12/19/2017 Toughened glass - Wikipedia

Toughened glass
Toughened or tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled
thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal
glass. Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the interior into
tension. Such stresses cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small
granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as plate glass (a.k.a.
annealed glass) does. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.

As a result of its safety and strength, toughened glass is used in a variety of

demanding applications, including passenger vehicle windows, shower doors,
architectural glass doors and tables, refrigerator trays, mobile screen protectors,
as a component of bulletproof glass, for diving masks, and various types of plates
and cookware.

A vandalized telephone booth with

toughened glass
Contents
Proper es
Uses
Buildings and structures
Household uses
Food service
Cooking and baking
Mobile devices

Manufacturing
Disadvantages
History
See also
References

Properties
Toughened glass is physically and thermally stronger than normal glass.[1] The greater contraction of the inner layer
during manufacturing induces compressive stresses in the surface of the glass balanced by tensile stresses in the body of
the glass. For glass to be considered toughened, this compressive stress on the surface of the glass should be a minimum of
69 megapascals (10,000 psi). For it to be considered safety glass, the surface compressive stress should exceed 100
megapascals (15,000 psi). As a result of the increased surface stress, if the glass is ever broken it only breaks into small
circular pieces as opposed to sharp jagged shards. This characteristic makes tempered glass safe for high-pressure and
explosion proof applications.[2]

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It is this compressive stress that gives the toughened glass increased strength.
This is because annealed glass, which has almost no internal stress, usually
forms microscopic surface cracks, and any applied tension gets magnified at
the surface, reducing the applied tension needed to propagate the crack. Once
it starts propagating, tension gets magnified even more easily, causing it to
propagate at the speed of sound in the material. Consequently, annealed glass
is fragile and breaks into irregular and sharp pieces.[3] Any cutting or grinding
must be done prior to tempering. Cutting, grinding, and sharp impacts after
tempering will cause the glass to fracture.

The strain pattern resulting from tempering can be observed with polarized
light or by using a pair of polarizing sun glasses.

Uses
Toughened glass is used when strength, thermal resistance, and safety are
important considerations. Passenger vehicles, for example, have all three Toughened glass of car rear window.
requirements. Since they are stored outdoors, they are subject to constant Varia ons in glass stress are clearly
heating and cooling as well as dramatic temperature changes throughout the seen when photographed through a
polarizing lter (bo om picture).
year. Moreover, they must withstand small impacts such as from road debris
such as stones as well as automobile accidents. Because large, sharp glass
shards would present additional and unacceptable danger to passengers,
toughened glass is used so that if broken, the pieces are blunt and mostly
harmless. The windscreen or windshield is instead made of laminated glass,
which will not shatter into pieces when broken while side windows and the rear
windshield is typically toughened glass.

Other typical applications of toughened glass include:

Balcony doors
Athle c facili es
Swimming pools
Facades Safety approval markings on an
Shower doors and bathroom areas automobile vent window made for a
Exhibi on areas and displays Chrysler car by PPG.

Buildings and structures

Toughened glass is also used in buildings for unframed assemblies (such as frameless glass doors), structurally loaded
applications, and any other application that would become dangerous in the event of human impact. Tempered and heat
strengthened glass can be three to seven times stronger than annealed glass.[4] Building codes in the United States require
tempered or laminated glass in several situations including some skylights,[5] near doorways and stairways, large windows,
windows which extend close to floor level, sliding doors, elevators, fire department access panels, and near swimming
pools.[6]

Household uses

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Tempered glass is also used in the home. Some common household furniture and appliances that use tempered glass are
frameless shower doors, glass table tops, replacement glass, glass shelves, cabinet glass and glass for fireplaces.[7]

Food service
"Rim-tempered" indicates that a limited area, such as the rim of the glass or plate, is tempered and is popular in food
service. However, there are also specialist manufacturers that offer a fully tempered/toughened drinkware solution that
can bring increased benefits in the form of strength and thermal shock resistance. In some countries these products are
specified in venues that require increased performance levels or have a requirement for a safer glass due to intense usage.

