Performance of laser cut light deflecting panels in daylighting applications

Abstract

Abstract The manufacture, application and performance of a material which combines light deflecting properties with good viewing transparency is described. The material, of similar thickness to conventional glass glazing, is produced by laminating laser cut acrylic sheet between sheets of glass. It is designed to replace glass in in clerestory windows and atria to improve the distribution of daylight in rooms. Equations for the deflection angle and amount of light deflected are derived and related to applications of the material for daylighting and for sunlight exclusion. Measured performance of the material in the daylighting application is obtained, in model rooms, for a wide range of sky conditions. The material is most effective as a hung or tilted window in direct sunlight, however improvement in interior illumination with the window vertical and in overcast conditions is also significant.