Laminated glass incorporates a thin fabric interlayer 58% textile wire; 42% polyester sandwiched between two layers of glass. This material uses a patented galaxy V-series to laminated process to manufacture the glass tiles. Applications are for wall cladding, wall partitions, custom millwork, wall ornaments and retail displays. The interlayer helps to keep the layers of glass bonded together even when broken; this prevents the layers of glass from breaking into small sharp pieces (Julian and Alexis ). This technic produces a ‘spider web’ like cracking pattern when it comes into contact with an impact that is not sufficient to completely penetrate the glass. The PVB interlayer gives the glass a higher sound insulation rating because of the dumping effect, and it blocks a high percentage of incoming ultraviolet radiation. Laminated glass can be with reflective or tinted glass to reduce glare or heat gain in a building, they can also be made with different colored PVB interlayers to produce special lighting effects (Chris ).
Laminated glass was invented in late 1903 by a French chemist, Edouard Benedictus. He was inspired by a laboratory accident when a glass flask that is coated with plastic cellulose nitrate dropped and shattered but did not break into pieces. He later fabricated a glass-plastic combination to reduce injuries caused by car accidents (Bob and Ann ). There are several types of laminated glass that include; laminated safety glass, laminated security glass, manual attack resistant laminated glass, bullet resistant laminated glass, blast resistant laminated glass, fire resistant laminated glass and acoustic laminated glass among others. Laminated glass has a lower light transmission than normal glass of similar thickness; it is also thermally safer and will resist high temperature without breakage (Valerie).
There are a number of laminated glass manufacturing procedures, which include; using two or more layers of glass fused between one or more plasticized butyric resin by using pressure and heat, using two or more layers of glass and polycarbonate, bonded with aliphatic urethane inter layers under pressure and heat and interlacing with a cured resin. The plastic inter layer in laminating glass makes it’s cutting hard. There is a common unsafe practice of cutting each side separately, driving a flammable liquid like denatured alcohol through the crack and igniting it to melt the inter layer and make it separate the pieces of glass (Freek, Christian and Fred).
Repairing a laminated glass is difficult, though according to U.S National Windshield Repair Association, laminated glass is possible to repair for minor impact damages using a process that involves boring into the fractured glass (Mic ).When this process is done properly, the strength and clarity of the laminated glass is restored for safety related purpose (Ravi ).
Laminated glass is three or four times stronger than normal glass of the same thickness and is preferably suitable for most safety critical applications. However its use must be subject to careful considerations for safety purposes, it should be cut to the precise size before toughening because it won’t be able to be cut after toughening, they are more vulnerable to scratch, if not fully framed is might fall of its fixing and is also quite expensive.
Works Cited
American Institute of Architects. Architectural Graphic Standards. New York: London Publishers, 2011.
Bob , Beranek and Schuelke Ann . The Complete Guide to Auto Glass Installation. London : London Publishers, 2011.
Chris , Lefteri. Glass. London: London Publishers, 2010.
Freek , Bos, Louter Christian and Veer Fred. Challenging Glass. New York: RotoVision, 2010.
Julian , Jones and Clare Alexis . Bio-Glasses: An Introduction. London: John Wiley and sons, 2012.
Mic , Patterson. Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures. New Jersy: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
Ravi , Kalluri Shankar. Failure of Transparent Polymer Composite Laminated Glass Panels Under Impact Loading. Colombia: University of Missouri, 2009.
Valerie, Block L. The Use of Glass in Buildings. London: LaserWords Publishers, 2009.
