SAFETY GLASS & SECURITY GLASS
What is safety glass?
Glass which prevents, or actively reduces, the risk of personal injury to those who come into contact with it is designated ‘personal safety glass’, or in practice, ‘safety glass’.
Classification EN 12600 and EN 356, P1A to P3A.
What is security glass?
Glass which protects against vandalism, firearms, trespass, burglary, explosion and blasting, water pressure, electromagnetic radiation, X-rays, fire, noise and UV radiation is designated ’security glass’. Classification EN 356, P6B to P8B.;
What is toughened glass?
Toughened glass is up to five times stronger than ordinary glass. When it does eventually break, it disintegrates into an infinite number of small fragments – as anyone who has dropped a sheet of Duralex glass on the floor knows. The fragments are not however sharp-edged, which is why toughened glass is used for the side screens of motor cars. The advantage of toughened glass is that it is relatively cheap and easy to install. The disadvantage is that toughened glass has to be ordered to size since it cannot be cut after toughening has been carried out, and this results in long delivery times. Nor is toughened glass particularly difficult to penetrate. A light blow with a sharp object is often sufficient to break the pane.
What is laminated glass?
Laminated glass consists of two or more glass sheets which have been bonded together with a plastic film. It is also sometimes erroneously referred to as ‘armoured glass’. Laminated glass can be produced as a very thick sheet, which together with the extremely tough interlayer makes it difficult to penetrate – or even, given sufficient thickness, ‘bullet-proof’. However, panes incorporating laminated glass are very expensive to buy and, what is more, difficult to install. The main disadvantage, though, is that laminated glass cracks easily (even though it may hold together in one piece), which renders it an expensive material to use in exposed environments.
What is safety laminated glass?
Ordinary flat glass can be laminated with a safety film on one or both sides. The major advantage of safety lamination is that it is an inexpensive way of making an ordinary glass pane more resistant to knocks and blows. The safety film also prevents glass splinters from being thrown around when the pane breaks up. Application of the safety film can be performed without the glass itself having to be replaced. However, the safety film does not specifically render the pane itself that much stronger. The pane will break under a load which is not that high, and will then have to be replaced (and a new film applied).
What is bullet proof glass?
Bullet resistant glass (bullet proof glass) consists of several glass sheets laminated to resist the power of a bullet. The glass packages often become very thick - 5 cm or more - and therefore also very heavy. Classification EN 1063, BR1 to BR7.
