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Modern Windshields: A 4,000-year-old Space-Age Marvel
By gguild | November 26, 2007
Would you believe that the science of making glass dates back about four thousand years? It’s true! Glass and glass products were introduced into the world’s oldest societies sometime during the second millennium, B.C. as a rare and precious artifact. In fact, glass is referred to in the Bible as being as precious as gold. But, there is an art to making of glass, too, and the effort to perfect it has continued over the centuries that followed. Not only is glassmaking a science, it is an art, too. More advances have been made to the utility of glass and glass-like products in the past forty years or so than in the previous 40 centuries. Modern windshield glass is a marvel of the space age but it isn’t without a fascinating history.
Making great glass is clearly both an art and a science
Seeing through a clear windshield while having it protect your life is a marvel of modern technology. In its simplest state, glass is made up by combining sand (silica), soda, and extreme heat. That’s the science. Maintaining it’s transparent quality, optical clarity, and resistance to breakage is an art. In the early years of human civilization, the methods employed by glassmakers were deeply guarded secrets as local economies depended on the successful reputation of the glassmakers. To this day, glassmakers in Venice, Italy, as well as other famous places, guard their formulae and methods carefully. Venetian glass has long been prized for its wonderful artistic and color qualities.
The art of making quality glass is not just for the artist
Today’s windshields, many generations away from that early glass technology and artistry, must not only be completely clear of optical defects, but must also protect from wind, rocks and other projectiles. Moreover, the quality of the glass must be that it will protect you if the glass should break. While driving down the freeway, winds hitting the windshield commonly exceed 70 miles per hour, and even much greater when driving in a headwind. In addition, whenever you pass a large vehicle–such as a diesel truck and its trailers–the added pressure rocks the car. Imagine the frontal impact on the windshield! The air pressure against that sheet of glass is tremendous and can vary rapidly.
Wind is not the only thing shielded by a windshield
More hazardous than the wind, projectiles such as rocks and other debris from passing vehicles would literally explode an ordinary sheet of glass no matter how it was mounted. The fragments of shattered glass would create a cloud of shrapnel moving toward the vehicle’s occupants possibly at speeds near 100 miles per hour. Even at very slow speeds, the damage inflicted by flying shards would be devastating. Today’s windshields, when properly manufactured, are designed so that never happens.
How does glass get made tougher?
The science of formulating better glass dates back centuries and continues every day. Early glass–simply made by combining sand, soda and heat–were mixed with metallic compounds chiefly those made with the lead and arsenic. Lead compounds were added to crystal so delicate creations could be made that were not so fragile. Clear?
The future of stronger windshields is no longer science fiction
Shatterproof, bulletproof and glass with the toughness of metal are with us today. In the 1986 movie, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Scotty provided a glass manufacturer with the molecular structure and formula for “transparent aluminum” so a material strong enough and light enough could be fabricated in the 20th century to transport two whales back to the 23rd century to save the world from destruction—pure science fiction at its best. In late 2005, however, the United States Air Force began testing a transparent armor material, aluminum oxynitride (ALONTM) for real! Science-fiction has a way to precursor science-fact in today’s technologically savvy world. The reason for such on-going research is to make transparent products stronger, lighter, and more protective–without the necessary layering of plastics with glass that current technology demands. Simply put, such research saves lives. Still a little into the future from sitting in front of you in your car, transparent aluminum or other yet-to-be-imagined products are on their way. “Fascinating!” as Spock might say.
Proper standards and specifications are not always clearly in front of you
As mentioned, glass fabricating is both a science and an art. To be certain that today’s technology protects you to its greatest ability, you should only trust certified and knowledgeable glaziers to care for the replacement of your windshield. As early traders assured themselves with the guarded reputation of craftsmen such as the Venetians, modern automotive glaziers assure themselves with the attention to high standards and specifications of NGA (the National Glass Association). An NGA logo is your modern assurance that both the glass and glass technician is up-to-date on the very latest technologies and practices. A proper mounting and bonding of a windshield is as important to the integrity and safety of a windshield as the glass itself. If that integrity is not upheld, people get hurt. People can die.
Lives are indeed at stake
Today’s windshield products—shatterproof glass and laminate-layered bonds—are indeed a marvel of the space age. However, without the proper attention to specifications (the science) and technical expertise (the art) of windshield repair to protect you and your family, you may not actually be any safer than you would behind a sheet from ancient Babylonia. The safety of you and your family should be trusted only to NGA certified professionals; they have the history proving they know the right way to do it.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:30 am
that was very interesting i would like to know more about the aluminum glass
December 1st, 2007 at 5:28 pm
So just exactly were has the past 40 centuries of sand, silica, soda, and extreme heat taken us, and were is it going. In 2000 GM came out with the first in car night vision system, an infrared based thermal imaging technology from Raytheon. However it left something to be desired in the real world. In theory, the system would project via a heads-up-display an enhanced, black-and-white “negative” of warmer obstacles ahead that had higher surface temperatures but ultimately the system dwindled and GM discontinued it in 2004.
In 2006 Mercedes Benz rolled out a new night vision system called Night View Assist on it’s S-Class, and CL-Class using infrared projector beams built into the headlights. Displaying it on a high resolution black and white eight inch display. Which gives it a sharp night view of the road up to 500 feet ahead.
BMW is now also offering a Night Vision system on several of its models, which it says, extends night vision by up to 1000 feet. The system uses Far InfraRed (FIR) technology, and is better at picking up people and animals and displaying the results on the iDrive screen, in the center of the instrument panel.