Most vehicles on the road today use either laminated or tempered glass for their windows. Laminated glass is used for windshields, while tempered glass is used for the side and rear windows. Both types of glass are designed to provide safety and protection in the event of an accident.Laminated glass is made up of two pieces of glass with a thin layer of vinyl between them. The three pieces are laminated together by applying heat and pressure in a special oven called an autoclave.
This process makes the glass four to five times stronger than before it was tempered. In the event of an impact, only the outer layer of the windshield will break, reducing the risk of injury.Tempered glass is also treated with chemicals and heat treatments to give it more balanced internal stress capabilities. When it breaks, it is designed to disintegrate into small pieces that are less likely to cause additional injury or damage. Tempered glass is most commonly used in passenger windows of cars.Automotive glass is designed to be resistant to dust, dirt and impacts to prevent annoying particles from sticking to the glass and distorting the driver's line of sight.
It is also designed to reduce the likelihood of injury should it break. The replacement glass used must be manufactured by the same manufacturer as the original glass.Laminated safety glass is a century-old fool-proof design that consists of two strong glass sheets that become a single thick sheet by sandwiching a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in the middle. This type of glass is considered effective in preventing break-ins because of the effort required to break it.Different types of glass are used throughout vehicles because each type has a different purpose. Laminated and tempered glass are both popular choices for automotive parts due to their strength, durability, flexibility and versatility.
