Toughened safety glass fractures into relatively small harmless particles when broken and has a greater resistance to thermal stress. Toughened glass can be subjected to temperatures ranging up to 290°C. The Heat Strengthening (Toughening) Process: Toughened glass results from the controlled heating and cooling of annealed (float) glass. Firstly, annealed glass is heated inside a furnace to a temperature in excess of 600°C. The glass is then rapidly and uniformly cooled by blasting both sides of the glass with compressed air, a process known as quenching. This snap cooling™ or quenching action induces compressive stresses into the glass surface while the centre remains in tension. The cooling (or quenching) rate dictates how much stress is introduced into the sheet of glass.Most glass types can be toughened although glass of thickness less than 4mm cannot be heat strengthened. Once processed, heat strengthened glass cannot be cut or altered.Toughened safety glass is a durable, versatile product that offers a broad range of benefits including:
- Security being harder to break there is a lower instance of entry being gained to properties glazed with toughened glass.
- Strength toughened safety glass is better suited to hi-rise and high wind areas.
- Heat and thermal tolerance toughened glass can tolerate high temperatures and is well suited to glazing in bush fire rated situations.
- Thermal cracking – toughened glass is recommended where glass may at risk of thermal cracking due to stress from an uneven light / shade coefficient.
- Safety no risk of large glass shards falling in human impact situations.
Toughened safety glass is available in a wide range of tones, thicknesses and energy saving solutions to suit almost any glazing application.Pop into our showroom at 1 Crompton Road, Rockingham to chat to our friendly team about toughened safety glass for your next project.
