Could Polycarbonate Plastic panels replace Glass Windows?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 พ.ค. 2024
- Polycarbonate has become one of the most versatile materials of the decade. It’s quickly replacing traditional materials like glass and acrylic because of its increased strength, lightness and ease of installation. They appear transparent during the day and emit a captivating internal glow at night. Polycarbonate is quickly changing the future of architecture and construction. It can be found in a wide range of finishes, colors and profiles like solid, corrugated and multi-wall panels.
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:03 Types of polycarbonate
2:45 How is polycarbonate made
3:34 Advantages of polycarbonate
5:45 Architecture examples
6:32 Sponsor
7:32 Disadvantages of polycarbonate
8:43 Conclusion
The versatility of polycarbonate allows it to be formed into a range of panels, each designed for specific applications.
Multiwall panels consist of multiple layers with hollow chambers in between. They can be formed into twin-wall, triple-wall, five-wall panels and more. The air pockets give them excellent insulation properties, making them ideal for roofing, greenhouse glazing, and cladding.
Corrugated panels have a wavy or ribbed surface. They are used for roofing and siding as they provide both natural light transmission and impact resistance. The corrugated structure also prevents water accumulation and allows for flexibility during installation.
Solid panels look just like glass or acrylic sheets. They are used for windows, skylights, security barriers, and protective screens.
At the simplest level, polycarbonate is a synthetic or human-made plastic made from the reaction of bisphenol A with phosgene. Bisphenol A or BPA is mixed with sodium hydroxide to form a salt called diphenoxide and a water molecule. This reacts with phosgene or carbonyl dichloride to form a chloroformate. After multiple reactions with diphenoxide, the molecule grows to form a long polymer chain called polycarbonate.
Advantages
- One of the advantages is its increased strength. Polycarbonate is 250 times stronger than standard glass and 30 times stronger than acrylic because of its molecular structure and chemical composition. It has long, linear polymer chains as we discussed earlier. These give it a high molecular weight and high strength.
- It is also chemically inert. It will not react with water, acids, bases, oils, solvents and alcohols. This is because of its carbon to carbon and carbon to oxygen covalent bonds. These are stable and resistant to chemical breakdown under normal environmental conditions.
- Another big advantage is its thermal insulation properties. Multiwall panels can insulate 60% better than glass panels. The air chambers between the layers act as insulators, which reduce heat transmission. Moreover, the material itself, polycarbonate, has naturally low thermal conductivity compared to glass or metal.
- Polycarbonate is also light-weight compared to glass, metal and wood because it has an amorphous or non-crystalline molecular structure.
Disadvantages
- it is not completely resistant to UV radiation. Most polycarbonate sheets have a resin coating and UV stabilizers impregnated into the material which makes it suitable for outdoor applications. However, over time, prolonged exposure to sunlight may cause yellowing. It is also susceptible to scratches because the exposed surfaces are relatively soft. To mitigate this issue, coatings or treatments can be applied to enhance scratch resistance.
- The third disadvantage is its bulkiness compared to other insulation materials. In the residential sector, polycarbonate is best used as a replacement for glass, not for wood or metal framed walls.
- Finally, there are some environmental concerns with using polycarbonate. BPA or bisphenol A, is one of the main ingredients of this material. It has been linked to some serious health effects. Scientists are developing a BPA-free polycarbonate alternative to address these concerns.
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#plastic #glass #construction #sustainability #architecture #carbonfootprint - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Plastic yellows in sunlight, throwing away your windows every 10 or 15 years is a massive waste. I have seen ground glass panes and lenses on 160 year old lighthouses that look like they were made yesterday.
You can see this in headlights. The glass modules made for the 80s and earlier cars still look clear than modern plastic modules (and cheaper, too, since it was a government mandated standard part instead of proprietary shapes and tech).
Also glass can be recycled, I'm not even sure if there's a limit for how many times you can melt it down and re make it.
We already throw away windows when the seal is broken on double pane window. That's around 10-20 years
What about tinted polycarbonate windows? If it's in a dark shade you won't care if it's yellowing.
@@apex007 that's hardly a critique of glass, more of the sealant
40 years ago, for over a decade, I did a lot of work installing clear polycarbonate storm windows. Eventually we switched to safety glass. Polycarbonate as a replacement for clear window glass is less than ideal. It will yellow within about 10 years or so. It will scratch just from stuff in the air. Larger panels can distort and have a wavy appearance.
