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Acrylic glass is often chosen as an alternative for laminated glass. Both Acrylic and laminated glass are transparent building materials which withstand high pressures and can be used for applications like aquariums in marine museums and yacht windows.
Acrylic is a monolithic material made of organic substance, hence its nickname "organic glass". Plexiglas is a popular brand name for acrylic. Another one is Perspex©.
Laminated glass is made of several layers of mineral glass (also called flat glass, Borosilicate glass or "Echtglas"- real glass, in German). These sheets of glass are separated by transparent liners which are fused together. This makes them particularly strong and prevents inclusions. The materials used for the liner are PVB & SGP. Nowadays SGP is chosen for most applications, because of its hydrophobic properties.
Looking at different physical aspects we want to compare the performance of the two materials.
Thermal Conductivity
The thermal conductivity of acrylic is lower than that of laminated glass. In other words the thermal insulation of acrylic is better than of laminated glass.
Air 0.03 W/mK
Acrylic 0.19 W/mK
Water 0.57 W/mK
Glass, Laminated 0.79 W/mK
No condensation
less heat loss of the pool water
better insulation of heated buildings
Acrylic window transmits more light than glass window. Up to 92% of visible light is transmitted through acrylic. Mineral glass transmits 80-90%, depending on the type of glass and manufacturer. This is especially relevant, when comparing load bearing transparent materials with the same depth. These windows are usually several centimeters thick, which makes differences in the optical transmittance particularly noticeable. Bullet proof glass is a well known type of load-bearing glass and transmits, similarly to other types of mineral glass, a white- to green-type of light. This phenomenon is not observable with Acrylic.
(Update September 08, 2014: Optiwhite is a laminated glass with improved optical transmittance. This is achieved through the addition of iron oxide compounds, which improve the quality of the glass. Optiwhite glazing can withstand pressures of up to 0.1 bar . This means that Optiwhite is only suitable for very small, shallow Underwater windows.)
Acrylic window has a higher impact strength than glass window and does not shatter when exposed to high strains. Shattering into small, blunt chunks is desirable for applications in which tempered glass is used, e.g. in automobiles.
However, shattering is not desired for the use of glazing underwater. The crack resistance is especially valuable, when large underwater windows are craned into their location. The installation of large and heavy glazing bears a certain risk for the installation company when using laminated safety glass. Point loads while hanging on the crane or due to uneven seating might lead to material failure. Acrylic is more tolerant to these forces and rather flexes then breaks. Acrylic's high impact strength, durability and applicability make it the ideal material even when human lives are at stake. Therefore acrylic is used in deep sea submarine windows.
Polycarbonate is also a great, shatter-proof material.
Acrylic window has a lower density than glass window, which can range from 1150-1190 kg/m³. This is less than half the density of glass which ranges from 2400 to 2800 kg/m³. Transportation and assembly of acrylic building materials is consequently easier and cheaper.
Using acrylic window outdoors exposes the material to potentially high amounts of ultraviolet radiation (UV). It is a common misconception that UV rays lead to the yellowing of acrylic glazing. This might be true for low quality acrylic. Leyu acrylic and other well known brands are immune even against high UV radiation. Up to 30 years are guaranteed by the manufacturer.
Safety glass window consists of multiple layers of mineral glazing, separated by plastic laminate. Normal plastic laminates are not resistant against UV and are especially sensitive to humidity.
The surface of acrylic window is softer and more easily scratched than mineral glass. It is advised to check the acrylic cleaning guidelines in order to prevent abrasive or chemical damage. It is easy to polish acrylic in order to remove blemishes. Scuffed mineral glass window would on the other hand need to be completely replaced.
Float glazing window is less transparent than acrylic window.
Float glazing, safety glazing and tempered glass window is inferior in bearing structural loads and might shatter.
Safety glazing window tends to delaminate when used under water.
UV might be a problem for safety glazing window.
There are view cases where safety glazing window is a viable option, but in the vast majority of applications acrylic window has proven to be superior when used for underwater.
How to bend acrylic panel at home
