Used in a vast array of applications, from windows and doors, to furniture, flooring and cookware, in many ways toughened glass has helped revolutionise the way we build and the way we live. Toughened, or tempered, glass is up to five times stronger than regular plate glass, can withstand surface compression of more than 10,psi and is highly resistant to thermal breakage.
And when toughened glass breaks, it does it in style, shattering in its entirety into small pebbles. In many respects these pebbles are far safer than the razor-sharp shards of regular annealed glass, which is why toughened glass is classed as a safety glass and is specified in so many areas where safety is a concern. However, in certain circumstances the small broken chips can still pose a danger.
For example, a glass balustrade, spandrel or overhead glazing that shatters and falls from its frame could cause significant injury if anyone happened to be unfortunate enough to be standing underneath it. Even without the issue of safety, replacing toughened glass in inaccessible areas can be a major not to mention expensive inconvenience.
This is known as spontaneous glass breakage and is, in actual fact, generally triggered by one of four factors:. Minor damage during installation such as nicked or chipped edges that later develop into larger breaks. Nickel sulfide stones can be formed during glassmaking and handling process. These stones come from using stainless-steel machines.
The stones often change in structure as time comes and this causes internal stress that ultimately surpasses the strength of the tempered glass.
When that time comes, the glass will break slowly. Defective tempered glass is products that often have damages already. Pre-existing cracks and scratches can often decrease the strength of the tempered glass. Another, but very rare option, is the presence of a Nickel Sulfide molecule NiS in the raw material of the glass. During the tempering process of the glass that is manufactured in a float line, the glass is heated to a high temperature and then quickly cooled.
The tempering process causes the external layers of the glass to shrink on top of its internal layers, this pressure makes the glass stronger. When tempering a glass containing Nickel Sulfide, this will cause the molecule to contract, and during the cooling process it will be "embedded" that way, so it could not return to its natural size. But it will always strive to return to its natural size. In extreme conditions of major differences between indoor and outdoor temperature such as a very hot day outside and a very conditioned room inside, or vice versa , it could happen that the molecule will succeed to expand back, and the result will be a glass breakage.
Although these are very rare occurrences, Phoenicia recommends these preventive actions:. The glass Phoenicia manufactures is sold in Israel and around the world, so Phoenicia is certified to manufacture glass according to Israeli and international standards that define the method and process of production, to minimize the possibility that this molecule will find its way into the glass.
In addition, the production line is regularly monitored using sophisticated means, such as magnets and metal detectors, also even the facilities used in the production process do not contain the Nickel Sulfide molecule. We in Phoenicia also increase caution and prevent the entry of materials that are not production related, but may find their way somehow to the raw material mixture.
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