Tempered glass has also seen increased usage in bars and pubs, particularly in the United Kingdom and Australia, to
prevent broken glass being used as a weapon. Tempered glass products can be found in hotels, bars, and restaurants to
reduce breakages and increase safety standards.[8]

Cooking and baking

Some forms of tempered glass are used for cooking and baking. Manufacturers and brands include Glasslock, Pyrex,
Corelle, and Arc International.

Mobile devices
Most touchscreen mobile devices use some form of toughened glass (such as Corning's Gorilla Glass)[9], as do some
aftermarket screen protectors for these devices.[10]

Manufacturing
Toughened glass can be made from annealed glass via a thermal tempering process.
The glass is placed onto a roller table, taking it through a furnace that heats it well
above its transition temperature of 564 C (1,047 F) to around 620 C (1,148 F). The
glass is then rapidly cooled with forced air drafts while the inner portion remains free to
flow for a short time.

An alternative chemical toughening process involves forcing a surface layer of glass at

least 0.1 mm thick into compression by ion exchange of the sodium ions in the glass
surface with potassium ions (which are 30% larger), by immersion of the glass into a
bath of molten potassium nitrate. Chemical toughening results in increased toughness
compared with thermal toughening and can be applied to glass objects of complex
shapes.[11]
Tempered safety glass, which
has been laminated, o en
Disadvantages does not fall out of its frame
when it breaks usually due
Toughened glass must be cut to size or pressed to shape before toughening, and cannot
to the an -splinter lm
be re-worked once toughened. Polishing the edges or drilling holes in the glass is applied on the glass, as seen
carried out before the toughening process starts. Because of the balanced stresses in the in this grocery store meat
glass, damage to any portion will eventually result in the glass shattering into case.
thumbnail-sized pieces. The glass is most susceptible to breakage due to damage to the

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edge of the glass, where the tensile stress is the greatest, but shattering can also occur in the event of a hard impact in the
middle of the glass pane or if the impact is concentrated (for example, striking the glass with a hardened point).

Using toughened glass can pose a security risk in some situations because of the tendency of the glass to shatter
completely upon hard impact rather than leaving shards in the window frame.[12]

The surface of tempered glass does exhibit surface waves caused by contact with flattening rollers, if it has been formed
using this process. This waviness is a significant problem in manufacturing of thin film solar cells.[13] The float glass
process can be used to provide low-distortion sheets with very flat and parallel surfaces as an alternative for different
glazing applications.[14]

History
Francois Barthelemy Alfred Royer de la Bastie (18301901) of Paris, France is credited with first developing a method of
tempering glass[15] by quenching almost molten glass in a heated bath of oil or grease in 1874, the method patented in
England on August 12, 1874, patent number 2783. Tempered glass is sometimes known as Bastie glass after de la Bastie.
In 1877 the German Frederick Siemens developed a different process, sometimes called compressed glass or Siemens
glass, producing a tempered glass stronger than the Bastie process by pressing the glass in cool molds.[16] The first patent
on a whole process to make tempered glass was held by chemist Rudolph A. Seiden who was born in 1900 in Austria and
immigrated to the United States in 1935.[17]

Though the underlying mechanism was not known at the time, the effects of "tempering" glass have been known for
centuries. In about 1660, Prince Rupert of the Rhine brought the discovery of what are now known as "Prince Rupert's
Drops" to the attention of King Charles II. These are teardrop-shaped bits of glass which are produced by allowing a
molten drop of glass to fall into a bucket of water, thereby rapidly cooling it. They can withstand a blow from a hammer on
the bulbous end without breaking, but the drops will disintegrate explosively into powder if the tail end is even slightly
damaged.

