Did you know that a super-thin glass fibre is five times stronger than steel! Fibreglass is often used to create amazing shapes. And carbon fibre is used for the chassis of Formula 1 racing cars. An example of how strong glass can be is often seen in the huge glass panels used in public buildings or office blocks.
So how tough is your windscreen, really? The problem is that although glass is very strong, it is also very brittle. I’m sure that we have all broken windows at home at some stage. They can beak quite easily and leave large dangerous shards of glass. So how tough is your windscreen, and other glass around you?
Domestic Glass
Obviously, domestic glass that we use at home wouldn’t last 5 minutes as a windscreen for your car. Stones and debris are often thrown up by the car in front of you and they would destroy a standard glass pane.
Windscreen Glass
So how tough is your windscreen, really? The good news is that windscreens, side and rear windows of your car are far stronger than regular glass. Their strength comes from the way the windscreen glass is produced. There are two popular techniques used to toughen glass. Laminated glass for windscreens and tempered glass for side and rear windows.
Laminated Glass
To make a laminated screen, the factory starts with 2 layers of glass and inserts a layer of PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin glue between the layers. These layers are then heated and bonded together to make a laminated windscreen.
The resultant lamination of glass and PVB glue means that the windscreen is far stronger than regular glass and will flex before it shatters. The centre PVB layer allows the glass to absorb the energy of an impact. The other advantage of this laminated glass is that should it break, the inner glue layer keeps the fragments from escaping. Tiny shards of glass are held in place and prevented from flying around inside the car. That’s why laminated glass is also often referred to as Safety Glass. Another bonus is that laminated glass also blocks nearly 99% of the suns UV radiation. (Source: Laminated and high strength automotive glass – RACQ.)
Tempered Glass
Tempered glass is produced through a heat and cooling process and is four times stronger than regular glass. The glass sheets are heated to 620°C before being rapidly cooled by jets of cold air. The centre of the glass remains hot and it is the tension created by the different cooling rates that gives tempered glass it’s strength.
Windscreen Glass Replacement
However, accidents do happen, and should you need a new windscreen or side or rear window, it is important that you contact a reputable windscreen company.
Just as you wouldn’t choose the cheapest company to fit your tyres, look for a reputable windscreen fitting company that has qualified and experienced technicians that rate the safety of you and your family is more important than doing a quick job.
Quality Fit Windscreens has been in business nearly 10 years and is the preferred windscreen fitting company to many Mercedes-Benz and BMW dealers.
A poorly fitted windscreen can leak water or create a really annoying wind whistling noise. It can even weaken the cabin structure of your car.
Quality Fit Windscreens supply and fit a guaranteed quality new windscreen for your peace of mind.
Call Quality Fit Windscreens on 1300 279 022.