I can second most of this. I added a PC sheet as extra insulation inside a double glazing window - as I renovated old wooden windows. However, from outside it was very clear there was something weird with these windows, as reflections (trees, ...) were bent, wavy, curved. It reminded me of these curved "funny mirrors" one have in some entertainment parks.
However I've used PC sheets successfully in other applications (transparent outdoor roofs being one of them).
@@arnesteinarson3645 -- Wavy panels are the result of too thin a pane over too large a span.
I can say from experience, polycarbonate roofing/skylights _can_ shatter in a hailstorm, it is not a "virtually unbreakable" material. It may have high impact resistance at the time of installation, but despite being relatively resistant to UV degradation, UV exposure _will_ make it more brittle over time.
That's my experience too, UV gets past the "UV coating" and slowly destroys its impact resistant properties.
I don't see how these short term upsides outweight the longer term downsides. The yellowing means it'll be binned quicker and thus not really a longer term solution.
I have polycarbonate panels on a green house that is 30 yrs old . Here in Alaska we get 20 hour or more sunlight in the summer and my panels are as clear as the day I installed them. Strong and no issues , snow load etc
Yes, the problem with polycarbonates is UV and so at your latitude, the UV exposure will be minimal. They are also great for extremes in temperature.
whats your latitude?
Polycarbonate IS VERY susceptible to breakdown to petroleum products and natural oils, such that installation instructions are VERY specific on what comes in contact with the panels in the way of rubber washer on the screws and contact with other roofing materials, esp. petroleum based. I have PC lenses on my rimless glasses, and there are radial fractures emanating from the screw holes where some skin oils get trapped. In higher heat, sunnier climates like So-CA, NV, AZ, NM, TX, etc. PC panels will have a much shorter life expectancy, from 5 to 10 years, max.
Also, BPA is just one of MANY endocrine/hormone disrupters found in plastics. Some of the replacement chemical hardeners used to in place of BPA are even more toxic/disruptive of our hormone systems, but simply haven't gotten the bad press yet.
All that said, PC is VERY strong and shatter resistant earlier in life and it's strength properties are amazing.
Excellent info and explanation. Thank you.
My 2007 minivan PC headlights yellowed significantly over the years. I polished them to a clear state using toothpaste. I can't imagine doing this to a building.
Walk through a parking lot and look at vehicles older than ten years and you'll see a lot of very yellowed and sometimes nearly useless headlights. That is UV yellowing. As an eyeglass wearer the lenses yellow in two years and the exotic coatings (even if you request no coatings) begin flaking off then too. There is glass in hundred year old homes that is still quite serviceable. Interesting fact: glass back then was inconsistent in thickness so window makers would install the heavier/thicker side down as it's more stable, then later people thought the glass slumped down over the decades like thick honey...
I would like to hear a fire marshal's opinion on polycarbonate windows.
what about the recyclability? Glass can be easily melted and used again.
It can be, but being honest, how much window glass is recycled? Really. Glass containers get recycled. Windows just get broken up and throw out.
So can polycarbonate.
@@lamplighter5545here in Spain, guardian glass is actually moving towards getting as much used glass as possible, including double pane IGUs
@@lamplighter5545In what dystopian heckhole are you living? Over here, window glass is driven to the dump where there's a special dumpster for construction glass.
@@konayasai-- We have that hear as well, but most people don't bother with that. They break it up, stick in a box, and throw it out with the trash.
its ridiculous TH-cam stopped surfacing your videos to my feed even tho I am subscribed. I am forced to turn the notification to All now so I don't miss videos. Every video is great, keep up the good work.
Thank you Belinda!
It might be fine for indoors but UV will yellow and fog it as anyone can tell from an old car headlights. It would have to be 1/2 the cost to install on an item lasting 30 years or 1/3 the cost for items lasting 50 years.
Love this channel! Maybe poly windows would be best in places that experience less sun annually. Like I’d consider it for Seattle but not Miami
PC windows (to see out of - not to simply pass light) are very easy to scratch when cleaning. The scratch resistant types are not as UV stable - the coating can craze and get cloudy.
What about micro plastic released in nature and in the air
Wow, 267K!! Belinda you have certainly blown up! Congrats you've earned it as you do it as a professional just like you would any architectural work. 
Thank you so much! It's been a slow, painful grind. I try to focus on the content and community rather than the numbers
@BelindaCarr just keep doing exactly what you're doing and it will be fine!
