What Exactly is Hurricane Impact Resistant Glass?
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Hurricane impact resistant glass is very common in hurricane prone areas, and also becoming more widely used around the country
Hurricane impact glass is a type of glass used in windows and doors very simular to the windshield of your car. Basically there are two sheets of glass with layer of strong plastic like material melted between them, typically polyvinyl butyral (PVB). If the glass is impacted and broken, the whole unit is still held together by the melted inter-layer.
impact glass
How Hurricane Impact Resistant Glass is Tested
The glass assembly is glued into a frame of the window or door to be tested. The glue used to hold the glass into the frame varies by manufacture, and is typically a strong silicone based sealant. The sealant performs a double duty, adheres the glass into the frame of the window or door, and also keeps water from penetrating the area where the glass contacts the frame. This adhesion process is also known as “glazing”.
The completed unit is secured into a structure in a testing lab, and objects are launched at it. I’m not going to get into detail of the entire testing procedure in this article as it is extensive, and stay more on point on the basic question of what impact glass actually is. As you can see in the image below, this glass can take an impressive impact compared to standard glass.
impacted glass
Why is Impact Resistant Glass Becoming Popular in Non Hurricane Prone Areas?
Impact Resistant Glass has a few attributes besides being stronger than standard glass. One of the qualities of the glass is the sound reduction qualities it has. It can actually reduce sound transfer up to 60%. If you live on a busy street, it can help keep the traffic noise out of your home, as well as other unwanted sounds. It is also a “smash and grab” deterrent in metro areas that are vulnerable to these crimes, as well as keeping burglars out. The inter-layer of the glass also keeps the suns harmful rays that cause furnishings to fade and window treatments to yellow out of the home as well.