Tempered glass
Toughened or tempered glass is usually float glass treated at very high temperatures. Although glass is a naturally brittle material, the process of toughening allows us to boost its strength and resistance to bending. If broken, toughened glass will fall apart into small, blunt fragments, thus minimizing the risk of wounding.
How is glass toughened?
Glass is heated to very high temperatures (up to 680 degrees Celsius) and then cooled rapidly, which significantly increases its durability.
At Stan-Szkło, we also perform the Heat Soak Test (HST), which is designed to minimize the risk that toughened glass might crack suddenly during use. The material is heated to c. 290 degrees and kept at that temperature for some time. Any glass that has been contaminated will crack already during the test rather than at the target location!
Read more about HST.
Advantages of toughened glass
Greater resistance to damage
Compared to traditional glass, toughened glass is more difficult to break and shows greater resistance to mechanical damage.
Resistance to bending and extreme conditions
Toughened glass is highly resistant to loading, bending, extreme sun exposure, and sudden changes in temperature.
Safety
When it cracks, traditional glass can hurt anyone nearby. Toughened glass falls apart into small, blunt-edged shards that pose no danger to people.
Toughened glass applications
Depending on what the client needs, glass can also undergo mechanical processing, such as drilling or polishing, before the toughening process begins. Afterwards, we can include lamination, a process in which two or more glass panes are connected with elastic foils to form a unit. This solution is often used in glass railings, awnings, and stairs.
See also: Laminated glass
Toughened glass has a very wide range of applications, especially in public spaces, where a cracked window pane is likely to hurt people and incur costs for the building owner, who will need to replace it. Modern buildings, offices, shopping malls, hotels, and building elevations all use toughened glass.
Looking for a toughened glass manufacturer? Contact us and find out what we can do for you!
Contact:
tel.+48 32 287 36 12
tel. +48 32 767 42 40