Might have been a good idea to cover IR transmission as polycarbonate is big in greenhouses. I chose polycarbonate over glass for cost, insulation (non-negotiable), hail resistance and weight/ft2. Yellowing and scratching weren't big factors in the application. IR transmission was a big downside (although outweighed by the other factors). Glass absorbs most IR, helping to keep interiors warmer (for cold climates) and consequently blocks more IR (warm climates). Coatings can change these properties, but I don't think an IR absorbing coating was available at the time.
Absolutely fabulous, I could watch endlessly. 😍🌹💝🥰
I've had strip roofing panels for light relief for 18 years or so. It's quite effective but it has become brittle from constant UV bombardment - I live in a sub equatorial zone.
My biggest fear is hailstorms. It has stood up to those in the past but with age, there is a pucker factor.
plastics are something we need more of in the environment. right?
I really admire your stamina Belinda
If it's not BPA approved... is it a good idea to use it for a greenhouse then? Does it release some kind of gas or whatever by warm weather, that can deposit on the vegetables in the greenhouse?
Major complaints are
Brittle
Yellowing
costly
not recyclable
I am going to just stick with commercial 1 inch insulated glass.
Use polycarbonate roofing for a porch, lasted 10 yrs before yellowing and becoming brittle, then shattering when a small hail storm hit. Switched to metal roofing afterwards, for less than what the new carbonate roofing would've cost.
It seems like polycarbonate has some niche uses, but is not an end-all replacement for conventional materials. More options is usually a good thing, so I do hope the technology continues to improve or find more places to fit into.
Like any material there are great ways to use it and not so great ways to use it. Most of the drawbacks I read here are from people using it in an application they shouldn't. I installed these panels in a custom 30' interior skylight application (not exposed to weather) 30 years ago and have given me everything I wanted....insulation, ease of installation, lightweight and best of all I LOVE THE YELLOWING! The warmer yellow color (similar to the older light bulbs that looked more like candlelight) is so much nicer than the harsh 4000 kelvin LED's that are everywhere. Would this work in a jewelry store or food establishment when purer color is warranted? No. But in my application, the color gets better every decade. Also, if a panel falls in an earthquake, I'm going to survive a 1# knock on the head much better than a 10# piece of glass.
My father was director of engineering for companies that produce acrylic and polycarbonate.
Theres no way either one is well suited for any windows. 🤷♂️
Except polycarbonate laminated with tempered glass for bullet resistant installations
Love your videos !!! 👍 👍
I just had my rotten patio cover and deck replaced. The new patio cover is topped by a layer of Topgal "standing seam" polycarbonate panels. Now to see how they survive the next hailstorm. The last one was so intense it actually shattered one of my solar panels. At least they're bronze tinted so yellowing won't be a noticeable issue in the future.
Yikes! I hope the new panels survive. Keep us updated.
@@BelindaCarr Thank you. Have you ever considered a followup on the extruded concrete homes in the Wolf Ranch area in Georgetown? Local media covered them briefly but public opinion seemed to quickly sour when the houses were put up for sale at prices no cheaper than conventional homes. There are also "tiny home" developments in local cities but they are turning out to be unaffordable for their target buyers.
What about yellowing over time?
I will yellow. I wouldn't use it as replacement for clear window glass. I can see it for other uses.
My robotics team uses 3 to 10 mm thick solid polycarbonate to build quite a few robot parts. It machines very easily with our CNC router, and is tough and light.
Already mentioned yellowing, breaking down due UV, there is issue of some polycarbonates cracking when in contact with alcohol, it can crack and its plastic, so how about no? There is still hundreds of years old glass windows, while i dont see polycarbonate lasting that long even in ideal conditions.
You do a wonderful job!
5:00 you knew you had to clarify that so people would give you shit in the comments 😂
Glass is also amorphous
I added polycarbonate panes as burglar-proofing (and insulation) to a home's existing door and side-light glass. But accidentally scratched it with the callouses of my knuckles. This material is a little too nice for real life; where the home is supposed to take care of the occupant, not the occupant take care of the home.
Talking about the positives of a product and then immediately promoting a company that sells that very same product, feels like the whole video exists as a commercial, even if you have 60 seconds of negatives at the end.
I'm sure you wouldn't make a video purely for the benefit of a company but I hope you can understand how it can be perceived when you spend most of the time telling us how great your sponsor's products are.
