What is glass and how it is made?
Glass is a solid-like and transparent material that is used in numerous applications in our
daily lives. Glass is made using some of the most abundant raw materials found on the
earth’s surface like silica sand, limestone, soda ash, dolomite, and glass cullet. These raw
materials are mixed and charged in a furnace where they are melted at around 1600°C to
form molten glass. At high temperatures, glass is structurally similar to liquids. The molten
glass is then taken out of the furnace to be shaped and cooled down afterwards.
When molten glass is spread out in sheets, it makes flat glass. The most common use of
flat glass is in windows, doors, automotive glass, mirrors and in solar panels.
For many applications, the glass obtained may be further processed to have specific
properties such as increased mechanic strength and higher resistance to breakage.
A glass emergency occurs when the exterior glass in your home or business unexpectedly breaks leaving your premises exposed to elements such as rain or snow, leaves free access to your valuables, or exposes your loved ones, customers, or employees to injury, if not attended to promptly. An emergency can also occur when the breakage of the glass can cause further damage to the property if left alone.
Most common glass breakages
These occur when a projectile comes into contact with the surface of the
glass. These types of breakages are commonly caused by sports balls, rocks spitting from
lawnmowers, or other debris that is hurled through the air and directly hitting the glass.
Impact breakages are the most common type and are easily identified by the starburst pattern
that radiates from the point of collision.
As the outdoor temperature fluctuates, the building settles etc., the frame
holding the home’s windows in place will expand and contract. This expansion and
contraction process places stress on the glass panes themselves, often resulting in stress
fractures. Stress cracks typically originate near the edges of windows and spread out slowly
toward the center of the glass.
Most homes are equipped with insulated windows that help regulate the
transfer of the heat between the interior and outdoor environment. Special gases are
sandwiched between the two panes that make up an insulated window. These gases are
pressurized to maintain an airtight seal. If the pressure of the gases increases due to a sudden
temperature change, the gases can push against the panes of glass and cause them to crack.
Annealed glass (standard glass)
This is a softer glass that has been thermally treated and
then slowly cooled to relieve any internal stresses. This kind of glass is the least durable and
most breakable glass type, and it tends to break into longer, jagged shards which can cause
significant injury. Annealed glass is generally used when strength or safety are not a concern,
but the cost is.
Annealed glass is used as a base product to form more advanced glass types.
It is manufactured through a process of extreme heating and rapid cooling
which makes the glass four to five times stronger and safer than annealed. When tempered
glass does break, it produces small, regular, typically square fragments rather than long,
dangerous shards that are far more likely to lead to injuries.
Another benefit of tempered glass is the ability to stand up to moderate heat.
This type of glass is crafted by adhering two pieces of annealed glass
together by a vinyl layer. Laminated glass offers many advantages. Safety and security are the
best known of these, so rather than shattering on impact, laminated glass is held together by
the interlayer. This reduces the safety hazard associated with shattered glass fragments, as
well as, to some degree, the security risks associated with easy penetration.
If a glass panel breaks or shatters it is highly unlikely that both laminated panels will break at
the same time, which means that the remaining panel and interlayer will support the broken
glass and keep it in place as edge protection until it is replaced or secured suitably.
