Glass has a reputation for being fragile and brittle. For example, at the start of his career, Vincent Kompany was dubbed ‘der gläserne Mann’—the man of glass—by Hamburg SV supporters because he was injured at the slightest wrong move. But is this fragile reputation of
Glass has a reputation for being fragile and brittle. For example, at the start of his career, Vincent Kompany was dubbed ‘der gläserne Mann’—the man of glass—by Hamburg SV supporters because he was injured at the slightest wrong move. But is this fragile reputation of glass actually accurate? We will take a closer look at it with you.
Standard float glass is indeed particularly fragile, but there are various techniques to make glass safe and virtually unbreakable. The most spectacular application is bulletproof glass, but the most common techniques are laminated glass and tempered glass.
Laminated glass is also commonly referred to as safety glass, and both names clearly indicate what it entails.Laminated glass consists of two or more layers of glass bonded together with one or more layers of PVB film. This transparent film ensures that if the glass breaks, the shards do not scatter but remain adhered to the film. The most well-known application of laminated glass is undoubtedly a car windshield. Even after a particularly heavy impact, the windshield may crack, but it will never shatter.
In the construction industry, laminated glass is used when safety is the number one priority. Consider glass balustrades for terraces, glass stairs, glass floors, skylights, etc.
An additional advantage of the unbreakability of laminated glass is its burglar-resistant effect. The thickness of the glass panels and the film are the most important factors for the strength of your glass section. Naturally, your profiles must possess the same resistance qualities as the glazing for optimal protection against burglary.
Tempered glass is glass that, through thermal treatment, is no less than five times stronger than ‘normal’ single or double glazing of the same thickness.
Tempered glass is particularly impact-resistant, and if a break does occur, the glass pane disintegrates into thousands of small granules. Here too, we find the most famous example in the automotive industry. The side windows of a car are usually made of tempered glass, and you have undoubtedly seen images of a smashed side window disintegrating into countless granules.
It is precisely these small granules that enormously reduce the risk of deep cuts, which is why tempered glass is ideal for glass doors or partitions, shower doors, bus shelters, etc.
By choosing the right type of glass—laminated or tempered—along with the correct glass thickness and film thickness, you can select the safest option for every application in your construction project.
Safety is one of the basic functions of glass, just like solar control, acoustic, and insulating functions. These can be combined with one another, allowing us to provide added value for the end customer. To determine when safety glass must be provided, we follow the NBN S 23-002 standard.
