What is tempered glass?
Tempered glass, also known sometimes as toughened glass, is a type of safety glass that is often used in circumstances where standard glass would pose a potential danger if broken. When tempered glass is manufactured, it is heated to extreme temperature and then rapidly cooled. This makes it a lot harder and tougher than standard glass. This also changes the way tempered glass breaks.
Unlike standard glass that breaks into sharp shards, tempered glass breaks into small oval-shaped pebbles. This safety feature is why tempered glass is used to make car windows. Tempered glass is used to make oven windows, coffee pots, and computer screens because it is also heat resistant. Public structures are also required to use tempered glass windows to satisfy the building codes.
What is laminated glass?
Laminated glass is also a type of safety glass that consists of layers of plastic and toughened glass. In the event that laminated glass is broken, the shattered pieces are held in place by an interlayer that’s in between two or more layers of glass. The glass crumbles into small pieces but will remain bonded. The characteristic “spider web” shaped crack typically occurs in laminated glass. Laminated glass is most commonly used to produce vehicle windshields.