Ordinary glasses, despite the many advantages and benefits they have, are always known for their shortcomings and weaknesses. Low resistance and fragility are among their top shortcomings. Every year, numerous incidents related to glass are reported that cause serious and irreparable injuries to people. These damages do not only affect people who work directly with glass, but also almost all individuals are at risk of hazards caused by glass, as glass is a very practical product that is used in almost all human structures and buildings.
The difference between tempered glass and ordinary glass:
The most important difference and distinguishing feature of tempered glass compared to ordinary glass is its higher strength and considerable safety. In more precise terms, although these two types of glass may seem completely similar in appearance, tempered glass, with the same thickness, has a resistance of more than 4 times (and depending on its type, up to 10 times) that of ordinary glass and shows much greater resistance against impact and pressure.
Another important and notable point about tempered glass is its safety. If the impact and pressure on tempered glass are so high that it breaks, it shatters into very small and non-sharp particles, while ordinary glass breaks into relatively large and very sharp and dangerous pieces. This distinction has become a major advantage for tempered glass, to the extent that demand for this type of glass has increased significantly worldwide.
Another distinguishing feature of tempered glass compared to ordinary glass is its resistance to heat and thermal shock. You may have seen or heard how ordinary glass is vulnerable to sudden temperature changes and can break or crack under thermal shock. However, it is interesting to know that tempered glass, in addition to the previous advantages, has another unique feature that it can withstand temperature changes and thermal shock up to three times more than ordinary glass.
Another important advantage of tempered glass is its resistance and prevention of harmful UV rays.
It should be noted that tempered glass has no visual difference from ordinary glass. Contrary to popular belief that tempered glass is heavier than ordinary glass with the same thickness, it should be noted that this notion is not true at all. In fact, tempered and ordinary glass with the same thickness have no difference in weight, and the reason for the stronger resistance of tempered glass is a special and technical heat treatment process applied to it.
Indeed, tempered glass is a product derived from ordinary glass that has the same transparency and color as raw unprocessed glass and has no difference in this regard compared to ordinary glass. After undergoing special tempering processes, the thickness of the glass does not change, and they only gain new advantages through up-to-date technologies without any changes in their color, transparency, and thickness.
The special advantages of tempered glass have made it widely used in various places, including the automotive industry, doors and windows, shop windows, balcony glass, staircase glass, emergency staircase door glass, glass partitions, shower cabin glass, glass floors, aquariums, and more.
In simple terms without technical jargon, tempered glass is made through a heating process, where the glass is heated to about 700 degrees Celsius and becomes completely soft. Then, suddenly cooling it with cold and high-pressure air causes the outer layers of the glass to cool much faster than the inner layers, and this process is what makes them extra durable.