One of the &#;most critical &#;elements of a &#;vehicle&#;s safety &#;is its glass, &#;and laminated &#;glass has emerged &#;as a &#;popular choice in &#;the construction &#;of automobile windows &#;and windshields. &#;But is laminated &#;glass breakable, &#;and how does &#;it perform &#;under different stressors and impacts? In this blog by Auto Glass America, we will delve into the world of laminated auto glass to understand its durability and the innovative features that make it a top choice for vehicle safety.
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Laminated glass is &#;a type &#;of safety glass &#;used in &#;various applications, including &#;automobiles, buildings, &#;and aircraft. It &#;is composed &#;of multiple layers &#;of glass &#;and an interlayer &#;made of &#;polyvinyl butyral (PVB) &#;or ethylene-vinyl &#;acetate (EVA). This &#;interlayer acts &#;as a bonding &#;agent, holding &#;the layers of &#;glass together &#;and preventing them &#;from shattering &#;upon impact.
One of the primary reasons laminated glass is chosen for auto windshields is its remarkable impact resistance. Unlike conventional tempered glass, which shatters into small, sharp fragments upon impact, laminated glass remains intact. When struck with force, the outer layers may break or crack, but the interlayer keeps the glass bonded and prevents it from falling apart. This feature significantly reduces the risk of injuries to occupants during accidents.
Auto glass is &#;exposed to &#;a variety of &#;environmental factors, &#;including extreme temperatures, &#;ultraviolet (UV) &#;radiation, and moisture. &#;Laminated glass &#;is designed to &#;withstand these &#;conditions, offering durability &#;and longevity. &#;The interlayer provides &#;UV protection, &#;preventing the glass &#;from yellowing &#;or becoming brittle &#;over time. &#;Additionally, it helps &#;to maintain &#;the structural integrity &#;of the &#;glass under varying weather conditions.
In addition to its safety benefits, laminated glass also offers enhanced security. It is difficult to break through laminated glass quickly, making it a valuable deterrent against theft and vandalism. The interlayer holds the shattered pieces together, making it challenging for criminals to gain entry into the vehicle. This added security feature is particularly crucial for protecting valuable possessions left inside the car.
While laminated glass is exceptionally durable and resistant to various stresses, it is not entirely indestructible. Like any material, it has limitations, and its breakability depends on several factors, including the type of impact, the thickness of the glass, and the quality of the interlayer.
The breakability of laminated glass varies with the severity of the impact. It can withstand minor impacts, such as pebbles or small debris, without breaking. However, in the case of a severe collision or a heavy object striking the windshield, the outer layers of the glass may shatter.
The thickness of the laminated glass also influences its breakability. Thicker laminated glass provides greater resistance to breakage. In many modern vehicles, the windshield is composed of two layers of glass with a PVB interlayer, which makes it more robust compared to single-layer tempered glass. The additional thickness contributes to the overall strength and durability of the glass.
To ensure the continued durability and safety of laminated auto glass, regular maintenance and proper care are essential. Here are some tips for maintaining your laminated auto glass:
Clean the glass regularly using a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth. Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive materials that can scratch the glass or damage the interlayer.
If you notice small chips or cracks in the glass, it&#;s important to address them promptly. Laminated glass can often be repaired, preserving its structural integrity and preventing the damage from spreading.
Avoid subjecting your vehicle&#;s laminated glass to rapid temperature changes, as this can stress the glass and potentially lead to cracks.
When replacing auto glass, opt for professional installation services. Proper installation is crucial to ensuring the glass&#;s integrity and safety features.
While laminated glass may break under extreme conditions, it does so in a manner that minimizes risks to passengers and provides a high level of safety. It continues to be a preferred choice in the automotive industry, playing a vital role in protecting lives on the road.
This intact breakage illustrates how tempered glass forms tiny, countless pieces. However, most tempered glass shatters to the ground upon impact.
Note that even though there was a powerful impact, this tempered glass has remained structurally intact.
So for strength and breakage-resistance, temper glasses often is the first consideration. For flexibility, UV-resistance, security and sound considerations, laminated glass is often the product of choice. Both are considered safety glazing materials and can be obtained in a variety of thicknesses and colors or tints. Both are easy to clean and maintain when installed properly.
Keep in mind that tempered glass cannot be cut. Once glass has undergone the tempering process, piercing the surface will cause the glass to explode. If using tempered glass for a project, be sure that all sizing is completed before the glass is tempered. In contrast, laminated glass can typically be cut and sized at any time without issue, which could be a benefit for some projects.
Typically, laminated glass products are a slightly higher price than tempered products of the same type and thickness. The optical clarity for both laminated and tempered glass are excellent in either product will provide many years of satisfactory service in your door or window.
Daniel: So we&#;re here to break some more glass! What do we have today?
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Dustin: So this is an insulated unit. This is essentially what most windows are made up of. It&#;s two pieces of glass with a spacer in between that creates dead air space, and that&#;s what insulates it.
Daniel: So this basically what you would find in a residential home for people&#;s windows?
Dustin: Absolutely. Also in a commercial setting; very similiar process. So this pieces of glass is actually a safety glass. It&#;s tempered. Both sides are actually tempered. So it takes a really good shot. It&#;s rigid. But it&#;s point sensitive, which is why we&#;ve given you this fun tool to break it with.
