Heat Treated Glass: Understanding the Different Processes
Heat treated glass refers to glass that has undergone a thermal or heat treatment process to alter its characteristics and enhance its properties. In this process, glass is uniformly heated and then cooled in a controlled manner to achieve the desired strength, chemical composition and visual properties. There are different types of heat treatments that can be applied to glass depending on the intended use and application.
Thermal Strengthening
Thermal strengthening, also known as heat strengthening, is a process where Heat Treated Glass is uniformly heated to just above its softening point and then rapidly cooled using air or gas jets. During quenching or cooling, the outer surfaces cool down faster than the inner portions resulting in compression stresses. This increases the tensile strength of the glass by 4-5 times without changing its thickness. Thermally strengthened glass is less prone to breakage from impact and more resistant to thermal stresses. However, it poses a greater risk if it does break since the pieces generated are large and jagged.
Fully Tempered or Toughened Glass
Fully tempered or toughened glass undergoes a more intense thermal treatment compared to strengthened glass. In this process, glass is uniformly heated to above its softening point and then cooled at a more controlled rate using air on all surfaces. This results in significantly higher compressive stresses across the surface of the glass tempering it. Tempered glass can withstand forces 7-10 times more than regular annealed glass. But if it does break, it fractures into small cubes or pebbles that are less likely to cause injury. Due to this safety characteristic, tempered glass finds widespread usage in locations like furniture, appliances, hurricane-resistant windows and automotive applications.
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