Preventing Spontaneous Glass Breakage with Heat Soaking
Did you know that heat soaking can help you prevent glass from spontaneously breaking?
That’s right, preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking is a crucial step in ensuring the integrity of your glass installations. If you’re in the glass industry, you’re probably familiar with this phenomenon. If not, don’t worry—here’s a quick rundown.
Understanding Spontaneous Glass Breakage
During glass production, different types of inclusions can form, with nickel sulfide stones being the most discussed. These tiny inclusions result from nickel contamination and can cause major issues. They are nearly impossible to detect and can remain unnoticed until the glass has been cut, fabricated, tempered, and installed. Then, suddenly, the glass can break without any warning. Preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking addresses this issue directly.
Why Does This Happen?
As the glass heats up and cools down throughout the day, it expands and contracts. Unfortunately, the nickel sulfide inclusions do not expand and contract at the same rate as the glass, leading to stress and, ultimately, breakage. Preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking mitigates this risk by ensuring the glass can withstand these temperature changes.
Detecting Nickel Sulfide Inclusions
The good news is that we can detect if nickel sulfide inclusions are the cause of glass breakage. If the broken piece is still intact, we look for a characteristic butterfly-like pattern in the fracture. This detection is an essential part of preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking.
Preventing Spontaneous Breakage with Heat Soaking
The bad news is that by the time the glass breaks, it’s too late. However, there is a preventative measure—heat soaking. Heat soaking involves putting the glass through a cycle that mimics an ordinary day, heating and cooling it over an extended period. This process induces the expansion and contraction that would occur naturally. If the glass withstands this process without breaking, it’s likely free of harmful inclusions. If it breaks during heat soaking, it happens in the shop where a replacement can be made before the glass reaches the job site. This method is a reliable way of preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking.
The Practicality of Heat Soaking
Heat soaking can be applied to almost any piece of tempered glass. Although it incurs additional costs, it’s often a worthwhile investment, especially for large or complex projects. Preventing spontaneous glass breakage with heat soaking ensures the longevity and reliability of your glass installations.
To delve deeper into the intricacies of glass production and preventive measures like heat soaking, watch our detailed video.
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