

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9891134-54.html

    http://blog.cleantechies.com/2008/10/23/solar-powered-clothing/

    http://www.gizmag.com/go-collection-of-solar-charging-clothing/17323/picture/126538/