Glass as Insulator: Fact or Fiction?

[Vals509]

glass as an insulator?

i have lately done some reading on the properties of glass and have seen threads where some say glass is an insulator and others say it isn't.

what is the real fact about the thermal conductivity of normal glass, e.g. the wine glass or the glass beaker. are they really insulators?

 

[Stonebridge]

It's a very good insulator of electricity.
As for heat, its thermal conductivity is about 400 times less than copper, and about 30 times better than expanded polystyrene.
(Its electrical conductivity is about 10 to the power 18 less than copper!)

 

[Per Oni]

Have a look here:

This was already known in Maxwell's time.

 

[Naty1]

You can compare the thermal conductivity of glass here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivity

Generally glass conducts heat rather well; hence a single pane of glass in a window allows quite a bit of conduction heat losses...hence the use of double pane glass with an inert glass in between...which acts as an insulator.

Heat in glass (windows) is transferred via conduction, now measured as "U" value, radiation (approximated as SHGC) and convection, measured as air infiltration...

 

[pmacias]

I can confidently say that glass is indeed an insulator. This may seem contradictory as we often associate glass with being transparent and allowing heat and light to pass through it. However, when it comes to thermal conductivity, glass has a low value compared to other materials like metals and ceramics.

The reason for this is the atomic structure of glass. Glass is made up of a disordered arrangement of molecules, unlike metals which have a highly ordered crystalline structure. This disordered structure makes it difficult for heat to pass through, thus making glass a good insulator.

In fact, glass is commonly used as an insulator in buildings, such as in windows, to prevent heat loss. It is also used in cooking utensils, like glass beakers, to prevent heat from escaping and maintain the desired temperature.

So, the next time someone questions whether glass is an insulator or not, you can confidently say that it is indeed a fact. Its low thermal conductivity is what makes it a great insulating material.