WIRE GLASS, a modern invention used in building construction, being a combination of wire and glass. Wire glass is either ribbed, rough rolled, polished plate or °maze,' having wire netting imbedded in its centre during the process of manufacture. The tem perature at which the wire is imbedded in the molten glass insures cohesion between the metallic netting and the glass, and the two ma terials become as one, so that if the glass Is broken by shock, by intense heat or from other cause it remains practically intact. It combin.., the strength of the wire netting and the glass plate, and the wire is so thoroughly covered as to obviate the possibility of rust or corrosion. Wire glass will break, but it will not scatter. It can be fractured, but it will retain its place, and the perils incident to fall ing glass and the ingress or egress of draft and flame are avoided.
The first attempts to introduce a metallic mesh into the body of the glass were for the purpose of increasing its strength and to pre vent its falling apart when broken. In this re spect the product has been thoroughly devel oped, but in addition it has proved to be one of the most remarkable fire retardants available for building purposes, and in view of the excep tional hazard attaching to window and skylight openings in all buildings, its use as a fire re tardant is outranking in importance as well as quantity its other values. Many experiments have been- made to develop different processes of manufacturing wire glass, hut, owing to the inherent difficulties of maintaining the homo geneous quality of the glass, preventing damage from excessive heat to the wire and securing a practical central location of the wire in the body of the glass only two methods have proved effective. One of these, known as the Shuman
process, from the name of its inventor, Frank Shuman, of Philadelphia, consists of rolling a sheet of glass, laying the wire mesh upon the body of the glass, pressing the same into it instantly and while still plastic, and by a coin cident process, smoothing over the slight abras ions made in the surface of the glass so as to secure a true and smooth surface on both sides. The other process known as the Appert process, from its inventor, Leon Appert, of France, in volves the rolling of one sheet of glass, laying the wire mesh upon this sheet and immediately and by a simultaneous and continuous process pouring and rolling a second sheet upon the top of the wire so as to completely imbed it and secure at the same time an absolutely solid single sheet of finished glass. Wire glass is now made in all the varieties known to the rolled glass process, including rough or hammered, ribbed and figured glass. Wire glass is also polished like plate glass, giving an entirely clear and transparent glass, and is largely used in fireproof office buildings where there is any external exposure to fire.
The mechanical strength of plate glass is effectively increased by the introduction of the wire mesh, so that it will submit to much - greater strains, and In fact one of its first pur poses and effects was to eliminate the necessity for using in skylights one-half inch glass, it having been proved that by using one-quarter inch wire glass all the requirements were met, the breakage risk decreased and a very large factor of weight and expense in structural ma terial eliminated. See GLASS MANUFACTURING IN AMERICA.