Before even watching the video I'm against plastic windows, scratches easily yellows in sun light, i mean look at headlights on a 20 year old car
10 years in many cases. Also, even my glass windscreen is pitted from dust and sand thrown up by the cars ahead of me. I once tried to sand a polycarbonate sheet that had an anti scratch surface applied. Vey difficult to sand, the coating seemed to be almost rubbery and wouldn’t scratch. Belinda isn’t talking about cars though she’s mainly talking about. Some special applications where the lightweight and thermal insulation properties are more important to the design.
I do enjoy a woman giving competent in-depth construction advice. Take that you burly bearded men. Great to see women in construction. Thank you for a great video.
Lol, thanks Robert!
Pretty sure I've disproven solvent resistance a time or two.
👍
I want to like plastic materials more, but the downsides are kinda heavy. Microsplastics feel like they're going to be the next asbestos or lead.
as a green house material I like it. as building exterior I kinda hate it.
No BPA for me me - I will stick with glass.
It is way too soft, been there done that, Just wait for some idiot at the gas station to clean your rear wind screen with the windscreen cleaning brush and see how it looks (Speaking from experience here)
I'd like to upgrade my headlights with glass
The fact that it can't hack the sun is a deal breaker right there, its also stupid expensive, I am not as excited as you about the stuff.
Feels like every material we come in contact with has some sort of estrogenic or oncogenic activity, or it just sucks compared to older tech.
It's a neat piece of tech, but I gotta be honest I don't see this product doing very well.
1. The fact that it's going to eventually yellow. Depending on the timeframe when this happens, this is going to be a major upkeep cost for home owners and businesses. Also if a home owner is cheap and lazy and just let it go, you're going to see a lot of ugly yellowish windows all over the world. No thanks.
2. So it's stronger, but more prone to scratches? That doesn't seem ideal. Sure it won't break if a person throws a rock at it like standard glass, but if wind, leaves, dust, and other random things in the air is going to scuff it up quick, that's no good. Who wants scratch looking windows. And sure you said they can put a protective coating on it, but that's going to add to costs, and I'm sure the coating is going to fade, so much like staining a deck, now you'll have to coat your windows every few years. Not good
3. The health concerns is a massive red flag. The product should honestly be recalled if living near it is going to potentially cause issues. Why would you want to build your home or business out of something that's going to physically hurt you? Not worth it. Sure they are trying to create a non health risk version of the product, but like why didn't they start with that? This seems really dumb, and any building with this stuff installed should be updated immediately!
4. And finally the big one, I personally don't think it looks good. All of those building in the video with this product installed on, look super cheap. If glass is the main stream toy, this looks like the dollar store version of it. It just doesn't look good. I wouldn't want my windows looking like that.
Awesome video, very informative, but I don't think this product is going to take off. But it's neat people are looking for alternative solutions to glass. Thank you for all your hard work and amazing content Belinda!
if you want a brown tint in a couple of years... once nicely brown, the next hail storm will take them out! No amount of 'guarantees' manufacturers offer, these are just smoke screens for a really lousy product. Use Plexiglas acrylic instead
This type of video is why I watch this channel. I have no idea how I'd learn this sort of information about building materials otherwise.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your support
Plastic breaks down from sunlight over time, glass doesn't break down and in fact glass is completely environmentally friendly when its thrown away.
I am disappointed in Belinda for not discussing the obvious drawbacks. Polycarbonate is not UV proof. It will enentually get brittle. It will shed microplastics and polymer additives to the air and ground water. It will scratch easily. It will become trash in 10 years in most areas.
This is just another case of interest driven thinking. It is not a green product. It is a gray product marketed as green.
Instead, get good glass windows and a metal or tile roof with added insulation underneath. You won't look back and your grandkids will thank you.
I think the title is a bit misleading here. Polycarbonate can't replace glass windows in the use case many commenters are criticizing -- it can't function as a durable clear material in weather-exposed areas. But many of your examples are showing much better uses for polycarbonate panels, such as durable translucent installations, or transparent installations inside buildings. Glass is heavy, and polycarbonate is far more practical for inexpensive greenhouses or interior partitions.
This is meaningful for homes, interior walls, and ADU structures but as with many building options can have a bigger impact at industrial scales. Replacing even 10% of the reinforced glass facade of a skyscraper with translucent polycarbonate where transparency is not a major concern could allow for much cheaper structures overall. Since glass is often layered in these installations, up to 40% of the overall glass could possibly be replaced by having interior-facing layers made of polycarbonate behind UV-filtering glass.