See also
Gorilla glass
Thermal stress
Harold McMaster
Safety glass
Borosilicate glass
Laminated glass

References
1. Kha b, Jamal (2016-08-12). Sustainability of Construc on Materials (h ps://books.google.com/books?id=5_9JCgAAQBAJ&pg=P
A81&dq=Toughened+glass+is+physically+and+thermally+stronger+than+regular+glass&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8nO394b3U
AhUX8WMKHeUlBpUQ6AEIMTAC#v=onepage&q=Toughened%20glass%20is%20physically%20and%20thermally%20stronger%2
0than%20regular%20glass&f=false). Woodhead Publishing. ISBN 9780081003916.
2. "The Benets of Glass Tempering and Strengthening" (h p://www.swi glass.com/benets-of-glass-tempering-and-strengthenin
g). Swi Glass. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
3. "Tempered vs. Annealed Glass | Hunker" (h ps://www.hunker.com/12000120/tempered-vs-annealed-glass). Hunker.com.
Retrieved 2017-12-13.

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4. Redner, A. S., "PC-Based Stress-Measuring System for On-Line Quality Control of Tempered and Heat-Strengthened Glass," Use
of Glass in Buildings, ASTM STP 1434, V. Block, ed. ASTM Interna onal, West Conshohocken, PA 2002
5. Hageman, Jack M., and Brian E. P. Beeston. Contractor's Guide to the Building Code. 6th ed. Carlsbad: Cra sman Book, 2008.
360. Print.
6. "Tempered Glass | The Glass Guru" (h ps://www.theglassguru.com/tempered-glass.php). www.theglassguru.com. Retrieved
2017-12-13.
7. h ps://www.dullesglassandmirror.com/tempered-glass
8. "Arcoroc : materials - tempered glassware" (h p://hotel-restaurant.arcoroc.com/A ributesAdvice/Materials/tempered-glasswar
e.aspx). hotel-restaurant.arcoroc.com. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
9. "What the dierence between sapphire glass and gorilla glass?" (h ps://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/04/24/what-the-dier
ence-between-sapphire-glass-and-gorilla-glass/). Gazelle The Horn. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
10. "PET, TPU, or Tempered Glass all you need to know to choose a screen protector" (h p://www.phonearena.com/news/PET-TP
U-or-Tempered-Glass--all-you-need-to-know-to-choose-a-screen-protector_id58204). phonearena.com.
11. H.G. Pfaender (1996) Scho guide to glass. Chapman and Hall ISBN 0-412-62060-X
12. O'Block, Robert L.; Donnermeyer, Joseph F.; Doeren, Stephen E. (1991). Security and Crime Preven on (h ps://books.google.co
m/books?id=qE13qQz7OJgC&pg=PA118). Bu erworthHeinemann. "The security value of tempered glass, however, is
ques onable. Although it will resist a brick or rock, it is suscep ble to sharp instruments such as ice picks or screwdrivers. When
a acked in this manner, tempered glass tends to crumple easily and quietly, leaving no sharp edges."
13. Walecki, W.; Szondy, F. (2008). "Integrated quantum eciency, topography, and stress metrology for solar cell manufacturing:
real space approach". Proc. SPIE. 7048: 704804. doi:10.1117/12.792934 (h ps://doi.org/10.1117%2F12.792934).
14. "FLOAT GLASS TECHNOLOGY" (h p://ajzonca.tripod.com/glassprocess.html). ajzonca.tripod.com. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
15. "Glass." The Encyclopdia Britannica : A Dic onary of Arts, Sciences and General Literature. 9th ed. (American reprint). Vol. 10.
Philadelphia: Sherman & co., 1894. 595. Print.
16. Uhlmann, D.R. and Kreidl, N. J. eds.. Glass. Science and Technology: Elas city and Strength in Glasses. Vol. 5. New York, N.Y.:
Academic, 1980. 197. Print.
17. Barr, Johathan. "The Glass Tempering Handbook: Understanding the Glass Tempering Process". Self published.
h p://www.lambertgtservices.co.uk/book/TheGlassTemperingHandbook.pdf accessed February 28, 2015

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