So when it breaks- and it doesn&#;t break like a regular piece of plate glass in big pieces- it breaks into small pieces so if it were to fall on you, obviously it doesn&#;t hurt you as bad. So why don&#;t you show us what happens when you break tempered glass.
So what&#;s really cool about tempered, for me, is that you can typically tell where it breaks from. So it actually spiderwebs from the location. Now, this will continue to crack. It will continue to break.
Daniel: Yeah, we can actually hear it right now.
Dustin: You can hear it, right. And then eventually it will fall out. So tempered glass breaks into these small pieces. Will these cut you? For sure. This can definitely still cut you. It&#;s still glass. But the reality of it is, this doesn&#;t cut you as bad, or can cut you as bad, as what the larger pieces do.
So when tempered glass breaks, it breaks into small pieces. We noticed earlier when you hit it, that you kind of bounced off a time or two, right? You didn&#;t necessarily put much swing into it. Well, tempered is point sensitive because there&#;s energy trapped inside, but it&#;s also edge sensitive. So what I want to let you do, is I want you to hit the edge of it. But instead of using a point, I&#;m going to let you wrench it around and see what you can make happen.
Daniel: Alright, let&#;s see what happens.
Dustin: Give her a shot!
Daniel: So you can see it&#;s just kind of like a little chip right there.
Dustin: For sure. Now here&#;s an interesting piece of this- a lot of times you find or hear of glass breaking spontaneously, right? Spontaneous glass breakage. Something like this can actually cause this piece of glass to break in six months, or in a year. And if that got chipped at some point during the process of making it, and it still got installed, that can explain some crazy day where this piece of glass blows up.
Daniel: And that&#;s actually really common in the automotive world with sunroofs especially. Those are a lot of times made of tempered glass. People say that they&#;ll just be driving down the road and all of a sudden the sunroof explodes.
Dustin: Yea, it&#;s just one of those things that&#;s really hard to explain and if you try to put a story behind it, there&#;s really no telling. But that right there can cause an issue for sure down the road.
Daniel: Alright, so let&#;s take another stab at it&#;It&#;s tougher than it looks!
Dustin: Alright, there you go. So with the right amount of force and hitting it at the right angle definitely causes the issue of having it come apart. The other beauty of this is, we didn&#;t have the back side to hold it in, so you saw that one actually came apart. Similiar story with the sunroof exploding. So there you have it man, that&#;s kind of how the whole tempering process works.
Daniel: This is laminated glass.
Dustin: This is laminated. So laminated is a type of safety glass. There&#;s essentially three safety glasses. Tempered, laminated, and then an acrylic or plexiglass, which is kind of a plastic base.
So what we have here is two pieces of glass that are laminated together with a film- an adhesive film. And essentially this is annealed, or plate glass, on both sides.
Daniel: And so where would you find this?
Dustin: So interesting fact: Almost everybody looks through this nearly every day because this is what your windshield is made out of. But also we use this in a lot of areas for storefront. If you see a gas station that has been broken into, sometimes this is what we put in to deter thieves from getting in. It&#;s a lot harder to get into.
We also use it in bullet-resistant glass. They laminate multiple pieces together. You&#;ll find it sometimes in residential. And in those cases it&#;s typically in a hurricane (prone) area where you have to have some blast type of glass.
Daniel: Alright well let&#;s take a shot at trying to break this and kind of demonstrate what that laminated interlayer does for the glass to keep it together.
Dustin: For sure!
Daniel: Wow!
Dustin: So that&#;s a great first shot. You can see where it broke from. Just like most glass, you can always see where it spiderwebs from and where it goes. That actually looks a lot like what your windshield looks like when a big rock hits it, right? Maybe not quite that extreme. But you can also tell that it&#;s still intact. This piece of glass&#; integrity is there.
Daniel: It&#;s solid.
Dustin: Correct. I mean, it&#;s not going anywhere. It also is really not likely to cut you. All of these runs that you see&#;
Daniel: It&#;s pretty much totally smooth.
Dustin: It&#;s smooth! It&#;s held together by the interlayer. So why don&#;t you give it a couple more hits in the same spot so we can show just what it takes to literally get through this thing.
So what you can see is the interlayer. You can see the plastic interior of the laminate piece. It actually holds together really really well. So what you&#;ve done is broken the glass away but the interlayer is still there.
Daniel: Yea, so that&#;ll deter theft, like you said, in a storefront. If you&#;re in your automobile and this is your windshield then it&#;s going to keep your windshield together while you&#;re going down the road, or god forbid, if you hit the windshield.
Dustin: So a cool piece of this is, all of this damage that you&#;ve done and this thing is still together. It hasn&#;t come apart. It won&#;t hurt you essentially. It could. But for the most part, this is what makes this a safety glass.
Daniel: Yea, and that&#;s extremely important for residents like in Florida where they have a lot of hurricanes; there&#;s a lot of wind damage; storm damage. So if this was a window on your home, I think you&#;d be pretty safe during a hurricane.
Dustin: For sure. You hear about windows blowing out all the time. This would be one of those windows that doesn&#;t do it.
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