Safety Glass History
Safety glass was developed as an alternative to regular glass in situations where broken glass could cause injury or death, particularly automobiles. It has been in use since the early 20th century, the demand increasing greatly as the benefits were realized and standardized.
Other People Are Reading
-
Origins
-
Safety glass was first envisioned by French scientist Edouard Benedictus in 1903 when he dropped a flask that had contained a cellulose compound. The glass shattered but kept its shape. Tempered glass was developed in the early 1900s as well, first patented by Austrian chemist Rudolf Seiden.
Development
-
In 1905 John Crew patented a type of safety glass using tree resin between two layers of glass. Benedictus patented "Triplex" in 1909 with a layer of polyvinyl butyral between two layers of glass. Safety glass found its first major use in gas masks in World War I.
-
Types
-
There are two different types of safety glass, laminated and tempered. Laminated glass has two pieces of glass that are held together by a plastic film. Tempered glass is a single piece of regular glass that has been strengthened by heating and cooling it at a specific rate.
Benefits
-
Safety glass is used anywhere that heat would cause problems with regular glass or where it would be hazardous if the glass broke. It is used in automobile windows, sliding glass doors, windows in public buildings, glass cookware, oven doors and safety glasses.
Regulations
-
Regulations for use and strength of safety glass were developed starting in the 1960s and drove the development of the safety glass industry.
-
References
More Like This
Comments
-
Would, indeed, "tempered glass" be considered "safety glass?" Usually what is meant is the coated-and-sandwiched hard glass held together by a stretchable membrane, eh? I would, however, grant that the glass around a shower enclosure is considered safer because it is tempered.
