What Makes Windshield Glass Different From Regular Glass?
When you look at the windshield you notice that it’s different from the regular glass you have in your home or one that is fixed in your car’s window. Maybe many of you don’t know that windshield glass is different from regular glass. All glasses in the newly manufactured vehicles are made according to the OEM standards, OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer.
These standards are set for every part of the vehicle While windshields have exceptions this one is made of comprehensive laminated paper. Its making process is different from other ordinary glasses.
There are many differences between windshield glass and regular glass. Here we will explore how these windshields are made and what makes windshields different from regular glass. We’ll give you a complete guide to this query.
Manufacturing of Windshield Glass and Regular Glass
To find out the difference between windshield glass and regular glass we need to find out how these glasses are made and what process makes them different. Let’s discover their manufacturing process:
Regular Glass: The primary materials used in glass are silica sand, limestone, soda ash, coloring, and clarifying agents. The raw material is mixed and heated to high temperatures, typically around 1700 degrees Celsius (3092 degrees Fahrenheit), in a furnace. This mixture becomes molten glass. After that, it is shaped into the desired form.
This glass derives its strength from persistent heating and cooling processes
Windshield Glass: The windshield glass also uses the same raw material while processing but the thing that makes it windshield glass is that two pieces of ordinary glass cover a special vinyl layer in between them, after that, the glass is then laminated. This extra layer of protection makes it different and more durable than regular glass
The glass derives its strength from PVB and glass layers. Five times stronger than regular glass.
How is Windshield Glass Different From Regular Glass?
Since our guide is about the difference between windshield glass from regular glass, here we will distinguish the attributes and key points to know what makes windshield glass different from regular glass.
Laminated Structure
Its laminated structure makes it stand out from others from other regular glasses. When a special piece of PVB is infused between two pieces of glass it’s glass laminated glass. The safety of the driver is important, that’s why its laminated structure makes it durable and hard to break.
This laminated structure of the windshield resists the effect of outside materials while driving. Different things hit the windshield while driving such as insects, debris, small rocks, etc. This lamination works as a shield against them.
Shatters Differently
Unlike regular glasses windshield glass shattered differently. You see when regular glass breaks in your home or anywhere it shatters into large pieces but when windshield glass breaks it shatters into small tiny pieces.
The reason for this is that during the car crash, the pieces of glass broke and approached the driver or other passengers. If they were big pieces of regular glass they could cause serious injury while with small pieces of windshield, there are fewer chances of injury.
Impact Resistance
Regular glass cannot bear the high impacts from outside while driving, on the other hand, the windshield can easily bear whether it’s pressure, dust with small stones, debris, or anything else encountered while driving
UV Resistance
The windshield glass is perfect for resisting ultraviolet rays from the sun. These UV rays can damage the interior of your car or even harm your skin which can then cause skin cancer. To avoid these damages the windshield plays a vital role that will also increase the life of your vehicle’s interior. While in regular glass the ultraviolet and other sun rays can easily enter and damage or fade your vehicle’s interior.
Thickness variation
Thickness variation in windshield glass is not the same thickness everywhere. Some parts are thicker than others. This is important for safety because it helps the glass stay strong and not break easily.
It’s like having different layers that work together to protect you. This variation is carefully designed to make sure the windshield can handle different pressures and impacts, keeping you safe while driving.
Wrap Up
In general, the manufacturing and ability of a windshield glass is different. Let’s hope with the help of this article you have come to know what makes windshield glass different from regular glass. The windshield is made for the safety of drivers while the regular is for regular purposes each of them has its own way of working.