I'm really not enthusiastic about this. There's nothing that this product can do, other than be cheap and easy to form, that glass can't.
isn't this used for carbon fiber?
I love polycarbonate for many uses, but shun using polycarbonate optical lenses. Their optical clarity is less than perfect, resulting in visual distortions. They're fine for safety glasses used over my high-index bifocals. And polycarbonate is both initially more costly than glass for exterior windows and would require replacement in 7-10 years due to yellowing. $$$$
THANKS BELINDA 🤗 WE ARE EXCITED TOO,FOR THE FUTURE OF POLYCARBONATES 😎💚💚💚
Those houses with only a plastic covering. Not doing that in a cold climate
what is the U rating
Hopefully not! We need to reduce our use of plastics, not come up with new ones. My next windows are likely going to be wood frame, not vinyl.
Plastic house windows!? Don't get me started on those darn plastic headlight...
TLDR: NO.
Polycarbonate scratches extremely easily and UV light makes it become brittle so the answer is NO!
the Florida sun well disintegrate that shit in two years max
I love Belinda's videos, very informative without being confusing. She breaks it down so my high school graduate brain can understand. I look forward to her podcast videos also as they shine light on the latest innovations in the construction industry. Also, she does a Thomist disputation of every product.
Thanks for the info Belinda. My company EVinsulate uses polycarbonate to create add-on insulating panels (EVglass) for electric vehicle glass roofs. They work very well to reduce heating/cooling electricity consumption.
Which brands of EV do you supply?
Currently it is just the Tesla Model 3 and Y, but we will have the Ford Mach-e available by next week.@@BenMitro
Very cool! Thanks for sharing
No. PC doesn't stand up to weathering. Also PC can be easily destroyed by many common household cleaners.
Polycarbonate is almost like a miracle material. I have used in structural applications for stair guards and playgrounds. It is lighter than glass but it won't realistically reduce your foundation sizes or the amount of concrete unless you have a very unusual case use. As far as the foundations are concerned, replacing glass with polycarbonate is like putting Sweat and Low in your coffee after eating a 16oz steak, a mound of french fries, and cake for desert. However, you can reduce the load on a long stair stringer with a polycarbonate guard.
Windows should also be solar panels and be dimmable.
Polycancers
lol sponsored by big plastic
None of this sounds good.
So it's not single use so not a microplastic issue...aside from the fact it's soft, scratches easily which probably leads to microplastics and it is practically disposable as you have to replace it when it yellows in 10 years.
Sorry but felt a bit misled by this one. How about we just avoid using plastics, disposable or not.
I like your channel, I really do. But I've noticed the trend of how you advocate for an increase in our use of plastics in construction and it truly baffles me. Especially when many of the solutions you propose require virgin plastic.
Oh - I see now that this is a sponsored commercial. Yikes.
@@firstname9371 yeah weird how this channel seems to go from true building information to now whole videos being created to market a sponsor
None of my videos are biased sponsored commercials. I only had a sponsored segment in this one. Polycarbonate is a building material and I created an educational video on it, highlighting its pros and cons; just like all my other content.
Hi Belinda, does this ( th-cam.com/video/YHCHIbDhDqI/w-d-xo.html ) look like a fire hazard to you?
And all of your credibility in this video went out of the window right at 6:32
THEY YELLOW IN THE SUN. NOPE!
oh its sponsered >:(
You are beautiful ❤
Bad idea
It will waste your money in the long run. It degrade with UV and need to be replace every few decades
Be careful what you staying. I am a glass installer. Even though I don't know chemistry like you do, polycarbonate is NOT 250 times stronger against scratches compared to glasses. Then you talking chemistry and I am talking alchemy after all.
Is cheap and horrible stuff it never lasts long. unless its a shed get glass
"increased strength". Sure!
But look at thermal expansion and flexural modulus .
It grows like crazy and becomes a noodle in the sun. (relatively)
Its also really soft compared to something like glass (ALSO amorphous, by definition it has to be)
Getting REALLY tired of this womans infomercials. I don't know whats happened to this channel!
another oil product, how is this even legal....
Unique is an absolute state. Something is unique or it isn't. "Very unique" is senseless.
Dumbest idea ive heard all week.
Garbage product.
I bought a gazebo with a corrugated poly roof.
The 1st hailstorm made hundreds and hundreds of holes on the roof. Only through the 1st layer but it looks awful. Plastic doesn’t last outside. Absolutely garbage.
Yikes! Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience but thanks for sharing it!