Tempered glass is also known as reinforced glass. Tempered glass has a stronger structure than conventional glasses. Usually they are used for glazing facades of buildings or any other places where increased strength and resistance to strong physical influences are required. In addition, tempered glass is resistant to heat and allows its use in the manufacture of household and factory equipment, for example, in the manufacture of oven doors. Tempered glass has a high level of strength, so it is widely used in various fields of production and construction.
How Is Tempered Glass Made?
Tempered glass is produced using special technology. During production, flat glass is heated to an average of 600 – 650 degrees Celsius. Then the glass quickly but evenly cools: first the outer part cools, and then the inside. This technology leads to the pressure of the outer surface of the glass on the inner and, as a consequence, shrinkage. Thus, glass acquires enhanced strength characteristics.
Tempered glass has different properties. The differences between tempered glass and ordinary glass are as follows:
- Tempered glass withstands high temperatures (up to 300 ° C / 572 ° F). For ordinary glasses, this level is only 40 ° C / 104 ° F;
- Tempered glass is resistant to mechanical damage (cutting, scratches, chips, etc.);
- After tempering, glass does not change its chemical structure, color and mass;
- To break 6 mm thick tempered glass, you need to drop a 500-gram object from a height of 2 meters. In ordinary windows, this height is only 30 cm.
Glass tempering is carried out both fully and partially. Partially tempered glass is also resistant to mechanical damage and heat, but to a lesser extent than fully tempered glass.
