Even though glass is a modern building material, it has a tendency to break. Current technology makes it possible to produce safety glass that once cracked due to foreign influences, will not injure people that are nearby. When safety (toughened) glass breaks, it does not produce sharp-edged, large fragments or, in the case of laminated glass, sticks to the PVB film, significantly reducing the likelihood of cuts or other injuries.
Types of safety glasses:
toughened glass,
laminated glass,
toughened-laminated glass..
There are two safety functions of double glazed units: safety and protection.
Safety glass is a glass that has undergone additional treatments to reduce the risk of human injury from shards of glass. When you try to break toughened glass, it breaks into small pieces without sharp corners that could injure a person.
Protective glass is a laminated glass with a PVB or EVA film that protects against burglary or theft. The glass cracks if you try to break it, but it stays in place and reduces the impact from the outside and prevents access to the interior of the premises.
Tempered glass
Laminated glass
Tempered – laminated glass
Advantages
Tempered glass is glass that has been specially heat-treated to increase its mechanical strength and thermal resistance.
Glass is heat-treated as follows: it is heated slightly above the softening temperature and then cooled down evenly. In such glass, relatively high internal stresses are evenly distributed. Large compressive forces appear in the outer layers, and tensile forces in the inner (thin layer). The compressive strength of glass is 10 times higher than its tensile strength, so tempered glass is very strong. Such 6mm thick glass does not break when a 0.8kg metal ball is dropped on it from a height of 1.2m. When subjected to greater force, it crumbles into honeycomb-shaped fragments with an area of up to 100mm2 without sharp corners. Tempered glass increases its thermal resistance: it does not break when the temperature suddenly changes even up to 270°C. The bending strength of tempered glass is not less than 125 MPa (1250 kgf/cm2), i.e. 5-7 times higher than that of ordinary glass.
Possible edge processing: polishing and grinding.
Shades: brown, gray.
Customization options
Tempered glass units are most commonly used:
in buildings where glass breakage due to human activity is more likely,
in gyms,
in swimming pools,
for facades,
in shower cabins and bathrooms,
for balcony doors,
in exhibitions.
Properties table
A property of glass
Glass class
Pastabos
EN356
EN12600
Atsparumas smūgiui
3, 2, 1
3 klasės stiklo atsparumas smūgiui mažiausias, 1 klasės – didžiausias.
Stiklo dužimo būdas
A
Stiklas subyra sudarydamas daug įvairaus dydžio šukių su aštriais kraštais. Suirimo požymis būdingas paprastajam, terminiu ir cheminiu būdu stiprintam stiklui.
B
Stiklas įtrūksta, įlūžta. Stiklo šukės išlieka prilipusios prie plėvelės. Šis suirimo požymis būdingas laminuotajam, padengtam plėvelėmis ir vielos tinklu armuotajam stiklui.
C
Stiklas subyra sudarydamas daug mažų šukių, kurios beveik nepavojingos. Šis stiklo suirimo požymis būdingas termiškai grūdintam stiklui.
Advantages
Laminated glass is made by bonding two or more sheets of flat glass with an organic film (EVA or PVB – polyvinyl butyral). The film between the heated and high-pressured glass sheets melts and glues the glasses together. Such a glass structure ensures its safe resistance to various mechanical damage. Even if the glass is broken, it does not shatter – the fragments stick to the film. This ensures protection against possible injury.
Laminated glass is also the most versatile glass in terms of its properties. It can be used to protect against UV rays. Laminated glass can also protect valuables stored in museums, bank premises from armed attack or other valuable property and ensure the safety of people working in those premises. The special structure of laminated glass makes a transparent glass partition bulletproof with a pistol or even a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Using laminated glass, you can create various color interior combinations, drawings located inside between the glass sheets. In addition, colored and patterned glass can be combined with metal, wood and other materials. Laminated glass remains the same color and the same resistance throughout the entire period of the building’s existence. It does not require any special maintenance.
Special sound-insulating laminated glass (with sound-insulating PVB film), without increasing the thickness of the glass, can significantly reduce noise.
Shades: brown, gray, greenish, blue.
Customization options
Laminated glass is used for:
For glazed facades of individual houses and commercial buildings;
For the production of display cases, partitions, railings;
For windows, skylights, door glazing,
For winter gardens and pitched roof glazing.
Properties table
Glass
Safety class acc
Safety class acc
Sound insulation
Thickness
Weight
EN356
EN12600
Rw(C;Ctr), dB
mm
kg
33.1
–
2B2
33(-1;-2)
6.4
15
33.2
P1A
1B1
33(-1;-2)
6.8
16
44.1
–
2B2
34(-1;-3)
8.4
20
44.2
P2A
1B1
34(-1;-3)
8.8
21
44.3
P3A
1B1
–
9.1
21
44.4
P4A
1B1
–
9.5
22
44.8
P6B
1B1
–
11
23
55.1
–
2B2
35(-1;-2)
10.4
25
55.2
P2A
1B1
35(-1;-2)
10.8
25
66.1
–
2B2
37(-1;-3)
12.4
30
66.2
P2A
1B1
37(-1;-3)
12.8
31
66.4
P4A
1B1
–
13.5
32
66.8
P6B
1B1
–
15
33
Advantages
Tempered – laminated glass is a combination of two safe types of glass. It is used in cases where increased protection of the area from wind gusts, impacts, weight is required. Typically, such glass is used in floor, ceiling or roof structures. The purpose of use is to keep small glass particles stuck to the film when tempered glass breaks due to mechanical impact and thus protect people from accidents.
Shades: brown, gray, greenish, blue.
Customization options
Tempered-laminated glass units are most commonly used:
in buildings (floors, stair treads, roof, windows, walls, frameless balconies),
in interiors (partitions, kitchen decorative wall, glass tiles),
in furniture (tables, shelves, countertops)
in household appliances (ovens, refrigerator shelves, microwave ovens)
other areas (greenhouses, winter gardens, car windows)
