10/06/2012
Everyone knows that glass is a wonderful material, allowing light and energy to enhance our lives. But sometimes glass can be a problem.
Create a safer home by using window film on your windows and sliding doors. Playing or accidentally falling against them can cause serious injuries from shards of broken glass. An investment in safety film today may protect your loved ones from accidental harm tomorrow.
The problem: Glass can break into large, sharp pieces – creating hazards of cutting and piercing injuries. And it can be the elderly, the young or the inexperienced who are at most risk. Fortunately, these risks are usually very low, but when risk is high or when you are concerned about personal safety against broken glass, then solutions are available.
The solution: Safety of glass can be substantially improved using modern, high performance, high durability safety window film. These micro-thin, high technology products will, with professional installation, upgrade ordinary float glass to a safety glass. There are even safety films offering a variety of options to meet your particular needs, such as combined safety and solar control.
How glass is classified for safety
The European ‘safety glazing’ test standard EN 12600 classifies safety glass for performance under impact and is specifically related to increasing personal safety. For safety glazing made from safety film + float glass, the three classifications are 1B1, 2B2 and 3B3, with 1B1 being the highest classification possible.
Impact tests were derived from simulations of a 12 year old boy hitting the glass.
EN 12600 Class Drop height of impactor
Impact energy
1B1
1200 mm
588 Joules
2B2
450 mm
221 Joules
3B3
190 mm
93 Joules
Drop height: vertical height the impactor is raised before dropping onto the glass; Impactor: 50 kg with metal core.
Safety glazing with window film
It may seem amazing that a micro-thin window film can be adhered to a piece of glass and transform it into safety glazing, but this is exactly what happens. The film is intended to:
Absorb some of the energy of an impact
Hold shattered glass fragments together.
This thin, apparently ‘simple’ piece of plastic film modifies ordinary glass to safety glass, reducing the risk of injury when the glass is broken – especially the risk of cutting and piercing injuries. As shown in the picture on the right, ordinary plain 4 mm float glass breaks safely like laminated glass with a safety film of only 0.1mm thickness. The glass – which normally breaks into dangerous fragments – is protected from shattering by the safety film. In fact, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm or even thicker glass can similarly be converted to a safety glass. Better still, ordinary wired glass, incorrectly believed by some to be a safety glass, can be modified for safe breakage.
Choosing an appropriate safety film is easy. Our experts will complete a Risk Assessment of all your glazing with you and help you to specify the appropriate safety film. To help you discuss your needs with them, use the EN 12600 performance of the safety film as a guide to determine the appropriate safety film you need:
Often a minimum performance of EN 12600 Class 2B2 is required for general areas of float glass
EN 12600 Class 1B1 may be used for higher risk areas, for example in schools, for large glass panes, for higher risk of falling through the glass. Class 3B3 may be used for lower risk situations
Finally, remember that the safety glazing product is not the safety film alone but is the safety film + glass. Specify EN 12600 performance you want with the relevant thickness of the glass requiring protection, for example: “EN 12600 Class 2B2 for safety film on 5 mm float glass”
Read more at: http://www.lamin8.co.za/pages/safety.aspx
