Glossary – our knowledge from A to Z

This is a German label that confirms that a construction project complies with designated requirements. This confirmation is achieved either through a declaration by the manufacturer (without consulting a monitoring or certification body) or through the compliance certificate issued by an acknowledged institute.

Section factor for steel sections. A parameter for determining the thickness of the fire resistant coating/casing necessary for steel sections. It expresses the ratio between the perimeter of the steel section and its cross-sectional area.

The passive solar energy gains, which are only possible with glass, are taken into account in the heating requirement analysis in the form of the Ueq-value.

In materials science this is the mechanical stress at which an element fails as it is subjected to a constant increase in the load.

This is a widely used non-destructive method for assessing the quality of weld seams in steel, titanium and aluminium assemblies. Cracks, porosity, inadequate penetration, inclusions, lack of fusion and similar defects can affect the durability of a welded joint and the ultrasonic method can be used to find these.

Short-wave radiation in the solar spectrum.

A special type of anchor in which an interlocking connection is achieved by enlarging the base of the hole with a special drill. The anchor has special wedges that fill the enlarged hole completely when the anchor is tightened.

A mechanism for opening/closing automatic doors which is concealed beneath the floor.

The surface of a material is approximately evenly and slowly eroded by corrosive effects. This type of corrosion occurs on non-coated exterior components made from unalloyed engineering steels or during the oxidation (scale formation) of forged parts.

This type of façade consists of fully prefabricated elements – usually matching the height of one storey and the width between two grid lines. On the building site these modular elements are moved into position and attached to the structure with adjustable fixings. The advantage of this method is that complex constructions can be assembled, glazed and provided with sunshades, glare screens and lighting in the factory. In contrast to a building site, the conditions in a factory are easily controlled.

An unrestrained support permits movement in two directions. In the case of bridge structures an unrestrained support on one side is often combined with a restrained support on the other to compensate for temperature fluctuations.

Uplift protection secures roof glazing against the uplift forces exerted by wind suction loads. The glass is carried by linear supports for essentially downward loads (snow, wind pressure, self-weight). Individual, disc-type retainers secure the panes of glass against uplift. These retainers must be considered and designed as point fixings.

The topmost member in a trussed girder. Most of the loads are transferred into the girder via the upper chord, which is usually a compression member and therefore has to satisfy stability criteria as well.

This is a chemical compound of uranium and oxygen Uranium oxide is mixed with the glass during production in order to give it a delicate yellow or green colouring. However, this compound is no longer used because of uranium’s radioactivity.

The weight of the window has to be distributed over setting blocks in such a way that the frame carries the weight of the pane and additional, avoidable stresses caused by thermal loads and operation are ruled out. The pane itself may not perform any loadbearing function.

This one-part adhesive cures when exposed to UV radiation (wavelength: 315–400 nm) and after curing is as clear as glass, or at least highly transparent, and hard or elastic depending on the type of adhesive.

The portion of short-wave solar energy that passes through a glazing element.

In the case of glazing, the permeability with respect to ultraviolet (UV) radiation according to DIN EN 410 is specified for the range of wavelengths from 280 to 380 nm.